As part of our 8 days in Switzerland, after 5 days in BO, we are planning to head to Zermatt for 2 days .. On the last day, we need to stay the night in Zurich for the plane ride out to the US ... So reading a lot of the posts here, we are thinking about taking the Glacier express from Zermatt to CHur and then take a train from CHur to Zurich..

- Is this do-able?
- Does this cover some of the good sights on this route?
- Since we have all day to do this and Chur to Zurich is only 1.5 hrs with many time options, we can potentially get off at some of the stations enroute and then catch the enxt Express ... Anyone done that? Is it worth it? Are there must do stations on the way where one should get off and spend some time?
- On the Glacier express website they have marked Chur with ** meaning de-boarding. What does that mean? So you cannot de-board unless marked with **?

Thanks,
Vibhav

Oh and also ... we have all day that day to get to Zurich ... We are in no hurry to get to Zurich as that is the end of our trip and we will likely want to get a hotel close to the airport and not tour the Zurich town ... Will probably not have any energy left to figure out the logistics in one more town ...

So we are open to spending more time in Zermatt in the morning and then only going up till Brig or Andermatt or Chur and then heading onto Zurich ... Whichever gives us the best views on the GE and if it is only till Brig so be it... We will just spend some extra time in Zermatt in the morning ...

So feed

hit submit too soon!

So feedback on which section of GE to do and which station should we head out to Zurich from, will be much appreciated as well ...

Topping ... Hoping for some feedback ...

I really HOPE PalQ sees this so he can do his usual "it's the most overrated train trip in the universe" number on your idea.

Can it be done? Yes, and quite easily and you can catch a train in Chur to Zurich and be there well before late.

Is the scenery between Brig and Chur worth it? It is IMO as are the spiral tunnels, etc. I would STRONGLY advise you to spring for seats in one of the First Class panorama cars with the MUCH bigger windows.

Zermatt itself..believe me, you can walk from one end of the village to the other in less than an hour...nice enough place especially for views of the Matterhorn peak assuming it is not obscured by clouds. The trip up by rail from Visp isn't exactly a yawner, either, but unless you plan on hiking or skiing I think one day in Zermatt is plenty.

We loved the trip and recommend it to others, but I wouldn't do the entire route to St Moritz. We didn't get off at any of the stations in route. I would recommend a reservation for the dining car. Expensive, but an excellent and an enjoyable experience.

** means the train ends in Chur. Everyone must de-board.

Spiral tunnels between Brig and Chur? Where? I think you refer to the Albula portion (Chur - St. Moritz).

The GE trip Zermatt - Chur has some nice scenery along the way. If you don't mind sitting that long on a train then do it. Particularly scenic are the ride over the Oberalp pass (Andermatt - Disentis) and the Rhine gorge (shortly before Chur).

The only place I'd get off is Disentis to see the Benedictine monastery. Otherwise ... Chur is the logical option! Interesting old town with cathedral, museums, parish church, St. Luzi church (crypt!), townhouses and some nice cafes and restaurants.

GE to Chur from Brig has so-so scenery IMO as Switzerland's train goes - I would not go out of my way for that - the scenery from Birg/Visp to Zermatt is the highlight of the Chur to Zermatt marathon run of the Glacier Express. Check out these sites for lots of info on GE - www.swisstravelsystem.com - links to official GE site; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com - with your train travel previewed IMO an 8-consecutive-day Swiss Saver Pass, a railpass that covers not only trains but lake boats and postal buses and urban trams and buses and gives 50% off most lifts to mountain tops, is a no brainer.