• HOME
  • Planning
    • Planner Newbie
      • New to planning? Start here
    • Planning Tips & Inspiration
    • 52 Planning Systems in 52 Weeks
      • My weekly spreads
    • Planner Index
    • Planner Reviews
      • Horizontal Weekly
      • Horizontal 1 Page Weekly + Notes
      • Vertical Weekly
      • Hourly Planners
      • Categories Weekly
      • Daily Planners
      • Discbound Planners
      • Teacher Planners
      • Planner Roundups
      • Happy Planner (MAMBI)
      • Budget Planners
    • Planner Comparisons
    • Bullet Journal
      • Bullet Journal Reviews
      • Bullet Journal Spreads
      • Bullet Journal Tips
    • Planner pens
    • Highlighters
    • Planner Stickers
    • Digital Planning
    • Household Binder
    • Stationery Shopping
    • Rachael’s Favorites
    • Blogging & Online Business
  • Graphic Design
    • Photoshop Tutorials
    • Microsoft Word
    • Microsoft Excel
    • Canva
    • Silhouette Studio
    • PicMonkey
  • SHOP
    • Shop at Etsy
    • Online Store
    • Graphic Design Resources
    • ECOURSES
    • Ebooks
      • 54 Mistakes Etsy Sellers Make (And How to Fix Them)
      • 1200 Blog Post Ideas
        • 1200 Blog Post Ideas (Exclusive Download Content)
      • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (For Any Type of Blog)
        • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (Exclusive Download Content)
    • Feedback & Testimonials
    • Planner Supplies (my sister’s shop!)
    • Shop my favorite planner supplies on Amazon
  • Learn
    • ECOURSES
      • Free Graphic Design Video Tutorials Library
      • How to Make Planner Stickers
      • How to Make Printables in Photoshop
      • How to Make Printables in Microsoft Word
      • How to Make Printables in Microsoft Excel
      • How to make digital planners and notebooks in Microsoft PowerPoint
      • How to Make Labels in Photoshop
      • How to Make Patterns in Photoshop
      • How to Make Party Printables
      • How to Write Product Descriptions
    • Ebooks
      • 54 Mistakes Etsy Sellers Make (And How to Fix Them)
      • 200 Blog Post Title Prompts (For Any Type of Blog)
      • 1200 Blog Post Ideas
  • FREE
    • FREE Printables
    • Free Printables Library – Subscribers Login
  • Travel
    • Travel Planning
    • Europe
    • Australia & New Zealand
  • About
    • Browse All Posts
    • FAQ
      • What is a Printable? What happens when I purchase a printable from you?
      • Printing Tips
      • Printable Planner Stickers
      • Downloading Files
      • How to Open Zipped File Folders
      • What does EDITABLE mean?
      • Monogram Etiquette

All About Planners

Printable planners to organize your home, business and life!

November 27, 2018

Riding first class on Switzerland’s Glacier Express train to Zermatt!

Switzerland has an excellent railway network especially as a means to get to the picturesque mountains. The glacier express is the only way to get to Zermatt which is car free – there are only electric operated buses and taxi’s (in miniature size!)

I took the Glacier Express train from Chur to Zermatt. It departed at 11:30am and arrived at 5:10pm (approx. 6.5hrs) with some spectacular scenery along the way!

glacier express switzerland review pros and cons swiss villages snow capped mountains

switzerland glacier express train from chur to zermatt review

What you’ll see / best time of year

I visited the first week of May after a long harsh winter so there was still plenty of snow with green hills in the foreground – very scenic! If you want to see everything when it’s white, you’ll need to brave the cold and visit during the northern hemisphere’s winter – around December / January. To see the leaves change color in autumn, visit around October. To see green rolling hills and no snow, travel in summer (June / July).

You’ll see lots of mountains, cute villages, the river, bridges and tunnels!

The train stops at various points along the way and there was also a 5 minute photo stop so you could take a picture of the snow capped mountains.

glacier express train switzerland how to get to zermatt

glacier express train switzerland review

The train

The train has panoramic windows – half of the roof is windows. One of my frustrations with travelling on a bus is that there is scenery on both sides but you can’t see out the other window – you can only see part of the snow-capped mountains if they are on the other side of the bus. With the train you can see everything on the left and right sides of the train a lot clearer, plus you can get up and move to the other side of the carriage to take photos.

With so many windows there was a lot of glare on my pictures from the glass and the lighting. To avoid this I used my iPhone and put it right up against the glass (as I do when I’m on a bus).

After doing a bit of research, I found a few people commenting that in second class you can open the windows which would give better photos without the glare. If I had done the train journey myself and not through an organized tour, I definitely would have booked 2nd class tickets to get better photos.

glacier express train switzerland review first class worth the money?

