SWISS PADDLE STEAMER
        LINKS


LINKS to other Swiss and Italian paddle steamer related sites
Click on the "lake name/logo" in the left-hand column for a link to the appropriate page on this website
or click on the Shipping Operator "name/logo" or "supporters organisation" in the second column to go direct to their website
Click here for other (non-Swiss) transport links and websites
Click here other paddle steamer "photo" sites
*** If this page appears without the 'contents' on the left hand side, please click here ***
Lake Brienz
BLS Official site
 There are no timetabled sailings on the lake during the winter period
Limited motor vessel only sailings are planned to re-commence in Spring 2025
    The paddle steamer is 'laid-up' for the winter
  See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the paddle steamer
  Any short term 'day to day' variations can usually be found here		 Available in English as well as German and French
Friends of Steam
Lake Thun
and Lake Brienz
    Latest news can usually be found here Unfortunately
only available
in German
 
Lake Geneva
CGN Official site
The early-Winter Timetable "until Saturday 14th December " is now in operation
  Three paddle steamers remain in service
A copy of the full early-Winter 2024 and late-Winter 2024-2025 timetables are now available on their website and can now be accessed by clicking on their "Timetable and tickets" link - then selecting one of the "PDF Timetables" or the "Download the general timetable of the CGN" link - which gives details of all CGN regular sailings planned to be worked by both the paddle steamers/motor paddle vessels and the motor vessels

    Any known minor 'day-to-day' changes to some paddle steamer sailings for 2024 are now shown on this website
    See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the paddle steamers
    One major "disappointment" is the company's "OGS" (steamer rosters - confirmation of the vessels planned to operate most of the CGN sailings for each month) is NO LONGER published on their website - but it can still be found on the ABVL supporers website
    Additional 'day-to-day' information can sometimes be found here (only in French)		 Available in English
It looks as if they are
using an automatic
translator as some
of the wording is "interesting"
    - certainly not
"Queen's English" !!!!!

You are advised to check
the French pages to confirm the most
up-to-date ' day-to-day ' information
Jean Vernet
Unofficial site
 After 20 years, Jean Vernet has given up his excellent web-site
Unfortunately access to any of the previous pages is no longer available, but the old "url" now links to an excellent "Photo site"
Thank you Jean for all your hard work over the last two decades 		-
L'Association des
Amis des Bateaux
à Vapeur du Léman
 An association  ("Friends of the Lake Geneva Paddle Steamers") formed to support the CGN, with the prime objective of raising funds to renovate all eight paddle steamers/motor paddle vessels (including the one * "long-term laid-up")
       * - MPV Helvétie

Work has been completed on PS Rhône and she has now returned to service - afterwhich attention might hopefully turn to the much larger MPV Helvétie which is now moored at Geneva - However following major damage to her sister PS Simplon earlier in the year,  her "start" date is now expected to drop back even further

They now include the "OGS" (shown in English as "GSO") for all the CGN sailings here 		Now available
in English as well as French
Association
Patrimoine
du Léman
 The object of this association founded in 1983 is "To safeguard the heritage of Lake Geneva......"
The site chronicles many of the achievements to date		 Available in English as well as French
Steve Crook
Unofficial
History Site
 An interesting account of the sailings on Lake Geneva from 1822 to the present day Available in English as well as French
Steam Launch
Étoile Arcture

 An interesting well illustrated website about the Steam Launch Étoile Arcture which on occasions can be seen sailing on Lake Geneva from the larger paddle steamers Unfortunately
only available
in French
but still well worth a visit !
 
