The Glacier Express Route

Probably the most famous of the narrow-gauge mountain railways of Switzerland is the renowned Glacier Express which links the resorts of Zermatt in the south-west of the country and St. Moritz in the south-east.

The eastbound journey begins as you leave the Matterhorn behind and travel up the steep Matter Valley to Visp and then the junction of Brig, after which you follow the young river Rhône upstream through the chocolate-box scenery of the Goms Valley, over the Furka and Oberalp Passes and down to the valley of the infant river Rhine. From here, you continue onwards to the Albula Pass, a spectacular series of loops, tunnels and viaducts as the railway copes with the steep valley sides, before finally arriving in St. Moritz.

The Glacier Express itself operates multiple trains every day (with a hiatus during October/November), with panoramic coaches and commentary in multiple languages, and these trains can be booked at a small supplement over and above the usual ticket price. Local services also ply the route, with no supplement and if you are travelling the route in small parts you may need to take local trains for some of the travel.