By tram, train and boat with St Nicholas in 2026: 12 rides, one already fully booked

On 9 October 2026 the Rhaetian Railway listed its Samiklaus-Express as fully booked, 58 days before departure. In Zurich's fondue tram, 32 of 128 seatings were gone by 9 October 2026, before the first caquelon reached a table. If you want to ride a steam train, a vintage tram or a scheduled boat with St Nicholas in Advent, you don't plan in December. We read 12 such rides in 5 cantons on their operators' own websites.

Festive rides Switzerland: three vehicles, four occasions

Festive Advent rides in Switzerland go by tram (6), train (4) and boat (2). 6 of the 12 verified rides bring St Nicholas along, 2 serve fondue.

The ride is the event. In the Zurich Oberland a steam train sets off to find the Samichlaus, as St Nicholas is called here, and brings him back to Bauma. In Landquart two fairies lead the children, behind the steam locomotive «Albula», to the Samiklaus. In Bern a vintage tram takes families to St Nicholas and back, and on Lake Zurich he boards the scheduled boat because the donkey cannot carry all the presents alone. Two rides make St Nicholas a side note: the fondue tram, where you dine your way through the city for four months, and the Advent cruise on Lake Murten, aimed expressly at adults. All of them depend on an operator: a museum railway, a tram foundation, a boat company. That is why they are not everywhere, but exactly where someone keeps an old vehicle running.

Rides 2026: every verified St Nicholas, Advent and fondue ride

12 verified rides from 5 cantons in one list: 9 with a date, 3 still without, filterable by canton, with a button for confirmed dates only.

Every row links to the page where we read it and carries the operator's own caveat. Where the 2026 operating days are not yet published, the ride is listed as open, never with last year's date.

Rides by canton: where old vehicles come out in Advent

5 cantons are covered so far. Most rides start in Zurich and Bern, where tram foundations and museum railways run their vintage vehicles in winter.

The map shows how many verified rides we list per canton, and therefore where our survey is still thin. A pale canton does not mean nothing runs there, only that we have not yet found a ride with a published 2026 date.

Tickets & booking: why October is the right month

The most popular rides are small and sell out early. Searching after the first Sunday of Advent mostly turns up fully booked dates.

1. 1
   Book now, not in AdventFor the Zürcher Museums-Bahn, advance sales start around mid-October at Radio Zürisee and Ticketcorner. The small rides fill up before the first Sunday of Advent.
2. 2
   Check your travel pass before boardingPublic transport passes are not valid on Bern's Chlousefahrten, and children's day passes are not valid on the Rhaetian Railway. On Lake Zurich, by contrast, an ordinary ZVV ticket is enough; GA, Junior and Children's Co-Travel cards are valid.
3. 3
   Check the children's agesBern's Chlousefahrten are reserved for families with children. On the museum train to the Sihlwald every child needs their own ticket; under-2s ride free, but without a St Nicholas bag.
4. 4
   Prams and wheelchairsOn the Zürcher Museums-Bahn prams travel in the luggage van. The Rhaetian Railway's vintage carriages are not step-free.
5. 5
   Allow for the weatherThe museum train to the Sihlwald runs in any weather. The MS «Murten» stays in port in thick fog.

Märlitram Zurich: why adults stay outside

Only children aged 4 to 9 may board the St. Annahof Märlitram. St Nicholas rides along, two angels read Christmas fairy tales, and grown-ups stay outside.

The Märlitram («fairy-tale tram») is the only ride in our survey that leaves adults outside: according to Zürich Tourismus, Coop City St. Annahof lets only children aboard. Tickets are sold online and must be collected at a Coop City or the Visitor Information in the main station. The 2026 operating days are not fixed yet; according to Zürich Tourismus, sales start on 13 November. Bern runs the same format with its own story: there the Loeb department store brought the Märlitramback onto the rails after a year's break. And to see how far the love of old vehicles goes, look to Blonay: the Blonay–Chamby museum railway has been run solely by volunteers since 1968 and runs once more on 13 December 2026, with Father Christmas. On the same weekend as the big rides, Zurich swims across the Limmat at the St Nicholas swim, and in many places St Nicholas arrives on foot.

Dates open: why these rides are listed anyway

Of 12 rides listed, 3 have no published 2026 operating day yet. We list them anyway, with the status the operator gives.

A festive ride depends on volunteers and on a vehicle that has to run in winter. For Bern's Märlitram, the BERNMOBIL historique foundation says the 2026 edition is already being planned (original German: «Das Märlitram 2026 ist schon in Planung.»). For Zurich's Märlitram, advance sales and collection points are fixed, the days are not. Bern's fondue tram runs from November to February according to the foundation, but the individual days appear only on the booking portal. That is why all three are marked open. Bauma shows how fast this changes: the club announced times and prices «around September», and its site now lists six departures and three family tickets. Confirmed means to us: the operator gives the 2026 date, and we record when we checked.

Written by

Jana Meier

ConvivaPlus Editor · Family & Day Trips

Writes about day trips, family and local life – honestly assessing what's worth it.

• Day trips
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Researched & sourced · for Switzerland

Profile & all articles →·Our editorial teamUpdated 9 October 2026

🚂 Festive rides · 9 October 2026