The Glacier Express and Scenic Switzerland Escorted Holiday
We can’t wait for our next Planet Rail holiday to begin. We have a group departing this Thursday 12th September, to scenic Switzerland via the fantastic Glacier Express!
We thought it would be nice to share with you all some of the sights we will be treated to on our train holiday.
Our first class rail journey will begin in St Pancras, where we will head to Brussels at speeds of up to 186mph, on board the Eurostar, enjoying a light meal and drinks as we take in the scenery. Upon arriving in Brussels we will change over to our high-speed ICE train that will whisk us to Cologne, our destination for the night.
On our first full day, we will take the Euro City train along the scenic Rhine Gorge via Basel into Switzerland towards Chur. On arrival in Chur we will change trains and join the regional train for a relaxing journey over the Landwasser Viaduct to St. Moritz, where we will stay for the next three nights at the luxurious Crystal Hotel. There are plenty of scenic and local attractions to keep us entertained. The first class Swiss Pass which is included in the holiday gives you access to free travel on most public transport and rail journeys in Switzerland.
It also gives you free entry to over 400 museums and half price travel on some of the Swiss mountain railways including the Rigi railway and Mount Pilatus.
On Sunday we board the Bernina Express in St. Moritz and travel to Tirano in Italy, enjoying breath-taking views and traveling through switch back tunnels carved into the rock, past waterfalls, ravines and rushing mountain streams; True beauty.
The next day, we bid farewell to St. Moritz and travel westwards aboard the Glacier Express which takes us through the delightful Engadine Valley and climbs out of pasture and woodland as we leave the broad valley of the Rhine the train spirals upwards over the Oberalp pass at 6,670ft. We continue to Montreux for a three night stay at the delightful Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic.
Tuesday, we will embark on another highlight of the trip as we travel through stunning scenery, culminating in the summit of the iconic Schilthorn. To get there we take a journey around Lake Thun before starting the steep ascent, to reach the top we will travel on a combination of cogwheel railways, funiculars and cable cars. Famous for being the setting of the James Bond film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’, there is time for lunch at the fabulous ‘Piz Gloria’ revolving restaurant. We then descend to Interlaken, where we will ride on the Golden Panoramic Express and take in the remarkable views of the Swiss Alps.
The next day, we board the ‘Chocolate train’ for a journey from Montreux on the Swiss Riviera to Gruyeres, well known for its cheese. On arrival we visit a cheese factory, where it would be rude not to sample some of the locally produced cheeses. Then there is time to visit the pretty village and its castle. After a short coach journey to Broc, it’s time to visit the world famous Nestle chocolate factory, where we may even get the chance to sample some treats!
On the last day, there is time to stroll alongside the sparkling lake in Montreux or visit the medieval Chateau de Chillon before our departure back to London. There are lots of different options for the last day including a lake cruise or you can board a mountain train to Rochers de Naye and its Marmot Paradise.
We hope you enjoyed this snapshot of our Glacier Express and Scenic Switzerland rail holiday. If you missed out this time, then don’t worry we have plenty of other amazing train journeys. Take a look on the Planet Rail website where you can see our range of luxury train holidays and start planning your trip today.
