Switzerland's best train rides compared: Glacier, Bernina, GoldenPass, Gotthard and more, with 2026 journey times, seasons, reservation fees and pass coverage.
The best train rides in Switzerland are the Glacier Express (Zermatt to St. Moritz), the Bernina Express (St. Moritz to Tirano), the GoldenPass Express (Montreux to Interlaken) and the Gotthard Panorama Express (Lugano to Lucerne), followed by shorter lines that need no supplement: the Luzern-Interlaken Express, the Centovalli Railway, the Treno Gottardo and the Voralpen-Express. Add the mountain railways (Gornergrat, Jungfraujoch, Pilatus, Rigi) and you have the rides we build most of our Swiss trips around.
Below, each ride with its 2026 journey time, season, reservation fee and Swiss Travel Pass coverage, then how we combine them according to trip length and season.
| Ride | Route | Time | Season | Reservation 2026 | Swiss Travel Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier Express | Zermatt to St. Moritz | about 8 h | All year except mid-Oct to early Dec | CHF 54, mandatory | Ticket covered |
| Bernina Express | Chur or St. Moritz to Tirano | 4 h 20 or 2 h 15 | All year | CHF 32 to 44, mandatory | Ticket covered |
| GoldenPass Express | Montreux to Interlaken | 3 h 15 | All year | CHF 20 optional, Prestige CHF 49 | Ticket covered |
| Gotthard Panorama Express | Lugano to Flüelen by train, boat to Lucerne | about 5 h 30 | April to mid-October | CHF 24 supplement, 1st class only | Ticket covered |
| Luzern-Interlaken Express | Lucerne to Interlaken | 1 h 50 | All year, hourly | CHF 16 (summer), CHF 12, optional | Fully covered |
| Centovalli Railway | Locarno to Domodossola | about 2 h | All year, hourly | Small fee on panoramic trains | Covered, fees extra |
| Treno Gottardo | Zurich or Lucerne to Locarno | 3 h 22 from Zurich | All year, hourly | Free, optional | Fully covered |
| Voralpen-Express | Lucerne to St. Gallen | 2 h 18 | All year | None (free seating) | Fully covered |
| Gornergrat railway | Zermatt to Gornergrat | 33 min | All year | None | 50 percent off |
| Jungfrau railway | Interlaken to Jungfraujoch | about 1 h 30 via Eiger Express | All year | CHF 10, mandatory May to Oct | Discount only |
| Pilatus cogwheel | Alpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm | about 30 min | Mid-May to late Nov | None | 50 percent off |
| Rigi railways | Vitznau or Arth-Goldau to Rigi Kulm | 30 to 40 min | All year | None | Free |
Eight hours, 291 bridges and 91 tunnels between the Matterhorn and the Engadin, over the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 m and through the Rhine Gorge, ending on the UNESCO-listed Albula line and the Landwasser Viaduct. In 2026 the mandatory reservation costs CHF 54 (about $67) per person, and Excellence Class adds CHF 590 (about $730) with a multi-course meal and a guaranteed window seat. The train stops each year for maintenance, in 2026 from October 11 to December 4. Everything else is in our Glacier Express guide.
Best for: travelers with a full day to give, linking Zermatt and the Engadin. Skip it if you are restless after three hours seated: ride the Chur to St. Moritz section only.
From St. Moritz over the Bernina Pass at 2,253 m, past Lago Bianco and the Palü Glacier, down the Brusio spiral viaduct to Tirano in Italy. RhB calls it the highest transalpine railway, and it is one of the steepest railways in the world without a cogwheel. Reservations in 2026: CHF 32 from St. Moritz, CHF 40 to CHF 44 from Chur. The regional trains on the same line have windows that open, and in summer some carry open-air cars. See our Bernina Express guide.
Best for: combining Switzerland with Lake Como or Lugano. It is also the best winter ride in the country.
Since December 2022 the train changes gauge at Zweisimmen, so Montreux to Interlaken runs straight through in 3 hours 15 minutes, four times a day. Vineyards above Lake Geneva, the chalets of Gstaad, then Lake Thun. The Prestige class, with raised, heated seats that turn toward the view, costs CHF 49 on top of a 1st class ticket. Details in our GoldenPass Express guide.
Best for: linking the Jungfrau region and Lake Geneva, and travelers with suitcases (it has proper luggage compartments).
A steamboat or motor ship across Lake Lucerne to Flüelen, then a 1st class panoramic train over the historic Gotthard line of 1882, through the spiral tunnels around the church of Wassen, which you see from three angles, and down into Ticino. The supplement is CHF 24 per person in 2026. It only runs from April to mid-October; after the 2026 season it returns on April 17, 2027.
Best for: arriving in or leaving Ticino in style. Out of season, the Treno Gottardo uses the same mountain line.
These run on regular tickets and passes, every hour, and are some of the most beautiful rides in the country.
Lucerne to Interlaken in 1 hour 50 minutes over the Brünig Pass (1,001 m), past Lake Lucerne, Lake Sarnen and Lake Brienz. The operator recommends the right-hand side in the direction of travel. Reservation is optional: CHF 16 from May to October, CHF 12 in winter.
Locarno to Domodossola in Italy, 52 km and 83 bridges and viaducts through the "hundred valleys", in about two hours. Hourly, with new panoramic trains this year. A small seat reservation and panoramic supplement apply on the panoramic trains, and the Swiss Travel Pass covers the ticket. From Domodossola, trains connect to Brig and Zermatt or to Lake Maggiore, which makes it a beautiful link between Ticino and Valais.
