Slow Train to Switzerland: One Tour, Two Trips, 150 Years and a World of Change Apart

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“Bewes’ breezy prose makes him a pleasant traveling companion … he clearly knows Switzerland inside and out.” – The Spectator
In June 1863 an English lady set off by train on the trip of a lifetime: Thomas Cook’s first Conducted Tour of Switzerland. A century and a half later, travel writer Diccon Bewes, author of the bestselling Swiss Watching, decided to go where she went and see what she saw.
Guided by her diary, he followed the same route to discover how much had changed and how much hadn’t. She went in search of adventure, he went in search of her, and found far more than he expected. Slow Train to Switzerland is the captivating account of two trips through the Alps: hers glimpsing the future of travel, his revisiting its past. Together they make a journey to remember.
This is a tale of trains and tourists, of the British and the Swiss, of a Victorian traveller and a modern-day Englishman abroad. It is the story of a tour that changed both Switzerland and the world of travel forever.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ John Murray
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 29, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1857886518
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1857886511
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.75 x 7.75 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #512,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #18 in Switzerland Travel Guides #54 in Railroad Travel Reference #102 in Literary & Religious Travel Guides
Customer Reviews: 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (284) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers find the book engaging and lively in its writing style, making it a fun read. Moreover, they appreciate its informative content, learning fascinating things about Switzerland through impressive research. Additionally, they value its travel content, with one customer noting it’s more than just a travelogue, while another highlights its combination of travel, history, and modern tourism.