[ Alphorn blowing ] -Hey, I'm Rick Steves, back with
more of the best of Europe. I'm tooting the horn for some of my favorite
mountain destinations. It's the classic corners
of the Swiss Alps. Thanks for joining us. [ Alphorn blowing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Switzerland draws travelers
from around the world for its legendary mountains. In this episode,
we'll see no grand museums, no great cities, just jaw-dropping Alpine beauty and the rich
and resilient culture of the people who live here. It's a land of
dramatic mountains laced together by
scenic train rides and spectacular hikes. Famous peaks are made accessible
by thrilling lifts, including the highest
in all of Europe. We'll enjoy alpine life,
from exploring glaciers to making cheese
the old-fashioned way. Switzerland is small -- just
half the size of Kentucky. While it has great cities, most of the country is
rural and mountainous. We start in Zermatt,
at the Matterhorn, take the Glacier Express
train ride, drop in on Appenzell, and finish in the
Berner Oberland, riding lifts to the Jungfrau
and the Schilthorn. Zermatt, at the foot
of the Matterhorn, was essentially built
for enjoying the Alps. It's hugely popular
with skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer. With its many lifts, it's a
springboard for countless trails and unforgettable viewpoints. The weather's great,
and we're hopping a train to one of the most
dramatic views in all the Alps. The Gornergrat cogwheel train
has been wowing visitors since 1898. The trip comes with
sweeping views, first of the town of Zermatt... then of the iconic peak that
draws so many to this region -- the Matterhorn. The train climbs steeply
into the high country. It takes us to over 10,000 feet, where we reach
the end of the line. Across the tracks, an old hotel solidly caps
the Gornergrat ridge. Grand views stretch
in every direction. Stunning Matterhorn views
demand the attention of hikers, but there's more. Monte Rosa is actually
higher than the Matterhorn. In fact, at 15,200 feet, it's the highest point
in Switzerland. And a 1,000-foot sheer drop
below the platform stretches the mighty
Gorner Glacier. It seems
many of my favorite hikes start partway down my favorite
lifts or train rides. Hopping off this train
about midway, I'm in for a sensational
yet easy hike. Getting to these exciting spots
with so little work and so far from the crowds,
I feel like I'm cheating... and I love it. There's just something
about the Matterhorn, the most recognizable
mountain on the planet, that attracts people. It's a dangerous mountain
to climb. Each year, while several
thousand make it to the summit, about a dozen die trying. And with global warming, the permafrost that keeps
it solid is thawing, making falling rocks
a new hazard. Surrounding Zermatt, as if to enjoy views of
the Matterhorn from every angle, are dozens of lifts
and hundreds of miles of trails. As is the case
throughout the Alps, handy signposts
make it clear where you are, what's the altitude, and how long it takes
to hike to various points. ♪♪ Zermatt,
straddling its tiny river, is a small town of 6,000
with a big tourist industry. It has more hotel beds
than residents -- and they're often
completely full. Nearly everyone earns a living
one way or another from tourists, who flock here
for a peek at the peak. About two million visitors
a year arrive by train. Cars are not allowed. Electric carts weave quietly
through the pedestrians. The town is a collection of over 100 modern,
chalet-style hotels, with a well-organized
and groomed infrastructure for summer and winter sports. And this crowd-pleasing herd
of traditional blackneck goats, which parades
through the town every day, has had it with selfies
and is headin' for the barn. [ Bells ringing, goat bleats ] If you explore a bit, you can discover pockets
of traditional charm. 200 years ago, Zermatt would
have looked more like this -- little more than a gathering
of humble log cabins. Zermatt works hard to keep
its visitors entertained, and tradition-loving locals
seem delighted to do just that. [ Group singing
in native language ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Yodeling ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -From the town of Zermatt,
a mighty cable car takes us to the summit of a peak called
the "Little Matterhorn". Prices are steep, as the community has invested
hundreds of millions of dollars in their mountain lifts
