The Glacier Express has been called the slowest express train in the world. Train takes 8.5 hours to travel 291 km (172 miles), to go through 291 bridges and 93 tunnels almost the length of Switzerland from Zermatt to St. Moritz.
Before you board the train, you need to stop by Coop or Migros and stock up on pre packaged salads, sandwiches, snacks, and bottled drinks. On the train you will pay through the nose, up to $6 for a bottle of water, or $5 for a small 350 ml bottle of orange juice. They do serve a hot lunch, but it costs the equivalent of $45 a person.
We went In the middle of summer on our Collette Alpine Lakes and Train tour, with a party of 42, taking up all but 6 spaces on a 48 passenger train car. Half of the people have to ride backwards, as European train stations can't turn trains cars around. So if you have motion sickness you better hustle to get that forward facing seat, as they always go first.
And by the way, the train reverses direction in Chur, with those facing forward, now facing backward for the remainder of the journey to St.Moriz. The locomotive on the front of the train is disconnected, and a new locomotive is now attached to the formerly rear of the train.
The train cars have panoramic windows, full length windows the entire length of the train car, and windows in the ceiling also. Unfortunately, these panoramic windows don't roll down, despite the slow speed of the trains.
So you photographers, in addition to trees photo bombing your pictures, are going to have to put up with incessant sun glare and reflections from light colored clothing of your fellow passengers. This can be minimized by putting the lens of the camera directly on the window, and sometimes by standing up to take pictures.
In the middle of summer, it gets really hot in the train cars on the sun side. You'll need to wear a hat, and sun screen. Unfortunately many if not most of the attractions are on the sun side, including the Landwasser Viaduct, a five walled pillared bridge 200 feet high.
I was standing to take a picture when the sudden movement of the train caused me to grab the nearest handle. That was a sliding door handle to the bathroom, where I just missed landing inside of!
The train takes a long time because it runs on cog rails on the steep inclines, and also because almost all of the 291 bridges and 93 tunnels are single track. The train has to stop and wait for oncoming trains to pass through, before it can proceed. Also it makes at least 5 stops, where passengers get off and on. If you are quick, you can buy food at these train station stops during the 15 minute stop.
The area just before St Moritz has six viaducts, three spiral tunnels and two helical tunnels to scale the 400 meter height difference. Unfortunately there is no way to take a picture of this, as it is mostly in the dark.
The Czech republic tour stranger seated next to me had to raise his arms to take pictures over me in the window seat, and he definitely had not taken a bath nor shower for several days before. Was about to let him have the window seat, rather than put up with the body odor for the 8.5 hour trip! read more