The Glacier Express . . .

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What's it like on board the Glacier Express?

The Glacier Express uses modern panoramic coaches specially built for the service in 2006.  This train is a real pleasure to travel on, clean, comfortable, carpeted and air-conditioned, its most distinctive features are the huge panoramic side windows and glass skylights as well, so you don't miss any of the scenery!  In 2nd class, seats are arranged in bays of 4 around a table on each side of the aisle, in 1st class cars there are bays of 4 seats around a table on one side of the aisle and bays of 2 seats across a table on the other.  Apart from more space and less passengers per coach, seats are very similar and there is little to choose from between 1st and 2nd class as both are excellent.  There is a food service car, but staff come down the train taking orders for drinks, snacks and lunch.  You can pre-book a complete meal, which is served at your seat on real china with proper cutlery and tablecloth, with a choice of starters, main courses and desserts, accompanied by a wide selection of wines.  You can find sample menus and wine list at the caterer's website, www.rgswissalps.ch. Or feel free to bring your own picnic and your own beer or bottle of wine.

Glacier Express seating plan

Above:  The Glacier Express food service car		First class seats:  Glacier Express first class.

Second class seats:  Glacier Express second class		Above:  The Glacier Express at Brig...

Glacier Express timetable...

There is one daily 'Glacier Express' in winter from Zermatt to St Moritz (plus another Brig to Chur), but in summer (May to October) there are four daily 'Glacier Expresses' in each direction, consisting of three from Zermatt to St Moritz, and one direct to Davos.  Here's the the summer 2009 timetable & winter schedule for 2009/10:

Summer = 16 May to 18 October 2009.  All services run daily.  All trains except 902 & 911 use the modern 2006 panoramic cars.

* Trains 902 & 911 use older cars and only run from 13 June to 18 October.

** Train 900 only runs from 25 December 2009 to 3 January 2010, and from 30 January to 12 May 2010.

All trains have at-seat hot meals except trains 902 & 911 which still have a separate 1930s vintage restaurant car.

Fares...

The Glacier Express is a real, scheduled train, not an expensive tourist train.  Ordinary Swiss rail tickets can be used on it, including railpasses such as InterRail passes or Swiss passes (note that InterRail passes cover RhB between Disentis and Chur, but not MGB between Zermatt & Disentis).  However, a supplement must be paid in addition to the normal fare which includes the seat reservation fee.  You can choose to pay a higher supplement which includes lunch, and this is highly recommended as the food is very good.  The wine list is also extensive!

Children under 6 go free, children aged 6 to 16 pay half fare but must pay the adult supplement.

How to buy tickets...

  In the UK, you can buy Glacier Express tickets:

• Online at www.raileurope.co.uk (at present there seems to be a fault at the final confirmation stage, but give it a try). 

• Online at www.swisspasses.com/excursions/packages/glacier (you order tickets online and they contact you to confirm the date you want)

• By phone with the Swiss Travel Service, www.swisstravelcentre.co.uk, on 020 7420 4934.  They can arrange all your Swiss  tickets or railpasses, plus the Glacier Express seat reservation and supplement and even a lunch reservation on the train.

In the USA & Canada, you can buy Glacier Express tickets online at www.raileurope.com.  The fares quoted by this website include your seat reservation and Glacier Express supplement.  You can also use this website to make Glacier Express seat reservations (which include the Glacier Express supplement) if you already have (or intend to buy) a Swiss railpass.

In Australia, New Zealand and Asia, you can buy Glacier Express tickets online at www.raileurope.com.au.  Simply select 'tickets & schedules', then enter 'Zermatt' and 'St Moritz' into their journey planner.  The fares shown will include a seat reservation & the Glacier Express supplement.

Once in Switzerland, you can buy tickets and make reservations at any Swiss railway station.

If you have a railpass...

Swiss rail passes:  The regular Glacier Express fares cost more than a days-worth of free Swiss train travel using (say) a 3-day Swiss flexi rail pass, so if you're going to travel by train within Switzerland on another two days or more, a rail pass may be a better bet.  Railpass holders still need to make a reservation and pay the Glacier Express supplement, see the supplement prices above:  Buy a Swiss railpass from a UK agency  Buy a Swiss railpass from a US agency  Buy a Swiss railpass from an Australian agency.  You can check regular train fares for any journey within Switzerland at www.sbb.ch to compare with the cost of a pass.

InterRail & Eurail passes:  InterRail & Eurail passes cover the Rhätische Bahn (RhB) between Disentis and Chur, but not the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) between Zermatt & Disentis, so a separate ticket is needed for this section, in addition to the Glacier Express supplement.  This extra ticket costs about CHF 80 (£49) - you can check this price at www.sbb.ch, just ask for the 2nd class fare from Zermatt to Disentis.  You can buy this at any Swiss station before you travel, along with your Glacier Express supplement/reservation.

More information...

The Glacier Express has its own official website, www.glacierexpress.ch, where you can check up to date times & fares but unfortunately you can't book online.  On-board catering is provided by Gourmino, and you can find sample menus and the wine list as www.rgswissalps.ch.

A journey aboard the Glacier Express...

1.  Zermatt nestles in a valley at the foot of the stunning 4,477 metre Matterhorn, astride the Mattervispa River.  Zermatt is car-free, and you can only get there by train.  Electric 'johnny cabs' are used as taxis and to ferry people and luggage between hotels and the station, which is right in  the centre of town.  The day before this particular Glacier Express journey, it started to snow.  And snow, and snow...		2.  The train winds its way along the Mattervispa River, descending the scenic Mattertal valley from Zermatt, which is 1,804 metres above sea level, to Visp at just 650 metres and Brig which is not much higher.  The steepest sections of this line have a toothed rack placed between the rails which is engaged by a cogwheel under the locomotive so as to maintain its grip.  Brig lies at the end of the Simplon Pass, and there is interchange here with mainline trains to/from Geneva, Bern, Basel & Zurich.