You can take luggage with you – there is luggage store on the train.

There is a toilet on board which was similar to a plane toilet.

The seat configuration is single seat, aisle and double seat. For the journey from Chur to Zermatt I got lucky with a seat on the left hand side seat which had the best views – much better than the right side! The seats were comfy, but not really comfy enough to fall asleep in and they don’t recline.

Was 1ST class worth it?

You can choose from a 1st class or 2nd class ticket. Visiting Zermatt and taking the Glacier Express train to get there was included in a Globus tour I took (I’m not affiliated with them, I paid for the tour myself). The ticket included was a 1st class seat.

The 1st class seats were quite roomy – which was definitely appreciated on the 6.5 hour train joinery from Chur to Zermatt.

I didn’t see what 2nd class looked like but personally I don’t think 1st class was worth it. I checked the prices and 1st class is double the cost of 2nd class.

glacier express review switzerland first glass train journey swiss alps zermatt

Food on the Glacier Express

A 3 course meal on the train was included with the Globus tour I took. To be honest, the food wasn’t very good. The entrée was a tasteless asparagus soup. The main meal was beef with rice and carrots which tasted ok. Dessert was a brownie which needless to say, was my favorite of the 3 courses!

The meals are served at the start of the journey. I presume it’s to try and get you to buy snacks later in the journey when you’re bored…

I was glad I had my own water bottle as no drinks were included with the meal – not even water. I found this a bit ridiculous considering the 3 course meal is 43 CHF (at the time of writing this in 2018).

The cost of drinks and snacks on board if you don’t buy the proper meal is ridiculous – bring your own or buy a pastry in the train station before departing.

Overall, I recommend the train, but in my opinion 1st class is not worth the splurge and you’ll probably get better photos from 2nd class anyway.

switzerland glacier express train review from chur to zermatt swiss villages april may spring weather

Liked this post? Pin it!

glacier express train switzerland review 1st class snow worth the money scenery

You may also be interested in...

  • 30 Photos that will make you want to visit Switzerland30 Photos that will make you want to visit Switzerland
  • Guide to visiting Zermatt, Switzerland!Guide to visiting Zermatt, Switzerland!
  • Guide to visiting Rovaneimi in Lapland, Finland (the home of Santa Claus!)Guide to visiting Rovaneimi in Lapland, Finland (the home of Santa Claus!)
  • Hiking day trip to the Finnish Forest!Hiking day trip to the Finnish Forest!
  • Day trip to Versailles from Paris (by train)Day trip to Versailles from Paris (by train)
  • 5 Day Amsterdam Itinerary (including 2 day trips, where to eat, stay, things to see and do)5 Day Amsterdam Itinerary (including 2 day trips, where to eat, stay, things to see and do)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Posted In: Europe, Travel · Tagged: 1st class glacier express, first class glacier express, glacier express train, glacier express train Switzerland, review of glacier express train, review of the glacier express train, riding the glacier express, switzerland must do, switzerland must see, switzerland scenery, Switzerland train

Welcome

Welcome to All About Planners! I’m Rachael, a 20-something Aussie addicted to graphic design and all things planning. On the blog you’ll find more than 1,000 posts about all things planning including planner reviews, tips, favorite supplies and some of my past weekly spreads.

Subscribe and join 60,000+ others on the quest to find planner peace!

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Search

Subscribe

free printables library sign up all about planners blog image graphic subscribe

Shop At Etsy

The photos and content on this site are the property of All About Planners. They are not allowed to be used without permission from All About Planners.

Categories

Recent Posts

  • ARC Punch versus Happy Planner versus the Levenger 1-2-3 Punch: Which is better?
  • Clever Fox Planner Pro Weekly Review
  • Simple Christmas themed weekly spread with washi tape and stencils
  • 10 Useful printables to add to your planner or bullet journal
  • Bullet journal stencils weekly spread in the Archer and Olive Notebook

Disclaimer

All About Planners is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Popular Posts

  • Setting up a new planner: 70 Tasks to add
  • Planner Organization: How to color-code your planner so you’ll actually use it effectively
  • 130+ functional ideas to use blank notes pages of your planner or an empty notebook
  • 10 Useful printables to add to your planner or bullet journal
  • 100 things to put in your habit tracker of your planner or bullet journal (plus free printable habit tracker)

Printables

  • Learn How to Make Printables
  • How to Make Planner Stickers
  • Resources & Tools I Recommend

Subscribe to access the free Printables library

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Privacy

Copyright © 2021 All About Planners · Theme by 17th Avenue