Day 3 - Milan to Chur

This was the day the rail holiday really began!



The Swiss Railways train took us from Milan Central through the southern states of Switzerland, through the St Gotthard tunnel and on to Goschenen. Here we disembarked and boarded the rack railway which climbed up the Schollenen Valley to Andermatt.

By this time I realised I had made a tragic error in booking the train from Milan, which meant we missed the Glacier Express (and our meal booked in the restaurant car). H0wever, we found the quality of food at the station cafe in Andermatt was very good - including home-cooked lasagne and some staples of Swiss fayre (eg sausages). Fortunately, trains run regularly over the Swiss system and we were able, with our Swiss Passes, to board the next available train to Chur which followed the same route as the Glacier Express. For me, the journey on the local train was far more interesting and rewarding than it would have been had we been crammed into the panorama coaches. On the local train, the windows could be opened for uninterrupted photography. In addition, we had the first class section of our carriage to ourselves and hence felt uninhibited in opening all the windows and leaping around taking pictures and video clips at our leisure.

We arrived in Chur in sufficient time to be able to stroll into the city centre to find food (and drink). The town has been modernised and pedestrianised but there are some interesting nooks and crannies to explore.

We stayed at the IBIS hotel in Chur, which is within walking distance of the city centre (though not with suitcases).

As can be seen, the hotel has an interesting pyramidal design - we stayed very near the apex in a large and comfortable room. The staff were very friendly and the buffet breakfast was well worth the extra cost - setting us up for the day ahead.