Train from St.Moritz to Geneva airport
A traveler named Andyvecc1 is skiing in Zermatt until January 3rd and plans to take the Glacier Express to St. Moritz for two days before returning to Geneva on January 6th. He is confused about the return journey, wondering about the best way to reach Geneva airport, as he initially thought there was a direct train but can't find one now.
- There are no direct trains from St. Moritz to Geneva; expect minimum travel time of 6.5 hours with two changes at Chur and Zurich.
- Consider switching your return flight to Zurich for a quicker journey back, as trains from Zurich to Geneva are frequent and reliable.
- You can bring your skis on the trains without issues, as many travelers do the same in Switzerland.
- It's advisable to catch an earlier train from St. Moritz to allow for possible missed connections and delays.
AI-generated summary-
Hi Guys, I’m skiing in Zermatt for a week with my nephew thru Jan 3rd. Then we’re taking the glacial express train to St.Moritz for 2 days before returning to Geneva airport on Sat. 5th. My question is, I had no problem finding the initial tickets to Zermatt from the airport. But on the return from St. Moritz, it looks like I have go to Chur, then to Zürich, and back to Geneva airport. Changing trains twice. Is that correct? I thought initially when I was looking I saw a direct train from St. Moritz to Geneva airport, and now I can’t seem to find it. What’s the best way to get back to Geneva airport from St. Moritz. Our flight is Sunday morning the 6th & we have a room at the airport hotel, so I’d like to catch the last train to maximize my 2 days in St. Moritz. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Hi Andyvecc1 and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Yes, there are no direct trains from St. Moritz to Geneva (airport or town). Minimum and fastest would be 6.5 hours with changes at Chur and Zurich. The timetable always gives the most direct routes by default. http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Looks like the last departure with only the 2 connections is departing at 17:02 on Jan.5 but arrives quite late. There are many departure options during the day though for you to pick from.
St Moritz to Geneva airport is one of the few ‘marathon’ train journeys in Switzerland, and in fact is one of the longest possible journeys for such a small country. It’s not a great idea really to end up at St Moritz as your last stop before leaving Switzerland from Geneva airport.
You certainly can’t get a direct train as St Moritz is on the narrow (metre) gauge RhB railway, not the standard gauge inter-city Federal Railway network.
Having said that, changing twice which you imply is onerous really won’t be too bad so don’t worry. You would change from the RhB railway to the SBB at Chur, which has easy to use ramps and underpass to switch platforms. The other change would be at Zurich HB. Slightly more complicated but a normal change point
Very last connection is 18.02 from St Moritz, arrive 00.49, change at Chur, Zurich and Lausanne
However the whole journey will be in the dark which is a bit of a waste
Are your flights already fixed? Zurich is a better departure airport of you have been in St Moritz. Or put another way, are you sure you need to visit St Moritz?
Wow, thanks for the info! I had the extra 3 days and I saw the glacial express train online, and I guess I kind of got caught up in how cool that looked, to see the country of Switzerland & the Alps like that seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity. And St. Moritz looked so beautiful, I just plunged ahead and booked it. That being said, I already booked the glacial express & a room in St. Moritz, and I have the room at Geneva airport on Saturday night before my flight on Sunday. If I could change my return flight to Zürich, I would only lose the airport hotel fee in Geneva for one night. Which was about $150- , so not too bad. But ultimately what would that do, save me another 2-3 hours on the last train? And if I somehow miss a connecting train, I’m really screwed! I’ll be stuck in Chur or Zürich and miss my flight on Sunday morning. I wish I had found you guys earlier, lol. Any thoughts? Also, we’re bringing our own skis, I hope that’s not an issue on any of these trains? I figured it’s Switzerland, everybody is traveling with skis , no?
Lucas, are there any problems or issues with me bringing my ski bag on any of these trains , including the glacial express. I just assumed it was okay. Guess I should’ve confirmed that before I bought the glacial express tickets. And on the one ways to Zermatt and then back to Zürich and Geneva, should I buy those online with one of the reseller companies, or just get over to the train station and buy them there when my flight lands and I collect my bags? I already got some advice from 1960man who was helpful, but I forgot to ask about that in particular. Thanks again, Andy.
Hi Andyvecc1,
Ski aren’t a problem on Swiss trains no – as you said you won’t be the only one with them on the train (even the Glacier Express but that might not be quite as common).
I wouldn’t worry about missing train connections. Swiss trains run on time like no other country in the world. Even if you did miss a train there would be another one you could take shortly thereafter.
For example, if you take the 14:47 train from St. Moritz you arrive in Landquart at 16:36 and depart at 16:49 (and you see the platforms you arrive and depart on). At Zurich you have 10 minutes which is fine as you only move from platform 10 to 14. But if you missed the 18:03 from Zurich to Geneva you can take the next one at 18:32. http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Before buying point to point tickets for all your trips (online or at the station) I’d look to see if a rail pass could save you some money. http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses
If you are only taking those 3 trains then perhaps they won’t. But a Saver Day Pass might be worth it instead if bought far enough in advance: http://www.myswissalps.com/sa verdaypass
Hey Andy-
The Glacier Express is glacially slow, really really slow for an “Express” train but the correct name is “Glacier Express” not “glacial express.”
