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

With wit and useful insight, impressive research, entertaining story-telling, and a bit of amusingly boastful Union Jack flag waving, this British ex-pat travels back and fourth in time to explain how Switzerland began, grew, adapted to change, and became the country that has fascinated tourists then and now. I read this book to prepare for my first guided tour of the highlights of Switzerland, and I feel educated about the general history, geography, and character of this country—and now cheerfully eager to visit. This book is a must-read for anyone preparing to tour the Alps and lakes and villages of this land-locked island. It's a fun read, a thoughtful introduction to the land of cheese and milk chocolate and oh, so much more.

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.

I read this book as I traveled almost all of the same journey in the Swiss Alps. It added so much information and some emotion at just the right times. It truly enhanced my journey.

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.

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.

Good read, learned new things about Switzerland

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!

Trains and Switzerland are two of my most cherished things on this planet, so I came into Diccon's book a tad biased. Plus I had already thoroughly enjoy his earlier "Swiss Watching" project, and am pleased to share that "Slow Train to Switzerland" left me just as satisfied. Having worked in and written extensively about travel and tourism myself, I loved hearing about the origins of mass tourism through Diccon's Bryson-esque writing style. This is more than just a trip through Switzerland, but rather the foundation of what so much tourism is based on today. Anyone with an interest in Swiss travel, history, or simply the travel and tourism industry will be more than satisfied with this read.