Riding the Glacier Express Train Switzerland
Alp Spotting by Train

by Fida Wild

The rain is beating the ground as if the Schwarzsee had opened its floodgates and now threatens to wash away my Glacier Express trip. There is hope though. The Cantons where I start respectively end the journey, Valais and Graubünden, claim to have more than 320 days of sun per year.

And sure enough, just a short time later, the rain eases to a drizzle and the fog moves up the craggy slopes, disappears into the cumulus clouds and gives way to the most photographed mountain in the Alps, the impressive Matterhorn.

I play tourist in my own country. Since I live mostly on the other side of the Atlantic, my perception has changed - in more than one way. As long as I lived in Switzerland, I was kind of blasé to the postcard scenes one sees no matter which way one looks.

*© Zermatt with Matterhorn*

The Glacier Express is a one-meter narrow-gauge railway, and will take me from the car free alpine village of Zermatt to the posh and wallet-draining resort of St. Moritz - both famous Switzerland resorts.

It is a trip of superlatives: there are mountains to climb, alpine passes to conquer, 291 bridges to traverse and 91 tunnels to pass. Switzerland is often compared to an Emmentaler (the cheese known to the rest of the World as Swiss cheese), and it is not far off. Digging through obstacles began when the "Urnerloch" near Andermatt was built in 1707. And there is no end in sight; right now, the "millennium tunnel" is being built through the Gotthard.

*© Glacier Express*

We are whisked off in style in modern air-conditioned panorama coaches with vast windows to enjoy the alpine scenery that makes this trip so special. It is one of the best highlights a "Tour de Suisse" has to offer.

The English were maybe the first tourists and mountain climbers in Zermatt, but today, the Japanese have the upper hand. I am not surprised to hear the conductor announce the journey in Japanese and three other languages. But I am surprised when I hear him skilfully converse with Japanese tourists without using his hands and feet. He seems to have found his calling as an entertainer of the Glacier Express. There's no need for schnapps to lift the travellers spirits, even though the pouring of it is a pretty good show.

According to unconfirmed sources, this acrobatic trick is part of the hiring procedure. A lady server with a stern and concentrated look stretches her arms, cracks her fingers and straightens her back as if she'd prepared herself for a Schwingfest, something like a Swiss Sumo wrestling contest. She lifts the bottle and the schnapps flows in a high bow from above into a tiny glass below, without as much as spilling a drop.

While the world's slowest express train descends in a leisurely pace along the Matter-Vispa River, I order coffee, albeit unsuccessful. It's not time yet, I am told. Pure Swissness, I think. Everything has to follow an orderly procedure.

Most of the travellers join us in Brig, a main transport hub where roads and train tracks meet from all corners of Switzerland and cross over into Italy. It's a lovely town on the river Rhône with an impressive castle, the Stockalpenschloss.

Sightseeing in the comforts of our seats is a breeze. We rubberneck out the huge windows to a fairytale landscape of valleys dotted with chalets between spruce and larch forests and enveloped by a wreath of showy Swiss mountains. We travel along rushing rivers, filled with icy melt water, gushing waterfalls too many to count and through meadows still patched with snow in early April.

Soaked in Tradition and Culture

We pass Fiesch in the district of Goms, its houses spread out and up the slopes. They are mostly built of Larch wood and burned by the sun to a deep chocolaty dark brown, almost black. Caesar Rtiz, the famous Paris hotelier, began and ended his life's journey here. Together with his wife, his final resting place is the cemetery of this picturesque village.

*© Ernen and Bellwald*

To our right, further up the valley and away from the main road and train route, we spot a few houses of the famous small village of Ernen, awarded the Wakker Prize for the preservation of its architectural heritage. In the summer month, classical music echoes from the church where the festival with international artists takes place.

The valley of Goms is home to farmers, mountaineer guides, shepherds, dairymen and -maids. Chimney sweepers are in high demand, not only because most of the houses are still heated with wood, it's mandatory no matter what kind of fuel one burns, to have the chimney cleaned twice a year by a professional.

The daily life of these people is dictated by the unpredictability of nature's forces. The backbreaking farm work, one says, builds character like modesty, levelheadedness and loyalty. Traits that the Popes Swiss Guard is looking for. Most of its members have grown up here.

Swiss Bliss - Mountain Climbing by Glacier Express

Although the Glacier Express runs since 1930, it wasn't a year-round affair until 1982, when the Furka Tunnel opened. Before that, severe blizzards meant that many of the railroad trestles were removed in October and reinstalled in May.

We enter the Furka tunnel in Oberwald at the end of the Goms Valley and then emerge in Realp in the Urserntal, just a short distance away from Andermatt. We are now in the canton of Uri, were history was made. In 1291, the three districts Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden formed the Confœderatio Helvetica (Swizerland).

*© Glacier Express near Oberalp Pass*

The Oberalp Pass, the highest point that the Glacier Express has to climb with the help of cog, sits at an altitude of 2.033m (6,670 ft). The wind up here can feel icy even in summer. The snow still piles up high. I only see the tip of the snow blower on the close by road that removes the white stuff that had fallen last night.

