The 1,280 km Grand Train Tour of Switzerland section by section: 2026 reservations, Swiss Travel Pass costs, seasonal gaps and our 13-day day-by-day itinerary.
The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland is not a train and not a ticket. It is a 1,280 km loop of eight official sections, defined by Switzerland Tourism, that strings together the country's panoramic trains: the Luzern-Interlaken Express, the GoldenPass Express, the Glacier Express, the Bernina Express and the Gotthard Panorama Express, plus regional lines through eastern Switzerland. The official classic version takes seven days; we build it over 12 to 14 days, and the whole loop is covered by a Swiss Travel Pass, with only seat reservations to add (about CHF 160, or $200, per person in 2026).
Here is the route section by section, what each one costs to reserve, when the full loop is possible in the year, and the day-by-day itinerary we use.
| # | Section | Train | Time (official) | Reservation in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zurich to Lucerne to Interlaken | InterCity, then Luzern-Interlaken Express | about 2 h 45 min | Optional, CHF 16 (May to Oct), CHF 12 (winter) |
| 2 | Interlaken to Zweisimmen to Montreux | GoldenPass Express | about 3 h 15 min | Optional CHF 20, Prestige CHF 49 |
| 3 | Montreux to Visp to Zermatt | InterRegio, then Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn | about 2 h 30 min to 2 h 45 min | None |
| 4 | Zermatt to St. Moritz | Glacier Express | about 7 h 45 min to 8 h | Mandatory, CHF 54 |
| 5 | St. Moritz to Tirano to Lugano | Bernina Express, then Bernina Express bus | about 6 h 45 min with the connection | Mandatory, CHF 32 train, CHF 16 to 18 bus |
| 6 | Lugano to Flüelen to Lucerne | Gotthard Panorama Express (train, then boat) | about 5 h 30 min | Mandatory, CHF 24 supplement, 1st class only |
| 7 | Lucerne to St. Gallen | Voralpen-Express | about 2 h 20 min | Not possible (free seating) |
| 8 | St. Gallen to Schaffhausen to Zurich | Regional trains along Lake Constance and the Rhine | half a day with stops | None |
Along the way you see 11 large lakes, five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among them the Albula and Bernina railway lines, and pass through all four language regions. There is also an official bus alternative from St. Moritz to Lugano over the Maloja Pass.
Switzerland Tourism states that the entire Grand Train Tour is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass and the Swiss Travel Pass Flex. You still pay the reservations and supplements on three trains where they are mandatory (Glacier, Bernina, Gotthard Panorama) and, if you want a guaranteed seat, on the GoldenPass Express and the Luzern-Interlaken Express.
2026 pass prices (CHF, adult):
| Pass | 2nd class | 1st class |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss Travel Pass 8 consecutive days | 439 (about $545) | 697 (about $865) |
| Swiss Travel Pass 15 consecutive days | 499 | 787 |
| Swiss Travel Pass Flex 8 days in a month | 459 | 729 |
Reservations for the full loop, per person: Luzern-Interlaken Express CHF 16, GoldenPass Express CHF 20, Glacier Express CHF 54, Bernina Express CHF 32 (from St. Moritz), Bernina Express bus CHF 18, Gotthard Panorama Express CHF 24. That is CHF 164 in peak season. Add CHF 590 per person if you choose Glacier Express Excellence Class, or CHF 29 more (CHF 49 instead of CHF 20) for Prestige on the GoldenPass Express.
Two rules decide the class: Glacier Express 1st class and Excellence need a 1st class pass, and the Gotthard Panorama Express train is 1st class only, so 2nd class pass holders pay an upgrade on that section. For a loop of this length we recommend 1st class. Our Swiss Travel Pass calculator shows whether a consecutive pass, a Flex pass or the Half Fare Card works out cheaper for the version you choose.
This is what most guides skip. The eight sections are not all running at the same time of year:
So the complete loop with every panoramic train works from mid-April to early October, and our favorite windows are late May to June and September. In winter, the tour still works with substitutes: the Treno Gottardo (Lugano or Bellinzona to Lucerne over the historic Gotthard line, hourly, free reservation) replaces the Gotthard Panorama Express, and an Italian train or a private transfer replaces the bus from Tirano. Switzerland Tourism publishes a dedicated "Winter Magic" version of eight days or more.
The official classic tour fits the loop into seven days, with a 7 h 45 min day followed by a 6 h 45 min day and a 5 h 30 min day. We prefer to sleep at least two nights in the places worth seeing, and to ride the long trains on days with nothing else planned. This is the version we design most often, clockwise from Zurich.
