switzerland

Travellers to the continent may soon be able to board a new direct route to Europe on Eurostar, removing the need to change trains and cutting the journey time by around two hours overall

Eurostar could soon offer a new direct route from London St Pancras to three European cities, offering a faster and easier way to get to central Europe.

The plans were unveiled in a press release by Eurostar, confirming that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had been signed between Eurostar, SBB (Swiss Federal Railways), and French-operator SNCF Voyageurs to potentially offer a direct connection between London and Switzerland.

The move was described as “an important milestone” in the planning of the new route, which could see services from London to Zurich offered direct with a six hour travel time, direct trains to Basel taking five hours, and a route to Geneva which would take around five-and-a-half hours.

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Currently, passengers can book London to Switzerland trains with Eurostar, although this currently necessitates a change at Paris Gare du Nord, and means travelling across the city to Paris Gare De Lyon to get a connecting TGV train. Not only is this less convenient, as it means taking your luggage on the metro, it also adds an hour or more to most journey times between London and Switzerland.

Eurostar’s press release explained: “The signed MoU is an important milestone. The next step is to analyse potential timetables and operational concepts. Based on this, the key steps and milestones for the potential introduction of such a direct connection from London to Switzerland.

“The three partners aim to offer the potential direct connection to London as soon as possible and are continuously driving the project forward.”, adding: “Implementation would be feasible at the earliest sometime in the course of the 2030s.”

Eurostar currently offers direct trains from London St. Pancras to five destinations: Paris, Brussels, Lille, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. However, passengers can book connecting trains to more than 20 destinations, including cities in Germany, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.

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Eurostar has previously raised the possibility of running longer direct routes from London, with Marseille in the south of France and Milan in Italy mentioned among potential expansions of its rail routes.

It’s also announced that it has ordered up to 50 Celestia double-decker trains, which will be introduced onto its routes from May 2031, allowing it to offer increased capacity along popular routes. Eurostar also unveiled ambitious expansion plans last year for St Pancras International. The plans could allow the station to handle 5,000 passengers per hour by 2028.

By 2030, it’s expected that arrivals will be moved upstairs to increase capacity. At the time, Richard Thorp, chief operating officer at London St. Pancras Highspeed, said the station was ‘delighted’ to be joining forces with Eurostar to expand its capacity. “With growing passenger demand for international train travel, it is important that St. Pancras International station is future-proofed and optimised to accommodate this.”

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Published on 23/04/2026 – 17:09 GMT+2•Updated
17:41

French liberal MEP Christophe Grudler told Euronews the Commission’s proposed European preference, once adopted, covering public procurement in strategic sectors such as clean tech, cars and energy-intensive industries (aluminium and steel) should be limited to a core group of non-EU countries.

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The “Made in Europe” provisions of the so-called “Industrial Accelerator Act” have triggered a fierce political battle between supporters, led by Germany and Nordic countries, of a broad definition including “like-minded” partners, and those, led by France, pushing for a narrower approach.

In its proposal unveiled on 4 March, the Commission leaned towards the broader interpretation.

“The Commission’s option is very poor. It reflects a completely outdated view of trade policy,” Grudler said, adding, “When the Americans introduced the Buy American Act, they didn’t worry about whether it would strain ties with Europe. At some point, we need to stop being naive.”

The MEP is set to be one of the lead negotiators on the proposed new rulesin the European Parliament as talks begin shortly.

The European preference aims to counter foreign competition, notably from the US and China. The Commission proposes excluding non-EU countries depending on how open they are to the EU taking part in their procurement markets as well as existing trade agreements.

Geography should prevail, Grudler said

But Grudler argues geography should be the guiding principle, limiting “Made in Europe” to countries closest to the EU — first and foremost the European Economic Area: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Switzerland could also be “a good candidate”, he said.

“Switzerland has had a public procurement agreement since 1989. It is a bilateral agreement stating that all European companies have access to the Swiss public procurement market, and that all Swiss companies have access to the European public procurement market. It is therefore a rather good candidate.”

The UK could also be considered to some extent, but “conditions will need to be examined” following Brexit, he added. “There is also a point where Europe has to make sure it comes out financially ahead.”

He wants the law to send “a strong signal” to investors backing key EU industries, “particularly energy-intensive sectors and clean technologies.”

“It is another step in Europe’s resilience against unfair competition from other continents.”

However China has voiced strong opposition to the Commission proposal, seen in Beijing as restricting its access to EU procurement and investment.

“This legislation is Europe standing firm for its strategic industries,” Grudler said.

“China has overcapacities in cars or in steel. They are relying on the naivety of Europeans to do business, to generate double-digit growth again, and then to invest in research and development and get ahead on everything, all the while cheating through direct subsidies to destroy our industries.”

After talks in Switzerland, the two sides also made progress on a protocol for ceasefire oversight.

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and rival M23 rebels have agreed to ease aid deliveries and release prisoners, as mediators push to resolve a years-long conflict that has persisted despite multiple peace deals.

