mySwitzerland
In the high mountains, where the air is pure and thin, one breathes more freely and feels lighter in body and brighter of mind.” Thus wrote the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And he was absolutely right. On a mountaintop, everyday stresses seem insignificant: you feel on top of the world! The views from Switzerland’s high summits are heavenly. Each peak – from the Rigi to the Säntis, from Muottas Muragl to the Schilthorn – reveals a breathtaking natural landscape with its own unique charm. Our new holiday magazine gives you a preview of what to expect when you visit, and shows how you can reach the finest viewpoints easily with the help of spectacular cog railways, cable cars and funiculars. Switzerland’s magnificent natural landscapes thrill and inspire countless visitors. Discover for yourself the magic of our mountains, glaciers, forests and lakes – and experience natural highs that you’ll never forget. Welcome to Switzerland: we look forward to your visit!
In the high mountains, where the air is pure and thin, one breathes more freely
and feels lighter in body and brighter of mind.” Thus wrote the philosopher
Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And he was absolutely right. On a mountaintop,
everyday stresses seem insignificant: you feel on top of the world!
The views from Switzerland’s high summits are heavenly. Each peak – from the
Rigi to the Säntis, from Muottas Muragl to the Schilthorn – reveals a breathtaking
natural landscape with its own unique charm. Our new holiday magazine gives
you a preview of what to expect when you visit, and shows how you can reach
the finest viewpoints easily with the help of spectacular cog railways, cable cars
and funiculars.
Switzerland’s magnificent natural landscapes thrill and inspire countless visitors.
Discover for yourself the magic of our mountains, glaciers, forests and lakes –
and experience natural highs that you’ll never forget.
Welcome to Switzerland: we look forward to your visit!
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SBB RailAway<br />
Man of leisure<br />
Interview: Marco Casile<br />
René Kamer is an expert on spending free time – other people’s<br />
free time. As head of SBB RailAway, his job is to devise<br />
original ideas for leisure excursions throughout Switzerland.<br />
The result: a vast range of great deals to suit every interest.<br />
René Kamer, 60, lives in Kriens<br />
near Lucerne, and has two daughters.<br />
He has been CEO of SBB RailAway<br />
for 15 years. Previously, he spent<br />
13 years at the Rigi Bahnen railway /<br />
cable car network, leaving in 1998 to<br />
develop a concept for a leisure<br />
subsidiary for SBB. This became<br />
Switzerland’s largest leisure provider,<br />
with about 65 staff and a turnover in<br />
2012 of 120 million francs.<br />
René Kamer, do you know what to<br />
do with your own free time?<br />
Of course – my interests are travel,<br />
sports and cooking, and I love spending<br />
time with family and friends.<br />
Do you know how other people<br />
spend their free time?<br />
Studies show that a lot of people<br />
don’t really know what to do in their<br />
spare time. Our task is to come up with<br />
ideas and specific offers involving travel<br />
by train, boat or postbus. These ideas<br />
are proving popular: every year, more<br />
than 1.5 million people book an<br />
SBB RailAway combined ticket.<br />
Where can I get excursion ideas<br />
from SBB Rail Away?<br />
Online at www.sbb.ch/en/leisureholidays<br />
on the SBB RailAway app and<br />
of course at all Swiss railway stations,<br />
where you can book any of the deals.<br />
What’s the advantage of<br />
organising outings with<br />
SBB RailAway?<br />
First of all, the combined deals are<br />
easy to book. Second, you save time:<br />
you get tickets for travel and your destination<br />
attraction – anything from<br />
Lucerne’s Swiss Museum of Transport<br />
to a musical show – in one go, at the<br />
station or online. And third, you make<br />
a saving on the whole package of anything<br />
from 10 to 50 per cent.<br />
What are the main deals<br />
offered by SBB RailAway?<br />
The winter Snow’n’Rail deals with<br />
42 Swiss ski resorts are very popular,<br />
and in summer we sell a lot of packages<br />
including rides up to panoramic<br />
peaks, lake attractions, festivals, zoos<br />
and the Swiss Museum of Transport.<br />
Do Swiss people and<br />
visitors from abroad choose<br />
similar excursions?<br />
More or less. But visitors from<br />
abroad tend to go for famous attractions<br />
such as the Jungfraujoch, the Glacier<br />
Express or cities such as Lucerne. Swiss<br />
people prefer smaller, lesser-known destinations.<br />
Which of your deals go best with<br />
this summer’s theme of “views”?<br />
Any of our combined tickets that<br />
involve travel to the mountains – such<br />
as round trips incorporating a ride on<br />
the Glacier Express or Bernina Express,<br />
or excursions on Switzerland’s lakes.<br />
The views from the water are spectacular,<br />
too.<br />
One last question: as a boy,<br />
what did you want to be when<br />
you grew up?<br />
A train driver, of course! We’ve<br />
been railwaymen for generations in my<br />
family.<br />
The full interview:<br />
Webcode: 182541 /<br />
Swiss Extend<br />
<strong>mySwitzerland</strong> 48 Views
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