Switzerland’s trains are famed for their spectacular routes and their efficiency. But the true “heroes” of the country’s high valleys, connecting remote communities and taking hikers to the most distant trailheads, are the humble PostBuses – and this summer marks the centenary of their most remarkable route, says Andrew Eames in the Financial Times.
The first motorised PostBus ran from Bern to Detligen in 1906, and by 1920, it had been joined by 100 or so more on other routes. These early vehicles often carried milk pails and sometimes even chickens, but the Vierpässe circuit was established in 1922 as a summer “adventure” for leisure travellers.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Today, the state-owned company has a fleet of 2,500 buses, known for their three-note horn-call (based on the overture to William Tell) and their distinctive bright yellow colouring, derived from the arms of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, who established a postal service in the 15th century. Together with Milka chocolate’s purple and Ovomaltine’s orange, it is one of only three colours protected by trademark in Switzerland.
The Vierpässe bus leaves Meiringen every morning from late June to mid-October, first climbing through the “ravishing” Bernese Oberland to the Grimsel pass. Next is the Nufenen, and a descent into the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. After lunch in the town of Airolo comes the Gotthard. Finally, there’s the Susten pass, the most “unassumingly scenic” of all, its sides “braided with waterfalls”.
Tickets cost from CHF168 (postauto.ch). Or get a Swiss Travel Pass, allowing unlimited journeys on public transport, from CHF267 (mystsnet.com).
-
Political cartoons for December 7Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include the Trump-tanic, AI Santa, and the search for a moderate Republican
-
Trump’s poll collapse: can he stop the slide?Talking Point President who promised to ease cost-of-living has found that US economic woes can’t be solved ‘via executive fiat’
-
Codeword: December 7, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Wake Up Dead Man: ‘arch and witty’ Knives Out sequelThe Week Recommends Daniel Craig returns for the ‘excellent’ third instalment of the murder mystery film series
-
Zootropolis 2: a ‘perky and amusing’ movieThe Week Recommends The talking animals return in a family-friendly sequel
-
Storyteller: a ‘fitting tribute’ to Robert Louis StevensonThe Week Recommends Leo Damrosch’s ‘valuable’ biography of the man behind Treasure Island
-
The rapid-fire brilliance of Tom StoppardIn the Spotlight The 88-year-old was a playwright of dazzling wit and complex ideas
-
‘Mexico: A 500-Year History’ by Paul Gillingham and ‘When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy’ by David Margolickfeature A chronicle of Mexico’s shifts in power and how Sid Caesar shaped the early days of television
-
Homes by renowned architectsFeature Featuring a Leonard Willeke Tudor Revival in Detroit and modern John Storyk design in Woodstock
-
Film reviews: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ and ‘Eternity’Feature Grief inspires Shakespeare’s greatest play, a flamboyant sleuth heads to church and a long-married couple faces a postmortem quandary
-
We Did OK, Kid: Anthony Hopkins’ candid memoir is a ‘page-turner’The Week Recommends The 87-year-old recounts his journey from ‘hopeless’ student to Oscar-winning actor
