When most people think of Switzerland, they think of mountains, cheese, and chocolate. But after living here for more than three years, we’ve learned that Switzerland seems to have a bizarre obsession with breaking world records. If something can be built, climbed, ridden, or engineered — the Swiss will find a way to make it the first, longest, highest, steepest, or some kind of world record like that.
But the best part is, these aren’t just records you read about online. You can actually experience them yourself.
So today, we’re going to talk about some of Switzerland’s wildest record-breaking attractions.
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Switzerland’s Oldest/First
You know, the Swiss are very practical. And they’d start at the beginning with the first or the oldest, so that’s where we will start our list too.
Cabrio Cableway (Lucerne)
World’s first double-decker aerial cableway (2012)
Maybe you’ve been on a cable car before. But have you ever been on the roof of a cable car?
The Stanserhorn’s Cabrio cableway was the first double-decker aerial cableway in the world, and it didn’t open until 2012. So when you climb up the stairs to the open-air level, you will feel the wind in your hair as you glide up from the green ground below to the mountain peak above. But hopefully you don’t have a spider crawling on your back like I did.
And once you’re at the top, the views are pretty spectacular, as you can imagine!
Haus Hiltl (Zürich)
World’s oldest vegetarian restaurant (1898)
It’s ironic that the world’s oldest vegetarian restaurant is in the country famous for more than 100 varieties of sausages.
Since 1898, Haus Hiltl has served up tasty meat-free dishes before it was a cool trend. They currently have 6 locations in and around Zürich, or you can try their recipes with any vegan or vegetarian meal on a Swiss flight.
Mt. Titlis Rotair (Obwalden)
World’s first revolving cable car (1992)
All cable cars go up. This one decided to make it more interesting — and panoramic — by spinning! The Titlis Rotair is the world’s first revolving cable car. There are loads of fun activities at the top (Brett really liked snow tubing), but the intermediate station of Trübsee is a can’t-miss for the whole family. And we have no idea why more tourists don’t spend time in the Engelberg Valley below!
If we had to pick just one…
Now all of these are pretty cool, but if we had to pick just one of these world records to experience, we’d both recommend the rooftop ride to the Stanserhorn!
And by the way, if you’re new here, we’re Jana and Brett, Aplins in the Alps. We’ve lived in Switzerland since 2023 and have spent years exploring everything from famous mountain peaks to hidden villages so we can help you decide what’s actually worth doing on your Swiss vacation.
Switzerland’s Longest
Now let’s chat about Switzerland’s longest world records. And the last one in this section might actually be my favorite.
Wengernalp Railway (Bern)
World’s longest cogwheel railway (19km/11.8mi long)
Since 1893, the Wengernalp Railway has been the world’s longest cogwheel railway — and it still holds that title today, running 19km from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald via Kleine Scheidegg.
If you’re going to Jungfraujoch Top of Europe then you could ride half of this on your way up and the other half on the way down. Otherwise, it’s easy to piece together different sections of this ride along with your other sightseeing priorities. And you can choose to sit in the panorama car with big glass windows or in one of the other carriages where the windows actually open.
We ride quite a lot since we live here and I’m still always surprised when I slip a little in my seat during the steep sections or glance up through the glass ceiling at the peaks above.
Lauberhorn (Bern)
World’s longest downhill ski race (4.5km/2.8mi)
If you’re a skier, this is the kind of run that makes your thighs sore before you even get started.
The Lauberhorn is the world’s longest downhill ski race at 4.5km and an average racer speed of 106km/hr (66mi/hr). And if you’re not a skier, like us, you can hike along various sections of the race course.
Or, if you’re a runner like me (Brett), you can race up this slope. And of course the fastest runner is a winner, but so is the person smack dab in the middle with the most average time. Unfortunately I have never been the fastest but I’m also always faster than average, which makes me a big loser.
Big Pitenfritz (Bern)
World’s longest downhill sled run (15km/9.3mi)
The world’s longest downhill sled run from the Faulhorn to Grindelwald has a fascinating history.
A local man named Fritz Bohren ran a hotel in Grindelwald and the Faulhorn Mountain Hotel. Somehow he managed to hike all the way up to the Faulhorn every morning — before the cable car existed — and would sled back down the mountain every evening. And now you can sled 15 km down the mountain following his exact same route.
But be prepared for a hike because you have to drag your sled uphill about 2.5 hours from the Grindelwald First cable car station to start the run. Or you can just do parts of it, like from Bussalp to Grindelwald.
Charles Kuonen Bridge (Valais)
World’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge (494m/0.3mi)
If you have a fear of heights, you might wanna reconsider this one. Imagine walking on a 2 foot (65cm) wide pedestrian bridge swaying 85m/279ft above a steep cliffside. That’s the Charles Kuonen Bridge, the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge, at almost a third of a mile long.
Niesen (Bern)
World’s longest staircase (11,674 steps)
Some people look at a mountain in Switzerland and see the railroad tracks or cable car lines. But every time I look at the pyramid-shaped Niesen, I think about how it has the world’s longest staircase. You could reach your daily 10k step goal on a single staircase because this one has 11,674 steps!
Unfortunately you can’t just walk on them anytime you want. You can ride the funicular, which is connected to the staircase. But to actually climb up, you need to sign up for the official race held every June, with the fastest record being 55.5 minutes. I think Brett should sign up for this race next year! And if you agree, leave a comment below and let’s see if we can convince him!
If we had to pick just one…
Now, I thought for a good long while about this one, because I was hoping to break a record for longest deliberation. But if we had to pick just one, we’d both vote for the sledding run!
