Most attractive bus timetables in the Simplon area:

Saas Fee dp 7.52 - Brig 9.20 - Simplon Pass 9.55 - Domodossola ar 11.02
Saas Fee dp 8.52 - Brig 10.20 - Simplon Pass 10.55 - Domodossola ar 12.02
Saas Fee dp 9.52 - Brig 11.35 - Simplon Pass 12.10 - Domodossola ar 13.17
Saas Fee dp 11.22 - Brig 12.38/13.26 - non stop via Simplon Pass - Domodossola 14.30 - Gravellona Toce 15.00 - Milan Malpensa airport ar 16.00

Domodossola dp 12.10 - Macugnaga cableway (to Monte Moro/Swiss border) ar 13.32
Domodossola dp 14.15 - Macugnaga cableway (to Monte Moro/Swiss border) ar 15.26

Domodossola dp 12.30 - Verbania Intra Lake Maggiore Ferry ar 13.30 (- Brissago ar 14.50 - Ascona ar 15.43)
Domodossola dp 14.15 - Verbania Intra Lake Maggiore Ferry ar 15.30 (- Brissago ar 16.40 - Ascona ar 17.43)

Domodossola dp 13.40 - Stresa 14.35 - Novara ar 16.15

Gravellona Toce dp 15.25 - Verbania Intra Lake Maggiore Ferry ar 15.55 (- Brissago ar 18.00 - Ascona ar 18.43)

Anyway - I loved the Simplon Pass bus ride - the bus stops at the summit for a bit - the ole Top of the World atmosphere. the initial ascent from Brig is a long upward trek along a ledge overlooking the Rhone Valley.

Gondo, last stop before gthe Italian frontier, is a poignant place as it was basically wiped off the map several years ago in a roaring flash flood - with 13 deaths:

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_ne...l?cid=28532856.

NEXT UP - SAAS FEE BUS

http://www.postbus.ch/pag-startseite...bot-detail.htm

Swiss Postal Bus site describing the buses to and from Saas-Fee (nedar Zermatt and a nice day trip from Zermatt - take the train to where the bus picks you up - the usual twisting ledgeside road right before the town as I recall.

Sass-Fee is a primo Alpine resort with awesome Alps - on eof a handful of primo ones in Switzerland I have seen - eith Jungfrau, Zermat, Titlis, etc though a more compact area.

Saas Fee is famous for the highest cablecar line of the Alps, from Felskinn (9800ft) to MIttelallalin (11350ft).
There is the world's highest revolving restaurant and a major Saas-Fee attraction. After all, where else can you enjoy a gourmet Swiss meal while experiencing breathtaking 360-degree views of the Alps in all their glory?

To make your event truly unforgettable, combine it with a visit to the world's largest ice grotto

The Allalin revolving restaurant is located an impressive 3,500 metres above sea level and makes one complete rotation an hour.
Capacity:

Number of people
Seats, revolving restaurant
250
Self-service seating 150
Sun terrace 500
http://www.threesixty-saasfee.com/
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/m...ain-world.html

Hikers can go by Post Bus from Saas Fee to Lake Mattmark (7200ft) and continue from there on foot (about 3 hrs) to Monte Moro Pass (9400ft; all in the Saas Valley) with a stupendous panorama to the Monte Rosa chain from the Italian side (opposite to the Zermatt side).
Cableway (gondola) from Monte Moro Pass to Macugnaga (Italy), local bus fron there to Domodossola and Swiss Post bus (or train) via Simplon back to Switzerland.
http://www.distrettolaghi.it/en/blog...moro-macugnaga
http://www.macugnaga-monterosa.it/it...hotogallery%29

neckervd - thanks for all that amazing info. I did not make it up to the revolving restaurant - Saas-Fee is a great easy day trip from Zermatt (or the Rhone Valley) - from Zermatt you take the train down to Stalden-Saas and walk over to the nearby bus station for postal buses to Saas-Fee, along a narrow ledge as I recall!

It's about an hour by train to Stalden-Saas and then 17 minutes later by bus your are in Saas-Fee.

Again thanks for Swiss native (I believe) neckervd for her/his continuing bombardment of great info - we or at least I appreciate the time that takes! And many benefit.

NEXT UP - POSTAL BUS TO LEUKERBAD!

In the Zermatt/Saas-Fee area the swank resort of Leukerbad is only reached by postal bus from the main Rhone Valley train line. And you never know what weird things will happen - one of the weirdest, 'telepaethtic' if you have it experiences happened on this short but sweet bus ride - int involves a banana!

