Last updated on April 5th, 2024
Landwasser Viaduct, Glacier Express
Swiss Rail Express Trains
Switzerland has several well known tourist express trains including the Glacier Express, the Bernina Express, the Gotthard Panorama Express, the GoldenPass Express, the Lucerne-Interlaken Express and the Voralpen Express. The term “express” is used loosely, as these trains travel slowly through picturesque areas of Switzerland so that tourists can enjoy the scenery. The rail cars typically have premium seating and large picture panorama windows. Some provide meals at your set.
Although Swiss Express Trains are included when you buy a Swiss Rail Pass, you must also buy a seat reservation for the day you choose to ride on many of them. The windows don’t open on first class Express Trains, which causes them to be bright and hot. Seats are often arranged facing each other, so for couples, one or both of you might be facing backward. The extensive glass causes lots of reflections, so your pictures will usually be very disappointing.
Gornergrat Cog Train, Matterhorn, © Can Stock. / emicristea
Most visitors to Switzerland don’t realize that there is very frequent non-express service on these routes. On these local trains, you won’t need a reservation. Plus you will be able to open windows and lean out to take great pics. When you approach some of the tighter tunnels, you can even find suspended broom-like brushes that force you and your camera back into the railcar before you injure yourself on the approaching stone tunnel entrance. Amazing!
Swiss Rail Express Trains – Glacier Express
The Glacier Express makes an 8 hour daily journey between St Moritz and Zermatt. Make sure you pack a lunch or reserve a meal at your seat, as you won’t have time to buy anything at the stations along the route. On the direction starting from St Moritz, the train heads north and soon crosses the impressive Landwasser Viaduct. At Chur the Glacier Express turns west up the Vorderrhein, a Rhine tributary. This beautiful canyon area is referred to as the Rheinschluct, which translates to the “Rhine Gorge”. Don’t confuse this mountain gorge with the more commonly known Rhine Gorge between Rudesheim and Koblenz.
Interlaken Lucerne Express Train, Lungern
On its journey west, the Glacier Express next reaches the Oberalp Pass and uses its cogs to descend the steep twisting grade to Andermatt. From Andermatt the Glacier Express follows the Rhone River down to Visp. In the last section, you will hear the train clogs clanking loudly as you climb out of the valley to reach Zermatt.
The St Moritz destination on the Glacier Express is fairly isolated. To reach the St Moritz starting point by rail, you either need to duplicate the Glacier Express section between Chur and St Moritz or else you need to arrive from Tirano on the Bernina Express.
Glacier Express Alpine Ibex Vending Cart
Swiss Rail Express Trains – Bernina Express
The Bernina Express is operated by the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) and has two routes with multiple trips each day in summer. You can book one way or return and you must book a seat reservation. If the route is covered by your rail pass, the only thing you will need is the seat reservation. First and second class are available. First class has panorama windows. In both classes you sit facing either a single seat or a paired seat, which is sometimes awkward.
Bernina Express, © Can Stock / silviacrisman
The trip between Chur and Tirano takes about 4.5 hours. This route starts by duplicating the section of the Glacier Express over the Landwasswer Viaduct. The other option is between St Moritz and Tirano, which takes just over 2 hours. The Bernina Express also offers bus service between Tirano and Lugano. On the Bernina Express from Chur you get very close to St Moritz at Pontresina, but you cannot board the express there. From Pontresina to Tirano, the two routes are identical. So, both routes allow you to see the Morteratsch Glacier, Lago Bianco, a short stop at Alp Grum, the winding descent to the Poschiavo valley and the famous Brusio Spiral Viaduct.
Check out the Bernina Express web site for booking. As with all the Swiss Express Trains, expect premium seating, trolley service at your seat and panorama windows that don’t open. During July and August the Bernina Express offers access to open air cars with great views, fresh breezes and no heater. You can also book the Tirano-Lugano Express Bus from the Bernina Express web site.
Chamonix Train Station
Swiss Rail Express Trains – GoldenPass Line
The GoldenPass Line is a bit confusing because several train lines offer service on its route between Montreux and Lucerne. The route includes stops at Interlaken, Spiez, Zwiesimmen and Gstaad. You don’t need a reservation for the GoldenPass trains don’t require a reservation, but you might find they are fully booked during the summer. You can also travel the GoldenPass route from Spiez to Montreux on regular SBB train service, which will have many more options for departure times and will not require a reservation.
Lucerne-Interlaken Express
The Lucerne-Interlaken Express portion of the route offers panoramic windows on its gorgeous route past the turquoise lakes at Sarnen, Lungern and Brienz. The train reverses direction at the station in Meiringen. The Lucerene-Interlaken Express offers regular hourly service throughout the day, so you won’t need a reservation, but it still might be a good idea during the middle of the day during the height of the tourist season.
