Glacier Express: A Journey Through The Swiss Alps - First Class - Switzerland

The Glacier Express is one of the largest train

journey

s in the world and takes its passengers on an unforgettable adventure through some of the most incredible landscapes Switzerland has to offer. Join us as we share our experience traveling

first

class from Zermatt to St Moritz and highlighting the best scenic moments along with helpful tips and ways to save money on the full-price ticket. It truly was a day to remember. Zermatt, the beautiful alpine town at the foot of the Matterhorn and our starting point for the 7 and a half hour trip to St Moritz. If you missed our last video, you can watch the following one which covers our 3 days exploring some of the many attractions at Europe's highest ski resort.

From the Matterhorn viewpoint, 3,883 m above sea level, to the impressive 125-year-old rack railway that goes up to Gornergrat station or perhaps you want to explore the quieter areas of the town. It will definitely whet your appetite to visit. The famous train leaves from Zermatt station and in May when we booked there were two services a day. An hour apart, we were on the last 9:52 service which was due to arrive in St Moritz at 5:37. There were two classes of travel in our service. This is the

first

class where we sit. It has a configuration for two people on one side and four people on the other side of the car.

The second class seats four people on each side and carries more passengers. Excellence class, which is even higher than first class, was not available on this train. The modern carriages are specially built for this service and are comfortable and a real pleasure to travel with, they even have air conditioning. Its most welcome feature is the large side windows and glass skylights that open the carriage to wonderful panoramic views from all angles, and don't worry about your luggage, there's plenty of space on either side of both classes. Announcement: "Hello and welcome to the Glacier Express" At 9:52, promptly, we slowly depart and begin our epic

journey

that will take us across the country and stopping several times while on board.

We start by winding along the Matta Vispa River and down the picturesque Mattertal Valley from Zermatt, which drops from 1600m above sea level to just 650m in Visp. Narrow gauge trains on this route require special gearing under the locomotive to maintain traction. On the rails you can see the rack between them that meshes with the gear. A bar bus is available on board for drinks and small snacks, you can also order from your seat from an extensive menu, this is charged in addition to the ticket price, more on this later! I indulged in a Swiss hot chocolate for our location.

An hour into our journey and at the end of the valley we headed east past Visp, a main line interchange station, quickly followed by Brig at the end of the Simplon Pass, close to the Italian border with connections to Milan. We began gliding down the Rhône Valley for the next hour and followed the course of the Rhône River. The Glacier Express began its luxury rail service in June 1930. Switzerland became popular as a holiday destination for those who could afford it and St Moritz and Zermatt were two of the most sought after destinations. It made sense to link these two resorts, initially only in summer due to poor winter conditions and not all year round until 1982, after the construction of the Furka Base Tunnel, which is fast approaching us.

Well, not so fast, after all it is the slowest

express

train in the world. The Furka Pass is a high mountain pass close to 2,500 meters high and that blocks our way to continue the trip. The location of the Rhône

glacier

and its impassable snow cover in winter prevents cars and trains from crossing it to the next valley. You may recognize this place from the James Bond movie "Goldfinger." The spectacular winding road is one of the highest in Europe and features in one of Bond's car chases. We will not see the train passing as we advance through the tunnel through which, as you can see, cars also pass.

A quick route to access the other side and especially important in winter. A preserved cog railway now runs steam trains in summer on the old line that bypasses the tunnel. The Furka Base Tunnel is 15.4 kilometers, 9 1/2 miles long and took 9 years to complete. As we disappear into the darkness, it will be more than 10 minutes before we see daylight again, but we'll spare you that! Back in the sunlight, more mountain scenery unfolds before we are served lunch. When you book your train tickets and cover that complicated process at the end, you have the option to pre-book a dinner package, a two, three or four-course vegetarian or meat meal.

If you don't feel like it, you can choose directly from the onboard menu while the train is running. We chose a four-course meat meal which cost 54 Swiss francs per person and did not include drinks. Surprisingly, you can bring your own food and drink on board, even in first class, so we provide you with our own champagne. A great feature for the budget-conscious and a way to create your own feast while enjoying the incredible scenery. Our meal consisted of egg salad and bread followed by beef stroganoff served tableside and all meals are prepared fresh on board with local and regional ingredients.

To finish our meal, it is followed by a nice slice of apple pie and a cheese plate that is served for 1 hour. We now pass through Andermatt and the train begins a series of curves to gain height. Climb the mountain on your way to the Oberalp Pass, the highest point on our route at 2012 m above sea level. The city of Andermatt is seen on numerous occasions, becoming smaller and more distant, which highlights the steep climb that the train must make. Much of the line is single track, so trains pass through the station, perfect for most occasions.

Again, climbing the center rail seems to help improve grip on this section and when we get to the top you can see why, even in May the Ober

alps

ee is half frozen. A 3-hour walk from Oberalp station, hikers can see the crystal-clear lake that forms the starting point of the famous Rhine River, which flows north through Germany, the Netherlands and into the Sea from North. One of the longest rivers in Europe. Our descent marks the end of the Oberalp pass and about halfway down we continue to Disentis. The seasons continue to fly and after almost 5 hours of adventure we have arrived at one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the Alps.

