Glacier Express Route from Zermatt to Zurich
 

We will be travelling from Zermatt to Zurich on July 3 and want to take the Glacier Express.
There are two routes I am considering:
1) Zermatt - Andermatt - Goschenen - Zurich 5:00 duration
2) Zermatt - Chur - Zurich - 7 hr duration
Question:
Which route is better?
Pro for option 2 - we get the scenic route from Andermatt - Disentis - supposedly the "best part" of the Glacier Express route
Con for option 2 We arrive in Zurich 2 hours later.

This will be our only time in Zurich before we fly home at 8:00am on the 4th. Therefore,is having only one evening in Zurich enough time? If we use option 1 we will be in Zurich earlier.
Should we spend the 2 hours in Zurich or on the GE??
Thanks.
Nannibray

Surely if you arrive in Zurich two hours earlier by using Option 1, you will still have only one evening in Zurich.
So your choice will depend on whether you want to spend part of an afternoon (a) in Zurich, or (b) on the Glacier Express. So it seems to be walking around a city versus a scenic train journey: your call.

Hi nannibray,
My opinion is less time on the train. We took the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt. A nine hour trip. We really couldn't wait to get off the train. Maybe that's just us though. Seven hours on the train is pretty close to what we did.

Paul

Paul,

9 hours??!!! I hope you got a medal or at least a small bell for that.

Please do option 1. The mountains all look the same after awhile and you'll have enough after 5 hours.

I'm planning a two-hour walking city tour of Zürich with my adult English students on July 3. If you'd like, we could meet at the train station at 19.00 (7 pm) and you could join our group.

WOW, SCHULER!! That sounds wonderful. What is the cost? Where in the train station would we meet? We would love to join your group! Please give more details.
Nannibray

Nanni,

I vote for the shorter train trip and the walking tour of Zurich. It's a nice little city and there is much to see that will be interesting esp. after your scenic train ride...

Enjoy!

gruezi

Thanks, everyone! We will take the shorter train trip. Looking forward to a little time in Zurich.

I'll let you know more next week. I think we'll be about 20 people so the price should be around SFr. 10.-- per person (it's a group price).

SHULER
Do you know any more about the walking tour?
We leave the USA June 16 so we must have the contact info before then.
Thanks.
Nannibray

nannibray,

I think Zurich is an under-appreciated city... I'm glad you'll get to see it.

I spent Tuesday in Basel, and while it has it's charms and many fine museums and such, I just kept thinking, "just not as pretty and charming as Zurich..."

Enjoy!

gruezi

Thank you. Zurich will be a nice finale then to our trip.
Nannibray

Hi Shuler,
Just a quick thank you and to tell you Bill and I enjoyed the great "Walking tour" of Zurich! Maggy did a great job. I am only sorry we had such a short time in Zurich. It is a beautiful city but the fog and rain did hamper our short visit a bit. Our cruise of the lake was virtually worthless because of the heavy fog, so you can understand why the walking tour was so good - a lot of info packed into a short visit. (also, weren't we lucky the rain stopped?
If I ever get to Switzerland again, Zurich will be on the list.
Also, thanks to everyone who posted info and help when I was planning the trip! It was awsome!! Perfect weather, perfect accommodations and a perfect trip! We saw every mountain peak perfectly. Our favorite accommodation was in Wengen for 6 nights at the Baron Hotel! Wonderful food and a balcony to boot!
Nannibray

Hi Nannibray,

It was a pleasure meeting you. I wish we could have had a moment to chat but it was a whirlwind evening. We were lucky with the weather and our group saw Zürich in a different perspective: quiet, quaint parks, Roman baths, the churches and the holes in the walls for cleaning shoes!

Hope you had enough money for breakfast. Wishing you and your husband all the best!
Tschüss,
Schuler