Glacier Express and alternative travel options
A traveler named Yugi is planning a 7-day trip through Switzerland from Zurich to Zermatt, Saas Fee, St. Moritz, and back, with visits to the Jungfrau region and Christmas markets. They are confused about whether to book seats on the Glacier Express in advance and if the Swiss Travel Pass covers their itinerary, especially the Jungfrau region. They're seeking clarity on booking options and travel passes.
- Book Glacier Express seats in advance, as they can sell out quickly, especially during popular times like Christmas week.
- An 8-day Swiss Travel Pass is recommended for Yugi's itinerary, but the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland and Jungfrau Travel Pass are not available in winter.
- It's more efficient to travel from Zurich to the Jungfrau region first before heading to Zermatt and St. Moritz, to avoid unnecessary backtracking.
AI-generated summary-
Hi ,
Could you please help, do we need to book seats in advance assuming we bought swiss travel pass ?
I’m trying to book seats on glacier express but it says not available. Will it be available in winter in the days of Dec 20 – 27 Month.
Any other options we have to book seats ?
I am confused over travel passes? 7 day trip
Aim to cover : Zurich -> Zermatt ->saas fee glacier village -> st.mortiz -> Zurich christman markets -> Jungfrau regional -> Zurich
Does Swiss travel pass cover all these trips including Jungfrau regional ?
or do i has to buy Jungfrau regional pass & Berner Oberland pass?
which is better among these so i can cover all the above places? pls suggest.Thank you.
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Hi Yugi, welcome to MySwissAlps!
Yes, Glacier Express seats have to be booked in advance: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/tickets. If you’re trying to book for this December, chances are the trains are simply fully booked. It’s a popular ride, and the Christmas week can be even busier. I just tried myself with the same result, but when I did a dummy booking for next February there were plenty of seats available. Seats can be booked about 3 months ahead. So if you’re aiming at December next year, you just can’t book anything yet.
You can still make the same ride, but in regional trains for which you don’t need a reservations. The differences between Glacier Express and normal trains are explained here: https://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress. You can use the timetable to plan your ride: https://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.
An 8-day Swiss Travel Pass would be best for your itinerary, as you’ll be crossing the country. Moreover, the Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland and the Jungfrau Travel Pass aren’t available in winter. You download a validity map and see a list of covered activities (including those in the Jungfrau Region/Bernese Oberland) at http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/validity.
As for your travel plans: it would be more efficient to travel as follows: Zurich – Jungfrau region – Zermatt/Saas-Fee – St. Moritz – Zurich. That prevents extra back and forth trips from/to Zurich. If your main reason to get to St. Moritz was to enjoy the Glacier Express, you may want to leave out the entire ride and spend more time in the Jungfrau region (https://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion) and Zermatt (https://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt) / Saas-Fee (https://www.myswissalps.com/saasfee).
Nice you’ll be visiting the Zurich Christmas markets! Please find more info at https://www.myswissalps.com/zurich and http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/christmasmarkets.
As Arno says, Glacier Express is probably already fully booked for this month. There are fewer Glacier Express services in winter than in summer.
Thank you for the detailed information.
What are my next options for glacier express? can i book in Switzerland at some place ?
If i book only tickets without seat reservation, do i has to stand the journey ?
Please help.
Regards,
Yugi
You cannot travel on the Glacier Express without a reservation. If it is fully booked there is nothing you ca do.
However please note the followinv
1) the Glacier Express is far from being a panacea of rail travel in the Alps. For one thing you actually see very few if any glaciers from the train itself.
2) you can access all the areas traversed by Glacier Express trains using the normal regular trains on the same lines.
3) just by visiting Zermatt you will see more alpine peaks over 4000m than you would see from the confines of the sealed window Glacier Express
Hi Yugi,
1960man is right. If you don’t have a reservation, you won’t be allowed to board the Glacier Express. If your dates are fixed, you might want to consider travelling on the regular trains instead. Or perhaps consider other options such as the Bernina Express or the Golden Pass? You can find more details in the following links:
- Bernina Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress
- Golden Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass
regards,
Anna
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