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).
Education:
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03/2017: PhD in Physical Geography. University of Basel.
Subject PhD by Prof. Dr. N. J. Kuhn, Prof. Dr. C. A. Burga and Prof. Dr. A. Rigling Vegetation succession dynamics at the Alpine timber-line ecotone in the Grindelwald region (Northern Swiss Alps).
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11/2007 – 03/2017: PhD student in Geography at the institut of Physical Geography and Environmental Change. University of Basel.
10/2006: Master of Science in Geography and Environmental sciences. University of Zurich.
Subject master thesis by Prof. Dr. C. A. Burga: Vegetation changes at the timberline ecotone of the Lauterbrunnen valley, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.
10/2000 – 10/2006: Studies in Geography at the University of Zurich.
Hobbies:
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Sports (aerobics and several endurance sports at the University of Zurich and Basel).
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Travelling by train and hiking (organizing excursions with friends and collegues).
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Swimming.
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Music instruments, mainly the piano and clarinet.
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Reading: scientific journals about nature and different books.
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Photography and drawing.
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Handicraft.
My great passion is travelling by train and discovering new places in the nature. Through my studies in Geography I had the opportunity to travel to several areas in Switzerland. After my graduation I took a time-out to fulfill my passion and got inspired to write a report about the places I visited using my favorite train routes (ZVV-S15, SOB-Voralpen-Express and the Treno Gottardo).
On these trips we get to know the variety of landscapes shaping Switzerland (Jura mountains, Swiss midlands, Prealps and Swiss Alps) and admire the beauty of nature. Moreover we are introduced to some cultural sights in different regions.
I chose to write the report in English to encourage as many people as possible to read it.
1) In the first part I use mainly the S15 train service of the ZVV (Zürcher Verkehrsverbund). The S15 traverses the Canton Zurich, connecting the northwest (Zurcher Unterland) with the southeast end (Zurcher Oberland) over a distance of almost 70km. The journey from Niederweningen (starting station) to Rapperswil (ending station) takes 1h 12min (S15 ZVV).
2) In the second part from Rapperswil to Arth-Goldau I use mainly the Voralpen-Express line of the SOB (Schweizerische Südostbahn AG) (VORALPENEXPRESS) and the nostalgic mountain route of the Gotthard line (TRENO GOTTARDO) from Arth-Goldau to Locarno.
The persons and names I mention are fictitious. Please notice that indication of sources are shown in capital letters between brackets. Furthermore I would like to inform you that some hotels and restaurants mentioned in the report had to close down due to the "Covid-19" pandemic.
The excursions I describe in my report can be individually adjusted to each person's interest.
For example, one can make just a part of the excursion (e.g., only the Voralpen-Express line), split up a day into two days, visit only one place of an excursion day or replace a hiking section by bus or train. I therefore would like to encourage several age groups to take part and discover the highlights of these train lines.
Thank you for reading my report and I hope it motivates you to use the train as often as possible for your future excursions.