I have to use the word sublime to describe this spectacular landscape of incomprehensible enormity. I fall silent surrounded by such bliss, my thoughts scatter, and my brain is unable to form complete sentences. Mountain air seems to make things sharper, clearer, sunnier and the colours more brilliant than anywhere else.

Lunch is served at our seats on white linen clad tables. According to the glossy brochure, it is world-class cuisine freshly prepared in the board kitchen. Service is slow, and although our orders were typed into a small electronic gadget that sent them directly to the kitchen, they get mixed up. My barley soup is delicious but almost cold though I am consoled by the crusty bread that comes with it.

The Oberalp Pass marks the border between Uri and Graubünden. Valais and Grabünden are not only the most touristic areas of Switzerland; combined they deliver approximately 60% of the hydro-power for the rest of Switzerland. Dams are a familiar sight in the Alps.

Bienvegni, Allegra and Grüezi

All means Welcome. Sedrun is not only the first village the Glacier Express meets in Graubünden, the language changes from German to Rumantsch, one of the four official languages spoken in Switzerland. Just under 35'000 Swiss still speak the language that is divided in five idioms. Even if they can't agree on the written word, they are proud of their heritage. The saying goes: "Tchi che sa Rumantsch, sa dapli" - "If you speak Rumantsch, you know more."

*© Sedrun*

Sedrun is also the basis for the Gotthard tunnel that could be visited form here, though due to security reasons it has to be arranged up to a year in advance.

*© Disentis and Benedictine Monastery*

Shortly after, in Disentis, the locomotive is being changed from cog to normal narrow-gauge rails - a 20 minute stop just enough time to stretch the legs but not to visit the Benedictine monastery that dominates the landscape. It was founded in the 8th century and still is a spiritual and educational centre with a museum that documents its history and the Christian tradition.

*© Rhine Gorge*

From here, it's all downhill through idyllic farmland to Ilanz. The Glacier Express follows the course of the Rhine through the attractive Rhine gorge of Ruinaulta, a magnificent and wild canyon with cliffs of bizarre sculpted white sandstone, and a heaven for fauna and flora.

*© Chur*

We arrive in Chur, the capital of Graubünden. Rumour has it that it is the oldest city in Switzerland, though there's no written proof. Archaeological evidence of settlement goes back as far as 3900-3500 BC. Several major Alpine transit routes come together and made the city a hub for commerce. It is the seat of the Bishop. The climate at an altitude of 594m (1,949 ft) is still mild enough for growing grapes. Churer Riesling and Silvaner are speciality wines that almost never make it out of the Canton. The atmospheric old city would be worth a stop, but most of us are here to continue the journey with the Glacier Express.

Albula Line - UNESCO World Heritage Site

The most dramatic route regarding railway engineering ingenuity with spiral sweeps and corkscrew tunnels is still ahead of us. We backtrack to Reichenau and head up to Thusis and the Landwasser Viaduct. Five arches hold the curved single-track stone railway bridge - 65m (213 ft) high and 136m (446 ft) long - that disappears straight into the Albula tunnel ahead of us. Built between 1898 and 1903, it is the signature structure of the UNESCO World Heritage Site listed (July 2008) Albula Railway line of the Rhätischen Bahn (Rhaetian Railway).

*© Landwasser Viaduct*

The stretch between Bergün and Preda has made the railway world-famous. To overcome the 416 metres difference in altitude, the route is artificially enlarged with almost 13 km of switchbacks - spiral tunnels, protective galleries and viaducts. The 61.67km (38.32 mi) long Albula Line is one of the most spectacular narrow gauge railways in the world. Both of the famous railway routes - Glacier Express and Bernina Express - share this route with regular trains by the Rhätischen Bahn (RhB).

*© St. Moritz by Night*

I leave the train in Samedan and head back to Filisur where the Glacier Express route to St. Mortitz branches off to the Alpine resort Davos. I will spend a few days with my good friends before heading back home to the "Hotel Mama."

Glacier Express Information and Tips

If you you plan to travel extensively by train during your holiday you may want to check out the different Swiss Passes available.

Read reviews by other travellers at TripAdvisor

Would You Like to Leave
Photos with Your Comment?

Have you been there? Would you like to
leave your notes and post your photos?
Thank you for sharing!

Title of your contribution:

Click here to see the rest of the form and complete your submission.

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Swiss Bliss all the way... We just journeyed with the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Brig. We would have gone all the way to Zermatt, if time would have been on our side. I just ...

Wat a gr8 journey You made the readers too feel they joined on the trip. And the stone railway bridge - 65m high and 136m long - that disappears straight into the Albula ...

Follow Unusual Travel Destinations on Facebook

Return to Top of the Page
Return to Travel Notebok
Return to Railraod Travel
Return Home to Unusual Travel Destinations

Riding the Glacier Express Train SwitzerlandAlp Spotting by Train