Must-knows about this tour

  • In 3 days, you’ll make a beautiful train round trip from Zurich, including the entire Glacier Express route.
  • You’ll spend a night in 2 famous mountain villages: Zermatt and St. Moritz.
  • The estimated costs for the train trips and hotels are CHF 590 per person.
Main regions: Engadine, Valais, Graubünden
Main towns: Zermatt, Zurich, St. Moritz
Recommended season: early January to mid October and mid December to late December
Transportation: Train
Duration: 3 to 9 days
Theme: Scenic trains

Quick overview of the 3-day journey Copy link to clipboard

This sample Glacier Express tour includes a train ride from Zurich to Zermatt, the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz, and a train ride from St. Moritz back to Zurich.

Of course, you can customize the route to your preferences. But if you follow my proposed tour, this is how you'll travel: 

  1. Zurich to Zermatt, either by the Lötschberg Mountain Railway, the northern stretch of the GoldenPass route, or quicker trains
  2. Zermatt to St. Moritz with the Glacier Express
  3. St. Moritz to Zurich, again with several possible routes
RhB train on the Landwasser viaduct near Filisur
Train of the Rhaetian railways (RhB) crossing the famous Landwasser viaduct near Filisur.

Day 1: Zurich to Zermatt

You’ll travel from Zurich to Zermatt by train (about 3h15). This is not the Glacier Express yet. You can choose from several routes:

  1. The quickest route uses the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. You’ll travel via Bern, Thun, Spiez, and Visp. If you have time, I recommend one of the more scenic options below though.
  2. If you travel by the Lötschberg Mountain Railway, you’ll cross the beautiful mountains above the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. You’ll travel via Bern, Thun, Spiez, Kandersteg, Goppenstein, and Visp. It’s about 1 hour longer than option 1.
  3. A 3rd option is to travel via Lucerne, Meiringen and Interlaken. This is the northern leg of the GoldenPass route. This route is about 2 hours longer than option 1. In Interlaken, you’ll travel to Spiez. Then you can change to either the quick trains through the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, or to the regional train of the Lötschberg Mountain Railway.

If you arrive early enough in Zermatt and the weather is clear, this is a good time to take the cogwheel train up the Gornergrat to enjoy the view of the Monte Rosa massif and the Matterhorn. In case of bad weather, you can explore the town or visit the Matterhorn Museum. More activities in Zermatt are listed here.

Day 2: Glacier Express

The highlight of this tour is the Glacier Express which takes you to St. Moritz. The journey takes about 8 hours. You’ll arrive in St. Moritz around dinner time. All you need to know about the Glacier Express is available here. Make sure you make your reservations well in time. Annika explains how to do so here.

Day 3: St. Moritz to Zurich

Today’s transfer will take about 3h30 if you use one of the quicker routes. So if your schedule allows you to arrive late in Zurich, you can add other activities. Enjoy part of the day shopping in St. Moritz, do a short hike, or visit a local mountain top such as Piz Nair or the Corvatsch. Or choose to arrive early in Zurich and explore the city.

There are several routes back to Zurich:

  1. Get back via Filisur and Chur. You’ll duplicate part of the Glacier Express route.
  2. Travel to Zurich via Klosters. You’ll see the Lower Engadine region, and you’ll pass the towns of Zernez, Susch, Klosters, and Landquart. This route is about just as long as option 1.
  3. Travel via Filisur, Davos, Klosters and Landquart. This also duplicates part of the Glacier Express route, but not as much as option 1. This route is 1 hour longer than options 1 and 2.

How to use this itinerary: practical tips

  • This is a do-it-yourself tour, not a complete package.
  • You can make this journey in reverse order too.
  • Check each travel segment for your planned travel dates in the timetable.
  • The itinerary of this tour can be booked as displayed here (see the shopping list), or you can extend it by booking extra nights in Zurich, Zermatt or St. Moritz.
  • If you have more than 3 days available, have a look at our 7-day train tour and our 8-day winter train itinerary.

Map of the train tour

The below map shows the quickest routes between Zurich and Zermatt, and between St. Moritz and Zurich.