I'm sorry:
Once again: Leuk - Leukerbad is not a Post Bus, but a bus of the Leuk - Leukerbad railway company (the cog wheel railway is out of use since 1967).
Most scenic access to Leukerbad:
Train to Kandersteg, local bus from Kandersteg railway station to Kandersteg cableway station, cableway (gondola) to Sunnbuel (6400ft), 9 km hike (excellent trail (I did it with a stroller) via Hotel Schwarenbach and along Lake Daubensee to Gemmipass (7500ft), gondola to Leukerbad ......
Luggage can be sent by train

Good panoramic hiking trails from Leukerbad to Crans-Montana and to Loetschental

neckervd - I am really writing about postal buses in a general sense - I should have said bus instead of postal bus - but the ostal bus is an icon and other buses are not. Thanks for all your inputs - what are some of your personal favorite bus rides - postal or not?

"what are some of your personal favorite bus rides?"
Difficult question. I mentioned the most spectacular bus lines in my post of Aptil 24th in this thread.
Personally, I don't like to sit during hrs in a bus, but to combine bus rides and hikes. In this sense, my favourites are:

bus Sion - Sanetsch Pass, hike to Glacier2000 gondola station, gondola to Col du Pillon, bus to Gstaad (or vice versa)

bus Domodossola - Cascata Toce (biggest waterfall of the Alps), hike to Gries Glacier - Gries Pass bus stop, bus to Airolo or Oberwald (only in this sense, bacause the last bus from Cascata Toce to Domodossola leaves too early)

bus Domodossola - Macugnaga Staffa (Z'Maggenen Stafel), gondola to Monte Moro Pass, hike to Mattmark, bus to Saas Grund - Visp (only in this sense, bacause the last bus from Macugnaga to Domodossola leaves too early)

boat Locarno Magadino, bus to Alpe Neggia, hike to Tamaro - Gradiccioli - Monte Lema, gondola to Miglieglia, bus to Lamone (Lugano) railway station (or vice versa)

bus Zernez - Ofenpass - Sta Maria Val Mustair - Stelvio Pass, hike to Piz da las Trais Linguas - Rifugio Forcola, gondola to Trafoi, bus to Spondinig railway station (only in this sense...)

bus Biasca - Acquacalda Ospizio, hike via Passo Sole to Lake Ritom, cablecar (3rd steepest of the world) to Piotta, bus to Biasca (or vice versa)

bus Biasca - Lake Luzzone or Pian Gairett, hike to Puzzatsch, bus to Ilanz (only in this sense)

bus Le Chable - Moay, hike to Bourg-St-Pierre, bus to Orsieres/Martigny or Aosta

bus Sion - Thyon2000, hike to Gde Dixence, bus to Sion

bus Sierre - St-Luc, cablecar to Tignousa, hike to Hotel Weisshorn - Zinal, bus to Sierre

bus Sierre - Vercorin, gondola to Cret du Midi, hike to Bendolla, gondola to Grimentz, bus to Sierre

bus Sierre - Grimentz, gondola to Bendolla, hike to Eison, bus to Sion

bus Sierre - Moiry, hike to La Sage, bus to Sion

bus Sion - Gde Dixence (Le Chargeur), gondola to Lake Dix, hike to Dix Hut - Pas de Chevres - Arolla, bus to Sion

bus Martigny - Col de la Forclaz, hike to Chalet des Glaciers - Col de Balme, gondola to Le Tour, bus to Chamonix

bus Aosta or Martigny - Gd St-Bernard Pass, hike to the 3 Lakes de Ferret - Ferret, bus to Orsieres/Martigny

bus Chur - Andeer - Juf, hike to Pass Lunghin - Maloja, bus to St. Moritz or Chiavenna

bus Scuol - S-charl, hike to Fuorcla Funtauna - Ofen Pass, bus to Zernez or Mals

thanks neckervd for your valuable insights.

You're welcome

> I'm sorry: Once again: Leuk - Leukerbad is not a Post Bus, but a bus of the Leuk - Leukerbad railway company (the cog wheel railway is out of use since 1967).