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Switzerland’s Steepest
Considering that ⅔ of Switzerland is covered in mountains, it’s no surprise that this country holds plenty of world records for the steepest train, funicular, or cable car.
Pilatus (Lucerne)
World’s steepest cogwheel railway (48% from Alpnachstad to Pilatus)
If you’ve wondered what it feels like to be a mountain goat, riding on the steepest cogwheel railway in the world to Mt. Pilatus might give you an idea. This ride is so steep that the carriages are actually stair-stepped so that you stay relatively level as you ride. And we like to ride in the very bottom of the train so you get the best views of the tracks as you go up or down.
And while the train is awesome, we actually suggest in our Lucerne Day Trips Guide that you ride up the cogwheel railway and down the other side, including a stop at Fräkmüntegg for the longest toboggan run in Switzerland. But that’s not a world record or even a European one, so it didn’t make this list.
Stoos Funicular (Schwyz)
World’s steepest funicular (110% gradient)
The world’s steepest funicular to Stoos doesn’t even look like a train because of the circular cabins. They’re designed to rotate so that you are always level with the ground as you ascend at a 110% gradient.
The ride is fascinating, but we’d only prioritize it if we were going to do the Stoos Ridge Hike. And as a tip, the Peak Experience Day Ticket and the Lucerne Travel Pass cover this funicular ride and the chairlifts to/from the hike.
Stechelberg-Mürren (Bern)
World’s Steepest Cable Car (max 160%)
Every time we watch the Olympics, we wonder what’s the cap for new world records. And the same thing applies here, because in 2024, the world’s steepest cable car opened between Stechelberg and Mürren with a maximum incline of 160%.
We’ve personally rode this one multiple times because it’s in our hometown area. In fact, if you have just one day in the Jungfrau Region, hands down we think everyone should visit Mürren — which we give a complete walk-through of in our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region! Plus if you ride up to Mürren on this cable car, you can ride down to Lauterbrunnen via a train and another cable car to really get the full roundtrip experience.
If we had to pick just one…
Boy, these are super tough to choose from! But if we had to pick just one, we’d both pick the cable car to Mürren! 🙂 And we think you should too!
Switzerland’s Highest
Some of the highest peaks in the Alps lie in Switzerland, so it’s no surprise that this country holds so many “highest” records.
Grande Dixence Dam (Valais)
World’s highest gravity dam (285m/935ft)
The massive Grande Dixence Dam is as tall as the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building. It’s impressive to see the concrete walls which are heavier than the Great Pyramid of Giza. But they’ve turned this functional dam into a tourist attraction with a hotel, restaurant, cable car, zip line, axe throwing, wine bar, climbing wall, and walking trails.
Saas Fee Metro Alpin (Valais)
World’s highest underground railway system (3500m/11483ft)
Most underground trains take you to a city. This one, the Saas Fee Metro Alpin, brings you way up in the Alps near the 4000m/13,000ft peaks. It’s the highest underground railway and highest funicular in the world. And it delivers you to the world’s highest revolving restaurant!
The only downside about this is that you don’t get any views along the way since it’s underground. But the restaurant should more than compensate.
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (Valais)
World’s highest glacier palace (3883m/12739ft)
Have you ever wanted to walk on a glacier? How about under a glacier? That’s exactly what you (in your warm winter coat and hat and gloves) can do at the world’s highest glacier palace at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.
I know this post is about world records, but this place holds so many European records too. It’s the highest cable car and station in Europe…and it’s also the highest viewing platform, summer ski resort, cinema, mountain restaurant, and alpine cable car crossing in Europe. That’s a lot, and I feel like I’m probably missing a few!
Going to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise gets you a good view of the famous Matterhorn mountain, but our 3-Day Guide to Zermatt maps out our favorite viewpoints, including where you can see the peak reflected in an alpine lake.
If we had to pick just one…
If we had to pick just one from this category…Hmmm, that’s hard to say since we haven’t been to all of them yet. But I’m feeling a bit partial to the underground railway, or maybe the dam!
Switzerland’s Most Surprising Records
Before we move on to the next category of surprising world records, I’d like to point out that most of the awards on our list are in Canton Bern or Valais. So if you’re planning a record-breaking trip, be sure to include those regions in your itinerary.
Glacier Express (St. Moritz to Zermatt)
World’s slowest express train (37km/h / 23mi/hr)
When you hear the word “express,” you think “fast” — right? Well, not for this one. The Glacier Express is the world’s slowest express train. We sat in First Class and enjoyed a 3-course meal while the landscapes slowly passed by.
If you’re on a tight budget, or if all of the seats are sold out on this popular scenic train ride, then you can follow the exact same route but on regional trains. And if you’re not traveling with the Swiss Travel Pass, we highly recommend snagging a cheap Saver Day Pass to save gobs of money on this ride.
Les Diablerets/Glacier 3000 (Vaud)
World’s first bridge between two mountain peaks
I often have the thought: “Who first imagined building a train here or a restaurant there?” And in this case, who dreamed up the world’s first bridge between two mountain peaks?
The 107m/351ft long suspension bridge at Glacier 3000 connects the viewpoint to the main, higher peak. And, as you can assume it gives a great glimpse at most of the major peaks in the distance.
If we had to pick just one…
If we had to pick just one of these I think I’d say the Glacier Express. Because the oxymoron of the world’s slowest express train is just so intriguing.
If we had to pick one Swiss world record…
But if you’re overwhelmed because every place in Switzerland looks incredible, we have 2 things to help.
- Click the buttons above to read more about each of these world records.
- Then, turn your giant bucket list into a realistic itinerary with our Swiss Travel Guides. And we’ll see you in Switzerland!
