Panoramic train to vs additional time in Zermatt

First of all it is worth understanding the facts about the Glacier Express (** for reasons and background see below)

Personally I would also skip the Gotthard Panorama Express (reservation only – 1st class only lots of valley /motorway views not many mountains) .

To get to Zermatt via Andermatt in a relaxing way I would take a direct local train Luzern – Göschenen (change at Erstfeld) . It is just about worth doing the Glacier Express route Andermatt – Zermatt but you can do that on ordinary trains too (saves money, same views and is a more ‘local’ experience usually with just 1 change in Visp

**Glacier Express:

Take care with the hyped-up marketing of the Glacier Express. It is not the ‘be all and end all’ of Swiss tourist travel options.

To understand that comment it is worth taking a moment to understand the Glacier Express and its history:

It was created (as one train each way daily) with the notion that well-healed travellers taking long holidays in Switzerland in the ‘Belle Epoque’ era (1930s) would stay in Zermatt and then also go and stay in the other fashionable resort of the time, St Moritz. The train was named (mainly) after the Rhone Glacier which has now melted so much that you don’t see it from the train and in any case the train runs under the Rhone Glacier in a base tunnel which replaced the Furka mountain section in 1982.

Points to bear in mind about the Glacier Express:

Although the whole journey is in the mountains, a lot of it is in valleys – where you get some good views of bubbling rivers but not all the time – there are some mundane sections.

in truth there are only 4 really spectacular sections – in order West to East: the loops around Grengiols and Fiesch; Andermatt – Oberalppass – Disentis; Ruinaulta (Rheinschucht aka Rhein gorge); Albula north ramp loops and spirals Tiefencastel – Filisur – Preda

The trip is a long one – tourists can frequently be seen sleeping rather than watching the view and missing the spectacular bits anyway!

the same railway lines can be travelled using ordinary local trains which are no slower in practice due to the single track infrastructure

If I maybe permitted to add some perspective…

“Later we took regional trains from Zermatt to Wengen. What a nightmare! We changed trains 5 times”

A nightmare maybe but unfortunatley that is the railway network that is available! Direct way Zermatt to Wengen is 4 changes. This cannot be helped, after all this is the Swiss Alps, and two of the legs of the journey are on metre gauge and one is on 800mm gauge – railways were built to narrower gauges in the high mountains where standard gauge doesn’t work due to tight curvature of steep inclines to be overcome.

“It takes ages to get up to each of the peaks”

I can’t agree that the journey up to Gornergrat from Zermatt takes ‘ages’ . The train takes just 33 minutes, which is pretty good for a railway up a mountain to over 3000m (10,000ft) opened in 1898

Yes, but that is what you suggest people do instead of the Glacier express. I loved the fact the Glacier Express was one train, one seat for the entire time – no changes.

to get up to the mountains you have to factor in waiting for the train or cable car changing trains or cable car, waiting for the next one then doing the same on the way down. I factored in the 33 mins but didn’t realise all the wait times add up. Others may not realise this either.

I have one small spinner bag which I can lift myself and either a back pac or small shoulder bag depending on what I need for the day. I travel light but still found the constant train changes annoying. I understand the necessity for the changes but if I have a choice I’d definitely go for the express train.