What is the Glacier Express?

The Glacier Express & Bernina Express are Switzerland's two most scenic train journeys - which has the edge?  Darned if I can decide, you'll just have to do both.  The Glacier Express is a regular scheduled train between Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn and St Moritz in the Engadin skiing area.  Billed as Europe's slowest express, it's a narrow-gauge train which takes 7½ hours to cover just over 290 km (180 miles), at an average of around 24 mph.  But you won't mind, as spectacular Swiss mountain scenery unfolds outside the train's panoramic sightseeing windows while you eat lunch accompanied by crisp Swiss white wine (their Johannisberg white wine is wonderful).  The Glacier Express is run jointly by two private Swiss railways, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) and the Rhätische Bahn (RhB), who also operate the hourly local trains over the same route.  In 2017 they formed a separate company to operate the Glacier Express, Glacier Express AG.  There is one daily Glacier Express train in each direction in winter, but up to three daily Glacier Expresses in summer.

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 2+2 across the car width, with bays of 4 around a table on each side of the aisle.  In 1st class cars seats are 2+1 across the car width, with 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 fewer passengers per coach, seats are very similar and there is little to choose from between 1st and 2nd class as both are excellent.  Although for couples, getting face-to-face table for two is a good reason for going 1st class.  See Glacier Express seating plan.

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 Glacier Express website, www.glacierexpress.ch under Travel planning then Gastronomy. Or feel free to bring your own picnic and your own beer or bottle of wine.

The Glacier Express in winter...		1st class seats.  Larger photo.  Courtesy Mike Roebuck

2nd class seats.  Larger photo.  Courtesy Nicholas Brooke.		The Glacier Express at Brig...

Excellence class

• The Glacier Express has 1st & 2nd class, but from 2019 there's also Excellence class.  Excellence class is only available on trains 902 & 903/923.

• Excellence class gets you a seat in a special deluxe panoramic car with seats arranged 1+1 across the car width, face-to-face tables for two on both sides of the aisle, everyone gets a window seat.  There's a cocktail bar at one end of the car exclusive to Excellence class passengers.  A 5-course regional menu with wine is included in the reservation fee.  Complimentary coffee, juice, snacks, champagne.  A host travels with the car.  In Excellence class, you luggage travels in a separate locked baggage area.  See the 360º photo of Excellence class here (please let me know if this link stops working).

• To travel in Excellence class you pay the 1st class fare (a 1st class Eurail pass, Interrail pass or Swiss Travel Pass also works) plus a CHF 420 reservation fee (about €375).  You can buy tickets at www.glacierexpress.ch and print them out.

• Traveller James Morris reports:  "Excellence Class is brilliant. A professional concierge service helps you with your bags and shows you to your seat. They are friendly and chatty, and nothing is too much trouble. They are clued up on the food and drink they serve and explain it all to you. They wear white gloves when serving, and know how to open and pour champagne etc. I had iced tea all trip, with spring water and herbs, best iced tea ever. I was never without a drink in front of me all trip. They refill glasses or get you a new bottle of water without a second thought. For those that do drink. It was champagne to start, followed by a different wine for each course of the meal. You never went without. They served a full 7 course meal, amazing food. The seats are very comfortable with good recline, and full lumbar adjustment. A shelf down by the side of your seat with easy to reach sockets and USB charger. An IPad was provided to help you follow the journey. A Glacier Express tilting glass was given as a souvenir at the end of the trip, along with Excellence Class branded chewing gum or hand cream. On arrival, you are told to just leave the train, and someone comes onboard to take your bags off the train. It exceeded my expectations, which isn't bad considering the price. Definitely a must do if you can afford it."

Excellence class.  Photos courtesy of Ken Childs.		Main course...

Fish course...		The Excellence class bar, at one end of the car...

Glacier Express timetable

There is one daily Glacier Express in winter from Zermatt to St Moritz, but from May to October there are additional Glacier Expresses, as shown below.

Summer = 13 May to 15 October 2023.  Summer trains 904 & 905 will in fact start running earlier, on 6 April 2023.

Winter = 11 December 2022 to 12 May 2023 and from 10 December 2023.

There is no Glacier Express service at all from 16 October to 9 December 2023.

Trains 902 & 903 run every day all year round except 16 October to 9 December 2023.

f = To/from Davos, you change trains at Filisur, using the hourly branch line train between Filisur & Davos.

How much does it cost?

Ordinary Swiss rail tickets & railpasses are valid on the Glacier Express (if you've a railpass see here), but a reservation fee must be paid in addition to the normal fare.

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

For the cost of travel in the new Excellence class, see above.

Buy tickets at www.glacierexpress.ch

• You can buy tickets online at the official Glacier Express website, www.glacierexpress.ch and collect the tickets at the station.

