Season 2024: January 1 - October 12

As a sole proprietor with a capacity of one tour per day, I can be fully booked far in advance.

Glacier Express route tour from Zurich (local trains)

Route option: MAX

(Zurich - Chur - St. Moritz - Andermatt - Visp - Zurich)

We depart around 7:30 AM from Zurich main station and travel to Chur.

From Chur we will be traveling on the Glacier Express route to St. Moritz.

Along the way we travel over the famous Landwasser viaduct and on the Albula train line, one of only three train routes, which are classified as a UNESCO world heritage site.

In St. Moritz we can make a stop and explore the village.

From St. Moritz we backtrack on the Glacier Express route towards Reichenau near Chur, where we take the southbound Glacier Express route.

We travel along the Rhine Gorge and over the scenic Oberalp mountain pass.

In Visp we leave the Glacier Express route, and return on trains of the Swiss Federal Railways via Bern to Zurich.

Route option: MAX shortened

(Zurich - Bergün - Andermatt - Visp - Zurich)

If you like to have a shorter tour, we can cut the eastbound route to Bergün instead of St. Moritz.

With the shorted tour version, we don't get to visit St. Moritz.

Route option: Eastbound

(Zurich - Andermatt - St. Moritz - Zurich)

We depart around 7 AM from the Zurich main station and travel to Andermatt.

In Andermatt we can make a stop and explore the village.

From Andermatt we start our journey on the Glacier Express route.

Along the way to St. Moritz we travel over the Oberalp mountain pass, over the famous Landwasser viaduct and on the Albula train line, one of only three train routes, which are classified as a UNESCO world heritage site.

In the lovely alpine town of St. Moritz we have up a break of up to two hours, before we start our journey back to Zurich.

Route option: Eastbound shortened

(Zurich - Andermatt - Bergün - Zurich)

If you like to have a shorter tour, we can shorten the trip to Bergün and return from there to Zurich. In this case, the return time would be between 6:45 p.m and 7:45 p.m.

With the shorted tour version, we don't get to visit St. Moritz.

Route option: Southbound

(Zurich - Chur - Andermatt - Zermatt)

This route includes a ride across the Oberalp mountain pass, through Andermatt, and the ascent to Zermatt.

Please regard that with Route B & Route B shortened we do not travel over the landwasser viaduct

We depart around 7 AM from Zurich. First, we travel to Chur by SBB, the Swiss Federal railways. There we change to a train of the famous Rhaetian railways.

From there we cross the Alps by train on a spectacular journey over the Oberalp mountain pass to the alpine village of Andermatt.

On the next leg we switch to the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway, which will take us up all the way to the beautiful car-free village of Zermatt.

We arrive at approx. 4 p.m. in Zermatt. After an introduction walk through the village, you can have free time for dinner or shopping.

At the latest by 6.30 p.m., we leave Zermatt and return to Zurich using the direct route through Berne. We arrive in Zurich between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Route option: Southbound shortened

(Zurich - Chur - Andermatt - Visp Zurich)

If you like to have a shorter tour, we can shorten the trip to Visp, and return from there to Zurich. In this case, the return time would be between 6 and 7 p.m.

With the shorted tour version, we don't get to visit Zermatt.

Inclusions

- All required train tickets in first class for you and the guide

- Meeting at any centrally located Hotels, Apartment, or Airbnb

- Return to any centrally located Hotel, Apartment, or Airbnb after the tour

- Fee for the private guide, who will stay at your disposal throughout the tour

- Car-free tour by train as per the tour description

- Photography by the guide (with your own camera or smartphone)

- A booklet with comprehensive information about Switzerland (one per party, for groups of four persons or larger are two printed copies included)

- Use of a mobile hotspot with unlimited data (Speed: 4G)

What is not included in the tour price?

- Your meals and drinks

- Any personal expenses

- Optional activities

- Travel insurance (participation at your own risk)

Please regard that your lunch is not included in the tour price.

Picnic lunch on the trains

On the local trains there is no food and beverage serivce. You are free to consume store bought food on-board.

