Glacier Express and Bernina Express in Sep/Oct
A traveler is planning an 18-21 day trip to Switzerland from September 17 to October 7, focusing on the Grand Train Tour route. They want to know if this time is good for seeing snow-capped mountains, as they love scenic train rides and want to ensure they experience the best views. They are open to shifting their vacation to spring if necessary.
- September is a beautiful month for scenic train rides in Switzerland, offering great weather and scenery.
- You may see snow on the Bernina and Glacier Express, especially as you climb higher toward Zermatt.
- Consider researching links provided for specific tips about your chosen train rides.
- Taking the Swiss Travel Pass can be beneficial for unlimited travel on trains, buses, and boats throughout Switzerland.
AI-generated summary-
Hello everyone,
I am planning a trip to Switzerland this year starting in the third week of Sep (17 Sep) and ending by the first week of Oct (7 Oct).
I will base my 18-21 day itinerary on the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland (Lucerne-Interlaken-Montreux-Zermatt-St. Moritz-Lugano-Lucerne-St Gallen). The difference being, I intend to begin my first leg in Bern and train to Interlaken from there. I will also skip St Gallen at the end and travel back to Zurich from Lucerne.
While I get that there are no “bad times” to ride on the Glacier and Bernina Express, I would like to ask if September/October is an ideal time for seeing snow capped sceneries, i.e. would it be too early for that?
As an avid fan of train rides, I will devote a day each to these journeys. As such, I really want to make sure I do these train rides at the best possible time, and will be happy to shift my vacation to the Spring if necessary.
Your insights would be very much appreciated! Thank you in advance!
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Hi Ad2403,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
Thanks for sharing your plans.
Here’s our handy guide to visiting Switzerland from January to December and what to expect during the course of the year:
You may want to also take a look our links to your chosen train rides, you’ll find some useful tips within and also what to look forward to:
Other Swiss scenic train rides can be found here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activities/scenictrips/train
Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi Ad2403,
I used the map I have attached to plan out my trip. I went in Sept, 2018 and did my own version of a Grand Train Tour using this. I spent about a week planning it after having booked my flights. Then I picked out my hotels and went from there. Perhaps it can give you some pointers to help your planning. Also, I have a link to a trip report I wrote that may also interest you.
As far as snow is concerned, you will see some on the Bernina and Glacier Expresses, but only in the distance up top. On the Glacier Express, you will see snow gradually as you climb higher into the valley closer to Zermatt,xas you will become surrounded by the highest concentration in the Alps of 4000m in altitude. It’s up to you if you want to switch to spring, but Sept was absolutely beautiful. Both in scenery as well as weather. So much so that I am heading back this Sept as well. Again, read through my report if you want as it may help you plan things. Have a great trip.
Regards,
Danielsan
http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/part-1-of-triip-report
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