Is Zermatt to Brig on Glacier Express worth it
A traveler is planning a trip in early May with two adults and a child, starting in Thun and heading to Zermatt via Visp, before going to Wengen for four nights. They want to know if paying an extra CHF23 per seat for the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Brig is worth it, given that it's a short journey lasting about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- It's generally not worth spending extra on the Glacier Express for such a short trip; regular trains offer the same scenery and are covered by your passes.
- Consider the base tunnel route to Zermatt, as it still offers beautiful views without extra cost.
- Ensure you book seat reservations for the Glacier Express if you decide to go; prices may range from CHF23 to CHF33 depending on the time of May.
AI-generated summary-
Hi guys, another train question.
We are two adults and a child (13 years) and will have STP and family card.
In early May after a couple of nights in Thun we are planning to take the quicker route to Zermatt via Visp.
After a couple of nights in Zermatt we will head to Wengen for 4 nights. Do you think it is worth the extra CHF23 per seat reservation to take the Glacier Express on the first leg of the journey from Zermatt to Brig as it only takes about 1 hour 20 mins?
Again thanks for any comments.
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Hello again Sweyne,
I think the answer to your question might simply be no, because you travel through the same scenery on regular trains, which are covered by your passes and run much more frequently than the Glacier Express.
Then again you might want the treat of a “scenic train” in a anyway scenic scenery for your trip.
– http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpressYou can identify the Glacier Express by the symbol PE when searching for the connection in the timetable:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/timetableBest,
StephAlso see:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/thun
– http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt
– http://www.myswissalps.com/wengen
Many thanks for the very quick reply Steph …. a special treat sounds nice! So I think we may opt for it and the PE times suit us.
You will need to make seat reservations for 3 to travel on the GEX. It may work out an expensive “treat” for such a relatively short trip. Probably around CHF100.
To be blunt (as a Swiss railway expert of 59 years standing), Zermatt – Brig on the Glacier Express is pointless. You will hardly benefit from the Panoramic coaches as the journey is in the valley. The most interesting things to see between Zermatt and Visp are the back gardens, smallholdings etc plus the villages and the tumbling river, all of which are just as easy to see from the standard coaches. In fact even the local unit trains have panoramic sections (see picture)
You will see much more of a panorama once you are on the Brig – Kandersteg – Spiez Lötschberger train, and it wont cost anything extra
“In early May after a couple of nights in Thun we are planning to take the quicker route to Zermatt via Visp.”
To clarify, any route to Zermatt will be ‘via Visp’, either the old mountain route (Thun – Spiez – Kandersteg – Brig (BLS), then Brig – Visp – Zermatt (MGB) or the base tunnel route Thun – Spiez – base tunnel – Visp – Zermatt
But also – don’t think that the quicker base tunnel route is devoid of scenery – far from it (see my pictures from April 2019)
I think they are planning to go the quick route on the way from Thun to Zermatt and via Brig and Kandersteg on trip to Wengen.
My estimate of CHF100 for 3 reservations was a little high. The price per seat changes form CHF23 to CHF33 sometime in May.
I agree its not worth it even at the lower price.
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