The Glacier Express is Switzerland’s best rail travel gem. Traveling by train is undoubtedly the best way to see the Swiss countryside, and for those who have taken part in some or all of their trips on the Glacier Express, you will know what I mean when you say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But is that everything it’s cracked?
I recently traveled to Glacier Express for a complete trip from Zermatt In St. Moritz To see if it’s as impressive as it looks at first glance. This journey magically has some flaws and for review purposes, this feature has an overview of the famous Glacier Express!
Glacier Express
Although classified as Express Strain, the Glacier Highway runs in about 8 hours from Zermatt to St. Moritz (and vice versa). Therefore, it is self-dubbed as “the slowest express strain” in the world. Many of the trips have acknowledged the scenery of Bernina as part of the journey through the Swiss Alps and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The complete journey passes through 291 bridges and 91 tunnels, with the most impressive points of the journey passing through many rural towns seen through the Rhine Valley and the scenery of Bernina.
Class 1 or second class?
When we were traveling in First Class with Eurail Global Pass, we chose to travel in First Class, but were surprised to see that there was almost a difference between the two classes.
The main difference between the two classes was the space, but the first class was not much different in the same table service + menu as the second, but depending on your preference, I recommend traveling with both classes.
What I noticed later in the journey was that the second class window could be opened, while the first class window was fixed, bringing a strong glare in every photo (hmmm!).
Zermatt
We began our trip to Switzerland’s most famous ski resort town. Zermatt. This is the beginning or end of your journey (depending on which direction you travel), and is a perfect winter playground to spend a few days or a week in the snow, enjoying the various activities that are on offer.
Read more: Zermatt’s Guide.
Swiss countryside
The Glacier Express will take you to the next route through the Swiss countryside. Zermatt – Visp – Brig – Andermatt – Disentis – Chur – St Moritz (or Davos).
Each stop has enough time to get fresh air outside the train, and has a longer stop (30 minutes) at the directis, allowing enough time to stretch below your feet or buy snacks for just a small portion of the price you pay on the board.
Villages and towns
On board for about 8 hours, there is plenty of time to experience the Swiss countryside due to the comfort of the windows. The Glacier Express not only halts in many Swiss towns, but also allows easy passage through many small villages and areas.
from ZermattThe train goes down through the material lines, and passes through a handful of small towns like bag, Landa, St. Nicklaus, Stableand like a big town Whisk and Brig.
From here the train passes through the Farcassection and goes to winter wonderland as you pass through Differentmattanother popular ski destination.
onwards putthe train passes through something impressive Rhine Valley – Home to the huge rock face and turquoise river, which are extremely popular for locals to enjoy water activities such as kayaking and canoeing.
from put The train passes through the Albura Line and passes through some of the most impressive scenery of the entire journey. This is where you see famous people Landwasser Viaduct (Amazing photo opportunity) and many castles in the mountains and valleys.
Service and food
This feature/review is unbalanced without mentioning some of the shortcomings of Glacier Express, or at least drawing a realistic picture of what to expect beyond the surprising scenery.
The menu itself was a bit disappointing, but the service we boarded was very attentive and courteous. The train journey includes table service so I was excited to spend an hour or more trip indulging in local cuisine to spend my time.
I read a few reviews before the trip and they all didn’t look very positive with the food. So when we saw the price of the food we were riding, we decided to give it a mistake. There were some vegetarian options that were great to see, but it was difficult to justify spending around $60 for lunch for an additional $9 for a soft drink or a small water.
St. Moritz
The journey ends (or begins for travelers heading in the opposite direction).
It’s popular in both winter and summer, and doesn’t do much at St. Moritz outside of these seasons. When we come to learn, we become ghost towns outside of these times.
Either way, it was a lovely pit stop for a few nights after a day of such a long trip, and we used this time to refresh ourselves before our trip to the lake district of Italy!
I would like to thank Switzerland for arrange my visit to Switzerland and thank you for your journey on the Glacier Express Railway.