Swiss Glacier Express & Bernina

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Zurich to Zermatt

   Arrive at Zurich Airport, where the Swiss railway station is right below the terminal. A scenic train ride of about three and a half hours takes you past Bern and along the shore of Lake Thun, then through the Lötschberg tunnel and up the Visp valley to Zermatt, a car-free village of dark wooden chalets. Small electric taxis bring your luggage to the hotel. In the evening walk along the main street to the church bridge for your first view of the Matterhorn, glowing pink at sunset.

   
2. Day 2 Matterhorn

   The Gornergrat railway, opened in 1898, climbs through larch forests to 3,089 metres. At the top the Matterhorn rises right in front of you, and 29 peaks over 4,000 metres and the long Gorner Glacier surround you. On the way down, get off at Rotenboden and walk to the Riffelsee, a small lake where the Matterhorn is reflected in the water on calm days. Back in Zermatt, visit the Matterhorn Museum about the first ascent in 1865, then enjoy cheese fondue or raclette in a traditional restaurant.

   
3. Day 3 Glacier Express

   The highlight of the journey: a full day in the panorama carriages of the Glacier Express, often called the slowest express train in the world. Over about eight hours it crosses 291 bridges and goes through 91 tunnels, climbs over the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres and follows the Rhine Gorge, the Swiss Grand Canyon, with its white limestone cliffs. A three-course lunch is served at your seat while the landscape changes from glaciers to green valleys. Arrive in St. Moritz in the evening.

   
4. Day 4 St. Moritz

   A free day in the Engadin valley, famous for its clear light, its chain of lakes and its painted houses. Walk around Lake St. Moritz or along the lakes to Sils, where the philosopher Nietzsche spent his summers. Take the cable car up to Diavolezza for a view of the Morteratsch glacier and the Bernina peaks, or visit the Segantini museum with its great Alpine paintings. In the evening enjoy Engadin nut cake with a hot chocolate in a café in the old village.

   
5. Day 5 Bernina Express

   The Bernina Express crosses the Alps without a single rack rail, a remarkable feat of engineering and a UNESCO World Heritage line. It climbs past the Morteratsch glacier to the white Lago Bianco at 2,253 metres, then descends steeply through Val Poschiavo, spiralling over the circular Brusio viaduct down to Tirano in Italy, where palm trees grow. A bus continues along the northern shore of Lake Como and over the border to Lugano, an elegant lakeside town with Italian flair.

   
6. Day 6 Lake Como

   A short train ride takes you to Como. Board a boat across the lake to Bellagio, the pearl of Lake Como, where steep stepped lanes lead up from the water past silk shops and cafés. Visit the gardens of Villa Carlotta, famous for camellias and azaleas, or the lakeside park of Villa Melzi. Enjoy a long lunch by the water with risotto with perch, the local speciality, and return to Lugano in the evening for a walk along the lakeside promenade.

   
7. Day 7 Departure

   After breakfast take the train from Lugano back to Zurich. The journey takes you through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 57 kilometres long and the longest railway tunnel in the world, so you are back at Zurich Airport in about two and a half hours. If you prefer, travel south to Milan instead for your flight home. Five famous trains, the Matterhorn and the Italian lakes in one week: our team stays in touch after the trip and will gladly plan your next journey in the Alps.