Guide · seasons and hours
When Swiss mountain railways open and close
Every operator publishes its own season. Nobody puts all twelve side by side, which is the question you actually have when you are choosing a week. Here they are, from the published timetables the verdicts on this site run on — which mountains run all year, which shut for the winter and when, and the maintenance breaks that catch people out.
Open all year: 8 of twelve
These publish a timetable for every date on the calendar. Hours shorten in winter on all of them, and three take a maintenance break inside the year — see below — but there is no month in which the line is simply shut.
- Jungfraujoch
- Schilthorn
- Titlis
- Pilatus
- Rigi Kulm
- Gornergrat — except a revision break, 2 November – 14 November
- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
- Glacier 3000 — except a revision break, 19 October – 6 November
Seasonal: when the other 4 close
Outside the dates below these lines do not run at all. On the attraction page that reads as a SKIP, because a mountain you cannot reach is not worth the day — whatever the weather.
| Excursion | Runs | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Grindelwald First | 4 periods, see below | 26 October – 27 November |
| Harder Kulm | 6 periods, see below | 30 November – 2 April |
| Stanserhorn | 11 April – 22 November | 23 November – 10 April |
| Schynige Platte | 13 June – 25 October | 26 October – 12 June |
Maintenance breaks
A revision closure sits inside an otherwise open season, so it is the one a year-round label hides. Three of the twelve publish one:
- Grindelwald First: 26 October – 27 November. Annual revision/maintenance break (indicative dates, confirm yearly with operator).
- Gornergrat: 2 November – 14 November. Scheduled maintenance/revision closure, measured to the day for 2026 — confirm yearly with the operator.
- Glacier 3000: 19 October – 6 November. Annual maintenance closure, 2026 dates per the operator.
Who runs late: the summer evening on the summit
Last departure from the top is the number that decides whether an evening on the mountain is possible, and it varies more than people expect. The latest published last services, at the height of their seasons:
- Rigi Kulm — last down at 22:40
- Harder Kulm — last down at 21:40
- Gornergrat — last down at 20:13
- Jungfraujoch — last down at 18:15
The summit-temperature guide is worth reading before an evening trip: the drop from the valley does not get smaller after sunset.
Every timetable, in full
Published summit-station service bounds, per period, grouped by the base town. These are not departure times from the valley town.
Common questions
- Which Swiss mountain excursions are open all year?
- 8 of the twelve we track run in every month: Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn, Titlis, Pilatus, Rigi Kulm, Gornergrat, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Glacier 3000. Running all year is not the same as running every day — Grindelwald First, Gornergrat, Glacier 3000 each close for a maintenance break, listed below.
- When does Schynige Platte close for the winter?
- The cogwheel railway runs from mid-June to late October only — the shortest season of the twelve. Outside those dates the line is closed, not merely quiet, and the attraction page shows it as a SKIP for that reason.
- Is Jungfraujoch open in winter?
- Yes. Jungfraujoch is marketed as open 365 days a year and its published timetable covers every date, with shorter hours from late October to late March. Scheduled service is not confirmation of live operation; check for disruptions before departure.
- Do Swiss mountain railways close for maintenance?
- Three of the twelve we track publish an annual revision break: Grindelwald First (26 October – 27 November); Gornergrat (2 November – 14 November); Glacier 3000 (19 October – 6 November). The dates are the operators' own for this timetable year and are worth re-checking before planning around them.
- What time is the last train or cable car down?
- It changes with the season on almost every mountain — the table shows the last departure from the top for each period. Rigi runs latest of all in high summer, until 22:40, which is why it is the one to choose for an evening on the summit.
- Are these opening dates live?
- No. They are the published timetables, which is what the verdict engine on this site also uses. A mountain can close on a scheduled day for wind or maintenance; check directly with the operator for live status. A known scheduled closure gates that day to SKIP.
What this page is not
- Not live status. These are published timetables. A line can stop on a scheduled day for wind or a fault. Check directly with the operator for live status.
- Not next year. Swiss timetables change on the second Sunday of December, and four of these twelve cannot have their next-year boundaries known before then. These dates describe the 2026 timetable, not confirmed 2027 dates.
- Not a promise the summit is worth it. Open is the floor, not the answer — whether today is the day is a different question, and it is the one this site exists to answer.