The Glacier Express is sold as a one-day, eight-hour bucket-list ride from Zermatt to St. Moritz. Ride it straight through and it's a wonderful day. But the travelers who love it most do something the brochures don't push: they break the journey and sleep along the route, where the scenery peaks. Get that right and the train stops being a transfer and becomes the holiday. Here's where to stay at each stop, and how to sequence it.
- Route
- Zermatt to St. Moritz
- Time
- ~8 hours
- Best stretch
- Andermatt to Chur
- Our move
- Break it over 2-3 days
Should you break the journey?
The branded Glacier Express is a single service: eight hours, Zermatt to St. Moritz, over the 2,033 m Oberalp Pass, across 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels. Ridden straight through, it's a genuine bucket-list day, and if that's your plan, sleep well at each end and enjoy every minute.
But eight hours is a long time in a seat, and the scenery isn't spread evenly. By the railway's own reckoning the best of it runs through the middle, from Andermatt to Disentis and on to Chur, and again on the UNESCO-listed Albula line near the Engadine. So the more relaxed, more luxurious move is to break the ride into two or three days. A regular RhB regional train shadows the whole route, covered by a rail pass, needing no reservation, on the same tracks with the same views, so you can ride a scenic segment, overnight where it's most beautiful, and carry on the next morning. That's the trip this guide is built around.
Where to stay along the route, at a glance
| Stop | Why break here | Splurge | Value | Nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zermatt | Matterhorn send-off before you board | Riffelalp Resort 2222m | Hotel Bristol | 1–2 |
| Andermatt | The scenic heart of the line | The Chedi Andermatt | Radisson Blu Reussen | 1 |
| Chur | Where the lines meet; Rhine Gorge & Albula | Hotel Stern (old town) | ABC Hotel (by station) | 1 |
| St. Moritz | The Engadine finale | Badrutt's Palace | Hauser Hotel | 1–2 |
Zermatt, the western gateway
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 550/nightZermatt, Switzerland
Riffelalp Resort 2222m
Ride the Gornergrat railway above the village to a resort at 2,222 metres with the Matterhorn filling the glass, Europe's highest tram at the door and an outdoor pool that steams under the peak. It's the most memorable place to spend the night before you board. For the full village shortlist, see the best luxury hotels in Zermatt with Matterhorn views, or where to stay in Zermatt at every budget.
- Guest rating
- 9.7 / 10
- From
- CHF 550/night
- Best for
- A Matterhorn send-off
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 305/nightZermatt, Switzerland
Hotel Bristol Zermatt
A warm, well-run four-star in the heart of the car-free village, a short walk from the station and the Gornergrat railway, with a spa and Matterhorn glimpses from the upper floors. It's the sensible Zermatt night when the resort palaces are beyond the budget, and it books up fast for summer.
- Guest rating
- 9.2 / 10
- From
- CHF 305/night
- Best for
- Zermatt value in the village
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Andermatt, the scenic heart
This is the overnight that makes the trip. Andermatt sits on the Oberalp Pass stretch the railway rates as the best of the line, and in the last decade it has become one of Switzerland's most polished small resorts, anchored by The Chedi (we weigh whether it earns its rate in is The Chedi Andermatt worth it).
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 1,000/nightAndermatt, Switzerland
The Chedi Andermatt
One of the most celebrated design hotels in the Alps, Asian-alpine interiors in dark wood and firelight, a glass-walled spa, and a cheese cellar that has become a pilgrimage, dropped into the exact middle of the route. An overnight here turns a long ride into two unhurried, spectacular half-days, and it's the single best reason to break the journey rather than power through it.
- Guest rating
- 9.1 / 10
- From
- CHF 1,000/night
- Best for
- The mid-route splurge
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 262/nightAndermatt, Switzerland
Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen, Andermatt
If The Chedi is beyond the budget, this modern four-star in the car-free Andermatt Reuss quarter sits a few minutes' walk from the station, with a spa and pool and the same Oberalp scenery out the door. It's the sensible way to bank an Andermatt night, sleep well, ride on, without the palace rate.
- Guest rating
- 8.7 / 10
- From
- CHF 262/night
- Best for
- Andermatt without the splurge
Chur, the Rhine Gorge hub
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 188/nightChur, Switzerland
ABC Swiss Quality Hotel Chur
Chur is where the lines meet, and this well-run four-star sits directly across from the station, exactly what you want when you're breaking a rail journey. Switzerland's oldest town has a genuinely lovely old quarter to wander the evening you arrive, and you wake up perfectly placed for the Rhine Gorge and the Albula climb. The best-value overnight on the route.
- Guest rating
- 9.1 / 10
- From
- CHF 188/night
- Best for
- The practical overnight
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 358/nightChur, Switzerland
Romantik Hotel Stern Chur
If ABC is the practical choice, the Stern is the characterful one: a 17th-century inn in Chur's old quarter, wood-panelled Arvenholz rooms, hearty Graubünden cooking, and a vintage oldtimer that ferries guests from the station. It's the pick for slowing down in Switzerland's oldest town rather than just passing a night in it.
- Guest rating
- 8.5 / 10
- From
- CHF 358/night
- Best for
- Historic character in the old town
St. Moritz, the Engadine finale
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 800/nightSt. Moritz, Switzerland
Badrutt's Palace Hotel
The 1896 turreted landmark above the frozen lake is the definitive way to end the line: six restaurants, a legendary lobby, and twelve decades of practised grandeur. It's the headline of our most luxurious hotels in the Alps; for the wider Engadine picture at every budget, see where to stay in St. Moritz.
- Guest rating
- 9.2 / 10
- From
- CHF 800/night
- Best for
- The grand finale
Found on Booking.comFrom CHF 331/nightSt. Moritz, Switzerland
Hauser Hotel St. Moritz
A family-run institution in the middle of St. Moritz, known locally for its confiserie and sunny terrace, with straightforward, comfortable rooms a short walk from the lake and the Corviglia funicular. It's the honest-value way to end the line in the Engadine when Badrutt's is a bridge too far.
- Guest rating
- 8.8 / 10
- From
- CHF 331/night
- Best for
- Central St. Moritz value
Two ways to sequence it
The two-night version (classic): a night in Zermatt for the Matterhorn, ride the line, and a night in St. Moritz for the Engadine. Simple, and it still gives you both ends properly.
The three-night version (the one we'd book): Zermatt → Andermatt → St. Moritz, adding a night at The Chedi in the middle. Ride Zermatt to Andermatt on day one, wake on the Oberalp Pass, then take the most beautiful stretch, Andermatt through the Rhine Gorge and over the Albula, on day two. Add a Chur night if you want to slow the Albula section down further, or you're connecting onward to the Bernina Express. Torn between the two resort ends? Our St. Moritz vs Zermatt comparison settles it.
Riding the train itself
The branded Glacier Express runs one pair a day in summer and needs a seat reservation (from around CHF 49) on top of your fare or pass, more with lunch or the premium Excellence Class, which adds a single-seat-per-window layout, a five-course meal, and a welcome glass served at your table. The ride is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass and Half Fare Card, with the reservation paid separately. For the full route, timing, and which section to prioritise, see our Glacier Express guide; if you're choosing between Switzerland's two great panoramic trains, Glacier Express vs Bernina Express settles it. Book seats and hotels months ahead for summer, because both sell out.
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