Transportation in Switzerland

Introduction:

Switzerland is a fairly small country, and much of it is mountainous. The Alps run right through the middle of the country, and people have been figuring out ways to get around and through these mountains for hundreds of years - even Julius Caeser famously brought a whole army through the Alps from Italy! There are "normal" modes of traveling in cities, like busses, but once you get into the mountains, people have to be more creative.

How do people get around?:

In Europe in general, trains are a very common way to travel. In Switzerland this is also true. Here, just as in cities in the U.S.A., there are local public transporation systems in most towns and cities; some cities, like Geneva, have a system of trams and busses, and some smaller settlements have only a few busses. To travel between cities, there is a large railway system that spans most of Switzerland. Near Geneva, you can see train tracks all the way along the banks of the lake. There is also the option to take a boat on the waters of Lake Geneva!

Since a lot of Switzerland is made up of the Alps mountains, there are also a lot of specialized forms of travel to towns high up in the mountains such as gondolas, funicular railways, ski lifts and even dogsleds!

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