Scenic and affordable route from Zermatt to Munich on Dec 25
PalB09 is planning a trip from Zermatt to Munich on December 25 and is looking for affordable travel options due to high SBB ticket prices. They also want ideas for scenic train rides to enhance their experience. Helpful suggestions include combining train and bus routes and considering special travel passes.
- If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, it covers travel within Switzerland but requires separate tickets for the German leg of your trip to Munich.
- For scenic routes, consider taking the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur; reserve your seat early as it's popular.
- Explore Saver Day Pass or Supersaver tickets for cheaper travel options, but remember that Supersaver tickets are specific to your chosen train and cannot be changed.
- On busy days like Christmas, consider pre-booking seats on trains to ensure availability.
AI-generated summary-
Hi everyone,
I need to go from Zermatt to Munich on Dec 25 and it looks like SBB is *very* expensive!! Any possible bus/train combination that can make it cheaper?
Alternatively, if I can take advantage of any scenic train ride during this tour, then I wouldn’t mind a little extra cost.
Any suggestions/recommendations will be highly appreciated! Thank you very much!
Best,
PalB09
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Hello Palbog
During your stay in Switzerland, what public transport pass are you investing in, if any? If you have a Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/) valid on 25th December, that STP would take you as far as the Swiss frontier at St Margrethen. You would need to have a separate ticket for the St Margrethen to Munich section of your journey.
I have just had a look at the FLIXBUS website, and was pleasantly surprised to see that there were several journeys Zurich to Munich on Christmas Day. So one possibility would be Zermatt to Zurich (via Visp and Bern) by train, then Flixbus to Munich. The coach station at Zurich is very near the Hauptbahnhof.
Kind regards
Roger
Hi PalB09,
In addition to Roger’s reply. For a scenic train ride, you could travel part of the Glacier Express route from Zermatt to Chur, thereon make your way to Munich. See attached screenshot. Details regarding the Glacier Express in the link here:
If you do not have a rail pass, you could try looking at a Saver Day Pass or Supersaver ticket to take you to the Swiss border. These can be quite cheap when purchased in advance. More details in the links below:
- Saver Day Pass: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/saver-day-pass/
- Supersaver ticket: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/supersaver-ticket/
If proceeding with the above you can find options for your ticket St. Margrethen-Munich in the link below:
Kind regards,
YolandaAttachments:
Oh the Chur & St. Margrethen option is really good to know! Also, thanks for mentioning the Saver passes and tickets.
Hi PalB09,
Most welcome.
Should you opt to travel on the Glacier Express, do book your seat reservations (which are mandatory) in a timely manner, it’s a popular train ride.
Have a great trip.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Okay, sure I will keep that in mind. One question, if I reserve a train ticket for a certain time and I miss it, can I board the next train with the same ticket?
Hi PalB09,
If you are referring to the Glacier Express, if you miss your departure, then you would also forfeit your seat reservation. If you wanted to take the next train, depending on your ticket type, a new ticket maybe necessary but a new seat reservation would definitely be required – this would also be subject to availability too.
Fyi, Supersaver tickets are time and date specific, so if you missed your departure, a new ticket would be necessary. If traveling with a Saver Day Pass, this offers more flexibility. With regular trains you could take the next train if you missed your original train. It’s only if you were taking a ride on a panoramic train, like the Glacier Express, you could only take the next train if you had a seat reservation.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Oh okay. Good to know. I knew about the panoramic one, but did not know about supersaver or regular. Thank you!
I got to know about RE38 train, which might be a little cheaper than Glacier Express. Can you please let me know how to explore this option? Thank you!
Hi PalB09,
The RE38 will be a regular train vs the Glacier Express train, which will be a panoramic train.
When reading the Swiss timetable, all panoramic trains will be listed as “PE”. Avoid taking a train with “PE”, if you wish to avoid the additional cost of the compulsory seat reservations.
If budget is a factor, then opt with taking the regular trains, such as the RE38. All the train types are explained in the link below.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Okay, got it. So, basically, I take any train from Zermatt to Chur. Then take RE38 from Chur to St. Moritz. Then, any train from St. Moritz to Munich. Please correct me if I am wrong. Will the Swiss Half Fare Pass work in all these routes?
If I am there during Christmas, what is the latest time of the day that I should keep in mind for a good view?
Hi PalB09,
The Swiss Half Fare Card is valid in Switzerland only, so for the journey from the Swiss border to Munich, the Swiss Half Fare discount won’t apply,
Perhaps download the Swiss Half Fare Card coverage/validity map in the link below and you can view accordingly.
For your journey from the Swiss border to Munich, you can find useful information explaining travel to/from Germany and online options to buy your German ticket here:
In answer to your question, yes, your Swiss Half Fare Card will cover your journey (for a discounted ticket) from Zermatt-Chur.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
If I am there during Christmas, what is the latest time of the day that I should keep in mind for a good view?
