Napoleon Express

Zermatt, towered over by the dazzling Matterhorn, is a well known destination to all mountain lovers. However, not everyone is aware that Saas Fee, a town located just over the mountain from Zermatt, offers an alternate choice for a mountain holiday. Although the town is not as quaint as Zermatt, because of its splendid setting on a ledge of the mountain, the views are fabulous. Trains do not service Saas Fee, but postal buses make it easily accessible. A particularly popular bus route is called the Napoleon Express, which leaves Saas Fee and travels north through the beautiful Saastal Valley to the Rhône Valley and then heads east to Brig. At Brig you change buses for the next leg of your trip that takes you over the Simplon Pass. There is a tunnel through the mountain, but this is only for trains. By far the more dramatic option is to take the superbly engineered road that goes over the pass. Since the 17th century traders have trudged up the pass with their heavily laden mule trains, but it was Napoleon who made the path a proper road in order to have an efficient way to transport supplies for his military campaigns. The road, which first opened in 1805, is not intimidating. At first the incline is gentle, but soon the bus begins to make large loops as it climbs the road up the mountain to its 2005-meter-high summit, the Simplon Kulm. The bus then descends downward, crosses the Italian border, and scoots along the Divedro Valley to Domodóssola. Upon arrival in Domodóssola climb aboard one of the blue and white cars of the Centovalli Railway for an amazing 55-kilometer journey that crosses over 83 bridges and slithers through 31 tunnels as it follows the Melezza River to Locarno, a lovely town located on the romantic shores of Lake Maggiore. Note: Remember your passport as you will be going into Italy.