in recent years. These lifts are absolutely
state-of-the-art and just experiencing them
is worth the splurge. At 12,700 feet, this is the highest
cable-car station in Europe. While the view of the Matterhorn
from this angle is not the iconic
postcard profile, the views from this
observation deck are stunning. On a clear day,
the Alps fill the horizon with all their glory. ♪♪ The Zermatt train station
is busy each morning as travelers invest a day
of their vacation to take one of the most scenic
train rides in the world, riding the rails
across southern Switzerland on the Glacier Express. This journey, designed to maximize
your sightseeing thrills, features a masterpiece
of railway engineering. The Glacier Express trainline
crosses 290 bridges and viaducts and goes through
90 tunnels in 8 hours as it connects two of
the leading alpine resorts -- Zermatt and Saint Moritz. Over a quarter million
Alp-lovers ride this train each year. People kick back and just relax, enjoying big windows
for bigger views. The scenery unfolds
as the train carves its way through the Swiss landscape. In the glaciers high above are born some of Europe's
great rivers, which flow from here to both the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Now we're trading away some
of the staggering alpine peaks for an insight into the Swiss
and their heritage. This is Appenzell -- cowbell country
and storybook-friendly. According to legend, the devil
was flying over these hills with a sack filled with houses. A sharp peak
tore a hole in the sack, and lots of chalets
sprinkled over the countryside. To this day, the farms and
hamlets remain widely scattered, and the canton of Appenzell remains one of Switzerland's
most traditional. The Swiss are famously
independent, and historically, the big threat
to their independence was the Habsburg Empire
from Austria. In the Middle Ages,
this region was fragmented into small cantons, or states. In the 13th century, three of these cantons joined
together to fight the Habsburgs. By 1291, they established
their independence, and Switzerland was born. This union eventually grew
to include 26 cantons and the country we know today. Switzerland is unique
among its European neighbors. It's not in the EU,
and, rather than the euro, it uses its own currency. This stubborn pride and the resulting survival
of local traditions is one thing
that makes Switzerland such a rewarding place to visit. [ Cowbells clacking ] You feel the strength
of that tradition here in the town of Appenzell. Amazingly, it wasn't until 1990 that Appenzell women
were given full voting rights. This has been the capital
of the canton for 400 years, and many of the buildings
date back to that time. [ Bicycle bell rings ] ♪♪ Switzerland's independence
distinguished it from European high culture. Back then, it took royalty
or the Roman Catholic church to pay for big-time
cultural achievements. So, instead of lots
of grand palaces and cathedrals, today, travelers see
Swiss culture on a small and personal scale. Folk museums here
give an intimate peek into Appenzell's
humble rural culture, with rooms replicating
everyday life, from where they
raised their families to where they worked. In this 400-year-old building,
the ceilings are low, and the floors are creaky
with centuries-old beams. Simple folk art shows
the importance of cows and the ritual
of taking the herd up to the high meadows
for the summer and back down for the winter. This room shows life as it was
for the herder in the high Alps, who spent summers alone,
milking cows and making cheese. These decorative cowbells
awaited the festive day when the herd would descend
from the high meadow. It was a world of wood. The woodshop is where milk pails would be fashioned
out of maple and fir, soaked in water
to be made pliable, assembled watertight
with no nails, and then artfully carved. The woodworker's bedroom reflects the pride
he had in his profession. He earned enough to afford
some fine painted furniture. This wardrobe dates from 1817. ♪♪ Whether traveling
by train or by car, mountainous Switzerland
has fine infrastructure, and you can get nearly
anywhere in the country in just a few hours. The Berner Oberland
is a particularly scenic region. Its Lauterbrunnen Valley, which stretches south
from the city of Interlaken, is a wonderful springboard for some of my favorite
Swiss Alp experiences. Lauterbrunnen Valley, with its vertical sides
and flat bottom, is U-shaped, a textbook example of
