Glacier Express, the world’s most scenic train ride
Glacier Express is one of the world’s most scenic train rides and was on the top of our bucket list for a long time. As soon as we booked our trip to Switzerland we started to plan this unforgettable journey through the Swiss Alps. In this blog post we will answer everything you need to know to embark on this unique experience. Take a seat at the window, please. And be prepared for the most stunning views of your life!
What is the Glacier Express
Glacier Express scenic route connects the two major mountain resorts in Switzerland, St. Moritz and Zermatt via Andermatt, in the central Swiss Alps. This unique train was designed with panoramic windows and additional glass along the top. The magnificent views along the route can be enjoyed by its incredible windows while traveling through 291 bridges, 91 tunnels, countless mountain peaks and beautiful villages along the way. The entire route through the Alps takes about 8 hours.
How to book a ticket for the Glacier Express
You must book both a train ticket and a seat in order to travel on Glacier Express. Tickets can be booked up to two months in advance and the prices will vary depending on how far you go and the class you prefer.
Because the Glacier Express was the top attraction of our trip, we planned everything around the train ride. The duration of our trip in Switzerland was 14 days. To make sure we could ride on the weekend and have good seats at the window, we decided to buy the Flex Swiss Travel pass for 15 days. Thus, we were covered with all train rides around the country for the entire trip.
How to book the seats for the Glacier Express
After you get the Glacier Express confirmation ticket, you must book your seat, which is a little confusing at first. There are 1st and 2nd class cars, all of them have a sign and the seat number marked at the doors. While there is no major difference between the two classes other than the convenience of more space, the price is almost double to travel first class, and there is even a more premium ticket called Excellence Class. To give an idea the prices vary from CFH 135 (1st) 237 (2nd) and 390 (Excellence Class) for one way tickets.
One of the Swiss Travel Pass benefits is to ride the Glacier Express for free. As soon as we got the tickets, we booked our seats. Seat reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance, but you need to know the date and time of your trip.
To sum up:
- We bought the Flex Swiss Travel Pass.
- With the Swiss Travel Pass confirmation number, we bought the Glacier Express ticket (which costs you zero at the check out).
- With the Glacier Express ticket we booked the window seats, two weeks before our trip.
Life is an adventure, enjoy the ride.
Where to start your Glacier Express journey
Many passengers start their Glacier Express journey at Chur because the hotels in the area are much more affordable. However, if you’re planning to do the entire famous route, we highly recommend starting in St. Moritz. The town of St. Moritz is one of the main Glacier Express’ start/end points. During the winter months, from December to May, the train departed from St Moritz at 8.51am, arriving in Zermatt at 5.10pm. The train also runs in the opposite direction, leaving Zermatt at 8.52am and arriving in St Moritz at 4.37pm.
Because we were afraid to miss the train departure and wanted to do the complete route we traveled from Zurich to St. Moritz one day before and booked a simple hotel to spend the night. After seeing the hotel prices in St Moritz we almost changed our minds. However, it was great to have a chance to visit the beautiful resort town of St Moritz, even though we just spent half a day in the city.
In St Moritz we stayed at Europa St Moritz Hotel, which is far from being the best place in town (expensive prices and poor service), but the access to the train station was easy by bus and worked very well for us.
Glacier Express departing from St. Moritz train station
We arrived at the train station around 8am and checked with the folks in the information center if we had everything required to be onboard. Basically, everything you need is your app and the confirmation emails with the seat reservations.
There is a great convenience store (Migrolino) at the train station where you can get coffee, snacks and everything you may need to consume during your ride. We decided to buy wine, cheese and sanduiches and had a kind of picnic for lunch.
At the information center, besides the magazines with a variety of train itineraries to travel around Switzerland, you can also get your “passport”. I loved the experience of having a train passport and just got my first stamp. 😉
Getting onboard the Glacier Express
Around 8:30, we could enter the train and get familiar with our seats. The train was almost empty in St Moritz and it was great to move around and take pictures. In addition, it was easy to find a space to put our luggage. When we arrived in Churn, almost every seat was taken. That’s why we highly recommend you to begin your trip in St Moritz.
The train’s staff will come by to check your tickets shortly after boarding. They also bring the menus. If you are sure you will get lunch at the train, you can add the meals when you book the seats. Although the food is more expensive inside the train, it’s very easy to order anything during your trip. At 11:30am, the tables are set for lunch, which includes two dishes and dessert. We didn’t get any food, but the smell was good!
What are the highlights during the Glacier Express
The panorama windows allow everyone to see a lot of the landscape. You don’t need to worry because each seat has a headphone where passengers can listen to background stories and interesting facts and stay tuned for the highlights along the route. Some places you can not miss are:
- Rhine Gorge. The section between Disentis and Chur, known as “Swiss Grand Canyon,” where you can see the Rhine River with the massive geological formations.
- Albula Line. Located between Filisur and St. Moritz, is where you’ll cross viaducts and tunnels.
- Landwasser Viaduct. This is the most famous viaduct along the Glacier Express route, standing at 65 meters (over 213 feet high) and stretching 142 meters (around 466 feet long). It’s just outside of the village of Filisur.
- Oberalppass. This place is near Andermatt where the train reaches its highest altitude. Things will take you literally to the next level around the region.
Any other train ride will be just a train ride after this one. The iconic bridges, remote valleys, beautiful ski resorts, mountains covered with snow, all the scenery is magical.