We will pass by convenience shops and sandwich outlets, where you can grab a bite.

Restaurant / sit-down meal

If you are doing the full route, you can have in St. Moritz or Zermatt a quick early dinner in a restaurant.

There are various restaurants in these villages.

The activity level is low to moderate: frequent changes of trains, with few steps to get in an out of the trains, walk through the village of Zermatt or St. Moritz (optional)

I can meet you at any centrally located hotel in Zurich.

Click here to see a map of the pick-up area

If you're staying outside of the pick-up area, I can meet you at the central train station of Zurich.

Weather forecast

Once a reliable weather forecast is available (usually one to three days before departure), I will send you a link to the forecast.

If there is bad weather forecasted, I will include my recommendations for our tour day.

I use the weather forecasts provided by the Federal Office of Meteorology and SRF (Swiss Radio and Television).

With the links below, you can check the weather forecast at any time by yourself. The forecasts are available for the next five days.

Operability

This tour can run in any weather condition. On rare occasions, there may be a cancellation due to landslides, avalanches, and other natural forces or the risk thereof. I will fully refund the deposit in this case.

Your options in case of bad weather (tour specific)

early bird or standard rates

If you booked an early bird or standard rate, then a free cancelation is not possible anymore once a reliable weather forecast is published, as I need to purchase train tickets in advance for these rates.

- You can choose a different tour/mountain peak in an area with better weather (if available, the price of the newly selected tour will apply).

- We can do the tour as planned despite the weather.

- If not having perfect weather is a dealbreaker, you can cancel by forfeiting the deposit.

Swiss Travel Pass rates

- If you have booked a Swiss Travel Pass rate you can cancel the booking up to 12 hours before departure for a full refund of the deposit. Hence if the weather forecast looks bad you are free to cancel the tour free of charge if you desire.

All other options which are published under the early bird and standard rate section are also available to you.

Benefits of the local trains vs. the Glacier Express panoramic train

+ Authentic experience

+ The local trains take the same route as the Glacier Express 

+ The local trains also offer comfortable seats and have a 1st class compartment.

+ More space - on the Glacier Express every single seat is taken and you are limited to the seat which you have reserved. The local trains often have an occupancy rate of 60% or less, however this can't be guaranteed. 

+ The local trains have open seating, you can sit on every free seat. Given availability, you can always switch sides and select a seat on the side with the best views.

+ No panoramic windows - The panoramic windows are larger but cause a lot of glare, hence it's better for photography.

+ A lower tour price - Unlike for the Glacier Express panoramic train, there is no surcharge for the local trains.

Downsides of the local trains vs. the Glacier Express panoramic train

- There is no food and beverage service on board - however you can buy snacks, sandwiches and drinks at the train station pre-boarding, and consume it on board. 

- No panoramic windows - however the regular windows are still large enough to provide a good view of the scenery.

- More changes of trains. The changes are easy, on most stations the corresponding train is just on the opposite platform. This is only an issue if some of the participants have mobility issues.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

You can spontaneously skip or shorten the visit to St. Moritz

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

We can depart an hour later.

We can stop and visit Andermatt for an hour.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

You can spontaneously skip the visit to Andermatt.

You can spontaneously skip or extend the visit to St. Moritz by an hour.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

You can spontaneously skip or extend the visit to Andermatt.

You can spontaneously add an hour in Bergün to visit the Albula Railway musuem (if open, the entry fee of CHF 15 per adult is not included in the tour price)

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

You can spontaneously add an one hour stop at Andermatt (=one hour less time in Zermatt)

You can shorten the visit to Zermatt. We have frequent connections back to Zurich. 6:37 p.m. is the latest possible departure time from Zermatt.

This itinerary is only an example. The schedule can vary due to various factors such as the season, the day of the week, construction work, service, and schedule changes.

The exact departure and return time depends on the pick-up/drop-off location.

Customization possibilities:

We can depart one hour later or earlier (must be prebooked)

You can spontaneously add an one hour stop in Andermatt.