Switzerland's Famous Scenic Trains: Glacier Express and Bernina Compared

Why these two trains suit over-50 travellers so well

Rail travel through the Swiss Alps solves a problem that walking tours and self-drive itineraries don't: you gain the altitude without earning it. The Glacier Express crosses 291 bridges and 91 tunnels between Zermatt and St Moritz, reaching its highest point at the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres — and you sit in a panoramic carriage the entire time, a glass of Swiss Riesling optional but available. For anyone whose knees have opinions about steep terrain, this is not a compromise. It's the point.

The Bernina line climbs even higher, to 2,253 metres at the Ospizio Bernina, making it the highest railway crossing in the Alps and a UNESCO World Heritage route. The engineering alone rewards attention: a spiral viaduct at Brusio where the train loops over itself, stone arches curving through a landscape that shifts from glacier to palm tree within four hours. Neither journey requires you to carry anything heavier than a day bag if you've organised luggage forwarding in advance — which, for a solo traveller moving between hotels, changes everything.

The Glacier Express: what the all-day journey is actually like

The Glacier Express departs Zermatt in the morning and arrives in St Moritz in the late afternoon — around eight hours, depending on the service. 'Express' is a gentle Swiss joke: this is the slowest express train in the world, and the marketing leans into it. The pace is the feature. Villages, gorges, the Rhine Gorge (sometimes called the Swiss Grand Canyon, though it earns that comparison more modestly than the name suggests), and the long descent into the Engadin valley all unspool at a rhythm that encourages reading, conversation, or simply watching.

Seating matters enormously. Standard 2nd Class carriages have panoramic windows and are perfectly comfortable; 1st Class offers wider seats and marginally more elbow room. Excellence Class — the premium tier — includes a four-course meal served at your seat, wider reclining seats, and a dedicated host. For a solo traveller, Excellence Class turns a long train day into something closer to a private dining experience with a moving view. The supplement is significant (confirm current pricing at glacierexpress.ch), but for a once-in-a-decade journey, many travellers find it worthwhile.

Reservations on the Glacier Express are compulsory — you cannot simply board with a Swiss Travel Pass. Book the seat reservation separately, as far ahead as possible in peak season (July–August). Seats on the right side of the train (travelling Zermatt to St Moritz) generally offer the better views through the Rhine Gorge, though the route curves enough that both sides have moments. Confirm the current seating map with the operator before booking.

The Bernina Express: higher drama, smarter economics

The Bernina Express runs from Chur or Davos over the Bernina Pass and down into Tirano in northern Italy — roughly four hours from Chur, less from Davos. It covers less distance than the Glacier Express but arguably more visual territory per kilometre: the Morteratsch Glacier, the frozen Lago Bianco straddling the watershed between the Rhine and Po river systems, and the extraordinary drop from high alpine to the stone-walled vineyards of the Valtellina.

Here's the practical detail that changes the economics considerably. The Bernina line is operated by Rhaetian Railway (RhB) as a regular regional service, not just as a named tourist train. If you hold a Swiss Travel Pass, you can ride the same route on a standard RhB regional train — no reservation required, no supplement — and the view from the window is identical. The panoramic cars of the Bernina Express are more comfortable and the seat reservation (roughly AUD $20–$40, indicative) secures you a panoramic carriage seat. But the option to ride free without booking is genuinely useful if your plans change or you prefer spontaneity.

The Bernina line also connects naturally to an overnight in Lugano or a day in Tirano before returning to Switzerland by PostBus, which itself follows a scenic valley route. For travellers combining Switzerland with northern Italy, this creates a logical and unhurried cross-border arc that suits a two-week itinerary very well.

The Swiss Travel Pass: does the mathematics work for Australian visitors?

The Swiss Travel Pass covers unlimited travel on Swiss Federal Railways, most PostBuses, lake steamers, and many mountain railways, plus free entry to over 500 museums. For a traveller spending 8–15 days in Switzerland and moving between multiple cities and scenic routes, it almost always works out ahead of buying individual tickets. The pass comes in consecutive-day versions (e.g. 8 or 15 days) and a Flex version (a set number of travel days within a month).

