An unforgettable journey through the heart of the Swiss Alps!
Connecting the alpine resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz, the Glacier Express is nothing like the fast express train that runs through Europe. With an average speed of 36 km per hour, it lives up to its reputation as the “slowest express train in the world.”
The Glacier Express is not about getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible; it is a scenic journey through the heart of the Swiss Alps that allows travelers to take in all the natural wonders this beautiful region has to offer. The train itself has large panoramic windows designed to offer unobstructed views of the stunning landscapes, allowing passengers to fully immerse themselves in the beauty of the Swiss Alps.
But while the slow pace of the Glacier Express is tied to the scenic beauty of the Swiss Alps, the scenery doesn’t tell the whole story. The breathtakingly beautiful mountain road traverses some of the most difficult terrain on the European continent, with steep gradients and tight curves, and requires a slower driving speed to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers.
During its 8-hour journey, the train passes through numerous spiral tunnels and high viaducts – a total of 291 bridges and 91 tunnels – and climbs up to 1,670 meters above sea level. It is also important to note that the Glacier Express runs on narrow tracks that are not suitable for high speeds.
This express train is extremely comfortable, with both first and second class carriages offering spacious and comfortable seats. And there is an Excellence Class, where passengers receive five-star service, including a seven-course dinner with wine pairings.
The route
St. Moritz
The cosmopolitan mountain village at 1800 meters above sea level treats guests to 300 days of sunshine a year and is located on the edge of a beautiful lake district which is the centre of numerous activities in both summer and in winter. It’s no surprise that a sun, called the “Sünneli”, is the town’s symbol.
St. Moritz is much more than a health resort, a winter sports destination or place of longing for numerous celebrities, artists and aristocrats. St. Moritz is the Alpine meeting point for business and high society. The place is also strongly influenced by tradition: those who spend incomparable days here will follow in the footsteps of spa guests who bathed in the mineral springs of the Upper Engadin 3500 years ago.
Zermatt
Discover the car-free holiday resort of Zermatt, the famous mountain village at the foot of the majestic Matterhorn. Wooden houses dating back more than 500 years and the view of 38 four-thousand-meter peaks dominate the villagescape. As the highest ski resort in Europe, the destination offers snow all year round and is also a genuine paradise for nature lovers in the summer.
Brig
Brig is the main town in German-speaking Valais. Its name is derived from the Celtic word “briga” which means hill fortress. The founding of the town in around 1250 marked the start of a glittering economic rise to Brig become a trading metropolis, helped considerably by Kaspar von Stockalper. He secured the flow of goods between France and Lombardy. Today, Brig is a good starting point for hikes into the area of the great Aletsch Glacier, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. This is where the landscape changes from the eternal ice of the High Alps into green valleys which are full of wine-growing areas.
Andermatt
The village of Andermatt lies 1444 meters above seal level at the heart of the Swiss Alpine passes. A long history meets modern luxury and cultural diversity. As a historical junction between North and South and between West and East, this place, shrouded in legend, is today a world-class all-year holiday destination.
In the winter, Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis is one of Switzerland’s winter sport resorts where you are most likely to have snow and is popular with freeriders and leisure skiers alike. In the summer, Andermatt enchants visitors with its diverse nature and attractions shrouded in legend, such as the famous Schöllenen Gorge with the Devil’s Bridge.
Chur
Chur, situated at the heart of the mountain world, is an ideal starting point for voyages of discovery into Graubünden. The town is the cultural centre of the canton with theatres and an art house, as well as being an episcopal seat and the oldest town in Switzerland. As the hub of the Rhaetian Railway, Chur offers excellent connections to all famous holiday resorts such as Davos, St. Moritz and Arosa.
Filisur
The village of Filisur is at the heart of the Graubünden mountain world and is dominated by the local Engadin style of architecture. It is an ideal starting point for travel by train on the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rhaetian Railway. Passengers from Davos can change here to board the Glacier Express in Filisur.
Matterhorn
With a majestic height of 4478 meters above sea level and its unmistakable pyramid shape, the Matterhorn is one of the most frequently photographed mountains and probably Switzerland’s best-known landmark. The mountain of all mountains has a magical attraction and every year attracts thousands of mountain and hiking enthusiasts.
Stockalper Palace
You can visit tradesman Kaspar Stockalper’s former home on a visit to Stockalper Palace. The largest private building of the 17th century not only bears witness to Kaspar Stockalper’s wealth but also to his trading prowess. It was through transit journeys and the transport of salt that he was able to have this magnificent building with its three onion towers constructed. The relaxing atmosphere in the surrounding meadows, with benches and playground, invite you to linger, while you can learn more about the history of this ambitious tradesman on a guided tour of the building.
Zumdorf
A church, a restaurant, two holiday homes and a family of three – that is Zumdorf, Switzerland’s smallest village. Just five kilometers from Andermatt, it is attracting more and more tourists, who are eager to enjoy the sun terrace of the restaurant “zum Dörfli”.
Oberalp Pass
The Oberalp Pass at 2033 meters above sea level is the highest point of the Glacier Express journey and a popular photo stop whatever the season. The frozen lake is covered by a meter-high blanket of snow in winter; cows graze along the shore in summer and an Alpine flower garden blossoms in all colors in spring.
Passengers are always surprised to find a lighthouse on the pass. The lighthouse is not there to show tourists the way but to indicate Lake Toma, the source of the River Rhine, slightly further up. If you follow the Rhine all the way to Holland, you will find the original lighthouse at the mouth of the river where it flows into the North Sea.
