Swiss turn back the clock

Press, 29 June 1988, Page 14 (Supplement)

Swiss turn back the clock

Switzerland over the years has earned an enviable reputation for its cuisine, clocks, tradition, trains, and excellent service. Combine these ingredients and you have the Nostalgie Istanbul Orient Express — a traditional Swiss train that runs like clockwork and offers superb service and cuisine.

Available for private hire and organised group tours, this beautifully restored train allows passengers to enjoy a taste of rail travel in the grand style of a by-gone era. Pullman cars which 60 years ago graced trains like the Orient Express, Train Bleu, Cote d’Azur express and the Mistral have been painstakingly restored to roll again along Switzerland’s seemingly endless ribbons of steel.

The narrow-gauge Rhaetian Railway Company, which runs the famous Glacier Express, has also restored several of its original carriages. On special occasions, like the recent celebrations to mark 200 years of tourism in Switzerland, the company arranges for the train’s crew and passengers to turn out in period clothes. A nice touch for a truly nostalgic journey ...