There is something romantic and nostalgic about train travel. It is also comfortable, hassle-free and relaxing!

Today, I like to talk about the Glacier Express in Switzerland and why it is an experience that you should add to your European travel.

The Glacier Express leaves from the small town of Zermatt in the Canton of Valais at an elevation of around 1,600 m. Zermatt is home to the Matterhorn whose summit is at 4,478 m.

Photo by Nigel Tadyanehondo on Unsplash

Zermatt is only a few hours by car from Zurich, Bern, Geneva and Milan, Italy. However, the best way to get there is by train as Zermatt is a car-free town; most of the vehicles in Zermatt are electric and almost completely silent. If you want to rent a car, you can only drive as far as Täsch and have to take the train or taxi for the last few kilometres.

Board your Glacier Express the next morning – the 290 km journey to St Moritz takes about eight hours. The train could travel at a speed of 100 km/hour but mostly travels at 40 km/hour making it the slowest express train in the world. The Glacier Express runs on a metre gauge to accommodate for the tighter curves through the mountains. A 24 km long portion uses a rack-and-pinion system for ascending steep grades over 12% and to control descent. The coaches are also built out of aluminium instead of steel to make them lighter.

Photo by Nigel Tadyanehondo on Unsplash

During the first part of your journey, your train descents about 1,000 m into the valley of the Valais to Brig. The highest peaks of the Swiss Alps can be found in this region. From Brig, the Glacier Express crosses the Rhône river shortly after departure. Climbing into the Upper Valley, the train reaches Oberwald at 1,366 m. Crossing the Furka Pass in the winter was not possible until the 15 km long Furka Tunnel was opened in 1982 bypassing the pass. The train continues on a fairly flat stretch to Andermatt at 1,436 m. Here is where the Opberalp Pass begins and the Glacier Express reaches the highest point on this journey at 2,044 metres. The Rhine river rises and the landscape up here is usually covered in snow from November to April. At the halfway point In Disentis, the locomotive is being changed as a different track system is used. The train then descents along the Rhine valley to Chur at 585 making it the lowest point on this route. The landscape is dramatic with the Rhine gorge, where the river carved deep into the white rocks, also known as the “Swiss Grand Canyon” On the final section of your journey, the Glacier Express continues through mostly narrow valleys and crossing the spectacular curved Landwasser viaduct, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Several spiral loops help the train to gain height until it reaches the 6-km long Albula tunnel at 1,789 m and about 20 minutes later you will be in St Moritz.

While you won’t see any glaciers, the scenery is stunning with many mountains, streams, rock formations and lots of snow, especially during winter and spring.