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Engineers have drilled their way through the final section of rock beneath the Swiss Alps to complete the world’s longest tunnel.

The breakthrough in the 35-mile Gotthard rail tunnel paves the way for continuous high-speed train travel between Zurich and Milan in Italy in six years’ time.

For some 14 years, huge boring machines have been tunnelling through the mountains from two directions: in the north from Erstfeld near Lake Lucerne and in the south from Bodio, near Switzerland’s border with Italy. Eight workers have died since construction began.

The tunnel will cut an hour from the transalpine rail journey and drive booming road freight off congested Swiss mountain roads on to more environmentally friendly rail.

The project – described by the European Union Transport Commissioner Siim Kallashas as ‘remarkable’ – will cost an estimated 10 billion Swiss Francs (£6.5 billion/$10.4 billion).

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can help you find the ideal luxury hotel in Zurich, including the landmark Hotel Baur au Lac.

The Alpine ski season has begun earlier than usual thanks to unseasonably heavy snowfalls.

Last weekend, skiers and snowboarders enjoyed outstanding conditions for this time of the year. There were significant snowfalls across Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland – some up to 20 inches deep. The Austrian resort of Kitzbühel had earlier set an 80-year record by opening on October 24th.

Ski tour operators welcomed the early snow, saying it had helped stimulate sharp increases in bookings, which would go some way to countering the effects of the economic downturn.

Betony Garner, of Ski Club of Great Britain, said:

“The crucial thing is that the temperature has been staying low so the snow is settling – some resorts are blanketed like it’s the middle of winter.”

Many Alpine resorts had been becoming increasingly nervous about the unseasonably warm weather of late, which saw temperatures as high as 18C (65F), fearing a repeat of the dire season of 2006/7.

by Andy Moreton

Heading for the piste? Check out Luxique’s selection of luxury Alpine hotels in France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

Naked alpine ramblers have been warned to keep their clothes on from this spring – at least in one area of Switzerland - or face fines.

Apparently, hiking through the heather with nothing more than a rucksack and a pair of strong boots is a growing pastime, especially among Germans.

The walkers have been at liberty to wander free of clothes and of prosecution because there’s been no law to prevent them. But the Swiss canton (state) of Appenzell Innerrhoden has now said it will slap fines of 200 Francs (£122 / $175) on any holidaymaker who’s caught rambling au naturel.

“We have been receiving many complaints,” said Markus Dörig, a spokesman for the canton. “The local people are upset and we in the government share their concern. How would one feel if one was to go walking and suddenly came across a group of naked people?”

Not surprisingly, there’s been disappointment among naked hiker websites in Germany. One said it was a harmless pursuit aimed simply at getting back to nature. “Abandoning unpractical clothes enables a direct contact with the wind, sun and temperature,” it said.

The area of Appenzell Innerrhoden is well known for its natural beauty but not its liberalism: the canton gave women the right to vote only in 1990 under pressure from the Federal High Court and international human rights groups.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers more than just the bare facts about an unrivalled selection of luxury hotels in SwitzerlandAscona to Zurich. from

Here at Luxique, we deal in only the most luxurious places to stay, but I thought I’d share with you details of one of the cheapest – and arguably the most depressing - hotel experiences.

The Null Stern (no star) hotel in Switzerland is inside a converted nuclear bunker. There’s no heating, so guests are issued with hot water bottles. They also get complimentary ear-plugs to help dull the racket of the ventilation system and slippers to walk across the icy concrete floors.

Being a nuclear bunker, there are no windows; the only view of the outside world is a row of monitors in reception. Customers enter a draw for the luxury of a hot shower in the morning. Breakfast? Forget it.

The Null Stern was the brainchild of twin brothers, Patrik and Frank Riklin. It was originally an art project, but it proved so popular they decided to run it full-time.

“Our motivation was to create something that was the antithesis of the seven-star hotel in Dubai,” said Patrik (the Burj-al-Arab, no doubt). “The interest in the hotel has been huge – we’ve had inquiries from Japan, China, Vietnam, the US and Turkey.”

The only condition placed on the brothers by the council in Sevelen, in the St Gallen canton, was that, in the event of a bomb or nuclear attack, they made it available within 24 hours.

Now the tariff: a military bunk bed will cost you £6 ($9) a night, while a ‘luxury’ room with an antique bed from a condemned hotel will set you back £17 ($25).

The Riklins plan to welcome their first paying guests in the new year and if the project is well received, they plan to open more. “The rest of Switzerland has a lot of defence buildings like this in idyllic surroundings,” said Patrik. “People could hike from bunker to bunker.”

by Andy Moreton

If you’re heading for Switzerland and don’t particularly feel ready for a period of self-denial, have a look at Luxique’s varied selection of luxury Swiss hotels.