Day 11: Travel by train & bus to Rodi & walk to Faido. Travel by train to Lavorgo & walk to Giornico. Travel by bus & train to Bellinzona (MAPS 3 & 4).
After breakfast they headed to the railway station of Airolo (1141m a.s.l.), which is the highest railway station of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) (BAHNHOF AIROLO). There they boarded the "Treno Gottardo" to Faido. In Faido they changed to a bus and got off at Rodi "Dazio Grande".
The "Dazio Grande" is a building from the middle of the 16th century. It served as customs house for goods, transit traffic, hoarse-changing station, guesthouse, hostel and warehouse until 1803, the year when the Ticino became part of the Swiss Confederation. It remained in operation, until the Gotthard railway line was inaugurated in 1882. Nowadays, it is still open for the public as a museum and provides a rustic restaurant and overnight accommodation (DAZIO GRANDE).
From there they started their hiking, which took them along the "Via Gottardo Süd", passing by the two most impressive gorges ("Piottino" and "Biaschina"), which are shaping the landscape of the upper Ticino, and ending by the village Giornico.
Day 11: Travel by train & bus to Rodi & walk to Faido. Travel by train to Lavorgo & walk to Giornico. Travel by bus & train to Bellinzona (MAPS 3 & 4).
After breakfast they headed to the railway station of Airolo (1141m a.s.l.), which is the highest railway station of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) (BAHNHOF AIROLO). There they boarded the "Treno Gottardo" to Faido. In Faido they changed to a bus and got off at Rodi "Dazio Grande".
The "Dazio Grande" is a building from the middle of the 16th century. It served as customs house for goods, transit traffic, hoarse-changing station, guesthouse, hostel and warehouse until 1803, the year when the Ticino became part of the Swiss Confederation. It remained in operation, until the Gotthard railway line was inaugurated in 1882. Nowadays, it is still open for the public as a museum and provides a rustic restaurant and overnight accommodation (DAZIO GRANDE).
From there they started their hiking, which took them along the "Via Gottardo Süd", passing by the two most impressive gorges ("Piottino" and "Biaschina"), which are shaping the landscape of the upper Ticino, and ending by the village Giornico.
Day 11: Travel by train & bus to Rodi & walk to Faido. Travel by train to Lavorgo & walk to Giornico. Travel by bus & train to Bellinzona (MAPS 3 & 4).
After breakfast they headed to the railway station of Airolo (1141m a.s.l.), which is the highest railway station of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) (BAHNHOF AIROLO). There they boarded the "Treno Gottardo" to Faido. In Faido they changed to a bus and got off at Rodi "Dazio Grande".
The "Dazio Grande" is a building from the middle of the 16th century. It served as customs house for goods, transit traffic, hoarse-changing station, guesthouse, hostel and warehouse until 1803, the year when the Ticino became part of the Swiss Confederation. It remained in operation, until the Gotthard railway line was inaugurated in 1882. Nowadays, it is still open for the public as a museum and provides a rustic restaurant and overnight accommodation (DAZIO GRANDE).
From there they started their hiking, which took them along the "Via Gottardo Süd", passing by the two most impressive gorges ("Piottino" and "Biaschina"), which are shaping the landscape of the upper Ticino, and ending by the village Giornico.
Day 11: Travel by train & bus to Rodi & walk to Faido. Travel by train to Lavorgo & walk to Giornico. Travel by bus & train to Bellinzona (MAPS 3 & 4).
After breakfast they headed to the railway station of Airolo (1141m a.s.l.), which is the highest railway station of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) (BAHNHOF AIROLO). There they boarded the "Treno Gottardo" to Faido. In Faido they changed to a bus and got off at Rodi "Dazio Grande".
The "Dazio Grande" is a building from the middle of the 16th century. It served as customs house for goods, transit traffic, hoarse-changing station, guesthouse, hostel and warehouse until 1803, the year when the Ticino became part of the Swiss Confederation. It remained in operation, until the Gotthard railway line was inaugurated in 1882. Nowadays, it is still open for the public as a museum and provides a rustic restaurant and overnight accommodation (DAZIO GRANDE).
From there they started their hiking, which took them along the "Via Gottardo Süd", passing by the two most impressive gorges ("Piottino" and "Biaschina"), which are shaping the landscape of the upper Ticino, and ending by the village Giornico.
Day 11: Travel by train & bus to Rodi & walk to Faido. Travel by train to Lavorgo & walk to Giornico. Travel by bus & train to Bellinzona (MAPS 3 & 4).
After breakfast they headed to the railway station of Airolo (1141m a.s.l.), which is the highest railway station of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) (BAHNHOF AIROLO). There they boarded the "Treno Gottardo" to Faido. In Faido they changed to a bus and got off at Rodi "Dazio Grande".
The "Dazio Grande" is a building from the middle of the 16th century. It served as customs house for goods, transit traffic, hoarse-changing station, guesthouse, hostel and warehouse until 1803, the year when the Ticino became part of the Swiss Confederation. It remained in operation, until the Gotthard railway line was inaugurated in 1882. Nowadays, it is still open for the public as a museum and provides a rustic restaurant and overnight accommodation (DAZIO GRANDE).
From there they started their hiking, which took them along the "Via Gottardo Süd", passing by the two most impressive gorges ("Piottino" and "Biaschina"), which are shaping the landscape of the upper Ticino, and ending by the village Giornico.