The two sides announced the measures in a joint statement shared by the US Department of State on Saturday, following five days of talks in Switzerland.

“The parties agreed to refrain from any action that would undermine the principled delivery of humanitarian assistance within the territories impacted by the conflict,” said the statement.

Both sides also pledged not to target civilians and to facilitate medical care for the wounded and sick as they noted progress on a protocol for humanitarian access and judicial protections.

They agreed to release prisoners within 10 days as part of efforts “to continue building confidence”.

In addition, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding for a ceasefire monitoring mechanism that will “begin conducting surveillance, monitoring, verification, and reporting on the implementation of the permanent ceasefire between the parties”.

Since 2021, the M23, backed by Rwanda, has seized territory in eastern DRC, a region ravaged by more than 30 years of conflict.

While the two sides signed a United States-brokered peace agreement in December, fighting has continued, most recently reaching the highland areas of South Kivu, according to media reports.

In a statement last week, Human Rights Watch accused the parties of blocking aid deliveries and stopping civilians from fleeing the South Kivu highlands.

“Civilians in South Kivu’s highlands are facing a dire humanitarian crisis and live in fear of abuses by all parties,” said Clementine de Montjoye, senior Great Lakes researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The latest round of talks, held in the Swiss Riviera town of Montreux, included representatives from Qatar, the US, Switzerland, the African Union (AU) Commission, and Togo serving as the AU mediator.

Chocolate lovers will soon be able to enjoy a brand new theme park based on an iconic Swiss brand, and at the heart of it all will be a real-life working chocolate factory to explore

If you’ve got a serious sweet tooth, and spent your entire childhood reading and re-reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then a new attraction could soon be top of your bucket list.

Switzerland is already a major destination for chocolate lovers and for many of them the highlight of the trip is visiting Maison Cailler in Broc, Gruyère. It’s where the iconic Cailler chocolate has been made since the late 19th-century, and is among the oldest chocolate factories in the world to still be in operation.

At the moment, chocolate lovers can visit the factory and take tours, and there’s already a museum on the history of Cailler. Guests can take a chocolate workshop to learn to make their own treats such as truffles, and of course, there are plenty of opportunities for tastings along the way.

Now, new plans could mean the chocolate factory will be just the start of the excitement for fans of the brand. While the current attraction is 2,000 m², there are plans for it to be expanded to nearly 30,000m², allowing for what its website bills as a “memorable sensory experience”. The plan is for a park that’ll take around four to six hours to explore, taking visitors on a “journey of discovery through cocoa”.

Around 400,000 visitors a year already visit the attraction, making it one of Switzerland’s most visited museums, and there are reports that the park could double this number in the first phase alone.

Plans also include a cable car to whisk visitors from the car park to the factory, and a ‘flying theatre’ that will allow for stunning views over the Swiss scenery. There will also be a huge cocoa greenhouse so visitors can see how chocolate is grown and harvested.

And if that’s not enough chocolate-themed fun, a new hotel will allow visitors to indulge their sweet tooth overnight. If the project goes forward, the first phase should be open by 2030.

Maison Cailler can be reached by train from Montreux, and even the journey itself has been designed for chocolate enthusiasts with a themed train that zips you across stunning Swiss landscapes. Most visitors from the UK fly to Geneva, just a 90 minute flight from the UK, with a number of services run by easyJet, TUI, and British Airways.

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Broc itself is worth spending some time in, whether it’s in the winter when the snowy Alps are at their most beautiful, or during the summer when the mountains are lush and green. Explore the fairytale-like Château de Gruyères whose stone walls are covered in ornate oil paintings and treasures.

Just down the road another of the area’s famous exports is made. At La Maison du Gruyère you can explore a working cheese factory and sample this distinctive local product. You can even take a tour and see the huge wheels of cheese being ripened to perfection.

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Thick grey-green mud squidges through my toes as I step into the icy, irresistible water. I’m on the descent from the Britannia Hut at the foot of the Allalinhorn in the Valais canton of the Swiss Alps, and this turquoise pool of glacial meltwater has been on the horizon tempting me for an hour. I peel off all five layers of clothing and plunge into the murky water. After a night in a shared dorm without showers it’s bliss.

In winter, the jagged ridges of the Valais are the domain of expert skiers and ice climbers, but in summer the lower slopes become accessible to hikers, with the added bonus of the ski lift infrastructure. You can be surrounded by dramatic peaks with the security of well-marked trails ranging from gentle strolls to serious alpine routes. I’m here to hike to mountain huts, test my nerves on via ferrata routes, and fill my city-dweller lungs with clean Alpine air.

I begin my trip in Saas-Fee, a car-free high altitude village in the south-west of Switzerland, where I spend the night at the Walliserhof Grand-Hotel, famous for hosting Wham! when they filmed the Last Christmas music video here. From my balcony with a cold beer, I spend the evening drinking in views of church spires, geranium-covered balconies and the towering wall of mountains beyond.