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Map

Prices and shopping list Copy link to clipboard

Price indication

This tour costs about CHF 590 per person, including all items of the below shopping list. Details:

  • I assume a 2nd class 3-day Swiss Travel Pass.
  • I use Glacier Express seat reservation fares for the high season. Reservations are cheaper in low season.
  • My estimate is based on 2-person rooms in 3-star hotels in Zermatt, St. Moritz and Zurich in high season, including breakfast.
  • Children under 16 travel for free: simply order a free Swiss Family Card when getting your Swiss Travel Pass.
  • Expenses for food, souvenirs and additional activities, that aren't fully covered by your Swiss Travel Pass, are not included.

This is a sample itinerary. You can make any changes you like. Depending on the choices you make, and the season in which you travel, your actual costs can be significantly higher or lower than my indication.

Shopping list

This is what you need to book if you make the tour exactly as described:

To bookDetails and prices
The 3-day Swiss Travel Pass includes free transfers from Zurich to Zermatt, Zermatt to St. Moritz (Glacier Express) and St. Moritz to Zurich.Swiss Travel Pass
Seat reservations for the Glacier ExpressGlacier Express
Hotel in Zermatt Hotels Zermatt
Hotel in St. MoritzHotels St. Moritz
Optionally: hotel in ZurichHotels Zurich

Best travel season for the Glacier Express Copy link to clipboard

If you can, make this tour in early January to mid October and mid December to late December. The Glacier Express has a maintenance break from mid-October to early December.

During the Glacier Express break, you can theoretically cover the same route from Zermatt to St. Moritz with normal trains. This requires several train changes though, so it's not what we recommend.

Find more details about the best seasons for this tour in our Glacier Express guide.

Similar travel packages Copy link to clipboard

You can buy a package for a similar Glacier Express itinerary and save on planning time.

Grand Train Tour of Switzerland package
Grand Train Tour of Switzerland package
Scenic train tripIndependent multi-day tour
All the famous Swiss panoramic trains in one package. Customize your holiday by adding nights and mountain excursions. Select your preferred hotels. You'll get a 5% discount with the promo code AFFMYSWISSALPS.

Offered by Official SBB shop: swissrailways.com

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Compose your own Glacier Express travel package
Compose your own Glacier Express travel package
Scenic train tripIndependent multi-day tour
Just travel on the Glacier Express or combine it with other panoramic trains. Customize the package by adding nights in the towns you like, selecting excursions, and picking your preferred hotels. You'll get a 5% discount with the promo code AFFMYSWISSALPS.

Offered by Official SBB shop: swissrailways.com

  • Official webshop of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), operated by Switzerland Travel Centre (STC)
  • Instant delivery through e-mail in 5 minutes
  • Free cancellation until 1 day before travel, if you choose the FLEX OPTION. No questions asked.
  • Extra Support: MySwissAlps can answer most questions regarding your order as well.
Glacier Express
3-Day Glacier Express Self-Guided Tour from Zurich
Scenic train tripIndependent multi-day tour
The entire Glacier Express journey takes around 8 hours and crosses 291 bridges, passes through 91 tunnels and climbs over the 2033 m high Oberalp pass – this is truly one of the most famous train journeys in the world.

Offered by Viator: www.viator.com

  • Easy, online, free cancellation in most cases
  • Lowest Price Guarantee: Viator will refund the difference if you find a better price.
  • Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
Glacier Express
3-Day Glacier Express Self-Guided Tour from Geneva
Scenic train tripIndependent multi-day tour
The entire Glacier Express journey takes around 8 hours and crosses 291 bridges, passes through 91 tunnels and climbs over the 2033 m high Oberalp pass – this is truly one of the most famous train journeys in the world.

Offered by Viator: www.viator.com

  • Easy, online, free cancellation in most cases
  • Lowest Price Guarantee: Viator will refund the difference if you find a better price.
  • Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
Scenic Switzerland Train Tour with Glacier Express
Scenic Switzerland Train Tour with Glacier Express, Daily Departure
Christmas, Scenic train tripIndependent multi-day tour
Highlights: Provide you with the electronic Swiss Travel Pass before your departure. Take the popular Golden Round Trip to visit Mt. Pilatus for panoramic views of the Alps. Take a trip to Jungfraujoch and take in the stunning views of Aletsch Glacier. Enjoy a world-renowned Glacier Express scenic train through …

Offered by TourRadar: www.tourradar.com

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  • Extra Support: if you book here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
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Arno
Page author: ArnoI have visited Switzerland countless times since 1997. I've explored most of the country, but find myself staying in the Bernese Oberland and Graubünden most frequently. The alps and the rail network remain very impressive, even after all these years.