Often known as the Swiss Grand Canyon, the Ruinaulta was carved by the Rhine River 10,000 years ago and offers us 13 km of incredible landscapes. The train follows the Rhine along the Rheinschlucht and many visitors come to this area to experience pure adrenaline while rafting or hiking along the rugged rock formations. We arrived at one of the oldest cities in Switzerland, Chur, which was a Roman settlement. We will stop here so that the locomotive can be changed. The Glacier Express is jointly operated by two private Swiss railways and our 10-minute wait here allows for the change. While we wait you can jump and stretch your legs or head to the on-board store where you can find souvenirs to take home, sign the guest book or read the information panel that covers the history of the line.

From Chur, the train reverses slightly before joining the southern part of the line, getting closer and closer to the famous Landwasser Viaduct, synonymous with the Glacier Express, as we continue towards St Mortiz. The Landwasser Viaduct is an incredible bridge that spans 142 meters and reaches a height of 65 meters. A sharp curve takes the train directly into the Landwasser Tunnel, dug into a cliff. Technically very challenging, it has been built to such a high standard that very few repairs have been required since its construction. Built in 1901 and 2, this remarkable and picturesque bridge has been recognized by UNESCO for its cultural significance and has been added to the World Heritage List along with the entire Glacier Express line.

Shortly after the viaduct we passed through the town of Filisur which is located on a hill. A branch line operates services from here to Davos and I believe the Glacier Express has services to the city in summer. Passing the traditional town of Bergün we begin another set of sinuous hairpin curves, tunnels and abundant viaducts that allow us to gain altitude. We have to climb 416 meters in just 6 km and the only way the train can cope is by zigzagging through the valley. We are approaching our destination, which will be our home for a very short night, but before our incredible train journey comes to an end in St Moritz and we show you some of the attractions of this popular resort, let's go over the booking process and the costs. this epic train journey.

Booking our tickets was not easy at all, so we hope that our explanation is clear to you and helps you save money on the full ticket price as well. You will need two different types of tickets to travel by train. A seat reservation ticket and a train ticket are separate tickets. To reserve your seat, go to the Glacier Express website. This will secure your place and chosen seat on the train in the class you choose along with the dining options you choose. You can only do it 93 days in advance. When you select your route and travel date, the train ticket will automatically be added to the total cost along with your seat reservation.

Remove the train ticket from the booking cart after entering your personal details and select "booking only". You can get a better price by booking the train ticket on the Swiss Rail website, as it offers discount options on tickets. With this we saved more than 100 Swiss francs each. The train ticket can only be booked 60 days before the travel date, just to add to the headache of this entire booking process. You must find the exact date, time and train number on which you made your seat reservation and then purchase a "Saver Day Pass" on that service. This is the cheapest ticket.

Also be sure to select the same travel class as your seat reservation. You may also see an option for "Half Fare Card." While traveling around Switzerland for 5 days and visiting numerous sights, we took advantage of a tourist offer that allowed a 50% discount on train, bus and boat travel, in addition to tourist discounts of up to 50%. It is valid for 1 month and costs 120 Swiss francs per person. It's called "Swiss Half Fare Card" and we bought it on the SBB website. You should price your trips and sightseeing trips before you travel to ensure that the half-fare card will save you money over the course of your trip.

The GlacierExpress sells out quickly, especially in the summer, so be prepared to arrive at the site at midnight, 93 days before your desired travel date. This is no joke, we did it and clearly others did the same and the seats disappeared very quickly at this point. In summary, the way we discussed was as follows. First we bought our Swiss Half Fare Card. We made our first class seat reservation, 93 days before the trip, "seat reservation only" and then we booked our Save Day Pass train ticket, half fare, first class, 60 days before the trip. Our cost per person was the seat reservation 49 Swiss francs, the four-course meal 54 francs, the day saving 54 francs, that is a total of 157 Swiss francs per person.

Prices will vary depending on the date and time of travel. We traveled on this extraordinary journey for 7 and a half hours across 291 bridges and 91 tunnels covering just 291 km (180 miles) in that time. Only a few minutes late we reached the end of the line and the famous ski resort of St Moritz. We only spent one night in St Moritz and it was low season so many places were closed. We ate at our hotel and the next morning we only had time to take a short walk around the beautiful lake of St Moritz. We were lucky to have another day of good weather during the hour we had free before it was time to return to the station and catch another train to Zurich and our flight back to London.

We decided to leave the camera for that trip. The Glacier Express was a fantastic trip, full of incredible scenery and great memories from our short trip to Switzerland. For more amazing train journeys, check out our playlist where you'll find the West Highlands Railway in Scotland, the Flam Railway, the amazing Bergen and Oslo train journey and many more. Join our adventures and subscribe now so you don't miss our future videos. Happy travels and thanks for visiting MemorySeekers.