  Booking normally opens 92 days ahead.

  The Glacier Express is amongst the handful of Swiss trains that are reservation compulsory.  They can get full at peak times, for example high summer when tour groups book blocks of seats, so if you're sure of your travel date I'd recommend pre-booking at www.glacierexpress.ch rather than waiting till you get to Switzerland.  Once in Switzerland, you can of course buy tickets and make reservations at any Swiss railway station.

• In the UK, you can also book by phone with the Swiss Travel Service, www.stc.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 package on the train.

Holidays & tours on the Glacier Express

• Railbookers:  For a custom-made trip on the Glacier Express with trains, transfer & hotels arranged for you as a package, call Railbookers.  Tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels.  They get great reviews and take good care of their guests.

  Check out two of their top sellers:  8-day Switzerland's Lakes & Mountains tour (link to their UK site) or Swiss Lakes & Mountains tour (link to their US & Canada site) which includes both Glacier Express & Bernina Express trains, and their shorter 5-day Classic Bernina Express & Glacier Express tour (link to their UK site) or Classic Bernina Express & Glacier Express tour (link to their US & Canada site) which also combine these two classic Alpine routes.

    UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk

    US 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com

    Canada 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com

    Australia 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au

    New Zealand 0800 000 554 or see website

• Tailor Made Rail can also organise a trip to Austria by train, with hotels and transfers arranged as a package. Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking.  From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461.  Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.  Their website is www.tailormaderail.com/trains/glacier-express-holidays.

• Escorted tours:  If you'd prefer to go to Switzerland to travel on the famous Glacier Express on an escorted tour with a convivial group of travellers rather than travelling solo, here are the two UK companies which arrange escorted tours by train from the UK to destinations all over Europe on various dates through the year, including popular trips taking in the Glacier Express and equally famous Bernina Express.  Both companies are part of the same group.

    Rail Discoveries, www.raildiscoveries.com, 01904 730 727

    Great Rail Journeys, www.greatrail.com, 01904 527 120

If you've an Interrail, Eurail or Swiss Travel Pass

• Interrail & Eurail passes now cover both the Rhätische Bahn (RhB) and the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) so therefore cover the whole Glacier Express route between Zermatt and St Moritz.

  Until 2017, Eurail & Interrail only gave free travel on the RhB part of the trip, but gave a discount on the MGB.  I'm pleased to say that they now give free travel on both RhB and MGB and therefore cover the whole Glacier Express route.

  All you need is the Glacier Express seat reservation, see the reservation prices above, see below for how to make a reservation online.  Of course, if you like you can use regular local trains over the same route with no reservation necessary, only the Glacier Express trains need a reservation.

  Incidentally, Swiss Passes can save quite a lot of money over full-price Swiss train fares, read up about Swiss Passes here.

  You can even travel in the new Excellence class if you have a 1st class pass and pay the Excellence class reservation fee.

• How to make a reservation on the Glacier Express

  Go to the official Glacier Express website www.glacierexpress.ch.

  Click Booking, and go ahead as if you were buying a ticket.

  But at the stage where you have selected a train and are asked to enter passenger names, change the Reduction drop-down box from Traveller to Eurail/Interrail Pass.

  You should then see the ticket cost disappear leaving just the reservation fee.

  Book this, and you are safely booked on your chosen departure on your chosen date.

More information...

• The Glacier Express has its own website, www.glacierexpress.ch, where you can check up to date times & fares, and the current menu.

• You can read more history & background at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_Express.

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A winter journey on the Glacier Express

1.  Departure from Zermatt.  Zermatt nestles in a valley at the foot of the stunning 4,477m Matterhorn, on the Mattervispa River.  Zermatt is car-free, you can only get there by train.  Electric 'johnny cabs' are used as taxis to ferry people & luggage between hotels and station in  the centre of town.  The day before this particular Glacier Express journey, it started to snow.  And snow, and snow...		2.  Mattertal Valley...  The Glacier Express 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.

3.  More scenery along the Mattertal Valley.  At the end of the valley the train calls at Visp, for interchange with mainline trains to/from Geneva, Bern, Basel & Zurich.

4.  Brig.  Brig is at the end of the Simplon Pass, and there is interchange here with the mainline trains to/from Milan & Italy.

5.  Rhône Valley.  From Brig, the train starts following the Rhône Valley.  Mountains, snow-laden fir trees and pretty Swiss villages line the route.  At this time of year, it's Narnia...

6.  Furka Tunnel...  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.  Andermatt.  The Glacier Express stops here for several minutes, time to get out and stretch your legs...		8.  We're icing up!  It's freezing outside but warm and snug on board the train...