Disentis Monastery
Down the valley from the Oberalp Pass, the Glacier Express passes Disentis, the largest Romansh-speaking community in Switzerland. The villagescape is dominated by a monumental monastery. The Benedictine monastery is more than 1400 years old and has a rich cultural legacy with the magnificent monastery church of St. Martin. The monastery also houses an extensive Rhaeto-Romanic library, a monastery museum and an important monastery school, which along with monastic life is central to the establishment. The school offers high-school education for the peripheral region of Surselva and has a modern girls’ boarding school designed by famous local architect Gion A. Caminada, uniting traditional values with modern design.
Albula line
Since 2008, the Albula and Bernina Lines, which lead though the mountains of Graubünden right down to Italy, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes”. These routes are both prime examples of how technology and nature can merge harmoniously with one another. Thanks to the bold railway engineering structures, the Glacier Express can also cover the 1000 meters difference in altitude from Thusis to St. Moritz on the Albula Line.
The most spectacular part of the Glacier Express route is between Preda and Bergün. Six high viaducts, three spiral and two helical tunnels make it possible to overcome a difference in altitude of more than 400 meters.
Landwasser Viaduct
The 65-meter-high Landwasser Viaduct – visible just before you get to the village of Filisur – is the most spectacular bridge construction on the Albula Line between Thusis and St. Moritz. This natural stone viaduct boldly stretches 142 meters across the wild River Landwasser and leads directly into a tunnel.
Bis Glacier
The Bis glacier stretches around 3.5 km above the Walser village of Randa, to the east of the Weisshorn massif in the Matter valley. Our tip: Around 10 minutes after the Glacier Express leaves Zermatt, you will see the glacier on the left-hand side in the direction of travel.
Kipfen gorge
Near Kalpetran, the Glacier Express leads through the wild and romantic Kipfen Gorge – one of the most scenic sections. The train and the River Vispa run right next to each other in a pretty confined space. In the past, flooding and avalanches frequently caused damage on the route – for this reason, the Vispa has been regulated and the route protected by a solid wall.
Neubrück
With more than fifteen bridges, the village of Stalden is not surprisingly also known as the “village of bridges”. The bridge Neubrück (Niwbrigga) built in 1922 was originally part of the motorway from Visp to Stalden. In the immediate vicinity is the bridge Ritibrücke, a pedestrian bridge dating back to 1599, and right next to it the pretty baroque Chapel of the Immaculate Conception.
Visperterminen
Flowering Alpine meadows surround the village of Visperterminen, while the grapes ripen at up to 1150 meters above sea level in the sunny and steep slopes of Europe’s highest vineyard. The Heida, also known as the pearl of Alpine wines, grows there very well. We also offer this local product as a characteristic type of wine on the Glacier Express.
Goms
The high valley of Goms in the Upper Valais enchants summer and winter guests alike with its quaint village centres, featuring sun-browned wooden houses and white church towers. The valley is a paradise for cross-country skiers and a popular destination for hiking as well as visits to the natural UNESCO World Heritage Site “Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch”. Guests can look forward to a warm welcome in the small cosy hotels and holiday homes in the sunny valley.
Railway enthusiasts can also look forward to some special experiences in Goms too: you can take a trip on the Glacier Express or the nostalgic steam train on the Furka mountain route to take in all the charming chalet villages.
Furka Base Tunnel
The opening of the Furka Base Tunnel on 26 June 1982 represented the start of an all-year rail connection between Zermatt and St. Moritz for the Glacier Express.
For anyone traveling by car, the Furka car transport service saves you time when traveling from Valais to Uri or vice versa. Unlike the 45-minute trip over the Furka Pass, the trip by train takes barely 20 minutes.
Rhine gorge
It is no surprise that the Rhine Gorge between Reichenau and Ilanz is called the Swiss Grand Canyon. Rugged rock formations, sheer white rock faces and a rapid turquoise river winding its way through the wild gorge make this some of the most spectacular scenery in the Alps. The canyon offers a trip through the dramatic and powerful beauty of a mountain landscape that is home to rare plant and animal species.
Around 10,000 years ago, a gigantic landslide blocked the valley and the Rhine had to make its way through the mounds of rock. In doing so, it created this unique gorge with its striking rock formations.
Solis Viaduct
The 42-meter-long and 85-meter-high viaduct with eleven limestone arches towers majestically over the breathtaking Schin Gorge through which the Albula flows. As the third highest viaduct in Switzerland, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage route between Thusis and Tirano.
Engadin
The sunny Upper Engadin valley is on the southern side of the Swiss Alps and is popular with holiday-makers from both at home and abroad thanks to its immediate proximity to nature. Whether you are interested in downhill skiing on powder snow, walking around glistening mountain lakes or world-famous attractions such as the polo tournament on a frozen Lake St. Moritz – the diversity of the Engadin region is simply fascinating.
Upper Engadine lake plateau
The Upper Engadin lake district stretches from Maloja to St. Moritz and is not only impressive because of the four large lakes – Lake St. Moritz, Lake Silvaplana, Lake Champfér and Lake Sils – but also because of the numerous hidden mountain lakes in the woods. The idyllic landscape attracts both sports enthusiasts and those looking to recharge their batteries, and offers space for a large number of sports such as cross-country skiing, skiing and snowboarding, snowkiting and kitesurfing.