GoldenPass Express
The GoldenPass Express runs for just over 3 hours between Montreux and Interlaken once a day in winter and four times per day in summer. The route takes you through the Simmental valley with numerous stops including Gstaad, Zweisimmen and Spiez. Prestige Class reservations give you heated, raised, rotating seats that can always be turned to the direction of travel. The GoldenPass Express offers catering which includes options for beer, wine and caviar.
The GoldenPass Belle Epoque has 1930s style rail car that operates between Montreux and Zweisimmen. You can only catch the GoldenPass Belle Epoque once a day on this route, when they insert the Belle Epoque rail car into the first class section of the train.
GoldenPass Panoramic
The GoldenPass Panoramic has modern full glass train cars and operates between Montreux and Zweisimmen. The GoldenPass Panoramic also offers VIP reservations where the front two rows have an unobstructed forward view. The engine driver actually sits in a cabin over the VIP section.
Mount Rigi Summit Cog Trains
The Chocolate Train
The Cholocate Train starts in Montreux, but it only runs the short distance from Montreux to Montbovon on the GoldenPass Line. After that it uses a bus to take you to the La Maison du Gruyère cheese factory in Gruyere and the Maison Cailler chocolate factory in Broc. The Chocolate Train tour takes more than 7 hours. With such a small portion of this trip being by train, we think it should be called The Chocolate and Cheese Bus instead. Consider a self guided tour instead. Take a 2 hour train trip from Montreux to Gruyere where the cheese factory is steps away. Then take a 15 minute bus ride to the chocolate factory in Broc.
Swiss Rail Express Trains – Voralpen Express
The Voralpen Express runs hourly between Lucerne and St Gallen and takes about 2 hours one way. From Lucerne you travel along Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug to Arth-Goldau. Next you cross the southern end of Lake Zurich at Rapperswil and follow the lake before heading north to Wattwil and St Gallen. Get off at Herisau if you are heading to Appenzel instead. Near St Gallen you will pass over the Weissenbach and Sitter viaducts. Don’t miss the Abbey of St Gall in St Gallen. Do the route in reverse and make a complete SBB Vacation by adding the Treno Gottardo railway trip from Lucerne to Locarno, plus the Centovalli Railway from Locarno to Montreux.
Mont Blanc Express Cog Wheel Train
Swiss Rail Express Trains – Gotthard Panoramic Express
The Gotthard Panoramic Express runs once a day from April to October. You will need a reservation for this trip. The route starts in Lucerne by crossing the full length of Lake Lucerne to the dock at Fluelen. From Fluelen, you then take a first class train ride along the spiral loops at Wassen in the Reuss valley. At Goschenen the train enters to Gotthard Tunnel through to Airolo. This is the older and shorter tunnel, which was replaced by the Gotthard Base Tunnel between Altdorf to Bellinzona. The Gotthard Base Tunnel takes you through the entire range of the Alps in 35 minutes.
Using the older, shorter tunnel on the Gotthard Panoramic Express provides more scenery but adds an extra 1.5 hours to your journey. From Airolo the “express train” loops its way down the Leventina Valley to Bellinzona and finally to Lugano in the Italian speaking Swiss canton of Ticino. You have the option to skip the Lake Lucerne cruise by starting or ending the Gotthard Panoramic Express in Arth-Goldau.
Treno Gottardo
Instead of the Gotthard Panoramic Express, you can also ride the regular hourly regional Treno Gottardo service along the exact same route. The Treno Gottardo provides regular hourly service. You can stop wherever you want and you don’t need a reservation. At Goschenen you can ride through the Gottard Base Tunnel toward the canton of Ticino or switch to a train to Andermatt where you can connect to the Glacier Express. The Devil’s Bridge in Schöllenen Gorge can only be viewed from the regional trains that run between Goschenen and Andermatt.
San Gottardo Adventure Train
The historic electric locomotive San Gottardo Adventure Train runs once a month in summer along the same route as the Treno Gottardo between Erstfeld and Bodio. You can also get off the San Gottardo Adventure Train in Goschenen and then transfer by train to Realp where you can then ride the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway through the Furka Pass. On the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway web site you can book a combination fare with the San Gottardo Adventure Train.
Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway
The Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway takes passengers over the Furka Pass on one trip per day, 4 days each week from July through September. The route starts in either Oberwald or Realp and has one stop at Gletsch. You have the option to book either the steam train or a diesel train. You can book a round trip or a one way ticket.
Unfortunately the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway isn’t going to get you up close and personal with the Rhone Glacier nature trail and ice grotto or the abandoned Belvedere Hotel in the middle of a highway switchback. You will need a car to see these. Bus 681 from Realp only stops here twice a day.
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