a glacier-shaped valley. While the main town,
also called Lauterbrunnen, sits on the valley floor, neighboring towns
hang on cliffs high above. "Lauterbrunnen" means
"loud waters" -- an apt name. Waterfalls plummet from cliffs
all along the valley. Staubach Falls -- one of
the highest in Switzerland -- drops nearly 1,000 feet. ♪♪ The valley --
with its riverside trails, traditional farmhouses, and chorus of surrounding
peaks cheering you on -- is a magnet for nature lovers. Towering high above are the icy Jungfrau, Monch,
and Eiger peaks, named for the legend of
the young maiden, Jungfrau, being protected
by the monk, or Monch, from the mean ogre, or Eiger. And perched on a saddle
between two of those mountains is the Jungfraujoch Station, and that's where we're going
by train. From the valley floor,
a cogwheel train takes tourists
and mountaineers alike on this ear-popping journey. As we gradually climb,
the views continually unfold. ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cow moos ] Eventually, we arrive
at Kleine Scheidegg, a rail junction
at the base of the peaks. For well over a century, this
has been the jumping-off point for rock climbers
attempting to scale the foreboding
north face of the Eiger. Kleine Scheidegg
has souvenir shops, hearty food for hikers, and rustic
19th-century hotels -- a reminder that tourism
is nothing new here. With the craze
for social media these days and with millions of people from countries
with emerging economies now able to afford
that dream trip to Europe, famous destinations like this
can be really crowded. Do what you can
to minimize the crowds. Arrive early, arrive late --
it really helps. Continuing our journey to
Europe's highest train station, the ingenuity
of Swiss engineers is apparent as we climb the railway
they built back in 1912. Amazingly, our train tunnels
through the Eiger on our climb all the way
to the Jungfraujoch. Think about it --
the Swiss drilled this tunnel through solid rock. It's four miles long. This train is smooth, and they did it 100 years ago. Why? To show off their engineering
skills and to celebrate nature. Halfway up, the train stops
at panorama windows. While expert rock climbers
can exit here into an unforgiving world
of ice and air, sightseers get their thrills by simply marveling
at the icy views. [ Train rumbling ] Continuing up the tunnel, from here the train's cogwheels
earn their keep. You emerge at 11,000 feet --
the Jungfraujoch. Spectacular views
of majestic peaks stretch as far as you can see. Cradled among these giants, you understand the timeless
allure of the Swiss Alps. The Jungfraujoch is like
a small resort perched on a mountain ridge. From the highest viewing point,
you can see the Aletsch Glacier, which stretches about
10 miles to the south. While shrinking with
the warming global climate, it's still the longest
glacier in the Alps. The air is thin -- people are in giddy moods. The station is a maze of shops,
restaurants, and amusements. A tunnel is actually carved
through the glacier to a cavern of ice sculptures --
an especially big hit for visitors from lands
where ice is a rarity. Outside on the glacier,
people enjoy the scene. From here,
many venture even higher as a snowy trail leads
to more mountain thrills. But for me, I'll call this good and savor the sense
of accomplishment I get when climbing to
11,370 feet before lunch. ♪♪ The Berner Oberland
has something for everybody. Part of the fun
and much of the expense of enjoying the Alps
is riding the various lifts. Funiculars let hikers
gain altitude quick and easy. This lift actually lets visitors
ride on the rooftop -- a great way
to more fully appreciate the staggering beauty
of the region. And once again, it's fun
to leave the crowds by getting off
at an intermediary station and taking a hike. There's a special camaraderie with people who actually
get out and hike. And within moments, you're
sharing the experience with fellow hikers and enjoying
the Alps in a way so many miss. Towns like Murren were developed to accommodate
nature-loving tourists. They cater to your every need. You can stroll through
traffic-free centers, and towns are springboards
for a popular option -- the electric bike. While service roads
in the high country may be closed
to regular traffic, e-bikes are more than welcome, and they make you look fitter
than you actually are. Remote towns may be beyond
the reach of your car, but all are accessible
by various lifts. One of my favorites is the
