Glacier Express

The Glacier Express runs about two hundred and ninety kilometres between Zermatt and St Moritz in roughly eight hours, crossing two hundred and ninety-one bridges and passing through ninety-one tunnels, over the Oberalp pass at 2,033 metres. It markets itself as the slowest express train in the world, which is a joke it makes about itself and also an accurate description of what the journey is for. Part of the route, the Albula line, belongs to the Rhaetian Railway UNESCO World Heritage site. The carriages are panoramic with glazed roof sections and reservations are compulsory. The name is now historic: since the Furka base tunnel opened in 1982 the line no longer passes the Rhone glacier it was named after.

The main sights

• Eight hours for 290 kilometres - the slowest express, by its own description.
• 291 bridges and 91 tunnels - the engineering across three cantons.
• The Oberalp pass at 2,033 metres - the high point of the route.
• A name left behind - the Furka base tunnel has bypassed the Rhone glacier since 1982.

When to go

All year; autumn and winter for clear air. A full day.

Practical notes

Reservations are compulsory and expensive, and sell out in season. Eight hours is a long time seated; some passengers do half the route. The on-board meal costs extra. In poor weather the panoramic windows show cloud.

Nearby

Zermatt and the Matterhorn are at one end; the Engadin at the other.

Key facts