Glacier Express – One of the Great Train Journeys in Europe – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

The Glacier Express connects Zermatt with St. Moritz and Chur. The journey across Switzerland takes seven and a half hours.

St. Moritz is a famous winter resort, but it is well worth visiting in summer as well. It lacks the picturesque character you expect from alpine town but the beautiful surroundings make up for the lack of character. St. Moritz is far from cheap but not as expensive as Zermatt.

The journey between St Moritz and Chur uses the same track as the Bernina Express. Since no tracking system is used on this part of the Glacier Express, the track had to be artificially lengthen in many places. A number of loops and tunnels have been created to make the track less steep. This is one of the most interesting parts of the journey. It includes the famous Landwasser Viaduct, probably the most photographed bridge on the whole journey.

On the way down to Chur, you will see many old castles and ruins. After leaving Chur, the track runs along the Rhine which it follows almost to the source. The Glacier Express climbs up to Oberalp Pass, the highest point of the track at 2033 metres above sea level.

The Glacier Express started to operate in 1926. But it was first in 1982, when the Furka-Basis tunnel (length 15.4 kilometres) was ready, that the Glacier Express started to run all year round. If you have time and the weather permits, it is worth taking the cable car from Betten up to the Aletsch Glacier. With 23 kilometres it is the longest glacier in Europe.

The track follows the Rhone until Visp. Visp is the lowest station on this part of the Glacier Express, 625 metres above sea level. From here the train climbs up to Zermatt, 1605 metres above sea level. This is another beautiful part of the journey.

Zermatt is a car-free town, with a wonderful view of the Matterhorn. Zermatt has three world-class ski areas, the Sunnegga, the Gornergrat, and the Klein Matterhorn. In summer, hiking is popular thanks to the many beautiful trails. The main drawback with Zermatt is the cost. Even for Swiss standards, Zermatt is expensive.

The Glacier Express is popular so it’s best to book in advance. Also, on sunny summer days the panorama coaches can be a mixed blessing. You get wonderful views but very little shade, so bring a hat with you. Generally, the east-bound service, from Zermatt to St. Moritz, is less popular than west-bound service. So if you can choose your starting point, you may prefer to travel from Zermatt to St. Moritz.