Glacier Express (rail service)

Route: Zermatt-Brig-Andermatt-Chur-Davos/St Moritz or in reverse direction.

Length: 290km/180mi; duration 7.75 hours to St Moritz.

Highlights: A trip on the Glacier Express - the "slowest express in the world" - is a memorable experience for every railroad enthusiast. Using meter-gauge stretches of the Rhätische Bahn (RhB), the Furka- Oberalp Bahn (FO) and the Brig-Visp-Zermatt Bahn (BVZ), the express provides an east-west connection in the High Alps for tourists, and not only passes through magnificent mountain scenery but also makes use of real masterpieces of railroad engineering. The train crosses 291 bridges and viaducts, goes through 91 tunnels including the longest meter-gauge tunnel in the world at the Oberalp pass (2,033 m/6,672ft). Features: The Glacier Express carries first and second class coaches. Tickets for sections of the route only can also be obtained. Early reservation in all cases is necessary. In connection with the centenary of the Rhätische Bahn a "Glacier Pullman Express" and a "Glacier Gourmet Express" were brought into service in 1989.

Information can be obtained from any railroad station in Switzerland and from Swiss Tourist Offices where a leaflet on the "Glacier Express" is also available. Most railroad stations and travel agents in Switzerland and abroad can offer interesting package holidays which include travel on the "Glacier Express".