Where to stay along the Glacier Express route
A traveler named Angielee396 is planning a trip in September to ride the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Cortona, Italy, and is unsure whether to stay in St. Moritz or Chur. They are looking for highlights of St. Moritz and advice on the best town for a short visit without hiking, as they will only have one day.
- St. Moritz is a good base for your trip; you can take the Bernina Express to Tirano and then a train to Milan from there.
- Consider staying in nearby towns like Filisur or Berguen for a more relaxing experience, as they are picturesque and less expensive than St. Moritz.
- You don’t have to ride the Glacier Express for every segment; regular trains can be used to save money and still enjoy scenic views.
- The Swiss Travel Pass can be a great option for unlimited travel on the Swiss rail network, making your journey smoother.
AI-generated summary-
Hello, My husband and I are going to ride the Glacier Express from Zermatt in September. I assumed we would go to St. Moritz but I’m starting to wonder if we should stay in Chur or somewhere else? St. Moritz seems to be for skiers?
We leave Zermatt on the 16th and need to be in Cortona, Italy on the 19th.
Is St. Moritz the best place to get to Italy from Switzerland? What are the highlights of St. Moritz? I love history and views but we are not going to be hiking. With just one day I’m sure we will just be checking out which ever town we stay in. Chur seems nice too. What about other towns along the GE route?
Thank you,
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Hello Angielee396,
My first trip on the Glacier Express was from Zermatt to Filisur, then a couple days later I took a regular regional train to Davos where I caught the Bernina Express down to Tirano (Italy).
In Filisur there is a very simple trail that takes you to a observation view where you can see the trains cross the Landwasser Viaduct. There are a couple small hotels in Filisur.
Tirano is also a nice little town just across the Italian border.
Hi Angielee396,
Based on your plan, I think St Moritz would be a good base after your long journey on the Glacier Express from Zermatt. I’m not sure how you are travelling to Italy but one option is to take the Bernina Express from St Moritz to Tirano at the border. At Tirano you can switch to a regional train to Milan.
There probably won’t be snow and skiers in St Moritz in September but there will still be plenty of things to see and do as detailed here: http://www.myswissalps.com/stmoritz/activities
For hotel options in St Moritz, this link might be useful: http://www.myswissalps.com/stmoritz/hotels
You can find information about tickets to Italy here: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy
Regards,
Anna
As ever, it entirely depends on your travel preferences. As you will see at the bottom of my answer this also extends to what sort of places you like to be in.
To get to Cortona from Zermatt, you can either:
1) not use the Glacier Express at all
2) do the full route of the Glacier Express
3) do part of the GEX route
Option 2 is a very long way round from Zermatt to Italy, but is obviously scenic! Option 2 also means you end up in – as you already state – St Moritz. The logical way to Milano is then to go over the Bernina route to Tirano, Italy. From Tirano there is a train to Milano
You need to work backwards:
Milano to Cortona takes between 4hr10 and 4hr45
Tirano – Milano takes 2hr30
St Moritz – Tirano takes 2hr30
As you can see this logically means that a whole day is needed for St Moritz – Cortona
Having said all the above, St Moritz is a ‘chic’ resort so it is more expensive than other places.
You could break your journey at any of the following places:
a) Chur (if you want a ‘city’ type overnight)
b) Filisur, Bergun/Bravuogn (if you want a ‘middle of nowhere’ village). I particularly recommend Berguen which is a lovely little village with some historic small hotels.
c) Samedan or Pontresina (near St Moritz but usually cheaper)
Having mentioned the possible places to stop over, don’t forget that you don’t need to use the actual Glacier Express premium train on any segment if it is not at a convenient time – using ordinary trains on the same route saves a bit of money
Thank you 1960man. The logical aspect of this trip is what I was looking for. Our reason for coming to Switzerland during an Italian trip is solely for the GE experience. My sister said it is a MUST! That is why I’m trying to figure out the best way to “see it all”. I thought there might be a route that let’s us see the majority of the panoramic ride and get still to Italy easier, but it seems going to St. Moritz , Tirano and then Lugano is the best, most logical. Staying in a ‘chic’ resort is not really our thing but keeping my husband happy is of more importance. He will get anxious if there are too many connections involved. Berguen sounds wonderful but it also sounds like more connections will be needed. I appreciate everyone’s experience and advice. Thank you all.
Does anyone have experience with Magic Switzerland Travel Services?
Hi Angielee396,
Magic Switzerland is a travel agency located in Switzerland and the United States. Their travel consultants have many years of Switzerland holidays experience and most of them are Swiss natives. They are our partner since 2005, and they are fully reliable and helpful. See more at http://www.myswissalps.com/customholidays (scroll down to the end of the page).
I hope that helps,
Ildiko
I have to say that personally, I would separate Italian and Swiss holidays into two separate trips and not combine the two, as seems to be a popular choice by what I see on this site!
My wife hates the concept of Italy and won’t set foot outside Switzerland!
There is a good reason for this, and it is also the reason why your husband should not be ‘anxious about connections’ – everything is clearly signed, or explained by friendly staff, or readable in brochures and books. It is no accident that Switzerland is known as ‘the country where public transport runs like clockwork’ and ‘the world’s most integrated transport network’. To stay over at Berguen, simply get off one train in the afternoon, and get on another the next morning – simple!
You should in the meantime take a moment to think about the Glacier Express concept. Some people like being all day in sealed window coaches and . Other travellers prefer not to be in the same seat for hours on end – it is a personal choice.
On all Swiss railway routes covered by the so called ‘panoramic trains’ there are normal trains where the seats are just as comfortable and the views are the same as the windows on all Swiss trains are large.
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