The Glacier Express: Window to the Swiss Alps
The breathtaking Alps of Switzerland are best experienced aboard the Glacier Express, one of the world’s most scenic and iconic train journeys. Spanning 8 hours and 290 kilometers, this luxurious train ride connects the famed alpine resorts of Zermatt and St. Moritz, offering panoramic views of snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, charming villages, and sparkling lakes.
For Andrew’s birthday, we decided to journey north after our vacation in Italy for a brief stay in Switzerland to experience this marvelous train route and a five-course Swiss meal while on board. Both of us are huge proponents for train travel, and we agree that this journey is definitively the height of luxury you can experience on the rails.
Come along with us aboard the Glacier Express and discover an unforgettable adventure that brings Switzerland’s majestic landscapes to life!
A view of the Glacier Express traversing the Swiss Alps.
A Brief History:
The Glacier Express first began its service in 1930, originally designed to provide an easier route through the Swiss Alps, bridging the remote mountain regions. Today, it’s a symbol of Swiss engineering excellence and a must-do experience for anyone seeking to immerse themselves in the country’s stunning natural landscapes. With its large, glass-domed windows, the train allows you to enjoy the Alps in all their glory—no matter the season.
Thanks to the visionary technical achievements of the railway pioneers of the time, a one-of-a-kind railway network was created which was able to overcome the challenges of the Alpine landscape. Master-class tunnels and bridges overcome rugged rock faces and blend harmoniously into the beauty of the Alps. The assembly of this railway line was the founding stone for the creation of the Glacier Express and symbolizes the progress in railway technology of the last 120 years.
Boarding The Glacier Express:
After a less luxurious train ride from Venice to Zermatt and a night’s rest, we woke up early in the chilly Swiss morning to get ourselves to the train station. Zermatt is a beautiful and wealthy city known for skiing and luxury shopping with a robust public transit system. We did not have to wait long in the gorgeous train station before watching the gleaming red train cars of the Glacier Express pull into the station through slowly falling snow flakes.
The Glacier Express is made up of six ruby red passenger cars pulled along by a bright red engine, standing out starkly from the white expanse of snowy mountains. Unlike other passenger trains, each Glacier Express car consists of six tables with two plush lounge chairs facing one another and an aisle in the middle for servers to access your table. The seats are comfortable, with tall backs that provide a feeling of privacy.
The walls of each passenger car are made entirely of glass with a glass roof to provide a view of the mountaintops and sky while you travel through the Alps. In the front-most car, where we were seated, there is also a standing bar where you can sip a cocktail and converse with the bartender. At each seat, they also have an iPad preloaded with a map of the train’s route that describes each sight and attraction on the route. This device also displays the food and beverage menu for your included five-course meal with wine parings!
Alpine Delicacies - Food & Drink:
Throughout the course of our eight hour journey, the wonderful waitstaff brought out food and drink for us without prompting. They source all local ingredients and pride themselves in serving up modern twists on classic Swiss cuisine. Tickets aboard the Glacier Express include a five-course Swiss meal along with a perfect wine pairing for each course. They also serve tasty bites and snacks throughout the trip with an on-demand cocktail menu.
Before our first course appeared, we were served an amuse-bouche consisting of beef tartare, Nusstorte (a traditional Swiss pastry filled with a mixture of caramelized walnuts and cheese topped with apricot jam), and a spiced nut mixture. With this course we were given AOC Schaffhausen, Von Salis, Maienfeld, a sparkling Swiss wine from the Bündnera region to complement the cheese and fruit flavors.
For our first course, our server brought out a lovely Swiss smoked trout atop a light salad of assorted greens with oven-roasted beet and a decadent lemon dressing with fresh lemon on the side. This course was served with a Johannesburg Goldtropfu, a white wine with clear notes of citrus fruit, gooseberry and a light touch of apple to complement the citrus flavor of our trout and salad.
The second course consisted of a pea and mint soup served with fresh Swiss cream and topped with Alpine blossoms, lending the soup a fragrant floral note. Our server made quite a show of pouring and presenting this vibrant dish! It was paired with our first glass of red wine, Dôle Gletscherblüet, a wine from Visp with smooth fruity flavors and a light touch of wood bark on the nose.
Our third course was a fillet of Swiss beef cooked to perfection with a black truffle and potato mash served with a red wine reduction. The truffle, char, and sauce complemented each other perfectly! This was served with a Heidi-Wii Maienfelder Pinot Noir, a velvety Pinot that pampers the nose and palate with fruity raspberry aromas, followed by a lovely sweetness.
For the fourth course, we were given a light regional cheese plate with freshly baked sourdough, apricot jam, and an assortment of walnuts coated in a hardened caramel. This was paired with a refill of the same wine from our previous course.
Our fifth and final course consisted of a decadent chocolate cake topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar and served with a Swiss vanilla cream and shaved almonds. This was paired with a glass of Hölluwii Dôle Blanche, a dessert wine that is a combination of two red wines that are very popular in Valais: Pinot Noir and Gamay. The hints of raspberry, strawberry and banana complemented the chocolate perfectly!
Overall the service and cuisine were luxurious and impeccable! The waitstaff and chefs surpassed our expectations by a mile. The wine pairings were each perfectly chosen, and our server was always happy to refill our empty glasses whenever we wanted! A delightful and decadent experience from start to finish!
Alpine Vistas & Swiss Charm:
While we were treated to exquisite food and drink, we traversed the Swiss Alps in the most luxurious way imaginable. Our seats were so comfortable and we appreciated the amount of privacy their high backs and encompassing cushions provided. (Airlines around the world should take note!)
The large, perfectly clean windows provided us ineradicable views of the mountains, rivers, and snowy landscapes surrounding us. We were taken from the tops of mountains to look on at skiers in action to tunnels carved miles into the valleys to provide safe travel between a region so complex in elevation and weather conditions.
There is a reason the Swiss Alps are considered to be some of the best skiing in the world! The highest point on the Glacier Express is the Oberalp Pass, which sits at an elevation of 2,033 meters (6,670 feet) above sea level. From this towering height, towns along our journey looked like colorful dioramas.
The lowest point on the Glacier Express’ route is Zermatt, located at an elevation of 1,616 meters (5,302 feet), at the base of the Matterhorn mountain. The Matterhorn is absolutely awe-inspiring! It towers above other peaks and stands out despite the insane elevation of the entire journey. We were fortunate enough to embark on this train ride on a particularly clear day, so our view of its highest point was entirely unobstructed.
We also crossed paths with the The Albula/Bernina railway line, famous for its inaccessible vistas by any other means including a gorgeous arched bridge (pictured below) that leads directly into one of the longest mountain tunnels in the country.
The iPads at each of our seats provided all the information we could need about the upcoming sights including history, relevance, and images to ensure we knew what to look for. This was one of my favorite aspects of the journey as I was unfamiliar with the landscape and completely gobsmacked by the beauty of it all.
Contact us today to plan your own Swiss Journey aboard the Glacier Express!
If you’re vacationing in Switzerland or any surrounding country, I cannot possibly recommend this luxurious train ride enough! We journeyed to Switzerland specifically for the Glacier Express, and you can too. Message us today to get exclusive discounted prices for Chickadee Travel clients on the Glacier Express and experience the Swiss Alps in absolute comfort!
