Imagine a place where mountains pierce the heavens and clouds caress the rock with a temporary shroud. Where meadows rolls like carpets of green into infinite valleys surrounding bottomless lakes. Where palm trees bask beneath glaciers that rise like rivers of eternal ice notching the sky.

Then imagine a synchronized travel system where trains glide over gorges spanned by towering bridges and burrow through mountains into a world where past and present become one. Where lake steamers drift past honey-colored villages, or a brilliant profusion of flowers, or the serenity of medieval bell towers. Where cable cars float upon wires that disappear into another realm. Where funiculars climb vertical pathways that peer into miniature worlds below.

There is such a place, where transportation is an art form: Switzerland.

The Swiss Travel System is an exercise in precision. Not only is it a masterpiece of access, it is also a marvel of engineering combining comfort and convenience with clockwork coordination.

STS has conquered overwhelming geographical barriers while maintaining a delicate balance between humans and the environment. The federal railways connect with more than 400 private operators that can take you to the highest train station in Europe or glide past glaciers at the crest of the world.

The secret is linking other forms of transportation with the rails into a cohesive unit that results in a traveler's dream.

Travelers yearn for the independence to explore at their own pace. Such flexibility was once an expensive travel proposition, but Swiss transportation makes independent travel a reality.

Swiss rail passes can be used for trains as well as many local buses, trams, lake steamers, funiculars, cable cars and postal buses. A first-class pass even provides free admission to more than 400 museums throughout the country.

In Switzerland, trains can get you there, and back, with minimal hassle because the system runs like clockwork. It's all a matter of Swiss timing. You can actually set your watch by it. All it takes is a little basic training.

Details: www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en, www.myswitzerland.com.