Cable cars are not just a means of transportation. Usually, they are built to transport people over the impassable areas or from the bottom to the top of a hill. Apart from their direct function, cable cars also have an entertainment function – usually, the panoramic view from them is an integral bonus. It’s a crime not to ride a cable car if there is one in the city of your destination or in the vicinity. Here is a list from bridesbay.com of the most impressive cable cars you can find from Europe to New Zealand and the USA.
Grindelwald-Männlichen Gondola Cableway, Switzerland
This cableway in the Swiss Alps connects the village of Grindelwald and Männlichen Mountain. It is 6,700 m long, and the ride takes about 30 minutes. This journey time will be enough to enjoy the scenery: valleys, quaint old villages and mountain summits – green or covered with snow, depending on the season of the year.
Sugarloaf Cable Car, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sugarloaf Mountain is one of the main attractions in Rio de Janeiro. To get to its top, you can use the cable car, which was opened in 1912. Sitting in a cabin, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the city, Copacabana Beach, the Guanabara Bay, and the statue of Crist the Redeemer on Mount Corcovado. You can make a stop on your way and have a snack on the Morro da Urca hill, then continue your journey.
Skyline Queenstown, New Zealand
For one of the most exciting cable car routes in the southern hemisphere, go to Queenstown in New Zealand. The cable car will take you to Bob’s Peak, where you can get a stunning view of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu with its alpine scenery, as well as mountains Coronet Peak and Cecil Peak. On the top of Bob’s Peak, you can dine in a café, rent a bike, listen to traditional Maori music, and stargaze in the evening.
Langkawi Cable Car, Malaysia
The Langkawi SkyCab is the only way to get to Machincang Mountain that provides an incredible 360 degrees view of the Andaman Sea and the island of Langkawi from the Langkawi Sky Bridge. The views from a gondola are no less awesome – during a ride, you’ll see the tropical jungle and forest waterfalls. The ride takes 30 minutes and is 2.2 km long.
Ngong Ping 360, Hong Kong
Ngong Ping 360 is a Hong Kong cable car. It’s not just a means of getting to Big Buddha, the largest statue of Buddha in the world. The impressions you get during a 25-minute ride, contemplating the beauty of Lantau Island and the Tung Chung Bay, make this ride truly unforgettable. There are two types of cabins – standard and crystal. The latter one has glass at the bottom, so nothing will prevent you from enjoying the stunning 360 view.
Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Cape Town
The highest point where the cable car takes you is 1057 m, and it’s a 5-minute ride. You can dine on the top of the mountain, buy souvenirs, and take a walk in the national park. Table Mountain provides a spectacular view of Cape Town, Signal Hill and Lion’s Head mountains, beaches, and Robben Island.
San Francisco Cable Car
The San Francisco cable car route is different from all the other ones on the list. While the above-mentioned cable cars operate to transport people over the valleys or to lift them to the mountain peaks, this one transports people about the city. Many streets in San Francisco are hilly and crooked, so some electric streetcars just can’t go up some almost vertical streets. Cable cars are operated by drivers – gripmen, who grip and release the cable during the ride. This manual cable car is certainly one of the most popular attractions in San Francisco that each tourist considers a must.
