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All Switzerland Mountain tops and cable cars Practical guide
Mountain trains, cable cars and buses in spring: what runs on your date
Popular cogwheel railways, funiculars, cable cars, gondolas and PostBus pass routes, 1 March to 15 July 2027. Pick a date and see what runs.
By Mihaela CanjaLast checked 18 October 2026
Spring in Switzerland seems to run at two speeds, which was a bit confusing at first. When the sun is shining, the weather is pleasant, the trees are blooming but… it is still ski season, then the lifts are closed for maintenance and higher trails are still closed as they are not safe yet, due to patches of snow. When I planned a hike, I was often surprised to find the trail still closed, or the lift up to it (like the Schynige Platte railway, which only starts running in June). So I’ve started saving my routes with a “doable in” note: the month I can actually do them.
The ski season ends around Easter, the maintenance closures run into June and pass buses start only once the pass roads open.
This guide shows which mountain trains, cable cars, funiculars and buses run on the date you pick, from 1 March to 15 July 2027. The tool below covers more than 450 lines across Switzerland, with the dates each operator has published. Where an operator has not published its 2027 dates yet, the tool shows what the line did on the same weekday in 2026, in yellow.
In short
- Most spring closures fall between the end of the ski season, around Easter (28 March 2027), and early June: a maintenance break of one to eight weeks, called a revision, or the gap between the winter and summer seasons.
- On a weekday in late April, about half of the lines in the tool are closed, counting the 2026 dates where the 2027 ones are not published yet.
- Some mountains keep a way up. The Rigi cogwheel railway from Vitznau, the Eiger Express to the Jungfraujoch and the Schilthorn run through April and May 2027.
- The PostBus routes over the Central Alps passes start on 19 June 2027, according to the draft timetable; the Splügen, San Bernardino and Grimsel buses on 5 June.
- Yellow lines are estimates from the 2026 dates, not confirmed. We recheck the tool in January and March 2027.
- Dates can change at short notice with late snow or bad weather. Check the operator’s page before you go.
How to use the tool
- Pick your date, between 1 March and 15 July 2027, or tap one of the quick dates (Easter 28 March, Ascension 6 May, Whitsun 16 May).
- Search by mountain, line, station, town, region or canton, in English or the local language (Wallis, Luzern, Tessin), or narrow the list with the filters.
- Tap a pin on the map to see every lift on that mountain, with its dates and the next change.
- Under each line you find the operator’s link and where the date comes from, with the date it was checked.
- Lines with no published date for 2027 or 2026 are not shown yet; we add them when the operators publish. Public holidays are not taken into account. Boats are not included.
A guide, not a timetable
I check the dates with each operator and update the tool regularly, but I can’t guarantee that every date is correct: operators can change them at short notice. Always check the operator’s website before you go; the link is under each line in the tool.
Loading the dates…
Lines without any published date for this period are not shown yet. Dates come from each operator’s timetable or revision notice and can change at short notice, especially with early snow. Check the operator’s page linked under each line before you go.
“Limited” means a reduced timetable, weekends only, a replacement service or rides on request. Public holidays are not taken into account.
“Estimate” means the operator has not published its dates yet. The tool then shows what the line did on the same weekday a year earlier, with the source of that date. Treat it as a guide and check the operator before you go.
What closes when
The ski season ends first. Winter lifts close between late March and mid-April 2027: Monte Tamaro after 21 March, Sörenberg after 29 March, the Aletsch Arena after 3 April, Parsenn in Davos after 4 April, Arosa, Jakobshorn and Laax after 11 April, Saas-Fee after 18 April.
Then most lifts close for their revision. Some examples from the tool:
| Line | Closed in 2027 |
|---|---|
| Jungfrau Railways, Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg | 26 April to 5 May (the Eiger Express runs) |
| Männlichen | Wengen cable car 5 April to 14 May, Grindelwald gondola 5 April to 28 May |
| Lauterbrunnen to Mürren via Grütschalp | 19 to 30 April |
| Schilthorn, Stechelberg to Mürren via Gimmelwald | 26 April to 7 May, replacement bus |
| Matterhorn-Express, Zermatt to Trockener Steg | 3 May to 11 June |
| Matterhorn Glacier Ride I, Trockener Steg to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise | 26 April to 21 May (the older cable car runs instead) |
| Rigi railway from Arth-Goldau | 5 to 23 April (the line from Vitznau runs) |
Summer lines open from late March to early July. Harder Kulm and the Hammetschwand Lift reopen on 26 March and the Stanserhorn on 10 April. Zermatt’s Sunnegga and Rothorn lifts close after 11 April and reopen on 3 July. The Schynige Platte railway starts on 5 June 2027, a week earlier than in 2026.
