Travelling through clouds is normally a feat reserved for planes - but in Switzerland you can do it on a train. And not just any train - the world's steepest cogwheel train; a dramatic fire-engine red carriage that clicks and clacks its way through the cumulonimbi to emerge at the wondrous peak of Mount Pilatus.

There's something about mountains that always puts things into perspective. And what a perspective there was at the top. The air was lighter; the sun brighter. Ethereal clouds danced around the snow-capped peaks and a glass of cold, crisp and surprisingly dry Swiss wine was the perfect accompaniment.

It was only the first day of a tour of Switzerland with Thomson Lakes and already I was in heaven – and thankfully there wasn’t a ski slope in sight.

The excellent 4* Hotel Pilatus Kulm was the jewel in the crown. At 2132 metres high, it’s the perfect hideaway for a couple on a romantic break, for mountain walkers and for those who simply love having their head in the clouds – like me.

One melt-in-the-mouth steak and a few more glasses of wine later, I settled into the comfortable bed and awoke just in time to watch through the window as the sun's scarlet hues spread across the landscape and faded into a beautiful bright blue sky.

The clouds had cleared to reveal Lake Lucerne glistening in the valley below - the perfect view to entice us down. So after a slap-up continental breakfast, our group headed back down the mountain for another short train ride.

Switzerland’s transport network is excellent and if you buy a 10-day train pass, you can ride all trains and most boats and buses inclusive.

We checked into the Hotel de la Paix, in Lucerne, which is conveniently located for both the city sights and train station, and set off on a tour of the city. The charming cobbled streets were littered with chattering coffee drinkers soaking up the last of the late summer sun. Strolling across the 14th century Chapel Bridge and looking across the historic city, you can see how the scenery inspired some of Turner’s greatest paintings.

Art lovers could also browse masterpieces at the Rosengart Museum, which houses works from greats such as Picasso, Matisse and Cezanne.

Feeling inspired but hungry, we stopped for lunch at 1817, a charming restaurant with a lakeside vista - and pork cordon bleu - to die for.

For those who wish to get more intimately acquainted with the lake, there’s an historic swimming platform further down the shore– and with an average summer temperature of around 23 degrees, you can guarantee it will be warmer than Weymouth.

For the less plucky, you can board a paddle steamer for an evening cruise complete with three-course dinner (SF53) and watch the sun set on the dramatic mountain backdrop. If you're strapped for cash you can always bring your own wine and picnic and sit on a lower deck.

It’s also well worth taking a trip down the road to Switzerland’s most frequented museum, the Transport Museum. Not as boring as it sounds, you can let the kids run wild driving bijoux trucks around a mini construction site while you drive a train simulator or shoot dangerously fast down a plane’s emergency slide – a long-term ambition of mine.

The next stop on our itinerary was Montreux. Nestled in the south of the country on the shores of Lake Geneva, it's the Riviera playground of Switzerland's rich and famous. You can catch the opulent Golden Pass Railway for part of the journey and feel like a star yourself, as you sip champagne on gilded seats and watch the scenery unfold through panoramic windows.

The train station is conveniently located in the centre of the city, only a few steps away from the excellent 4* Eurotel Montreux which, with its white walls and lakeside terrace, is the perfect place to recharge your batteries. Wander down the promenade, go wild at the casino or make like Lord Byron and take a boat trip to the beautiful Chateux de Chillon.

Writing a poem about it is optional, but the fascinating museum and picture-book location can’t fail to inspire you.

It seemed fitting to end our tour with a train journey up to the mountain vineyard. There you can taste seven different wines and prove my theory that Swiss wine is one of the most under-appreciated.

At an extra cost, the owner can serve up delicious platters of local delights, including cured meats, cheeses, bone marrow and corn bread.

You couldn’t have a better location to get high on delicious wine and food. From the sunny terrace, a delicate pattern of emerald vines weaves all the way down the mountain to the shore of the lake.

And once suitably seated, Geneva airport is also only a half an hour train ride away.

Not that I remember the journey.

Factfile

Thomson Lakes (www.thomsonlakes.co.uk; 020 8939 0738) offers a week’s half board at the
Hotel de la Paix in Lucerne from £875 per person with flights from either Heathrow or Gatwick to Zurich and transfers.

For a week’s stay at Montreux, prices are from £929 per person. Thomson also offers the Golden Pass
Tour, a ten or eleven nights independent train tour taking in three of Switzerland’s lakes: Lake Lucerne, Lake Brienz and Thun and Lake Geneva.

After a few days in historic Lucerne, the train journey begins with the panoramic train across the Brünig Pass to Interlaken and perhaps a visit up the Jungfraujoch mountain railway before the spectacular train journey on to Montreux.

Between Montreux and Zweisimmen the highlight is the ‘Golden Pass Classic’ train with carriages in the style of the Orient Express.

Prices are from £1299 per person including flights, all rail transfers, half board. 

http://www.thomsonlakes.co.uk/holidays/switzerland/golden-pass-tour/

For more visit www.MySwitzerland.com official website of Switzerland Tourism