3.  The train changes direction at Brig, and starts following the Rhône Valley.  Mountains, snow-laden fir trees and pretty villages line the route...		4.  The Glacier Express stops briefly at Andermatt, where there's a few minutes to get out and stretch your legs...

5.  Lunch is served...  On the newest summer Glacier Expresses and on the only winter one, lunch is served at your seat by friendly stewardesses.  The food is good, and the wine list quite extensive - the Johannisberg Swiss white wine is excellent, for around 41 CHF for a bottle.  Given the scenery, it could just be the best restaurant in Switzerland..!  But if you're on a tight budget you're equally free to bring your own food, drink and even bottle of wine.

6.  Shortly after calling at Andermatt, the Glacier Express starts its ascent up to the dramatic Oberalp Pass, 2,033 metres above sea level and the highest point on the line.  There's little habitation this high up, and on this trip the pass was a wind-swept snowscape (above, left).  The westbound Glacier Express passed us here, flashing past and disappearing into the blizzard.  Until the opening of the Furka base tunnel in the early 1980s, trains had to climb over the top of the pass, and it was impossible to keep this section of line open all winter.  So the Glacier Express only became a year round service in 1982..!  A preserved railway now runs steam trains in summer over the old line by-passed by the tunnel.  Car-carrying trains shuttle road vehicles through the Furka tunnel, you'll see the car loading terminals as you pass through.

7.  The train descends to Disentis.  Here, it is handed over from the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) to the Rhätische Bahn (RhB) and an RhB locomotive takes over.  The Glacier Express is electric-powered throughout its journey.  You've time for a wander on the platform.		8.  After leaving Disentis, the train joins the wonderful Rhine Gorge.  A sort of miniature Grand Canyon Swiss-style, the train snakes along the rock-strewn river between the steep valley sides which are dotted here and there with caves.

9.  Another picture of the Glacier Express in the Rhine Gorge...		10.  The Glacier Express passes the pretty village of Reichenau.  Actually, it passes Reichenau twice, as it stops here on its way into Chur, changes direction in Chur station, then it doubles back and stops at Reichenau again on its way south to St Moritz.  Chur is just 585 metres above sea level.

11.  The train now follows the Albula Valley all the way to St Moritz.  Just before reaching Filisur, it crosses the famous Landwasser Viaduct where most publicity shots of the Glacier Express seem to be taken.  The railway runs along a cliff-edge on one mountain, then leaps across the viaduct straight into a tunnel through another mountain.  The left-hand photo show regular Rhätische Bahn coaches which are attached to the Glacier Express between Chur and St Moritz.  The Glacier Express thus forms part of the regular hourly train service over this section of line.  In the right-hand photo, a St Moritz to Chur train has container wagons attached to the back, transporting food to the local supermarkets..!  After a steady climb, the Glacier Express finally reaches St Moritz, 1,775 metres above sea level.  If you don't find accommodation that suits you in St Moritz, try nearby Samedan or Pontresina, or for a real top-of-the-mountain experience, take a local train a couple of stops from St Moritz or Samedan to Punt Muragl, then the funicular railway up the Muottas Muragl mountain to the wonderful Moattas Muragl Berghotel, with cheap (for Switzerland) clean and simple rooms.

A brief history of the Glacier Express...

After the first world war, Switzerland steadily gained popularity as a winter and summer holiday destination for those who could afford it.  Railways grew up to support this tourism, and through services between Brig, Chur and St Moritz started in 1926.  But it was in June 1930 that the first Zermatt to St Moritz 'Glacier Express' started running, initially summer only, and run jointly by the BVZ (Brig-Visp-Zermattbahn), FOB (Furka Oberalp Bahn) and RhB (Rhätische Bahn).  It could not run all year because of the impossibility of keeping the line over the Oberalp pass open in winter.  Construction of the Furka base tunnel started in 1973, and at long last in 1982 all-year operation was inaugurated between Zermatt and St Moritz.  BVZ and FOB merged in 2003 to form the MGB (Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn).  The Glacier Express has been progressively developed as a premier tourist attraction in its own right, and rightly so, though it continues to form an integral part of the Swiss transport network.

Holidays by train from the UK to the Swiss Alps:  www.greatrail.com

If you fancy a holiday to Switzerland by train, but would rather do this as part of an all-inclusive escorted tour with other travellers and a guide, well-known UK-based company Great Rail Journeys (www.greatrail.com) offers 5-star rail-based holidays to a number of places in the Alps from about £950 per person.  Great Rail Journeys also offer rail-based holidays to other European countries.  Check the holiday details online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use their online booking form.  Seat61 gets some commission to help support the site if you book your holiday through this link and phone number, so please mention seat 61 when booking.

Glacier Express escorted tours with Great Rail Journeys

Great Rail Journeys' most popular tour of all combines overland train travel from London to Switzerland with a journey on the 'Glacier Express'.  In one direction, you travel by Eurostar to Brussels then a scenic train ride along the wonderful Rhine Valley, on your return yo travel by high-speed TGV to Paris and Eurostar home.  Tours depart regularly throughout much of the year.  Check the GRJ Train tours to the Alps webpage for details, and call 01904 527120 to book as soon as you can, because these Glacier Express tours are very popular and often get fully-booked well in advance.

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