Billed as the slowest express train in the world, the Glacier Express takes eight unhurried hours to cross the Alps from Zermatt to St Moritz.
The slowest express in the world
The Glacier Express earns its cheerful nickname by taking nearly eight hours to travel between Zermatt and St Moritz — a journey you could drive far faster and would never want to. Instead you sit under panoramic glass as the train climbs through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges, including the graceful Landwasser viaduct that curves straight into a cliff face.
Switzerland unrolls at window height: deep gorges, alpine meadows, and the Oberalp Pass at over two thousand metres.
Riding in comfort
- Reserve a window seat well ahead; the panoramic carriages sell out in summer.
- Take the optional lunch served at your seat as the scenery slides past.
- Sit on the right leaving Zermatt for the best of the early valley views.
It is not cheap and it is not fast, and that is entirely the appeal. The Glacier Express turns crossing the Alps into the destination itself — a day-long, unhurried glide through the postcard heart of Switzerland.