idyllic village of Gimmelwald. The village --
established in the Middle Ages precariously on the edge
of a cliff -- was one of the poorest
places in Switzerland. Gimmelwald works together
like a big family -- in fact, most of the
hundred or so residents here share one of two last names --
von Allmen or Feuz. My friend Olle,
long the village schoolteacher, enjoys showing me around. This is the oldest house,
from 1658. And the woodwork
is generally unpainted -- just bleached in the sun. Originally hay up top
and cows below. For generations,
families have lovingly tended their vegetable gardens. They still are relied on
to put food on the table -- and this one comes
with an artistic side. Retaining their
traditional ways, farmers here make ends meet only with help
from Swiss government subsidies. They supplement that by working
the ski lifts in the winter. Modern tourism has contributed
to the local economy as well. Pension Gimmelwald's
terrace restaurant is filled with happy hikers
at dinnertime -- enthused by the memories
they earned with today's hike. I've been coming
to Gimmelwald all my life, and it never gets old. With the world changing
as fast as it is, I find it refreshing to know
that there are places like this that still embrace
their traditions. Dairy is the traditional
industry here. Collecting grass to get
their cows through the winter on these steep slopes
is labor-intensive. Each family fills silos with enough to feed
a dozen or so cows. But we're here in the summer,
and the cows are in the high Alp enjoying a diet
of fresh grass and flowers. From their milk, some of the
most prized cheese in the world is still made
in the traditional way. We're joining
a small tour group organized by
the village tourist office. Of the countless visitors
in this valley, these travelers
took the initiative to enjoy this intimate peek
at local culture in action. Once the milk is heated
to just the right temperature, the cheesemaker, using his teeth
as well as his hands, masterfully scoops about
ten kilos of curds from the bottom of the cauldron. He then plops
the sopping cheesecloth into a circular mold. It's quickly pressed to remove as much of the liquid,
or whey, as possible. [ Cheesemaker speaking
indistinctly ] As the moisture is removed
and the aging process begins, a wheel of wet curds
becomes a wheel of Alp cheese, frequently brushed with brine
and stored flat on shelves in a shed like this one
for up to two years. [ Alphorn blowing ] In the high country,
I also enjoy a chance to hear traditional music -- and up here,
along with yodeling, that means the long,
legato tones of the alphorn. The alphorn has a range
of nearly 3 octaves. But with no valves, it's limited
to the same notes as a bugle. Used throughout the Alps, this horn has played a role
in this culture for 500 years -- to call cows from pasture
to the barn for milking, as a way for herdsmen
in the high meadows to communicate with people
in the valley below, and even as a call to prayer
through remote valleys. [ Alphorn continues blowing ] ♪♪ Oh! -- and we've got time
for one more Swiss summit. High above this meadow, a peak called the Shilthorn
emerges from the clouds. And in good Swiss fashion, a modern cable car --
the Schilthornbahn -- zips visitors
effortlessly to its summit. In the Alps, while the valleys
may be blanketed in clouds, the peaks can be
brilliantly sunny. Get an early start: the peaks are often clear in
the morning and then cloud up. The 10,000-foot summit of
the Schilthorn awaits skiers, hikers,
and sightseers -- both winter and summer. This station, which capitalizes on its role
in a James Bond film, awaits with
a revolving restaurant -- perfect for spies
nursing their 007 martinis. Meanwhile
on the panorama terrace, families pick out the peaks while others thrill at
360 degrees of alpine splendor. For me, the majesty
of the mountains is easiest to appreciate
on my own private perch. As always, try to make a point
to get away from the crowds -- to be alone to savor
an unforgettable moment. Switzerland may be
a small country, but its mountains are mighty -- and we hope you've enjoyed this
look at a few of its very best. Thanks for joining us. I'm Rick Steves
high in the Alps. Until next time,
keep on travelin'. -[ Yodeling ] ♪♪ To know that
there are places like this that embrace their traditions --
[ Cellphone chimes ] ...it makes me want to
answer the phone. -Oh-ho! -Ah! ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪
