The Glacier Express

Posted by , 24 May 2015

Another trip in our final attempt at exploring Switzerland.

The Glacier Express has always been on my radar as something to do. Mainly, it’s the “glacier” part – views of snowing mountains and glaciers all from the comfort of train.

Our first attempt to book this in failed, as it was booked out. Even on our second attempt, we couldn’t book first class seats. In the end, it didn’t matter and in hindsight I’m not sure why you would bother.

SBB provide a complete booking service – the Glacier Express, the train journeys to the departure and from the destination as well as the hotels in between. The booking service itself is a bit antiquated – even though they can check availability and accept payment on the spot, you still need to return later to pick up the various tickets and vouchers.

Zermatt

The departure for the Glacier Express is Zermatt, home of the famous Matterhorn. We arrived in the evening, after dark, and in the cold only had time to find our hotel and then grab some dinner (in a pub!).

In the morning, we deliberately got up early to walk around in daylight. Despite it’s reputation as a winter-sports destination, there’s a cluster of old timber buildings in the heart of the town. Many of them have plaques to explain their history – the most interesting ones were the small buildings sitting on flat, disc-shaped rocks, designed to stop the rates and mice getting into the supplies!

We didn’t really get to see the Matterhorn – only the base was visible with the top of the mountain shrouded in clouds. Oh well, next time!

The Glacier Express

The first part of the journey simply backtracks to Brig, on the route we had taken the night before. But this time in full daylight, so there was more to see. This part of the journey winds through some steep valleys, with little villages that would once have been cut off before the legendary Swiss tunnels and bridges were built.

From Brig, we’re in new territory. The first part of the journey is through the valleys, with towering mountains all around. The panoramic windows provide great views to the sides and even above. But the journey becomes spectacular as we start to climb. Once we get past the long tunnel, we’re literally at the top of the mountains travelling through the snow. Train travel through snow is completely different to driving on the roads, as there’s a sense of being in the middle of it all rather than the formed roads providing a boundary.

The highest part of the journey is at just over 2,000m and from there we descend again. There’s a stop at Reichenau to change the locomotives and another stop at Chur for people to leave the train. I think those people missed out on one of the most spectacular parts of the journey, because the train climbs again it runs through a three of four sections where it completely loops back give you great views from bridges over the gorges and back over the train itself.

And then we arrive in St Moritz and the journey was over.

The service on board was fantastic. Despite the trip for the previous weekend being booked out, ours was only half full – despite having a table for four, there were just the two of us. Staff were constantly on hand, and the three course meal was great – albeit, a little bizarre as my first experience of eating a full meal with table service on a train. The train itself is small and custom designed for this journey with a 1st class and 2nd class car at each end with the catering car in the middle. I’ve been a fan of the Swiss railways for many years, and this journey really showcases the best they have in a single day.

St Moritz

We arrived early enough to look around St Moritz before dark. As it was off season (neither winter nor summer), many places were closed and in the end we retreated to our hotel for dinner.

So in the morning we got up early again and spent the morning exploring the town. It’s set on a climbing hillside above a lake, and our hotel had great (if chilly) views from a balcony on the top floor. We decided to head down to the lake and explore it’s shores. There’s a lift that takes you from the main part of the town down to the level of the lake, exiting in a car park. From there, you can access a viewing platform suspended over the edge of the lake, with views back to the town. If we had the time, the lake is small enough to walk or cycle around but we just walked along the track on the northern edge. As always, time is never on our side.

By the time we got back to Geneva, we had completed around 17 hours of train travel in a weekend!


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