Zermatt to St Moritz, Switzerland

Glacier Express291 bridges, 91 tunnels, one long day of windows

The Glacier Express runs from Zermatt to St Moritz in about eight hours, through the Rhine Gorge, over the Oberalp Pass and across the Landwasser Viaduct. It is a daytime train, and the class you book decides whether you eat from a tray, at a set table or with an attendant looking after you.

The line joins Zermatt and St Moritz by way of Brig, Andermatt, Chur and the Albula railway. It slots into a Swiss loop of eight to twelve days rather than standing alone.

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PlaceZermatt to St Moritz

TypePanorama train

SuitsFirst trip to Switzerland

Stay8 hours, 5–7 nights

Valley after valley, from Zermatt to St Moritz

Zermatt to St Moritz, Switzerland — Alpine panorama train.

The whole line runs from Zermatt to St Moritz in about eight hours and crosses 291 bridges and 91 tunnels. Valleys, railway engineering and high alpine ground follow one another inside a single day, which is why this transport day can carry a Swiss itinerary rather than interrupt it.

Ordinary first and second class and Excellence Class are fitted out differently. A ticket and a seat reservation are two separate things, so fix the full stretch you want, the class and the date before you book beds at either end of the line. Do it in that order.

It is built for a first trip to Switzerland, for alpine scenery and photography, and for people who would rather not drive. The day is long, the direction you sit affects what you see, and weather decides the rest. Excellence Class runs the full route only.

A red train climbing across a snow-covered mountain flank, dark rock and pine trees showing through the white — Red carriages crossing a white mountainside

A row of wide grey seats inside a glass-roofed carriage, empty and facing forward with daylight flooding in — Wide seats set behind the panorama glass

A stone viaduct curving across a valley between two snow-covered peaks, the red train crossing at its centre

291 bridges and 91 tunnels

Count them or do not, but the engineering is half the scenery here. The line climbs and drops through the Alps rather than skirting them, and 291 bridges and 91 tunnels are the plainest measure of how much work that took. You feel most of them.

Two passengers eating at a white-clothed table in the observation car, mountains moving past the curved glass beside them

Rhine Gorge and Landwasser Viaduct

Two stretches stand out: the Rhine Gorge, where the walls close around the track, and the Landwasser Viaduct, a curve of stone arches carrying the line into a mountainside. Both arrive without warning, so keep the camera within reach rather than in the rack overhead.

Seats angled toward an oversized window, a green valley and distant peaks filling the frame beyond the glass

A full meal at your seat

Depending on class you get a simple tray, a served meal, or an attendant looking after the carriage all day. Excellence Class pairs that with a guaranteed window seat and covers the complete Zermatt to St Moritz stretch only. Ordinary carriages still feed you, just more simply.

A group of passengers talking over a meal at a table beside the panoramic window, wine glasses and plates in view

Route

Two nights at each end, the train in between

Give Zermatt and St Moritz at least two nights each, with the rail day sitting between them rather than at the start or the end of the trip. Do not connect an international flight on the same day. Eight hours of mountain running leaves no margin for a delay.

Putting the eight-hour run between two mountain stays

The train takes a day, not an afternoon. Book the seats first, then build the nights on either side of the line.

Stay

The ride itself is about eight hours. As a full package, give the trip five to seven nights, with real time in Zermatt and St Moritz rather than one night at each.

Getting there

You can board at Zermatt or at St Moritz. A reservation is compulsory and you need a valid ticket as well; one does not cover the other.

Season

Winter snow and summer alpine meadows both work. The line shuts for annual maintenance, so check the dates against your travel window.

Watch out

The day is long, the side you sit on changes the view, and weather decides how much you see. Excellence Class runs the full route only.

Plan this into a journey

One day of the trip is fixed by the timetable. The nights at Zermatt and St Moritz, and whatever you add between them, are the part you can shape.

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