Pass buses start in June, according to the draft 2027 timetable: the Grimsel bus on 5 June with a reduced service, the Splügen and San Bernardino buses on 5 June, Lukmanier on 12 June, and the Susten, Furka and Nufenen routes, the three- and four-pass tours and the Flüela bus on 19 June. The Julier, Maloja and Bernina buses run all year.
Who this tool is for
Visitors planning a trip between March and mid-July, especially around Easter (28 March 2027), Ascension (6 May) and Whitsun (16 May), who want to know which mountains they can reach on their dates. And people living in Switzerland choosing a spring day out, when half the lifts are closed for maintenance.
Common mistakes
- Planning a high-altitude hike in June because it is summer. Higher trails can still have patches of snow and stay closed until they are safe, and some lifts up to them only start their summer season in late June or July, such as Zermatt’s Sunnegga and Rothorn lifts on 3 July.
- Expecting a winter lift to run until the snow melts. Most close the day after the ski season ends, for example Jakobshorn in Davos after 11 April.
- Thinking a mountain is closed because one lift is. On the Rigi, at the Jungfraujoch and at the Schilthorn another line runs while one is in revision.
- Reading a yellow estimate as a confirmed date. It shows 2026, and dates shift from year to year: the Schynige Platte railway opened on 13 June 2026 and opens on 5 June 2027.
- Planning a pass-road bus trip in May. The pass road can be open before the buses start: the Central Alps routes run from 19 June 2027.
- Missing weekday-only closures. The Stoos funicular, for example, runs only at weekends from 12 to 30 April.
- Counting on Easter Monday (29 March), Ascension (6 May) or Whit Monday (17 May) timetables. The tool treats them as ordinary weekdays; check the operator for holiday services.
Useful links
- SBB timetable for connections to the valley stations
- alpen-paesse.ch for the status of the pass roads
- Each line in the tool links to its operator
- Mountain trains, cable cars and buses: what runs on your date (the autumn tool)
Questions (FAQ)
Why do Swiss mountain railways and cable cars close in spring?
Most closures are the yearly maintenance break between the winter and summer seasons, which operators call a revision. Lifts that serve only the ski slopes stop when the ski season ends and reopen for summer, if at all, in June or July. Pass buses wait for the pass roads to open.
Is the Jungfraujoch open in May 2027?
Yes. The Eiger Express and the Jungfrau Railway run through May 2027. The railway from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg is closed from 26 April to 5 May; in that time you reach the Jungfraujoch from Grindelwald by the Eiger Express, or from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen.
What does yellow mean in the tool?
The operator has not published its 2027 dates yet, so the tool shows what the line did on the same weekday in 2026, with the source of that date. Some operators publish their spring or summer dates only weeks before. We recheck the tool in January and March 2027; until then, check the operator’s page before you plan around a yellow line.
Which mountains can I go up in late April?
On a weekday in late April 2027 the Rigi (from Vitznau), the Jungfraujoch, the Schilthorn, the Stanserhorn, Harder Kulm and Monte Brè have at least one line running, with dates published by their operators. Titlis ran in late April 2026; its 2027 dates are not published yet. Pick a date in the tool to see what runs on your day.
Do lifts run at Easter and Whitsun?
At Easter (28 March 2027) most ski areas are still open: about two thirds of the lines in the tool run as usual on Easter Sunday. Whitsun (16 May 2027) falls in the middle of the revision season, and many lifts are closed. The tool does not take public holidays into account, so check the operator’s page for Easter Monday (29 March) and Whit Monday (17 May).
Sources
The date for each line comes from its operator’s own site, linked in the tool under the line with the date checked (18 October 2026). Where an operator shows only 2026, the 2027 dates come from the official draft timetable for 2027; where the operator’s site and the timetable differ, the operator’s site is used. Estimates use the 2026 dates from the same kinds of sources, some from archived copies of the operators’ pages.
- Mountain railway, cable car and bus operators (linked in the tool)
- PostBus and the official Swiss timetable publication (oev-info.ch), including the 2027 draft timetable
- SBB
- alpen-paesse.ch (pass roads)
- swisstopo (stations, communes and cantons)
- Federal Statistical Office (major regions)
Last checked 18 October 2026