It has been a lifelong dream of mine to travel across countries by train. So, here I am sharing with you my beautiful journey. Enjoy! I went on this trip with my sister, Nurfarahin. Our flight was from Kota Kinabalu-Kuala Lumpur-London and Zurich-Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu.
Day 1 : King Cross Station in London
We arrived 11am and headed our way to the hotel to check in our luggage. The hotel is located within 15 minutes' walking distance from King Cross Station. We felt welcomed by the bright, sunny, cool London.
We took the bus to Covent Garden and spent the whole day sightseeing in Covent Garden. For transportation in London, I downloaded the app Tfl Go to plan our bus schedule.
Using BigPay as mode of payment
For payment, I used the BigPay card. After one day trip, the actual fee is deducted for the bus rides was stated in BigPay statement. Before going on this trip, I already used BigPay card to book a hotel and pay for train tickets. So, I feel comfortable using Bigpay, while also having my other debit card.
Day 2 : Harry Potter’s Shop in Platform 3/4 & British Museum
AM
We left the hotel around 8am to Platfrom 3/4 in King Cross St Pancras. It was cute and fun to see adults eagerly waiting a turn to take trolley photos. There are official photographers who took our photos (you can buy them in the Harry Potter shop) or you can ask people to take free photos for you. Once we took photos, we went shopping inside the Harry Potter shop.
PM
After lunch, around 2pm we visited the British Museum. It was raining on Day 2 so we could not visit many places.
For food during our 7 days trip, we brought instant food - Kembara, which you can easily heat up in the microwave or use hot water.
Day 3 : Breakfast in London, Dinner in Paris
AM
St Pancras International, a few minutes walk from King Cross Station
We took the morning Eurostar train from London (St Pancras International) to Paris at 7am and arrived in Paris at 11am. It was as if we stepped into a scene of Emily in Paris! Because of Emily, we’re here in Paris! If you’ve watched Emily in Paris Season 3, Paris Gare du Nord was where Emily waited for Alfie ? Our hotel is 10 minute's walk from Gare Du Nord, so we checked-in, had our lunch and took a nap.
PM
Not Emily, but she’s in Paris!
Around 4pm, we went to the Eiffel Tower from Gare du Nord station. We took the metro from Gare du Nord station to Birr Hakiem station. The journey was around 1 hour. From Birr Hakiem, we walked for about 20 minutes and suddenly we saw Eiffel Tower! Unbelievable beautiful sight. Then, the magical moment at 6pm, when Eiffel Tower lights up!
Follow this direction. Eiffel Tower is 20 minutes walking distance
Follow this direction. Eiffel Tower is 20 minutes walking distance
Day 4 : Winter Wonderland in Switzerland (Tasch & Zermatt)
Matterhorn Terminal Tasch to Zermatt
To reach Switzerland from Paris, we took TGV Lyria from Gare de Lyon (2 metro stations from Gare du Nord) to Laussane. It took us around 4 hours to reach Tasch before continuing our journey to Zermatt the next morning. I cannot believe my eyes, it was as if I was dreaming. Entering Switzerland for me felt like entering a new world! The moment the train boarded from Laussane to Tasch, the mountains filled our views. I was so tired but I never dared to even close my eyes. It was a magical, speechless view. SubhanAllah!
Zermatt is a car-free village, so if you are driving from Tasch/another city, you need to park your car and board the SBB train to Zermatt. We did not stay overnight in Zermatt because we will be going to Engelberg. Zermatt is your city if you prefer a touristy area. For me, I prefer a less crowded area to stay, so we chose to stay in Engelberg. For the train journey in Switzerland (Laussane-Zermatt-Engelberg-Zurich), I bought 1-month pass before the travel date from SBB Mobile apps.
Day 5 & 6 : Winter Wonderland in Switzerland (Engelberg)
Magical view at Engelberg Train Station
From Zermatt, we continued another magical 4 hours mountainous journey to Engelberg. The highlight of this trip was Mount Titlis, standing 3238m. Entrance tickets can only be bought at the ticket counter (72CHF/pax = RM350).
You need to wear proper boots to Titlis, if you don’t have boots, you can rent them at the ski shop for 10CHF. The cable car up to the peak took us 30 minutes.
Mount Titlis cable car station and most hotels are within walking distance from Engelberg train station. The first cable car to the mountain starts at 9am, so to maximize our activities, we took the cable car at 930am and stayed until 330pm.
It was my first time seeing and touching snow! We are glad that we went up to the mountain early in the morning because we had plenty of time to take photos and played with the snow! For people who are on their first time going up to the mountain, please have breakfast before going inside the cable car. Increasing altitude may cause dizziness in some people.
Witnessing the magical mountainous views in Switzerland was indeed a breathtaking moment for me. I was amazed and inspired to dream bigger in life for the sake of Allah. If Allah can create majestic mountains, Allah definitely and surely can grant our duas. His creations (mountains) on earth are created with a purpose. “And We did not create the Heaven and earth and that between them in play” (QS Al-Anbiya : 16)
Day 7 : Engelberg to Zurich HB
From Engelberg, we took the SBB train to Zurich HB (main train station) and stayed one night before going back to Malaysia. You can reach Zurich Airport (Flughafen station) directly from Engelberg.
This article is written by HHWT contributor Noraini Mohd Radzi. You may reach her on Instagram @norainiradzi