Rail and land
Glacier Express and Bernina Express
Board the Glacier Express for a daylight trip through the Swiss Alps. From the panoramic windows you see sheer rock, Alpine pasture, and snow on the peaks. The train runs between Zermatt and St. Moritz, across 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels, including the curve onto the Landwasser Viaduct. The Bernina Express continues from Chur or St. Moritz toward Tirano. You sleep in a hotel in Zermatt, St. Moritz, or Chur.
Glacier Express
Crossing the Swiss Alps in daylight, the Glacier Express runs from Zermatt to St. Moritz, or the reverse, in about eight hours. From a seat beside the panoramic windows, you watch the train climb, follow the river canyons, and cross the stone viaducts. The route includes the Rhine Gorge, the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 meters, and the curve onto the Landwasser Viaduct.
Meals are served at your seat. Excellence class includes a set menu. A recent menu started with Swiss smoked trout, then pea soup, a fillet of Swiss beef, a plate of Grisons mountain cheese and sheep’s cheese, and chocolate cake, with wine. First and second class can order a shorter lunch. The menu changes.
You get off in the evening and sleep in a hotel in Zermatt or St. Moritz. The Matterhorn stands above Zermatt, and you see it from the town, before the train or after it.
Bernina Express
The Bernina Express runs from Chur or St. Moritz to Tirano, in Italy. The high point is Ospizio Bernina, at 2,253 meters, beside Lago Bianco. The water there is glacial and pale.
The stop at Alp Grüm is short, and the terrace faces the Palü Glacier. You can step off for the view and take a later train. The Brusio spiral is a full loop the train makes to lose height. Poschiavo sits in the valley below. If you want time in Poschiavo or Tirano, get off and stay the night. The car has snacks.