Open since 1898 and climbing to 3,089 metres, the Gornergrat Bahn out of Zermatt is the best-value big-view railway in Switzerland: thirty-three minutes from village lanes to a ridge ringed by twenty-nine four-thousanders, with the Matterhorn showing its finest profile the whole way up. Sit on the right ascending. The connoisseur's move is the summer sunrise train — book it, watch the peak catch fire, then walk down one station to the Riffelsee for the reflection shot.
Featured in Ten mountain railways with views you won't believe · Mountain