I will be going to Switzerland in June and would like to take the Glacier Express across Southern SZ. However, the whole 8-hour trip is too long for my schedule. Therefore, I am planning to only take part of Glacier Express and the rest of the trip by regular trains. Which part of the Glacier Express is definitely not to be missed? St Moritz to Chur? Chur to Disentis? Disentis to Brig? Brig to Zermatt? <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance for advice <BR> <BR>JW

Have not done the Brig to Zermatt leg of the trip, but have done St. Moritz to Brig twice (once in May, once in July). I personally liked the portion down to St. Moritz the best. We didn't start in Chur, I think we picked up the line in Reichenau-Tamins, then backtracked back up and on to Brig. The rest of the line was very scenic, you could see some lovely villages in the valleys, but the portion down to St. Moritz seemed to have more bridges, short tunnels, waterfalls, etc. Be sure to have your camera ready for the Landwasser Viaduct, which is just outside of Filisur. <BR> <BR>Try to be sure you get reservations on the panoramic cars, you get a much better view of the mountains on both sides of the train. There are several trains that run each day in each direction, but I think only one 'Glacier Express' w/the panoramic cars runs each day in each direction. <BR> <BR>I don't know where you are coming from/going to, but the Bernina Express (which runs from St. Moritz down to Tirano, Italy,) is also a beautiful train ride. I might also put this above the Chur-Disentis-Brig portion of the Glacier Express. <BR>

KayB <BR> <BR>Thanks a lot for your advice. I will arrive SZ from Innsbruck, Austria. What I am thinking of is to start from Chur then travel across southern SZ to Geneva. From Geneva, take the Golden Express to Interlaken and then take the Brunig Express to Luzern. My last stop in SZ would be in Zurich. Did you / anyone take all three "Express". How would you rank among the three and with other scenic train ride. <BR> <BR>One more question on Glacier Express: Does the Eurail pass cover the train fare? If not, then how much would the train fare be? <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>JW <BR>

I just rode from Brig to Zermatt this past weekend and I can say that the scenary is not that spectacular on this route. And if you're not planning on going to Zermatt specifically it would be out of your way anyway. <BR> <BR>

St. Moritz to Chur is the more scenic portion. <BR> <BR>However, the segments Chur to Brig have some excellent, some spectacular, portions. Given your desire to transit southern Switzerland on your way to Geneva I'd do this portion as a reasonable compromise that forwards your objective. <BR> <BR>The trip from Montreux to Luzern may be made much, much, quicker directly over Bern than taking the Crystal Panorama and Brunig routes. They're quite lovely trips, but not at all spectacular. <BR> <BR>With your interest in the mountains I find it curious that you choose to ride past them, rather than spending a day or two &gt;in&lt; them. <BR> <BR>The GE certainly passes some lovely scenery (on a good day ... if the weather is poor it's a real drag.) It is a slow trip, though, as are the others. And the fine scenery doesn't come in one continuous dose ... there are many slow and prosaic portions. <BR> <BR>Better, for us at least, to spend our time &gt;in&lt; the mountains. Stop off for a couple of days and stay in one of the mountain villages south of Interlaken. You'll never forget the experience, and you'll see far more and better mountain views. <BR> <BR>Ed <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>www

The Eurail pass covers the Bernina Express, which is easily the best of them. The Eurail pass also covers the Glacier Express from St.Moritz or Chur, as far West as Disentis. From Disentis you have to pay a supplement to the Eurail, as far as Brig or Zermatt if you decide to continue past Brig. <BR>I agree with previous posters, if you cannot do the Bernina, at least join the Glacier Express at St.Moritz. <BR>There is another way into St.Moritz from Innsbruck, which is a bit compicated, but far more scenic. You can leave the train from Innsbruck at Landeck in Austria, and take a bus through the mountains to Scuol-Tarasp, from where your Eurail covers the train to St.Moritz. After overnighting there you can pick up the Glacier Express in the morning. If you opt for the bus route, check your schedules carefully to make sure the train from Innsbruck connects with a bus as they are not all that frequent.

Thanks Christine, Ed and Tony for the helpful advice. I definitely need to look at my itinerary again and incorporate some of your suggestions. <BR> <BR>For those of you who still have not visited Ed's website: www.twenj.com, you have to check it out as the travel logs are very well written. <BR> <BR>I welcome any additional comments. Thanks in advance <BR>