Chur sightseeing and train to St Moritz

Hi moderator

We have modified our itinerary to ride the Glacier express from Zermatt to chur. We will arrive at noon. We need advice on sightseeing at Chur.

Is there similar train line from Zermatt to chur if we don't want to take Glacier Express as they only have 3 options that all depart in the morning? We wish to have a backup plan to stay a few hr more at Zermatt just in case the weather is not good when we arrive Zermatt the day before.

Next morning, we will take train to st. Moritz and return to chur at night. Do we have to reserve seat for the train?

Thank

Hi jpatyl2003,

There are regular trains too via the same route as the Glacier Express, please see here. If you have a rail pass you can just hop on; no seat reservations required. The same applies to trains to St. Moritz, and actually nearly all other trains in Switzerland. Please see here for details.

Hi Annika,

Appreciate your response. I clicked your link and got the Glacier Expres (GE) link. I wish to ride the train from Zermatt to Chur in p.m. Then I entered Zermatt to Brig and it had some schedule in p.m. Nothing show up when I entered Brig to Andermatt. I also tried Brig to Chur and it showed again the GE schedule.

Did I do something wrong to enter right name to show the regular train schedule? Pls. advise.

JP

Hi JP,

That page explains about the differences between the Glacier Express and regular trains. It also has a link to the timetable. To find schedules, please use that timetable. It will show trains all day long. It sounds like you used a different one. Simply enter 'Zermatt' to 'Chur' and your travel date and time. It will first show the quickest connections. Then enter via 'Andermatt' to be sure it displays trains via the Glacier Express route. The trip takes all afternoon (about 6.5 hours).

Hi Arno,

The tips are very helpful. Yes, it will take 1 hr. longer to take the regular train route to travel from Zermatt to Chur comparing to Glacier Express. However, it will give us more time at Zermatt. Could we ride the Glacier Express without online reservation and just pay when we are at the station or on the train?

Will the Swiss pass cover the crossing border portion from Chur to Tirano if we take the Bernina Express? Will we miss the scenic part of this route if we stop at St. Moritz and return? Please advise which stop we should get off and return if we wish to enjoy most of the scenic route.

Thank you

JP

Hi JP,

You have to make seat reservations before you board the Glacier Express. If you do so at the rail station right before leaving, you'll run the risk that all seats are sold out as these trains are very popular in summer months. So if you'd really like to travel by Glacier Express, I recommend that you do make online seat reservations.

Yes, the Swiss Travel Pass covers the entire route to Tirano. You can check this by downloading the validity map. The leg St. Moritz-Tirano is beautiful (please find a description here) and you'd miss out on that if you stop in St. Moritz. On the other hand, if time is limited you will have to make choices, and the leg up to St. Moritz is wonderful as well. You will have done the entire Glacier Express route if you travel as far as St. Moritz, and you will have experienced be a very rewarding and beautiful journey.

Hi Annika

Thank you for the advice. We will likely take the regular train from Zermatt to Chur. Next day, we will take the Benina Express to Tirano, then return to St. Moritz to visit for a few hrs. Then take the night train back to chur. Our train trip plan looks great now, riding two world famous scenic route, and visit Jungfrau & Matterhorn, using the 8days swiss pass.

Appreciate all the advice in the past few months. I learn so much from the forum.