🇨🇭Glacier Express: Swiss Scenic Train Guide
Known as the "slowest express train in the world," the Glacier Express connects the mountain resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz. Journeying through the Swiss Alps, it offers floor-to-ceiling panoramic views of dramatic peaks, gorges, and remote alpine meadows.
🗺️The Route & Highlights
The entire journey takes 7 hours and 45 minutes, covering 291 kilometers of narrow-gauge railway. Highlights along the way include:
- Zermatt to Brig: Starts in the shadow of the Matterhorn, passing historic vales and descending through the Matter Valley.
- The Oberalp Pass: The highest point of the route at 2,033 meters (6,670 feet) above sea level, surrounded by snowy fields.
- The Rhine Gorge: Often called the "Swiss Grand Canyon," featuring towering white cliffs carved out by the Rhine River.
- The Landwasser Viaduct: A stunning 65-meter high curved stone bridge that leads the train directly into a mountainside tunnel.
🎫Tickets & Seat Reservations
To board the Glacier Express, you need both a valid train ticket and a mandatory seat reservation. Even if you have a rail pass, you must pay the reservation fee in advance.
✨Excellence Class
For the ultimate luxury experience, Excellence Class offers guaranteed window seats, access to the exclusive Glacier Bar, an on-board concierge, and a premium 5-course regional meal with wine pairings. Excellence Class seat reservations cost an additional CHF 470 on top of a 1st Class ticket.