Hourly trains from Zurich, Basel or Lucerne to Bellinzona and Locarno over the historic Gotthard line rather than through the base tunnel. Zurich to Locarno takes 3 hours 22 minutes, with free reservation. The landscape is the one the Gotthard Panorama Express sells, at no supplement and all year.
Lucerne to St. Gallen in 2 hours 18 minutes through the pre-Alps, over the Sitter viaduct and along Lake Zurich at Rapperswil, with free seating and a bistro car. Quieter than the famous lines, and the way to reach the Abbey Library of St. Gallen and Appenzell.
Switzerland's first electric cogwheel railway, open since 1898, climbs to 3,089 m in 33 minutes, with views of 29 peaks above 4,000 m and the Matterhorn in front of you. In 2026 a return costs CHF 132 (May to October) or CHF 102 (November to April), half with a Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card. The line closes for works from November 2 to 14, 2026.
Europe's highest railway station, at 3,454 m, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Interlaken via the Eiger Express gondola and the tunnel railway through the Eiger. Returns start from CHF 129.60 from Grindelwald Terminal, with a CHF 10 seat reservation mandatory from May 1 to October 31, 2026, and a 15 percent Good Morning discount on early trains in that season. To choose between the summits, read our comparison of Jungfraujoch, Gornergrat and the Schilthorn.
The steepest cogwheel railway in the world, with a 48 percent gradient, opened in 1889. It runs from mid-May to late November (May 11 to November 29 in 2026). The classic "Golden Round Trip" combines a boat from Lucerne, the cogwheel up and the cable cars down: CHF 119.80 in 2026, with 50 percent off the mountain sections for pass holders.
The Rigi railways, Europe's first mountain railway, are free with the Swiss Travel Pass: boat to Vitznau, cogwheel up, cable car down to Weggis. The Brienz Rothorn Bahn, mostly steam-hauled, climbs above Lake Brienz from June to October (June 6 to October 25 in 2026), at CHF 98 return or half with a pass.
The GoldenPass Chocolate Train runs from Montreux to Gruyères and the Cailler chocolate factory in Broc on set days from May to September (May 1 to September 29 in 2026), for CHF 89 in 2nd class or CHF 59 with a Swiss Travel Pass. It is a fun day for families and a good rainy-day plan.
The rule we hold to: never two full-day panoramic trains on consecutive days, and never a long train on the day after you land.
The GoldenPass Express and the Luzern-Interlaken Express have low-floor cars with wheelchair spaces. On the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express, wheelchair places exist but must be booked by phone with the operators. The Pullman car of the Bernina Express, the GoldenPass Belle Époque cars and the open-air cars are not accessible. SBB boarding help is free and booked through the SBB Contact Center Handicap (0800 007 102) at least an hour ahead. For mountain railways, we check each line before it goes into an itinerary.
All of these rides appear in our train trips. If you want a route that combines the ones you care about at a pace that suits you, ask one of our travel designers for a custom version.
More guides: Switzerland by trainGetting around
The Bernina Express and the Glacier Express are the two most scenic, both crossing UNESCO-listed lines with spiral tunnels and viaducts. The Bernina Express packs more variety into fewer hours, from glaciers at 2,253 m to Italian vineyards in Tirano. The Glacier Express is the longer, slower full-day experience between Zermatt and St. Moritz.
Reservations are mandatory on the Glacier Express (CHF 54 in 2026), the Bernina Express (CHF 32 to 44) and the Gotthard Panorama Express (CHF 24 supplement). They are optional but recommended on the GoldenPass Express (CHF 20) and the Luzern-Interlaken Express (CHF 12 to 16). Regular trains, including the Treno Gottardo and Voralpen-Express, need none.
The Swiss Travel Pass covers the ticket on all the panoramic trains, but not their reservations and supplements. Lines such as the Luzern-Interlaken Express, Treno Gottardo and Voralpen-Express are fully covered. Mountain railways differ: the Rigi is free, the Gornergrat and Pilatus are half price, and the Jungfrau railway gives a smaller discount.
You can ride two or three of the great panoramic trains in a week, for example the GoldenPass Express, the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express, if you avoid riding long trains on consecutive days. Seeing all four plus the mountain railways comfortably takes about two weeks.
Day by day, with prices. Each one is reshaped around you.
Six nights by train from Interlaken to Lucerne, with the GoldenPass, the Gornergrat, the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express, in 4-star hotels beside each station. For first-time visitors who want the big views without a car.
From €2,199 per person
Eleven nights by train from Montreux to Zurich: Lavaux, the Chocolate Train, Jungfraujoch, Zermatt and the Glacier Express to St. Moritz. Well-placed 3-star hotels keep the price down; we upgrade one or two stops on request.
From €3,499 per person
Six nights by train through Lucerne, Grindelwald, Zermatt and Montreux: Pilatus, a free day in the Jungfrau region, sunset on the Matterhorn and a wine walk in Lavaux. Central 4-star hotels; a good first Switzerland.
From €1,999 per person
Switzerland in December 2026: Christmas market dates by city, the Escalade and Klausjagen, ski-season openings, the Glacier Express return and weather.
Switzerland in April 2027: which mountain lifts close for revision and when, Sechseläuten and Cully Jazz dates, real weather by region and trip ideas.
Switzerland in March 2027: spring skiing and ski-area closing dates, the Engadin Skimarathon, Easter on March 28, real temperatures and what to pack.
Two minutes, three steps. Free and without obligation.