Land at Zurich, take the train straight to Lucerne (about an hour from the airport). Two nights on the lake: the Chapel Bridge, the old town, a boat to Vitznau and the cogwheel to Rigi, which the Swiss Travel Pass covers in full.
Section 1, the second half: 1 hour 50 minutes over the Brünig Pass, past Lake Sarnen and Lake Brienz. Sit on the right-hand side in the direction of travel, as the operator recommends. Two nights in Interlaken, Grindelwald or Wengen, with a day on the Jungfraujoch or the Schilthorn. The Jungfraujoch is the classic, the Schilthorn the better value with a pass.
Section 2: the 9:11 a.m. GoldenPass Express reaches Montreux at 12:25 p.m., with the gauge change at Zweisimmen. Details are in our GoldenPass Express guide. Two nights on Lake Geneva: Chillon Castle, a walk through the Lavaux terraces, or the Chocolate Train to Gruyères in season.
Section 3: about 2 hours 45 minutes with changes in Visp, along the Rhône valley, then up the Matter valley. Two nights in car-free Zermatt, with the Gornergrat railway in the morning (33 minutes to 3,089 m, 50 percent off with the pass).
Section 4: the full day, about eight hours over the Oberalp Pass and the Rhine Gorge, ending on the Albula line. Lunch at your seat. Everything about classes and Excellence is in our Glacier Express guide.
A rest day in the Engadin, with a walk around the lake or the funicular to Muottas Muragl. This day is what makes the next two long days pleasant.
Section 5: the 9:17 a.m. Bernina Express reaches Tirano at 11:32 a.m., lunch in Tirano, then the 2:20 p.m. Bernina Express bus along Lake Como to Lugano (5:30 p.m.). See our Bernina Express guide.
Italian-speaking Switzerland: the lakefront, Monte Brè or Monte San Salvatore, and an evening grotto dinner.
Section 6: the 1st class panoramic train from Lugano over the old Gotthard line, past the church of Wassen that you see three times from three angles, then the boat from Flüelen across Lake Lucerne. From Lucerne, Zurich is under an hour by train for a final night near the airport.
Sections 7 and 8 complete the official loop: the Voralpen-Express from Lucerne to St. Gallen (2 hours 18 minutes, free seating, a bistro car), the Abbey Library in St. Gallen, then regional trains along Lake Constance to Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls before Zurich. These are quiet, pretty sections, and we include them for travelers who want to complete the loop or who already know the classic sights.
Three long days follow each other in the original loop: Glacier Express, Bernina Express with the bus, and the Gotthard Panorama Express. In our version they are separated by a rest day and a free day in Lugano. Other things we plan for:
The loop is possible with reduced mobility, but each train has its own rules. 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 must be booked by phone with the operators (RhB Railservice for the Bernina, +41 81 288 65 65). Boarding help across the network is booked through the SBB Contact Center Handicap (0800 007 102, at least an hour ahead), and Zermatt is car-free but has electric taxis. We check each hotel and transfer before it goes into the itinerary.
Our Switzerland by Train in 12 Days covers the western half and the Glacier Express, and Legendary Swiss Trains concentrates the Glacier, Bernina and Gornergrat into seven days. Both stretch easily into the full loop described here.
If you would like the Grand Train Tour at your pace, with reservations secured and luggage sent ahead, ask one of our travel designers for a custom version.
More guides: Switzerland by trainItineraries
The official classic tour takes seven days, but it stacks three long train days in a row and leaves almost no time in the places you pass. We recommend 12 to 14 days for the full loop, with two nights in Lucerne, the Jungfrau region, Montreux, Zermatt and Lugano. A shorter five-day version can cover the Glacier and Bernina Express only.
There is no single ticket. With a 15-day Swiss Travel Pass in 2026 (CHF 499 in 2nd class, CHF 787 in 1st class) plus about CHF 164 of reservations per person, the trains are covered. Glacier Express Excellence Class adds CHF 590. Hotels, meals and mountain excursions come on top.
Partly. The Glacier Express stops from mid-October to early December, and the Gotthard Panorama Express only runs from April to October. From December to March you can ride the Glacier and Bernina Express, and replace the Gotthard section with the Treno Gottardo over the same historic line. Switzerland Tourism publishes a Winter Magic version.
Yes, Switzerland Tourism states that the whole loop is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass and the Swiss Travel Pass Flex. You pay only seat reservations and supplements: mandatory on the Glacier Express, Bernina Express and Gotthard Panorama Express, and optional but recommended on the GoldenPass Express and Luzern-Interlaken Express.
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Two minutes, three steps. Free and without obligation.