For an itinerary built around both the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, an 8-day consecutive Swiss Travel Pass is a reasonable starting point. Add the compulsory Glacier Express seat reservation and an optional Bernina Express panoramic car reservation, and you have the core rail costs covered. What the pass does not cover: Excellence Class supplements, most cogwheel railways to summits (Jungfraujoch, Gornergrat above Zermatt — though Gornergrat is partially covered), and the seat reservation fees themselves.

The GoldenPass route (Montreux to Interlaken and on to Lucerne) is a third scenic corridor worth knowing. It's fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass with no compulsory reservation, which makes it an excellent add-on without additional booking complexity. Travelling all three scenic corridors — Glacier Express, Bernina, GoldenPass — across a 14-day itinerary is entirely feasible and gives a comprehensive cross-section of the country. Confirm current pass pricing and inclusions at swisstravelsystem.com, as details change seasonally.

Luggage forwarding, hotel logistics and travelling light

Switzerland's Gepäck Express luggage forwarding service is one of those practical systems that solo travellers discover and then wonder how they ever managed without. You leave your suitcase at the hotel reception or a staffed SBB station the evening before, pay a per-bag fee (roughly AUD $30–$50 per transfer, indicative — confirm at sbb.ch), and it arrives at your next hotel while you travel with only a day bag. For someone moving every two or three nights between Zurich, Zermatt, St Moritz and Lugano, this is not a luxury. It's the difference between enjoying the train and managing logistics on the platform.

Zermatt is car-free, which means your transfer from Täsch (the last car-accessible village) is by shuttle train, and luggage trolleys are electric. The village is compact and walkable, though some hotels on the steeper lanes require a short uphill walk from the station. When booking accommodation in Zermatt specifically, it's worth asking the hotel about the walking distance and gradient from the station — a detail that matters more after a long international flight than it does on a booking website.

Getting there from Australia: flight realities and arrival strategy

Zurich is the natural gateway for both routes. Direct flights from Melbourne or Sydney to Zurich don't exist in the commercial sense — you'll connect through Singapore, Dubai, Doha, or a European hub, with total travel time around 22–24 hours depending on the connection. That's a long day (or two) regardless of how you frame it, and jet lag from Australia to Central Europe is real: you're crossing roughly seven to nine time zones westward, which tends to produce early-morning wakefulness rather than afternoon fatigue.

A recovery night in Zurich before boarding any long scenic train is not indulgence — it's good travel strategy. Zurich's old town is walkable from the main station, the lake is calm and flat, and the city's own tram network is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. Arriving a day or two before the scenic rail portion of the itinerary also gives you a buffer if flights are disrupted.

For entry requirements, visa rules and health documentation, check smartraveller.gov.au before booking anything. Australia and Switzerland have a strong bilateral relationship, but entry rules, travel insurance requirements and any health declarations can change. Travel insurance that covers pre-existing medical conditions is essential for this demographic and this destination — Switzerland's medical costs are among the highest in Europe.

Practical accessibility and honest comfort notes

Swiss railway stations are, in the main, well-equipped with lifts and level boarding. Zermatt station, St Moritz, Chur and Zurich all have good accessibility infrastructure. The panoramic carriages on both the Glacier Express and Bernina Express have fixed panoramic windows (they don't open) and seats that face the direction of travel or a table configuration — confirm your preference when booking, as it affects the experience considerably if you're prone to motion sensitivity.

The altitude on both routes is moderate by alpine standards — you're not stepping off at 3,883 metres on the Jungfraujoch, which can genuinely affect people with cardiovascular conditions. The railway passes themselves (Oberalp at 2,033m, Bernina at 2,253m) are experienced from a sealed, heated carriage, and the exposure is brief. Most travellers with well-managed blood pressure or heart conditions find both routes entirely comfortable. That said, anyone with specific cardiac or respiratory concerns should discuss the itinerary with their GP before departure — not as a formality, but because the conversation is worth having.

Switzerland's culinary culture rewards slower travel. Lunch on the Glacier Express (ordered in advance or included in Excellence Class) is a proper sit-down meal. A fondue in Zermatt after the journey, or a Valtellina bresaola in Tirano after the Bernina descent, are the kind of unhurried pleasures that justify the long flight from Melbourne. The trains are the mechanism. The pace is the holiday.