Glacier Pullman Express

Guided railway cruise in the Swiss Alps in the Glacier Pullman Express, the only original luxury train from the 1930s – on the trail of the legendary Orient Express

St. Moritz – Zermatt or vice versa
The Alpine Classic Glacier Pullman Express is a luxurious seduction and alpine experience at the same time. We will travel elegantly on rails in historic carriages in the enchanting Art Deco style of the early 20th century. The extra train of the Glacier Pullman Express is formed from this historic rolling stock. It is not only the comfortable armchairs, the bay windows, the dainty window tables or the precious teak wood that stand for the elegance of the coaches. It is rather the overall work of art, the harmony of all the details, together with the special ambience, that make up the unique experience.

The four Pullman coaches, each with 32 seats, create a harmonious ambience for sophisticated traveling, mainly on the RhB rail network. Especially for the journeys with the Glacier Pullman Express, the carriages also run on the route of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn from Disentis to Zermatt and back.

The Glacier Pullman Express consists of two original Pullman carriages from 1931 of the Cie. Int. des Wagons-Lits et Grands Express Europeens. The valuable wood inlays are designed by the famous French Ebeniste Rene Prou. In addition, there is a piano bar car from 1928 and the baggage car from 1931. For lunch on board, two Gourmino dining cars from 1929 and 1930 are also on board. All the cars have been lovingly restored and comply with today’s safety regulations. The train is pulled in style by historic locomotives, including the world-famous Crocodile on the route of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB).

Travel dates St. Moritz-Zermatt
23 to 26 June 2022
14 to 17 July 2022
24 to 27 August 2022

Travel dates Zermatt-St. Moritz
25 to 28 June 2022
16 to 19 July 2022

Day 1 – Individual arrival in St. Moritz

From any Swiss train station, bus stop or airport, you can travel comfortably to St. Moritz.
If you wish, you can also arrive earlier and spend several nights in St. Moritz, hotel prices on request.

Overnight in St. Moritz

Day 2 – St. Moritz–Andermatt in Glacier Pullman Express

Today, the Glacier Pullman Express, a private train de luxe, takes us on the journey to Zermatt, our final destination the next day.

Enjoy the ride in the lovingly restored Pullman cars in 1930s style and be impressed by the view. Today we travel the Albula line from St. Moritz to Thusis. The Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Church of St. Martin in Zillis (only on trip St. Moritz-Zermatt)
Bus transfer to Zillis. The church of St. Martin was first mentioned in a document as ecclesia plebeia in 831. The painted ceiling was created between 1109 and 1114. This work of art is the only one of its kind in the world that has been preserved almost completely and without being painted over.

Chur, the capital of the canton of Graubunden (only on trip Zermatt-St. Moritz)
Switzerland’s oldest city enchants with its winding alleys and historic buildings in the midst of an impressive mountain world. Celts, Romans, Ostrogoths, Franks, they all once dominated Chur as the gateway to important trade routes. What remains is over 5,000 years of history and impressive buildings from the more recent past.
Guided city tour.

Lunch on board

Between Thusis and Disentis, the Pullman Express brigade serves a fine lunch in the Gourmino dining cars.

Ruinaualta – the spectacular Rhine gorge
The spectacular Rhine gorge was formed by the force of nature over centuries after a gigantic rock fall. What remains is known as the Swiss Grand Canyon. Instead of looking from the rim, we actually cross it along the still young Rhine. We interrupt our journey after lunch and leave the train to marvel at the natural wonders.

Disentis Monastery
This Benedictine monastery was founded in 720. One of the brothers will show us some parts of the monastery and tell us about the daily life of a Benedictine monk.

Because in Disentis the tracks of the Rhaetian Railways end, a locomotive of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn is hauled in front of our special train to get us over the 2,033 m high Oberalp pass to Andermatt.

Andermatt lies on the famous St. Gotthard Pass road. The road over the St. Gotthard was built between 1818 and 1830 and became the most important thoroughfare between Germany, northern Switzerland and Italy. The Furka and Oberalp pass roads also start here, making Andermatt an important trading centre. Today Andermatt is a ski and leisure resort with many possibilities.

Overnight in Andermatt

Day 3 – Andermatt-Zermatt

After breakfast, continue with the Glacier Pullman Express to Realp.

Pure steam train romance on the Furka mountain route
The Furka mountain route was used by trains of the Glacier Express until October 1981. After the commissioning of the Furka base tunnel, the route was closed and handed over to the Furka-Bergstrecke steam railway (DFB). Because the volunteers spent thousands hours of hard work on restoring the track, steam locomotives and wagons, the train now runs on this track.

We will begin the romantic adventure journey in Realp. The over 100-year-old steam locomotive climbs along the rushing waters of the Furkareuss to the highest station Furka (2,163 m). In Oberwald the steam adventure ends and we will continue the journey in the Glacier Pullman Express to Fiesch.

View from the Eggishorn to the largest glacier in the Alps
We take the cable car up to a unique vantage point in the Aletsch region, the Eggishorn (2,866m). You can see the mighty Aletsch glacier (22 km long) from here. This is the heart of the Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage site.

You will enjoy the typical Swiss cheese specialities, fondue and raclette on the Fiescheralp.

We will arrive in Zermatt around 19.30 h. You have now mastered this great guided switzerland tour by this historic train!

Overnight in Zermatt

Day 4 – Departure

Individual departure. Your ticket is valid to any Swiss railway station, bus stop or Swiss airport (Zurich/Basle/Geneva).

You are free to extend your stay in Zermatt, hotel prices on request.

Routing

Transfer from any Swiss airport or border station to St. Moritz and back from Zermatt or vice versa.