Day 11: Travel by train & bus to Rodi & walk to Faido. Travel by train to Lavorgo & walk to Giornico. Travel by bus & train to Bellinzona (MAPS 3 & 4).
In this part, I show pictures that I have taken from the "Giruno" trains along the "Gotthard" mountain route, from several locations and during the different seasons of the year. The pictures are ordered from 1 to 41, following a north-south sequence. The first picture has been taken close to Erstfeld and the last one near Bodio. Most pictures I have taken from August 2023 to August 2024, when all passenger trains had to be deviated via the "Gotthard" mountain route, after the accident of the freight train in August 2023. Other pictures, I have taken during a two weeks maintenance working period, once in January 2025 and another time in January 2026.
I could manage to make 41 different pictures, which corresponds to the total number of "Giruno" trains in March 2026. Therefore, I did give to each picture a name for the train. However, I could not get a picture from each "Giruno" train. In some pictures, I was able to identify the name on the train and could give the correct one. In the others, I just gave any name for the train on the picture.
For further information about the SBB "Giruno" trains, see https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBB_RABe_501 and https://www.sbb.ch/de/reiseinformationen/services-im-zug/unsere-zuege/giruno.html
Picture1: RABe 501 016: Glarus: Shortly after leaving Erstfeld
Picture1: RABe 501 016: Glarus: Shortly after leaving Erstfeld
Picture3: RABe 501 009: Zürich: Crossing the "Chärstelenbach" railway bridge in Amsteg
Picture4: RABe 501 033: Emilia-Romagna: Crossing the "Intschireuss" railway bridge
Picture5: RABe 501 025: Genève: The journey through the "Reuss" valley.
The view from the hiking track between Gurtnellen and Wassen
Picture6: RABe 501 015: St. Gallen: Passing by the village of Wassen
Picture7: RABe 501 023: Wallis: Crossing the "Meienreuss" railway bridge in Wassen in the summer
Picture8: RABe 501 037: Baden-Württemberg: Crossing the "Meienreuss" railway bridge in Wassen in the winter
Picture9: RABe 501 036: Toscana: A view to the village of Wassen from up
Picture10: RABe 501 032: Veneto: Passing by the attendants hut "Hirmi" in Wassen
Picture11: RABe 501 013: Zug: Shortly before reaching Göschenen
Picture12: RABe 501 028: Jura: The view from a location close to Göschenen
_corr.jpg)
Picture13: RABe 501 008: Ceneri: Entering the north portal of the "Gotthard" rail tunnel in Göschenen
Picture14: RABe 501 001: Ticino: Arriving at the railway station of Airolo
Picture15: RABe 501 041: Tirol: From Valle, a view to railway bridge crossing the "Stalvedro" gorge
Picture16:RABe 501 038: Niedersachsen: Leaving the "Stalvedro" gorge, heading to Ambri-Piotta
Picture17: RABe 501 017: Fribourg/Freiburg: A view to the railway bridge of Stalvedro from the "Stalvedro" gorge
Picture18: RABe 501 022: Vaud: The view from the hiking track "Ruderi del Castello di Stalvedro" castle ruin to the "Stalvedro" gorge
Picture19: RABe 501 024: Neuenburg: The view from the hiking track between Stalvedro and Piotta
Picture20: RABe 501 026: Basel-Stadt: Shortly before reaching the village of Piotta
Picture21: RABe 501 003: San Gottardo: Passing by the station of Ambri-Piotta
Picture22: RABe 501 005: Nidwalden: Immersing into a flower meadow in Ambri
Picture23: RABe 501 020: Luzern: The journey through the upper "Leventina" valley, with a view to the villages of Quinto and Ambri
Picture24: RABe 501 018: Appenzell Ausserrhoden: Leaving the village of Ambri, heading to Rodi
Picture25: RABe 501 010: Basel-Landschaft: A view from the location "Tre Kapelle", between Ambri and Quinto
Picture26: RABe 501 031: Liguria: The view from the hiking track "Tre Capelle" to Quinto
Picture27: RABe 501 006: Obwalden: The view from the village of Varenzo
Picture28: RABe 501 012: Solothurn: Passing by an artificial lake in Rodi, with a view to Fiesso
Picture29: RABe 501 014: Bern: Passing by the village of Rodi, with a view to Prato
Picture30: RABe 501 002: Aargau: Traversing the "Ponte di Mezzo" railway bridge, over the "Piottino" gorge
Picture31: RABe 501 029: Simplon: At the end of the "Piottino" gorge
Picture32: RABe 501 011: Thurgau: Close to Faido, a view to the "Polmengo" railway bridge from up
Picture33: RABe 501 040: Vorarlberg: A view to the "Polmengo" railway bridge from down
Picture34: RABe 501 030: Lombardia: Passing by the railway station of Faido
Picture35: RABe 501 027: Schaffhausen: Passing by the village of Faido
Picture36: RABe 501 034: Hessen: The view from the hiking track to Gribbio. Leaving Faido, heading to Lavorgo
Picture37: RABe 501 004: Schwyz: Shortly after having passed by the village of Fusnengo
Picture38: RABe 501 021: Graubünden: Passing by the village of Chiggiogna
Picture39: RABe 501 039: Trentino-Südtirol: The view from the "Ticino" river, shortly before Lavorgo
Picture40: RABe 501 035: Freie Hansestadt Hamburg: The view from the hiking track to Chironico. Passing by the village of Lavorgo, heading to the "Biaschina" gorge
Picture41: RABe 501 007: Uri: The view from the nature reserve "Gaisc" by Bodio