9.  Whiteout in the Oberalp Pass.  Soon after 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.  Few people live this high up, and on this trip the pass was a wind-swept snowscape.  And somewhere in the Oberalp Pass, the westbound Glacier Express passes us and disappears into the blizzard...

10.  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.

11.  The Glacier Express 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.		12.  The Rhine Gorge.  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.

13.  Another picture of the Glacier Express snaking along the Rhine Gorge.  When it arrives at Chur it's just 585 metres above sea level.		14.  The Glacier Express passes the pretty village of Reichenau.  It stops here twice, on its way into Chur, which is a terminus, and again on its way south to St Moritz...

Hilltop castle.  The Chur-St Moritz line is part of both the Glacier Express & Bernina Express routes.

		15.  The Landwasser Viaduct.  The train 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 are 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 shows regular Rhätische Bahn coaches which are attached to the Glacier Express between Chur & 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-Chur train has container wagons attached to the back, transporting food to local supermarkets!

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Travel tips & FAQ

• What time of year is best?  The Glacier Express runs all year round apart from a short break from Late October to mid-December (see the timetable above), so you can go almost any time.  Indeed, you really need to do it twice, as it's a totally different experience through a snowy wonderland in the depths of winter compared to a summer jaunt through lush green Swiss meadows.  You can still go in the October-December period when there's no Glacier Express, as you can use local trains along exactly the same route, just with a change of train or two somewhere, use www.sbb.ch to find times.

• Is eastbound or westbound better?  Either is fine as both directions do the whole run in daylight, even in winter.

• Should you go first or second class?  The scenery is exactly the same, the only difference is the seating, see the photos above.  As you can see, 2nd class seats are arranged 2+2 across the car width, 1st class seats are arranged 2+1, so 1st class seats offer more elbow room and fewer passengers per car.  It also means that there are tables-for-two on one side of the aisle, which are nicer for couples than sharing a 4-seater section in 2nd class.  But there's no difference in on-board service, all you're paying for is the lower-density seating.  2nd class is absolutely fine.

• Which side of the train to sit?  Eastbound, the right-hand side is best along the Mattertal Valley between Zermatt and Brig, and also between Chur and St Moritz with great views of the Landwasser Viaduct.  In the Rhine Gorge, all the river scenery is on the left.  Westbound, it'll obviously be the opposite side.  However, when booking you can't tell which way round the carriages will be, so unfortunately you can't reserve a seat on a specific side.  But feel free to move if seats are free, and if there's four of you, you could reserve the two window seats on both sides.

• Luggage on the Glacier Express:  Like any other European train, you take your luggage on board with you and within reason you can take whatever you like, suitcases, backpacks, whatever.  You put your bags in the space between the seat backs (which will take quite a large bag or suitcase), or on the luggage rack at one end of the car near the entrance, see the photos below.

• Food on the Glacier Express:  There's a catering car selling tea, coffee, snacks and souvenirs and they offer a lunch service at your seat.  Or you're free to bring your own picnic and even wine on board, as on other European trains.

Glacier Express luggage rack...		Space for bags between the seats.  Courtesy of Robert Herd.

Route map

Click for larger map

Yellow highlighted = Zermatt-Brig-Chur-St Moritz by Glacier Express.  Green = scenic sections of line.   Orange = bus

Dashed railway line (e.g. around Fiesch) = section where train uses rack-&-pinion to grip because of steep gradient.

Dotted railway line (e.g. Furka Tunnel) = tunnel.

Reproduced from the excellent European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people.

I recommend buying a copy of the European Rail Map for your travels, www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide.

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 on he metre-gauge line 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.  More info at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_Express.

Places to stay before or after a journey on the Glacier Express

There's no shortage of hotels in Zermatt or St Moritz, I recommend searching at booking.com, anything with a review score over 8.0 will be great.

But I suggest something special:  The Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl near St Moritz is an amazing hotel opened in 1907, perched on a 2,454m high mountain with spectacular views over the Engadin Valley.  I have never seen any view as spectacular out of a hotel window over breakfast.

To reach the Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl, take a local train from St Moritz to Punt Muragl Staz, see Muottas Muragl train route map, or you can get off the Glacier Express at Samedan (the stop before St Moritz) and take a local train to Punt Muragl.  It's then a 250m walk from either of these unstaffed halts to the lower station of the funicular railway which climbs up the mountain to the Hotel Muottas Muragl.  To check train times, simply use the journey planner at www.sbb.ch and run an enquiry from anywhere in Switzerland to Muottas Muragl, that's the name of the upper station of the funicular right next to the hotel.

The Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl in winter.  The upper station of the funicular railway up the mountain from Punt Muragl station is adjacent to the hotel.  See Muottas Muragl train route map.

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