You will of course be very close to the winter solstice. I would expect full daylight from about 08 30 to to about 16 30. (4 30 pm)
Best wishes for your detailed planning.
Roger
Thank you so much Roger and Yolanda for all the information!
I looked up the routes and I might just drop the idea of scenic route, even though I really wanted to do it. It looks like train rides from Zermatt to Chur and St. Moritz follow one route through Bern and Zurich (unless it is Glacier Express, which is out of my budget). So, I’ll be just repeating the same route.
I’m landing in Zurich at 11 am. I could potentially do Zurich-Chur-St. Moritz-Chur-Zurich as one trip, and Zurich-Zermatt-Zurich as another trip. That would mean adding a day to Switzerland and additional cost. I have a 7-country plan this time and need to reach to Munich (bus from Zurich to Munich) sooner rather than later.
So, I’m planning to keep it simple. Here’s what I am doing:
Zurich Airport –> Zermatt: 52 CHF (stay the night at Zermatt)
Zermatt <--> Gornergrat (round-trip): 132 CHF (taking the first train in the morning from Zermatt). Is adding Glacier Paradise worth it?
Zermatt –> Zurich: 52 CHF (2:37 pm – 6 pm by train)It is costing me the same whether I get the Half Fare Card or not, but I will still get the Half Fare Card, in case there are sudden changes in plan. Just wanted to check a final time, any other way I can optimize the trip and make it more cost or time-efficient? Am I missing anything?
Hello again
You say Am I missing anything? Possibly yes.
You also say I have a 7-country plan this time. If you are visiting seven countries on this trip, have you considered getting a Global Eurail Pass (if resident OUTSIDE Europe) or a Global Interrail Pass if resident within Europe. (Details of these passes are on this website in the rail passes section).
I am also puzzled by the fares you are quoting. If you get a Half Fare Card (120 CHF for one month)the Gornergrat should be a lot less than 132 CHF.
Kind regards
Roger.
Oh! Had no idea about the Eurail Global Pass!! This will possibly be a huge help!! Thank you so much!!
The ticket prices quoted above are without Half Fare Card. Sorry for the confusion.
Without Half Fare Card: 52 + 132 + 52 = 236 CHF
With Half Fare Card: 120 + 26 + 66 + 26 = 238 CHF
Hi PalB09,
Good advice from Roger regarding the Global Eurail Pass or Interrail Global Pass. For ease, the guides to both are in the attached link below. Download the coverage maps and cross reference with your plans, some of your plans may already be covered and you won’t have no need to buy additional tickets.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Great! Thank you very much!
A question about viewing Matterhorn — I checked this link: https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/gornergrat-matterhorn-sunnegga/#how-to-combine-two-excursions-in-one-day. This link is very helpful, but I had a question about combining Gornergrat and Sunnega-Rothorn. One option, as mentioned in the link, is to walk 2.5 hrs. between Riffelalp and Sunnega. I can’t seem to figure out where Riffelalp is. The video in the link mentions Riffelberg, not Riffelalp.
Also, I was wondering, wouldn’t it take less time to take the 33 mins. train back to Zermatt from Gornergrat and then board the Sunnega-Rothorn cable car from Zermatt?
Hi PalBog,
Riffelalp is the station just before Riffelberg if you are taking the cogwheel train up to Gornergrat. You can refer to the attached screenshot to get an idea of the location.
Information about the trail from Riffelalp to Sunnegga is available here: https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/hike-riffelalp-sunnegga/
If you don’t have enough time to do the hike, I recommend just take the cogwheel train down to Zermatt, then take the funicular up to Sunnegga (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/sunnegga-rothorn/). The Sunnegga valley station is only a few minutes walk from the cogwheel train base station.
Regards,
AnnaAttachments:
Great! Thank you for the information. With that, I have finalized my Zermatt itinerary (screenshot attached). I have a few questions:
- My flight lands in Zurich Airport at 10:40 am. Would it be possible to catch the train at 11:46 am?
- I could not find accommodation in Zermatt on Dec 24-25. So, I’m staying at Embd, close to Kalpetran. Would it be possible to do everything that is listed for Dec 25 or should I try doing this:
- Dec 24: Reach Zermatt at 3:17 pm. Do Sunnegga-Rothorn and get back to Embd. Stay the night at Embd.
- Dec 25: Do Gornergrat. Get back to Zermatt and then to Munich.
- I believe seat reservations are not required for any of these trains, correct?
- I know, if I miss a train, I can board the next one. Is that allowed for the same day or the next 24 hrs.?
- Super Saver tickets can only be booked 30 days in advance, right? Also, with a Super Saver ticket, if I happen to miss my train, am I allowed to board the next one?
- I am still planning to get the Half Fare Card. If any other pass can make this cheaper at this point, then please let me know.
Thank you!
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