😉
And, without regard for costs or changes, there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll be better of flying home out of Zürich. If you can’t, and have to go to Geneva, don’t push your luck. Give up a few hours on the last day, and schedule our return to Geneva so that you have several later trains for a contingency.
Indeed, as 1960man and Lucas have pointed out, changes at Zürich are not all that bad, but they can sometimes be more complicated than track 10 to track 14. 10 to 14 is easy. So, if you are hauling skis, make sure that you know the track numbers, If they are both numbered between 3 and 18, that is the main level, all tracks side by side. However, if the SBB timetable says some other numbers, leave 20 minutes or bit more for confusion and hauling skis.
There is station map for major stations on the SBB web site that shows track numbers, and the time table tells you inbound and outbound platforms.
My opinion, anyway.
Slowpoke.
The problem with changing at Zurich is that some Zurich – Geneva trains now run through the new underground platforms.
Slowlpoke, thanks for the heads up! You basically read my mind in regards to getting out of St. Moritz a little earlier in the day, just to allow for the possibility of a missed connection . The last thing I want is to be stressed out because I tried to squeeze a few more hours in St. Moritz. And also, I’m definatley going to try to switch my flight to Zürich airport . I guess I didn’t realize when I booked the Glacier Express 🙂 that I was going to the other side of the country . It just looked like a cool thing to do! I booked this trip myself, and it’s my first trip to Switzerland . I’m sure it’s gonna be awesome, although I wind I’d found this forum a little earlier in the game. And, I’m from New York, so I’m allowed to screw up names now & then!!
I’m confused now as to what you would prefer to do.
I honestly believe you may be over-ambitious in trying to get all the way to St Moritz, only to come all the way back. I’m somewhat surprised that a map didn’t show you how far apart Geneva and St Moritz are.
What would the exact dates and times of your journeys be? You say you are skiing in Zermatt until Jan 3, have 2 days in St Moritz and fly out of Geneva on 6th. That doesn’t add up as far as I can see, bearing in mind that the Glacier (not Glacial) Express takes a full day to travel Zermatt – St Moritz. If that journey is on the 4th, that doesn’t equate to 2 days in St Moritz.
My suggestion would be to modify your plan in one of two ways:
1) switch your homeward to Zurich iso Geneva. You might have to cancel bookings in Geneva, but you would not pay the cost of a train fare St Moritz – Geneva
2) Forget the Glacier Express and going to St Moritz and take one or more day trips from Zermatt to another ski area (eg Wengen or Crans Montana). The winter scenery will be just as good as going to St Moritz
<“The problem with changing at Zurich is that some Zurich – Geneva trains now run through the new underground platforms”>>
Exactly my worry.
Slowpoke
<<“And, I’m from New York, so I’m allowed to screw up names now & then!! “>>
And, I’m from Connecticut, formerly upstate NY, and therefore do not feel a need to speak as politely as Lucas, who was trained in Canada. I have learned that the people you will be dealing with in Switzerland ( unlike some countries) are glad you are there, but smile a lot more if it is clear that you have tried to learn a bit about the country.
Smiles are better than tolerance.
😉
Slowpoke
Hi 1960man, and again thank you for all your advice. Maybe I wasn’t clear. I’m checking out on the morning of the 3rd. Which is a Thursday . So that left me 3 more days of vacation ,Before my flight Sunday morning. Originally, I had thought about visiting Bolzano Italy, where my Grandmother is from. But I looked into it and didn’t think it was feasible .So, I saw the Glacier express train, and figured it would be fun and easier to stay in Switzerland . I didn’t realize when I bought those tickets, how far away St. Moritz was and how difficult it would be to return. It actually was a simple mistake, and no ,I didn’t refer to a map of Switzerland . Again, I thought I was doing a great job planning my trip. I have to make it work, I basically already paid for everything . I’m just going to try and see if I can fly out of Zürich . If not, as we say here, it is what it is! But again, I do REALLY appreciate your & everyone else’s help. I’ll keep you posted on my flight info! Thanks again. Andy
Swiss trains are a joy, so riding them a bit longer than anticipated is certainly doable 🙂 You’ll see a lot of scenery pass by the window you may wish to explore a next time!
Hi Andy –
<<“Originally, I had thought about visiting Bolzano Italy, where my Grandmother is from.”>>
For your next trip, you could take a route we used once when we stayed in Bozen/Bolzano, and Merano. There is quite new and nice rail line from Merano ( near Bolzano), toward the Swiss Border and the ancient Val Mustair. So, you take a train to Merano, pick up the new line through the Val Venosta as far as Malles Venosta. At Malles Venosta, you pick up a Swiss bus, which takes you across the Swiss border, through St. Maria Val Mustair, through the Swiss National Park to Zernez. At Zernez, you can catch the train that runs along the valley of the river Inn to St. Moritz. Zernez to St. Moritz takes 51 minutes.
Frequent service during the day, about 5 hours or a little more for the journey. We broke it for lunch at Malles Venosta.
Slowpoke
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