The steepest cogwheel railway on earth hauls itself out of Alpnachstad at a 48 per cent gradient, tilting past cliff faces and the occasional unbothered ibex to Pilatus Kulm high above Lucerne. The Victorian engineering still feels faintly cheeky. Do the classic Golden Round Trip: paddle steamer across Lake Lucerne, cog railway up, cable cars down the other side to Kriens. Note the railway only runs roughly May to November — the line is simply too steep to clear of snow.
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