Between Saas-Fee and the village of Saas-Grund lies a deep gorge – the Sass-Fee Alpine Canyon – which can only be tackled with a guide. A via ferrata system of ladders, metal rungs and cables allows climbers to access high-level routes while clipped into a safety cable. I’m lucky to be assigned Aldo Lomatter as my guide the next morning – he built this canyon route and knows it better than anyone. We criss-cross the gorge on wobbly bridges, climb ladders up and down the rock face, and disappear into gulleys on ziplines.

The intensity of the challenges build as the route progresses: crossing high above the river a vertiginous ladder bridge abruptly stops, and it’s a 40-metre abseil to the riverbed. We finish with a zipline, which ends deep in a dark cave: it’s a leap of faith, but also the only way down – and a thrilling finale. Climbing out of the cave on a shaky ladder, I emerge blinking into the sunlit hamlet of Saas-Grund and take the free minibus back to Saas-Fee for a fondue lunch.

Suitably refuelled, it’s time for my next adventure: a gondola and cable car take me to Morenia, the top gondola station, for the walk to the Britannia Hut at 3,030 metres. Only reachable by foot or helicopter, it’s a gentle two-hour hike over Egginerjoch but, even in mid-summer, much of that is over snow – though thankfully no crampons are needed.

The hut was built in 1912 as a gift from British members of the Swiss Alpine Club to thank the Swiss for their hospitality in the mountains. From the deckchairs outside, the views over the Allalin glacier and the Mattmark area are jaw-dropping.

Accommodation is simple but practical. Hikers share dormitories with wide wooden bunks, ours sleeps eight. There are communal plastic clogs to give tired feet a break from walking boots, otherwise guests pad around in thermals and big jumpers. The tap water isn’t drinkable and there are no showers. Supplies are brought up by helicopter, and water is as expensive as beer. Dinner is one sitting at 7pm, served family style with all guests eating the same meal. It’s hearty mountain food: cream of vegetable soup, saffron risotto, roast beef, vegetables and a fruit pudding. Hiking tales and weather forecasts are swapped jovially in many languages around the table. I sleep soundly, though I’m grateful for my earplugs and eye mask. Many guests here are preparing for long days and distant summits, so breakfast is served at 3am, 5am or 7am, and by the time I turn up for the last sitting the hut has mostly emptied.

I retrace my route to Morenia, stopping to cool off in meltwater on the way, and take the gondola back down to Saas-Fee where a second dip awaits at the WellnessHostel 4000, a youth hostel with its own spa. Below the cafeteria and dormitories, there are a 25-metre swimming pool and elegant wood-panelled, adults-only spa overlooking the gorge I traversed days before. I buy a day pass (CHF34.40) and spend a leisurely few hours in the pool, saunas and steam rooms, gazing out at the trees and river below. After a day in the mountains it’s a wonderful way to stretch tired muscles.

Keen to explore the area further, I take the free PostBus down the mountain to Visp and catch a train to Champéry at the other end of the canton. I spend a night at traditional family-run Hôtel Suisse, and eat at Café du Nord sitting outside under a fairy-light canopy. The next morning I meet Lloyd Wiltshire from Experience Champéry to be fitted with a harness for my next vertiginous challenge, Champéry’s Tière via ferrata, which takes climbers up steep cliffs high above the valley and is reached by a winding uphill walk through woods dripping with lichen. The most challenging point is a tricky climb in the spray of a thundering waterfall, followed by a single wire crossing above the River Tière – not for the faint-hearted.

After lunch I take the Croix de Culet cable car from Champéry to 1,962 metres. Covered in lush grass and alpine flowers, it’s hard to imagine that this is a popular ski area in winter. I walk through farmland, stopping to buy freshly made cheese and cakes from simple cafes and honesty boxes. My summit today is the Col de Cou mountain pass, where I stand with a foot either side of the French-Swiss border looking over the Terres Maudites and the Manche valley in France, and the Dents du Midi and Dents Blanches ridges in Switzerland.

Descending to the tranquil Barme plateau with tired legs, I find rest and refuge at Cantine de Barmaz, a rural restaurant with rooms. On the menu, the house special is choléra, a deliciously hearty leek, potato and cheese pie, ideal post-hike fortification with a glass of cold Swiss wine. I watch as the last light of the day illuminates the jagged spikes of the Dents du Midi in shades of glorious umber and gold. I then cosy into my dormitory bed in the eaves, lulled to sleep by the deep breathing of tired hikers and the rhythmic clang of distant cowbells.

The trip was provided by Saas-Fee Saastal, Région Dents du Midi and Visit Switzerland. For more information on the region see valais.ch. Half-board at Britannia Hut costs CHF98 (£92) a night for non-SAC members (CHF84 for members). Half-board at Auberge de montagne Cantine de Barmaz costs CHF68 a night in a dorm or CHF75 in a private room