Glacier Express reservations sold out – what are my options?
A traveler is planning a special trip for their mother's 80th birthday, highlighting the Glacier Express journey from Zermatt to St. Moritz on September 25th. They've purchased a 1st class Swiss Travel Pass but are struggling to make reservations due to limited availability. With other travel plans set in stone, they seek advice on securing their seats or alternative options.
- Consider booking seats from Zermatt to Chur for the Glacier Express, as this route might still have available 1st class tickets.
- Try contacting Glacier Express customer service for help with reservations and availability.
- If necessary, consider traveling on a regional train after Chur to reach St. Moritz for a scenic experience.
- Seats reserved by tour companies are often released about 30 days before the trip, so keep an eye out during that time.
AI-generated summary-
I am hoping someone can help me with tips. I had a whole trip planned for my mother’s 80th and the highlight was the Glacier Express on September 25th (Zermatt to St.Moritz). I purchased a 1st class Swiss Travel Pass and have been trying to make reservations and everything is booked! Is there any hope at all? This is what she has wanted her entire life, I just can’t believe there is such limited availability and I’ve been trying since the first day it opened.
Unfortunately I can’t change the date of travel since all the other train trips are also timed and hotels and flights are booked and non-refundable.
Thank you to anyone who can help me out to make this trip happen for my mom. I would even be willing to splurge for Excellence class at this point….
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I am sure one of the Swiss experts will come on soon and advise far better than I can, but it seems from months of reading that blocks of seats are reserved by tour companies. Apparently if they haven’t sold those seats they are returned for sale about 30 days prior to travel.
On that basis you have two or three options. You could look for a package which includes the Glacier Express on that day, wait until 30 days before and say your prayers, or the most expensive, upgrade to Excellence Class which is what we decided to do.
Looking at the website though, there are not even excellence class tickets left.
It might be worth emailing the Glacier Express, I have done that a couple of times and found them very helpful.
Good luck.
Hi Yoda,
If this were me, I would immediately book seats from Zermatt to Chur for 25 September, departing Zermatt at 7:52. There are only 16 seats left in first class, including window seats, but who knows how much longer they will last, so get in quick if you think this will work for you.
You will thus get the full Glacier Express experience for most of the trip. At Chur, you can transfer to a regional train to travel the rest of the way to St Moritz.
I would pick the IR 38 departing Chur at 13:58, arriving St Moritz at 16:00. Reservations are not required. I would sit in the last carriage, on the right hand side, for the best view of the Landwasser Viadukt. By sitting in the last carriage, you will get to see the whole front of the train travelling over the viaduct and into the tunnel. In my opinion, you will get a better view of the viaduct this way than most of the people travelling on the Bernina Express or Glacier Express!
Please let us know how you get on! I’ve got my fingers crossed for you 🙂
Alpenrose
Hello Deb H,
Thank you so much for your suggestions, I truly appreciate them and will look into them immediately. I did also think about the Excellence car but it was sold out as you mentioned.
I had heard that tour companies and travel agents reserve tickets ahead of time but I cannot find anywhere I can actually just reserve a seat with a tour company or travel agent, it seems all they have are full packages with hotels etc.
Very gratefully, Yoda
Hi Alpenrose,
Thank you so much for looking into all that information for me, you have no idea how grateful I am. It was 2am last night when I finally found 2 seats in 2nd class from Zermatt to St.Moritz, only to after my visa card went through realize it was for the wrong date!
I am going to book the itinerary you suggested right away, and if ever a direct train becomes available I might decide to book those since my mom is 80 and it will be hard to get her from point A to point B with all the luggage.
Do you know if there is any way that I can sell the reservations to another traveller? Or anything? I am waiting to hear back from Glacier Express but don’t feel very hopeful…
I will keep you updated as to what happens 🙂
Thank you again SO much!
I read, I think on this forum, that some have been able to get help for issues with trains by calling customer service. The number I found for Glacier Express is 41 81 288 6565.
I wish you good luck with this!
Thank you Teenie, I will try to call them. I just booked the Zermatt to Chur as AspenRose suggested but I would really like to have my September 26th refunded, or if I could actually get a direct ticket. But I am grateful at least I can get us there now… Unlike my ticket on the Bernina where I can only get us half way, ugh. Thanks again
Hi Yoda,
Sorry to hear, you accidentally booked your seat reservations for the wrong date. Unfortunately, they are generally non-refundable and are only possible when you are unable to travel due to illness etc and you would need to produce an official note. I would still try to contact them, as you never know.
Some very helpful replies from Alpenrose, DebH and Teenie. Good luck and I hope it all works out.
You may want to take a read of the following links for additional information and tips:
- Glacier Express reservations: https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/glacier-express-reservations/
- Glacier Express: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/glacier-express/
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi Yoda,
>>> I just booked the Zermatt to Chur
I’m so glad to hear that you have at least secured reservations for the Zermatt-Chur sector. The total journey time on the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz is 7 hrs 45 min. You will be on it for 5 hrs 33, so the great majority of the trip, and also for the most scenic sectors – apart from the Landwasser Viadukt.
As I mentioned before, I think you will actually get a better view of the viaduct from the regional train rather than the Glacier Express. The one disadvantage of the regional train is that they probably won’t make an announcement when the train is approaching the viaduct, so you will need to keep an eye out. It is between Tiefencastel and Filisur, but much closer to Filisur.
If you get the 13:58 regional train from Chur to St Moritz, you will leave Tiefencastel station at 14:46. The train will go over the Landwasser Viadukt before arriving at the next stop, which is Filisur. It actually goes over a couple of viaducts, so don’t give up looking out for the Landwasser until see a viaduct that is unmistakeably grander than the others!
>>> if ever a direct train becomes available I might decide to book those since my mom is 80 and it will be hard to get her from point A to point B with all the luggage.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to change trains in Chur. The Glacier Express arrives on Platform 10 at sectors D and E, and your train to St Moritz leaves from the same platform, so you don’t even need to change platforms. You might need to walk along the platform a bit, but you have plenty of time for a relaxed transfer.
>>> Do you know if there is any way that I can sell the reservations to another traveller?
No, that won’t be possible. The Terms and Conditions state:
- The customer shall make use of the services personally and he is not authorized to transfer services to third persons.
- The customer shall have no claim to reimbursement or compensation if he has booked a service but fails to appear at the agreed date or otherwise fails to make use of a product or service.
- The conditions for the particular product apply for cancellation of services for individual passengers. Goods and services (tickets, reservations, menues, etc.) purchased via the Internet cannot be cancelled or exchanged and no refund can be made. The complete costs will be refunded if the customer shall be prevented from travelling as a consequence of sickness or accident at the beginning of the journey and he can produce a valid doctor’s certificate.
https://www.glacierexpress.ch/en/agb-1/
Despite all that, you have nothing to lose by contacting them in the hope of a sympathetic response to your predicament. I wish you luck!
>>> Unlike my ticket on the Bernina where I can only get us half way, ugh.
What happened with your Bernina Express reservation?
Hope your Mum enjoys her 80th birthday trip!
Alpenrose
Wow.. thanks Alpenrose for that information
I will be attempting to get a 1st class ticket from Zermatt to St Moritz on Monday. My chances seem slim so I will look at Zermatt to Chur. My other option seems to be to wait for a month before hand when group tour seats get released. Seems like playing Russian Roulette for the 2nd step to take especially if I want a single seat option.
Hi Queenie,
I would definitely give the booking site another go. Good luck! Hope you’ll get your seats.
Regards,
Anna
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