Gotthard Bernina circular tour from Interlaken

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    15 November 2018 at 0:08:22 #818951

    I have learned of this full day trip. I wonder where I will find a full timetable to choose tickets / departure times . Also whether it is covered by the Swiss Pass. We shall stay in the Interlaken area, where would be a convenient departure point ? Thanks

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    15 November 2018 at 0:28:04 #899109

    I don’t recommend it as a single trip. It takes a very long time to do both lines in one day.

    Starting form Interlaken the journey would take 17 hours

    It might work out just about if you started and finished in Zurich or Luzern (journey about 14 hr)

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    15 November 2018 at 8:19:24 #899110

    Yes, the only way this trip is really doable in 1 day is if you an start in Zurich. There are express trains, running through the Gotthard Base Tunnel that allows you to do that trip in just over 2 hours.

    From Interlaken it will take about 4+ hours just to Lugano. The trip is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass so no tickets needed (just reservations on the Bernina Express train if you take it. http://www.myswissalps.com/be rninaexpress/packages

    Use the timetable to find departure times and trip duration: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

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    23 November 2018 at 2:45:05 #899111

    I now realise this was an ambitious itinerary . We are now looking at the Glacier express instead. Ideally we wish to do a return trip, – out and back . From our Interlaken base it seems Andermatt is the nearest place to board. If we travel as far as Chur, my understanding is there is a return departure that will get us back in about 10 hours . Is this feasible ? , We are happy to drive the 2 hours or so to Andermatt. Our dates are anytime June 14 – June 19.

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    23 November 2018 at 7:38:16 #899112

    Yes, you can do part of the Glacier Express route from Interlaken. We note the details on our Glacier Express page: http://www.myswissalps.com/gl acierexpress

    From Interlaken: take a train to Brig and board the Glacier Express there. Get off the train in Chur. Then take a train back to Interlaken. This day trip takes 9 to 10 hours.

    Arno
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    23 November 2018 at 21:40:10 #899113

    Hi Pomkitanner,

    I wouldn’t recommend to drive two hours to Andermatt (and back). You can reach Brig in a bit more than an hour by train and board the Glacier Express there. Also if you drive you’ll be forced to travel back the same way which makes for an even longer day.

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    24 November 2018 at 23:44:43 #899114

    Glacier Express:

    As I have stated in response to previous forum threads it is not really logical or practical to travel on the Glacier Express from a base further north (such as Interlaken or Luzern) just to be on the Glacier Express.

    The Glacier Express runs roughly on an East – West axis in the southern part of Switzerland, so trying to access it from further north is falling into the trap of being lured by the hyperbolic marketing of the Glacier Express. In practice the Glacier Express is just an ‘exclusive’ set of trains on a normal railway route with plenty of other normal – non supplement , reservation-free trains on it.

    If you are already holidaying in the Swiss Alps you won’t necessarily see anything more spectacular from the Glacier Express that what you have already seen on other jaunts.

    To understand the above, 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.

    A summary of things 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 3 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

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    24 November 2018 at 23:58:49 #899115

    Further to previous post, here is a list of how to get to the 4 most worthwhile sections on the ‘Glacier Express route’ by out and back individual trips from central Switzerland, without using the Glacier Express:

    The Albula (World Heritage site) railway – especially the Albula north ramp loops and spirals Tiefencastel – Filisur – Preda: any fast train to Chur, then RhB IR train Chur – St Moritz

    Ruinaulta (Rhine Grand Canyon): any fast train route to Chur, then RhB regional train Chur – Ilanz, It is accessible from Valendas-Sagogn, Versam-Safien and Trin stations that lie within the gorge.

    Oberalp pass crossing:

    as above – any fast train to Chur, then RhB regional train Chur – Disentis, then MGB regional train Disentis – Oberalppass – Andermatt

    or SBB trains to Göschenen, MGB local Göschenen – Andermatt, MGB regional train Andermatt – Oberalppass – Disentis

    Zermatt /Matterhorn

    Direct mainline trains to Brig or Visp, MGB regional train to Zermatt

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