Take the Glacier or Bernina Express in mid June?
Ann is planning her first trip to Switzerland and wants to ride the Glacier Express on June 20. She's unsure if it's worth it in summer or if she should consider the Bernina Express instead and is looking for tips.
- Both the Bernina and Glacier Express are popular choices during summer months.
- The Glacier Express offers beautiful scenery in summer, contrasting green landscapes with glaciers, even if not many are directly visible.
- Check online for reservation links for the Glacier Express and Bernina Express in advance.
- The Bernina Railway features unique attractions like the Brusio spiral viaduct, which is a must-see.
AI-generated summary-
Good day everyone,
I am very new here and will be our first time to Switzerland. We are planning to ride Glacier Express on June 20 , is it worth it because it is summer time? Or would you recommend Bernina Express to ride on the month of June? I would appreciate if more tips and informations you can share . Thank you very much.
God bless everyone,
Ann
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Most people ride the Bernina and Glacier Express trains in summer.
The Glacier Express is very nice in winter as there is usually snow at higher altitudes, but the point of a glacier is that it is visible more in summer when it contrasts with the green around it.
Don’t be fooled by the title Glacier Express. The train was named in the early 1930s because it went past the Rhone Glacier. It no longer passes the glacier and in fact very few if any glaciers are visible from the Glacier express.
On the Bernina Railway, the spectacle is really the twists and turns of the railway, not the (again quite few) glacier views.
Hello 1960man
thank you very much for the good information. Do you also know the link where I can get reservations using my Swiss pass ticket for glacier express? So sorry to ask more questions. Thank you 🙏😊☺️ Very much
ann
Hi Ann,
You find all the Bernina Express and Glacier Express information here, including reservation links:
Hi 👋 Arno
Thank you very much for all your great help and information.
God bless
Ann
I always use the ordinary trains without reservation so I am not an expert on the Glacier Express (GEX) and Bernina Express (BEX) reservations.
I am much mor familiar with travelling and the railway geography.
Sadly as I mentioned earlier, global warming and the retreat of glaciers means the glaciers that were easily viewed from the BEX (and GEX) are now visible only fleetingly if at all.
For example here are images showing the Palu Glacier 100 years ago compared with today:
By far the most spectacular section of the Bernina Railway is the Brusio open spiral viaduct. This is almost unique in the world. There are several railway routes in Switzerland and other countries where the are spiral tunnels, but Brusio is out in the open air.:
Look out also for the descent from Alp Grum to Cavaglia (the railway loses 400m of altitude in a short distance between the two stations , and the Le Prese village where the railway runs right down the middle of the main road!
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