Lake Luzern
SGV Official site
The early-Winter Timetable "until Saturday 21st December" is now in operation
    One paddle steamers remains in service
    (operating limited Advent 'special' sailings only)
A copy of the full Winter 2024-2025  timetable is now available on their website giving details of all SGV regular sailings planned to be worked by both the paddle steamers) the motor vessels
  See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the paddle steamers
Confirmation of the SGV paddle steamer timetabled sailings for the next couple of weeks (ONLY in German)  can usually be found on their Steamship operations page - scroll down until you reach the header "Schiffseinsätze" and select the individual date required 		A re-vamped
website is now
available in English
but you are advised
to also look at the German pages for
the most up-to-date information
Friends of the
paddle steamers
of Lake Luzern

 Dampferfreunde Vierwaldstättersee
Website of the Friends of the Lake Luzern Paddle Steamers		 Unfortunately
only available
in German
Schiffe auf dem
Vierwaldstättersee

 An interesting site full of pictures of all the ships on Lake Luzern
In addition to the SGV, there are pictures of other passenger and freight vessels operating on the lake together with various docks and the "fireworks" display		 Although in German this does not distract from the pictures
 
Lake Neuchâtel
LNM Official site

There are no sailings on Lake Neuchâtel during the winter
Limited motor vessel only sailings are planned to re-commence from Spring 2025
    The paddle steamer is 'laid-up' for the winter
  See also my "Timetable Index Page" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the paddle steamer

  Additional 'day to day' information can sometimes be found here		 Unfortunately
only available
in French or German
Trivapor
Official site

     The Trivapor Organisation owns the former steam engine from the Lake Chiemsee paddle steamer PS Ludwig Fessler which was replaced with a diesel-hydraulic engine in 1973 and have installed it into their recently acquired PS Neuchâtel which had laid unoperational at Neuchâtel since 1969
    The re-built paddle steamer retuned to operational status during 2014 (after roughly 'half a century' being used as a static restuarant) and re-commenced public operation with her sailings integrated along with the rest of the LNM fleet --- the same arrangement is also planned for 2024		 Unfortunately
only available
in French or German
 
Lake Thun
BLS Official site
The early-Winter Timetable "until Thursday 28th March" is now in operation
    The paddle steamer is now laid-up for thw winter
A copy of the full early-Winter 2024 timetable is now available on their website giving details of all BLS regular sailings planned to be worked by the motor vessels
    There is also a link to their "Boat deployment plan" giving just the "basic" standard ship allocation - BUT BEWARE it is NOT ALWAYS updated with any 'day-to-day' variations
    See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the paddle steamer
 Available in English as well as German and French
Friends of Steam
Lake Thun
and Lake Brienz
 Unfortunately
only available
in German
 
Lake Zurich
ZSG Official site
The early-Winter Timetable "until Saturday 14th December" is now in operation
  Both paddle steamers are are 'laid-up' for the winter
A copy of the full Summer 2024 is now available on their website (select the "Timetable" pdf) giving details of all ZSG regular sailings planned to be worked by the motor vessels and the two paddle steamers

  See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the two paddle steamers
  After sticking to the advertised roster for the first part of the 2023 season - there have been several last minute variations from early-July - NOT always reflected on this or other official websitee
  Confirmation of the latest official information for the next few days can usually be found here 		An English versaion
is also available
Aktion pro Raddampfer
 Website of the Friends of the Lake Zurich Paddle Steamers Unfortunately
only available
in German
 
Lake Konstanz
HSG Official site
The Summer Timetable in now in operation
There are no regular paddle steamer sailings to or from any Swiss piers..........
   ..........but there are special sailings on a limited number of dates throughout the summer
    The paddle steamer is now in service
See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of "special sailings" expected to operated by the paddle steamer
PLEASE NOTE
Some 'day-to-day' information can be found here 

"New" website now available
Unfortunately currently only available in German
but "hopefully" an English version will again be provided before too long
 
Sailings on the following three Italian lakes are all operated by the NLI organisation
but managed locally by the NLC, NLG and NLM respectively
Lake Como
NLC Official site