Yes, it is: go to http://www.postbus.ch/pag-startseite...uch-suchen.htm and add the course no. 12.471

NEXT UP - THE PALM EXPRESS (Lugano to St Moritz via the awesome Maloja Pass- one of the most dramatically scenic Swiss bus rides!

http://www.postauto.ch/en/pag-starts...bot-detail.htm

Hi PalenQ,

Thanks so much for your valuable info on the postal buses, especially the Three Passes bus excursion beginning in Meiringen. We plan to stay there rather than Interlaken en route to Lauterbrunnen. Also, we've been following your helpful info on Swiss Passes.

We're in the throes of planning our month-long trip for late August and September. We've been doing a lot of reading and combing the TRs of other Fodorites. This trip is mostly going to be spent in villages and smaller cities. Our preferred style when we do this type of trip is by car. We will be re-visiting some places from former trips where we either encountered bad weather, like eastern Austria, or, in the case of Switzerland, where we did not make it to the BO. When we get our itinerary more together, we'll post some additional questions, hoping to get insight from experienced Fodorites.

One issue we're pondering right now is where we can plug in some flexibility in arrangements. We'll definitely book lodging around cities like Salzburg, and more populous areas like Lauterbrunnen. But we're hoping to allow a few open nights, for example, in the area outside of these places. Also, in the Dolomite area of Italy. Are you familiar with how crowded these areas might be in late August-early September? We realized, only too late, that the European school vacations seem to extend into these dates, but we don't have much flexibility with our schedules.

We'd appreciate any insight you have into travels in the Alps, especially around the BO. Another question we're considering is the worthwhileness of going to Zermatt. We realize that seeing the Matterhorn is iffy. It's like planning to see Mt. Fuji, or McKinley. We prefer to stay flexible and make our plans according to the weather predictions.

We expressed a lot of ideas here, PalenQ, and if you have any ideas which might be helpful, we'd appreciate it. We're used to parking our car for a day or two while we use other transportation. It's a style we like for freedom and flexibility.

Thanks so much!

tomarkot" thanks for the nice words - I'll try to give my impressions of the Switzerland questions.

as for the Dolomites my experience is limited to Cortona d.Ampezzo, a sweet base town in a lovely area - things in Italy IME clear out quickly after the last weekend in August - try to go as late in September as possible - weather will be nicer then than in Switzerland as well usually.

Or hopefully kind neckervd can answer some of those questions better than moi since she/he is a Swiss resident and has contributed valuable info to this and other threads.

Anyway be back tomorrow or so.

PalenQ, we appreciate input for any Fodorites familiar with the area. Thanks!

Martin:
What do you mean with:
"Yes, it is: go to http://www.postbus.ch/pag-startseite...uch-suchen.htm and add the course no. 12.471"?

If you do so and open the timetable link, you will see that the line is operated by
LLB, 3952 Susten, Tel 027 474 98 00, Fax 027 474 98 01
[email protected]
www.llbreisen.ch

That's just what I said above

Late August - early September is NOT a holiday period in Switzerland. Summer holidays in most Swiss Cantons end around August 17th. Automn holidays don't start before September 20th.

In Southern Germany, summer holidays end between Sept. 9th and 15th. More than 50 per cent of all tourists in rural areas of Austria and the Italian Dolomites come from Germany.

In my opinion, it doesn't make any sense to go to Interlaken in order to have a five minutes look at Jungfrau.
The same is valid for Zermatt and the Matterhorn:
Either you enjoy the some 30 glaciers, the some 20 mountain lakes, the more than 30 peaks higher than 13000ft and the more than 100km of well signmarked hiking trails (may be from 1 of the 10 mountain railway or cableway stops) or you skip the whole trip.
Day trips from Wengen or so to Zermatt/Gornergrat may make sense if the weather is splendid and if you start extremely early in the morning and come back in late evening. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth to sit 8 hrs in a train.

PALM EXPRESS is fine. That's all what remains from the former bus line Munich - Garmisch - Fernpass - Landeck - Scuol - St. Moritz (overnight) - Lugano - Locarno - Ascona - Verbania - Stresa, very popular in the thirties, fifties, sixties and seventies of last century.
Actually, the service isn't even daily all the year round.
But the most scenic leg can be done about every hr by local Post Bus St. Moritz - Maloja - Chiavenna. Trains Chiavenna - Colico - Varenna - Monza - Milan every 2 hrs.
Connections
from Colico
to Menaggio - Como (bus and boat)
to Sondrio - Tirano (train)
from Menaggio to Lugano (bus)
from Varenna to Menaggio (ferry)
from Monza to Como - Lugano (train)