6 epic winter excursions in the Swiss mountains

How does it feel to stand 3,454-metres-above-sea-level? Like you’re on top of the world – or at least Europe – especially when you’re gazing out over the mighty Aletsch Glacier and the countless 4,000-metre-high peaks surrounding it. See for yourself by visiting the Jungfraujoch, part of the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the Alps. Buying your travel ticket through SBB means you’ll enjoy a 20% reduction on your journey to Wengen or Grindelwald Terminal and back, as well as on your return journey up to the Jungfraujoch, known as the Top of Europe.

It’s not hard to see why this mountain is known locally as ‘The Pearl of Lake Maggiore’, especially as you can glimpse both the highest and lowest points in Switzerland at the same time (the Dufour Peak – the highest peak of the Monte Rosa – and Lake Maggiore, in case you’re wondering). But it’s also the starting point for numerous great winter hikes and gives you easy access to locations like Orselina, where you can visit the Madonna del Sasso church, a famous Roman Catholic pilgrimage site, and the many mountain huts scattered throughout the region, serving local Ticino cuisine. An SBB ticket means you’ll enjoy a 10% reduction on outward cable car and chairlift journeys to Cardada Cimetta and a 20% reduction on public transport to nearby Locarno.

Get two adventures on one trip when you visit this sledging paradise. The fun begins on the train journey there, as you’ll be travelling on the Rhaetian Railway, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the incredible engineering that allows the train to wind its way through stunning Alpine landscape. Once at Preda/Darlux, prepare for further thrills as you hurtle down two immense toboggan runs (one of them measuring 6,000 metres) and zooming underneath viaducts and through beautiful Alpine scenes. All this action comes with a sizeable discount via an SBB ticket, as you’ll get a 20% reduction on the return journey to Bergün and a 10% discount on a tobogganing day ticket.

You can’t really say you’ve done winter hiking in Switzerland until you’ve embarked on the two trails from Melchsee-Frutt. These two well-trodden routes – one leading to Tannalp, the other to Bettenalp – transport walkers into a genuine winter wonderland, immersed in thick, brilliant white carpets of snow. At 2,000-metres-above-sea-level, this is what the Alps should look like and it’s a sight you won’t forget. Buying your hiking pass through SBB gives you a 20% discount on the price and a 20% reduction on the journey to Stöckalp and back, meaning your journeys on cable cars, chairlifts and gondolas are covered, leaving you free to roam across the plateau and soak up the views.

Skiers and adventurers – this one’s for you. Explore over 100 kilometres of pristine slopes spread over 12 trails in The Goms, hailed as one of Switzerland’s very best cross-country skiing resorts. Covering the valley areas connecting Oberwald to Niederwald, the trails include both classic and skating varieties, and there are routes to suit all abilities and groups, whether you’re visiting on your own, in a couple, as a family or even with your four-legged friend. With your SBB ticket, you’ll even get a 10% reduction on a one or two-day ski pass and a 20% reduction on the journey to Fiesch/Oberwald and back, making the experience even more appealing.

Head off on a bracing winter hike that takes you 1,600-metres-above-sea-level as you traverse mountainous regions across central Switzerland. This popular route boasts views over Lake Lucernre and across to the Swiss Plateau, but if you want to interact with the landscape rather than just gaze at it, simply hop on a toboggan hired from one of the mountain stations. Refuel at numerous restaurants offering traditional meals and equipped with children’s playgrounds, if the kids still have energy to burn after the hiking. If you prefer to cook for yourself, barbecue areas across the route are stocked with wood and cleared of snow, leaving you free to fire up and feast. An SBB ticket will give you a 20% reduction on public transport journeys in the area, plus a 10% discount at several restaurants.