[Removed user]

12 July 2019 at 21:12:36 #822808

Hello, we will be traveling to Zermatt from Lucerne in later October. The Glacier Express is closed during our visit for maintenance. Are there any recommendations on an alternative method of seeing the area without the scenic train? We only have one full day to do this.

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[rockoyster]

12 July 2019 at 22:53:37 #917635

Hello TampaTourist and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

The Glacier Express is not the way of “seeing the area” if by area you mean around Zermatt.

If your timetable permits then I strongly recommend you take the route Luzern to Zermatt via Interlaken and Kandersteg. You will then travel between Spiez and Brig on the Regio-Express Lötschberger train over the traditional, more than 100 year old mountain route, giving you a wonderful view along the impressive peaks and down into the Rhone Valley. The 1-hour faster route Visp direct to Spiez takes you through the fairly lengthy Lötschberg Base Tunnel with rather limited views. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ L%C3%B6tschberg_railwa y_line.

I am guessing you plan to stay in Zermatt (http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/activities) more than a day. Perhaps if we had a little more context of your itinerary it would help provide more targeted advice.

[Annika]

13 July 2019 at 10:27:53 #917636

Hi TampaTourist!

I second Rockoyster’s suggestion to take the scenic Lötschberger train route when heading for Zermatt. You’ll find details in the timetable if you enter “Kandersteg” as a via-station between Lucerne and Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.

Do you have only one day to spend in Zermatt? If so, I would personally prefer to discover Zermatt itself and its beautiful surroundings, rather than making a long journey away from it. Rockoyster provided you with a link to activities near Zermatt. I can highly recommend the train trip up to Gornergrat, for example. It’s much shorter than the Glacier Express ride, and a different experience altogether, but very scenic: http://www.myswissalps.com/go rnergrat.

Note that you can still enjoy the route of the Glacier Express route using regular trains. Please refer to “Regular trains versus Glacier Express” at http://www.myswissalps.com/gl acierexpress.