Glacier Express
Zermatt to St. Moritz, Switzerland · about 290 km · about 8 hours
A slow panoramic train crossing 91 tunnels and 291 bridges through the Swiss Alps.
The slowest express in the world
The Glacier Express has linked Zermatt and St. Moritz since 1930. It calls itself the slowest express train in the world, and the name is meant as a promise: the train takes about eight hours to cover roughly 290 km, climbing over mountain passes and winding through gorges on metre-gauge track.
Two railways share the route. The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn runs the western half from Zermatt over the Oberalp Pass, and the Rhaetian Railway runs the eastern half through Graubünden to St. Moritz. Along the way the train crosses about 291 bridges and passes through 91 tunnels.
The journey, stage by stage
Leaving Zermatt, the train runs down the narrow Mattertal valley to Visp, then follows the Rhône upstream through the Goms valley, a string of dark wooden villages beneath high peaks.
The climb to the Oberalp Pass, at about 2,033 m, is the highest point of the trip. In winter the pass is deep in snow; in summer the small Oberalp lake sits beside the line. The descent leads to Disentis and then into the Rhine Gorge, where the young river has cut through pale limestone left by a prehistoric rockslide.
After Chur the train joins the Albula line, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Bernina line. This is where the engineering is most spectacular: spiral tunnels that loop the track back over itself, and the Landwasser Viaduct, a curved stone bridge about 65 m high that runs straight into a tunnel in a cliff face.
When to go
The train runs all year. Summer brings green meadows, wildflowers and long daylight, while winter turns the whole route white and the Oberalp section feels remote and wild. Late spring and autumn are quieter and cheaper, though some mountain facilities close between seasons. Check the timetable before you plan: there is usually a short break in service in late autumn for maintenance.
Tickets and seats
A seat reservation is compulsory on the Glacier Express and is charged on top of the fare. Rail passes such as the Swiss Travel Pass cover the fare but not the reservation. The panoramic carriages have windows that curve up into the roof, so you see the peaks above as well as the valleys below. Premium seats with larger window views are available at a higher price.
Meals can be served at your seat. If you prefer to break the journey, you can ride individual sections on regular regional trains, which do not need a reservation and let you get off at places like Andermatt or Filisur.
Tips for the best views
Spend a night in Zermatt before boarding so you can see the Matterhorn in the early morning light. Travelling eastbound from Zermatt saves the Albula line and the Landwasser Viaduct for the afternoon. Keep your camera ready after Filisur and just before Oberalp, and remember that glare on the curved windows is less of a problem if you shoot at an angle.
Places worth getting off for
- Matterhorn from Zermatt
- The pyramid peak that defines the Alps, best seen in the morning light from town. Spend a night in Zermatt before boarding.
- Oberalp Pass
- The highest point of the route, with snowfields and a frozen lake in winter. Keep your camera ready as the train crests the pass.
- Rhine Gorge
- Pale limestone cliffs above the young Rhine, often called Switzerland's Grand Canyon. Look down from the windows after Ilanz.
- Landwasser Viaduct
- A curved stone viaduct leaving a cliff tunnel, 65 m above the valley. Photograph it from the viewing path near Filisur.