Basic info for the day
Morning - travel by local train from St Moritz back along the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Albula railway line as far as Chur; quickly change to a direct fast train routing us alongside the Walensee and Zürich Lakes to Zürich.
Afternoon, stroll through the winding narrow streets of the Niederdorf old town center of Zürich and hear about the fascinating history of this "big little world city" and the amazing people who have lived here.
In the late afternoon check into your downtown Zürich hotel and freshen up before the final tour dinner at a local restaurant.
Albula Railway route
With its 55 bridges and 39 tunnels, the 63 km (39 mi) Albula line is one of the most spectacular narrow gauge railways in the world, and one of only three UNESCO World Heritage Railways in existence.
Today you get a second chance to experience this route - travelling back along the route we did yesterday. You also get to travel over the famous Landwasser Viaduct again.
In 2022, to celebrate its 75th anniversary since its founding, the Rhaetian Railways (operator of the line) set a new Guinness World Record for the longest passenger train. A continuous train comprising 100 coaches formed a 2 km (1.3 mi) long train and travelled a distance of 25 kms (16 mi).
Key info on ZÜRICH
Business capital of Switzerland - headquarters of large banks, insurance companies, and research arms of the IT tech giants (Google, Microsoft et al).
Population - 433,000 - largest city in Switzerland but not in the list of largest 100 European cities.
Founding - Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements followed by the Romans who settled in 15 BC calling it 'Turicum'.
Zürich HB train station - built in 1847 to receive 4 trains per day; now serves close on 3000 trains per day on 26 tracks; the busiest train station in Europe.
Free water - over 1200 public water fountains and you can drink from every one of them.
Largest church-tower clock - the world's largest clock face on a church tower is on St Peter's church originally built in 1366.
Center for tertiary education - city has 7 universities, 50,000 students; the ETH Federal Institute of Technology is consistently listed as Europe's top university.
Major center for museums - over 50 museums in and around the city.
Notable residents - Carl Jung, Johanna Spyri (author of Heidi), Albert Einstein, Lenin, James Joyce.
For additional info related to today's places and activities, see:
Greg Witt, founder and owner of Alpenwild, describes the Landwasser Viaduct in a YouTube video here:
Link to Landwasser Viaduct
We wish you a safe onward journey and hope you enjoyed your time in the
Scenic Swiss Alps!
Until next time - Auf Wiedersehen - Au revoir - Arrivederci - A revair