The Summer Timetable "until Sunday 3rd November 2024" is now in operation
  PS Concordia is in service
    The previously "independently owned" PS Patria had again become part of the NLC fleet with a target to re-enter service in 2025
A copy of the full Summer 2024 timetable is now available on their website giving details of all NLC limited regular sailings planned to be operated by the motor vessels
See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the last remaining operational paddle steamer		 Available in English as well as in Italian
Lariana
Unofficial site

 An excellent site edited by Marcello Baldrati
Numerous pictures and fleet details of the existing and scrapped paddle steamers, motor vessels and car ferries also 'high-speed' craft in service on Lake Como; history; timetables; departures from all piers; news; etc.
Well worth a visit !
 Available in English as well as Italian
PS Patria Supporters website

 An excellent site edited by Flaminio Borgonovo giving the history and latest position about the various attempts to restore PS Patria which has been laid up for over a decade

 Available in English as well as Italian
Lake Garda
NLG Official site

The Winter Timetable "until Monday 31st March 2025" is now in operation
    The two motor paddle vessels are 'laid up' for the winter

A copy of the full Winter 2024-2025 timetable is now available on their website giving details of all NLG regular sailings - currently only planned to be worked by the motor vessels
See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen on a non-advertised basis with the last two remaining motor paddle vessels		 Now available in English as well as in Italian
Lake Maggiore
NLM Official site
The Autumn Timetable "until Sunday 3ts November 2024" is now in operation



   PS Piemonte is undertaking a major 'two year' re-build
    - this means she will not sail during 2024
    (although she did operate a limited number of 'extra' sailings during the early part of 2023)
A copy of the full Autumn 2024 timetable is available on their website giving details of all NLM regular sailings planned to be worked only by the motor vessels
(the only paddle steamer will NOT sail in 2024 due to a major re-build)
See also my "Timetable Index" and "Summary Page" for further details of what is expected to happen with the last remaining paddle steamer		 Now available in English as well as in Italian
DAMPFSCHIFF
AUF DEM
LAGO MAGGIORE
   A website about the last remaining Lake Maggiore paddle steamer - also giving details of occasional Private Charter Sailings ("open to the public")
    Sadly the only one planned for 2020 has had to be POSTPONED until 2021 due to the Coronavirus retrictions
Available only in German and Italian
 
Steam Engine
Builder
DLM official site



 Located in Switzerland, this Steam Engine Builder has recently produced many 'modern' economical steam engines for several Swiss railways
In addition, the new Steam Engine built for Lake Geneva's PS Montreux is the only one in the world to be controlled direct from the bridge without the need for an engineer down below
- just go on board and watch !		 Available in English as well as German

 
Other unofficial websites
(covering more than one lake)
Multiple
Lakes
Paddlesteamers.info

 One of the internet’s leading information sources about paddle steamers worldwide, containing a large selection of photographs and news - edited by Gordon Stewart
A website not to miss !		 In English
Dampferzeitung

 An excellent site
News about Swiss and other lake paddle steamers
also details of some special/charter sailings
edited by Robert Knöpfel 		Unfortunately
only available
in German
Dampfschiffe
Steamships
Bateaux à vapeur
 News about Swiss and other lake paddle steamers - also Cruise Liners and other transport
edited by Nadia Jöhr		 Unfortunately
only available
in German
at present
but an English version is comming soon
Steam Blog
formally dampfaktuell
Swiss website about steam locos and steamboats
edited by Andrew Thompson
Most articles are about steam locomotives but there are some pages about the paddle steamers		 now in
English
 
General
Martin Longhurst
 Large selection of Paddle Steamer news and photographs (with particular reference to PS Waverley)
 In English
Ray Ward's
 Photo Transport 
 An interesting monthly selection of various transport photo features
March 2004 - Swiss Lake Steamers
 In English
 
Other (non-Swiss) Transport Links and Websites
Other Swiss Paddle Steamer Photographic Websites

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Updated - Lakes Brienz, Geneva, Luzern, Thun, Zurich, Konstanz, Maggiore, Como, Garda 18th November 2024   e-mail   (c)1999-2024 John B Bird