My friend and I compared bucket lists last year, and a train trip through the Alps combined with…read moresome skiing was right at the top for both of us. We planned an amazing trip starting in Zurich, hitting Chur, St. Moritz, Zermatt, Interlaken, and Lucerne, all by train - a truly incredible experience! But the absolute highlight (besides the amazing Alpine skiing) was our journey on the Glacier Express, specifically the legs from Chur to St. Moritz and then on to Zermatt. The service was top-tier, the food was delicious, and those panoramic windows extending up to the roof... they perfectly framed the breathtaking alpine scenery. The glistening snow and beautiful sunny days created a truly magical atmosphere. The hours flew by way too quickly! I highly recommend the Glacier Express for anyone seeking an unforgettable and scenic journey through the heart of the Alps. It's an experience you won't soon forget.

Consistently rated as one of the top scenic train rides in the world for good reason. Incredible…read morejaw dropping vistas greet you around each turn as you travel on the "slowest express train" through the Swiss Alps. The route connects Zermatt (home of the Matterhorn) to the Bond-esque super high roller town of St. Moritz. At just over 290km and a duration of 8 hours. There are stops along the way if you want to shorten your trek but why? Note: This is a review of the new Excellence Class. One private car for Excellence Class passengers only. 20 very comfortable, fully adjustable seats arranged in two rows. All have unobstructed views. The car also includes a well selected bar and a private water closet. Service is outstanding. From a welcome greeting with the conductor on the red carpet entry, to porters who will stow your luggage, the limitless pours of welcome champagne, through a five course meal service paired with bottomless pours of Swiss wines. Timing is everything. The meal is served across five hours giving plenty of time to take in the views. The food is excellent considering it is prepared on a moving train. Solid flavor, properly prepared, beautifully plated. A lot of thought has been taken to prepare a meal with only regional ingredients and match them to equally well sourced regional wines. The best part, an hour into the journey, all pretences of being on a luxury train and observing "silence" that is expected on Swiss railways is dropped and you will find yourself jovially interacting with everyone else in the car. Chatting up the adventure, air dropping pics and just having a good time. Note: Wear layers. With all the glass, the car becomes a "green house" and heats up on a sunny day. 7C outside but it felt like 27C inside. Note: Bring sun glasses. For obvious reasons, there are no window shades. Let the sun shine in! Note: For pics, the glass is extremely reflective and will interfere with most pics. Bring a lens hood if possible and hold it against the glass for clear shots unless your PhotoShop skills are impressive. How to Book: 1. Use the official Glacier Express website, Excellence Class page. There is a separate booking portal. 2. Choose the route (Zermatt to St. Moritz or vice versa). If you take a train to either starting location, you will overlap part of the route. To avoid this, book a private car or drive to the start point. 3. Pay the 420CHF per person "seat reservation" at booking. IMPORTANT: On the day of departure, when you arrive at the red carpet, you must show your receipt of the seat reservation and a FIRST CLASS ticket (268CHF) or valid FIRST CLASS Swiss Travel Pass or Euro rail pass. Honestly, I can't think of a better way to see the natural beauty of Switzerland. Just do it!

We came here twice when we were at training camp for preseason skiing, super nice staff and really…read moregood pizza. Plus they have a bunch of other interesting things on the menu.its up high with lots of glass so it's nice during daylight to look down the street.

This is a small yet very functional hotel right off the pedestrian area in downtown Visp. The…read morestreet does cross in front of the hotel but you do have to walk about 30 yards to get to the entrance on the pedestrian walkway. There is a garage across the street, under a building that has a private garage for the hotel. There is an elevator that will help you avoid having to take the stairs with your bags. Although this hotel and the pedestrian area is right across from the train station it seems to be a very safe location. There's lots of new development in the area, two large shopping malls with grocery stores etc. within a block. The rooms have air-conditioning and they all appear to have balconies. There is no refrigerator or mini bar in the room however. The dining choices are somewhat limited in the area especially on a Monday, so we chose to go to the Migros grocery store and buy some charcuterie and have a meal on our terrace. The beds are very comfortable and the bathroom has a very large shower. The best part of the hotel in my opinion is the breakfast buffet on the sixth floor. It basically takes up the entire building has two large internal dining rooms and a large terrace on the east and a narrow terrace on the north side. The buffet has everything you could possibly want. It has a large selection of fresh baked breads, at least four different types of cereals along with additional granola and muesli type options. There's plenty of preserves and honey. There is a large section with cold cuts, fresh cheese as you cut yourself, salmon, fresh cut fruit, yogurt. For the hot food they generally offer 3 to 4 options, hard-boiled eggs - they mean for them to be soft boiled but the temperature is too hot and they are always fully set, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, small sausages and very tasty little meatballs. There are also a few offerings of mini pastries. There is also a fully automated espresso and cappuccino machine and three different types of fresh fruit juices. They do not give you wash cloths and when we suggested it to the manager when turning in our comment card he said "no one uses those anymore" in a rather flippant tone which was really the only negative thing we encountered in our entire stay, but it was truly unnecessary as he could've said thank you and be done with it.

Right across form the busy train station, this place is fun…read moreto sit and people watch while enjoying local beer and a sampling of European food. I highly recommend the Rostie on the dinner menu. Amazing!

We just stayed here overnight during our trip around the Alps. Basic but clean and spacious room…read more There are not too many choices in Visp for a reasonable accommodations. When we arrived during mid-afternoon, we had an issue with parking (no space in their small parking--only 6 stalls and share them with the restaurant), but got fixed not too long after we checked in. Quiet in spite of being just the street across from the Visp Bahnhof (train station). Good breakfast with descent variety. English is not spoken, but we manged just fine. Hotel gives you a complimentary drink and 20% discount for meals at their restaurant. That was a plus. Wifi signal was good in our room.

In a severe winter snowstorm, we got snowed-in for an overnight stay in delightful little St…read more Niklaus (population 2,400)-- the train service up to Zermatt was halted at Herbriggen for approximately 24 hours. The good news was we got to eat at the adorable restaurant in this quaint little hotel in town. The waitresses and staff were a pure delight, and even when the electricity shut off for good at around 7:00pm, meal service continued on by candlelight! The kitchen was still fully operational despite the tropical storm-force winds and snow outside. We learned about this hotel and its restaurant by a sweet local woman (who now lives in Bern) we befriended on the train from Visp. She said this was the best restaurant in town and we loved it. We had a mixed salad of vegetables, the pork cordon bleu (which was incredible!) and a mini-pizza. There are all kinds of home-made pizzas on on the menu... I think that is what happens at restaurants in villages this small. The beer was awesome, the wines by the glass were not so good, but we enjoyed them anyway; were else were we going to go?! The only downside for us is that we could not stay at the hotel. By the time we disembarked the train, every property in town was booked because of stranded folks like us, so we had to rent a small room above the train station restaurant. But at La Reserve, the manager on duty personally gave us a ride home up the hill so we did not have to trudge back through the wind and snow. Dinner with a few drinks ran us just under 75 CHF. If you find yourself in St. Niklaus and in need of dinner, call ahead for a reservation and come to La Reserve!

Our hiking group stopped here to celebrate finishing the Haute Route in Zermatt the next day. The…read moreevening meal we had - from start to finish - was the culinary highlight of our trip. Quite possibly the best meal I've ever experienced. Can't even describe... The plates were a veritable tour, a barrage of complex, rich flavors. So good, it defies description. 100% perfect. Highly recommended, a do not miss! Many thanks to the chef.