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The Glacier Express calls itself the slowest express train in the world, and it means it as a boast: eight hours to cover 291 kilometres between Zermatt and St. Moritz, because hurrying through this landscape would be missing the point. It crosses 291 bridges, threads 91 tunnels, and climbs to 2,033 metres at the Oberalp Pass — all under panoramic glass.
What you’ll actually see
The classic run, west to east:
- Zermatt to Brig — larch forests and the Matter Valley gorge.
- The Rhône Valley — vineyards and the young Rhône river.
- Oberalp Pass — the roof of the route at 2,033 m, snowbound most of the year.
- The Rhine Gorge — Switzerland’s “Little Grand Canyon,” white limestone cliffs over jade water.
- Landwasser Viaduct — the icon: six stone arches, 65 metres high, curving straight into a cliff-face tunnel. It comes in the final hour, on the right-hand side heading east.
Choosing your class
Second class
Same panoramic windows, same route. The coaches are slightly denser (2+2 seating vs 2+1 in first). Perfectly good.
First class
Wider seats, quieter coaches, and better odds of a window pair to yourself outside peak season.
Excellence Class
A guaranteed window seat, a seven-course meal, wine pairings and a concierge. It’s a splendid experience — but it costs several times a first-class ticket, and the Alps are included free with every class. Choose it for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, not as a default.
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The seat-reservation trap
Here’s what catches people out: your rail pass or point-to-point ticket covers the fare, but the Glacier Express also requires a compulsory seat reservation that is booked separately and sells out weeks ahead in summer. No reservation, no boarding — even with a valid pass. Book the reservation the moment your dates firm up.
The local-train secret
The Glacier Express runs on ordinary Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway tracks — and regular regional trains cover every kilometre of the same route with no reservation needed. The windows are smaller and you’ll change trains a few times, but with a rail pass the scenery is effectively free, and you can hop off at Andermatt or Filisur on a whim. Purists argue the local trains, with windows that open for photography, are actually better.
When to go
Winter (December–March) is the sleeper hit: the full route under deep snow, and the Oberalp Pass at its most dramatic. Summer offers green valleys and hiking add-ons. Avoid late April–May, when the snow is gone from the valleys but the high meadows haven’t greened up yet.