Gotthard Panorama Express

What it is

The Gotthard Panorama Express pairs a lake steamer across Lake Lucerne with a first class only panoramic train over the historic Gotthard mountain line, changing between the two at Fluelen. It follows the route the Gotthard line took before the Gotthard Base Tunnel opened in 2016, climbing over the mountain rather than under it, and is jointly run by SBB for the train leg and the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company, SGV, for the boat leg. Journeys start at Lucerne, or at Arth Goldau for travellers joining partway, and finish at Lugano. The historic line the panoramic train uses was itself the main Gotthard route for over a century, before it was gradually superseded by the base tunnel that opened in 2016.

Why this line

1. The combined boat and train journey covers about 182 km, a figure published by MySwitzerland; a separate distance for the rail only leg is not published.
2. The train follows the old Gotthard mountain route, the same alignment used before the Gotthard Base Tunnel took most through traffic underground.
3. The panoramic train section is first class only, with a mandatory upgrade for anyone travelling on a second class ticket.
4. It only operates from mid April to mid October, daily except Monday.
5. Outside that window the historic line is still served year round by the separate Treno Gottardo service, which runs without the boat connection and without the panoramic upgrade.

Practical

A reservation and a second class to first class upgrade are both required to ride the panoramic train section between Fluelen and Lugano. The boat leg across Lake Lucerne is run by SGV rather than SBB, so tickets and timetables for the two legs are worth checking separately before travelling. No official recommendation is published for which side to sit. The service runs mid April to mid October only; outside that window use the year round Treno Gottardo instead.

Gateways on the line

Lucerne is the northern starting point, with an alternative start at Arth Goldau for travellers already south of Zurich. Fluelen is where the boat meets the train, at the southern end of Lake Lucerne. Goschenen and Airolo sit either side of the old Gotthard summit, the two towns the base tunnel now bypasses underground. Bellinzona is the main Ticino junction before the final run down to Lugano, the southern terminus and a stop with onward connections towards Locarno and into Italy.