Slow Train to Switzerland: One Tour, Two Trips, 150 Years - and a World of Change Apart Hardcover – April 29, 2014

I absolutely loved this book. It was very informative about Switzerland in the 1860s and the present day. If anyone has an interest in this beautiful country, pick it up.

Good read, learned new things about Switzerland

Pretty dull reading so far, I'm having a hard time getting through it. I was hoping for more, and more interesting excerpts from the Victorian travel diary. So far any such excerpts are short, scarce, and less than scintillating. That last bit goes for the modern day travel narrative as well.

Slow reading, a bit choppy s book bounces back to the 1800’s to present time. The author follows a travel route of a women from the 1800’s using her journal to replica her adventures.

If you like learning about other countries this book fits the bill. You will learn among other things why the Swiss became such expert watch makers, and how tourist travel to Switzerland literally transformed both the country and also helped to create the whole tourism industry around the globe. It is also fascinating to learn how the Victorians traveled and spent their time on vacation. The author could have used an editor to reduce some repetition, but otherwise this was a nice book that our "Grand Tour" Book Club enjoyed very much.

Very fun and readable book. I was reading it just before and during my first trip to Switzerland, and could relate to much of what the author was saying. The concept of the book is an interesting take on travel writing - re-creating a journey taken 150 years ago and documented in a diary. The author's writing style is engaging and lively, and I emerged with some insight into travels during Victorian times and the beginnings of the leisure travel industry as well as a feeling for the people who live in the Swiss Alps. The old pictures and illustrations from the original traveler's diary add even more life to the story.I think anyone who has traveled, or is thinking of traveling, to Switzerland would enjoy this book. And it makes great airplane reading on the long journey to get there.

If you are planning a trip to Switzerland you'll need a passport, suitcases, lots of money, "Swiss Watching" and "Slow Train to Switzerland". This book puts Swiss travel into perspective. Comfortably riding the rack railroads in the mountains today it is easy to forget the adventurous travel of 150 years ago. Conveniences, transport, hotels, even attire for a Swiss vacation that are taken for granted today by use of websites and ubiquitous travel agents were unknown when Thomas Cook first sponsored travel to Switzerland in the late 1800's. Easy and pleasant reading. A great read either before or after a visit to Switzerland. Where this is more of a story, "Swiss watching" is like a handbook; get them both!

I've vacationed in Switzerland many times, and our daughter lived there once. This book gives great insight into this unique, and oft misunderstood, nation. The prose is well-crafted, and downright fun to read. Before you go on vacation to Switzerland, read this book to get a feel for the culture and history.

This is a brilliant book: original, very well-written, highly entertaining and full of arresting information and insights. A triumphant success.

I have enjoyed a couple of holidays in Switzerland but on both trips found myself curious about its unusual history and where it sits within Europe.This book wetted my appetite to visit parts of Switzerland not yet seen. The author's insights in to important historical events that shaped the modern country were skilfully distributed.I would recommend this book if enjoy travel and have the curiosity to look below the surface.

Well written and easy reading. Interesting to hear how travel in Switzerland has changed over the years and how Switzerland has developed as a country. Maybe a lot of my enjoyment in reading this book was due to the fact that I have been to Switzerland three times and I was aware of quite a number of the places referred to.

A lovely book telling well that route taken these years ago by Thomas Cook, filled with many interesting facts about the country and travelling around in these early days.

Bought for a good friend moving to Switzerland. Delivered the next day as promised. He loved it and has planned to take some of the journeys featured in the book.