Alps by Design
Signature Route · Rail

Across the Alps by Rail

Five countries, two of the world's great trains, no car required.

🇫🇷 France🇨🇭 Switzerland🇮🇹 Italy🇦🇹 Austria🇸🇮 SloveniaGeneva / Annecy → Ljubljana

Distance

1400 km / 869 mi

Days

12

Difficulty

Easy (1/5)

High point

Bernina Pass (railway) · 2,253 m

Shape

Loop

You don't have to walk across the Alps to cross them. This classic rail loop strings together five countries and the two most famous scenic trains on the continent — the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express — from the French Alps through Switzerland and the Italian Dolomites to Austria and Slovenia. It's the route for travellers who want the high passes framed in a panorama window with a coffee in hand, stopping in a great mountain town every night. The Alps at their most civilised.

Why walk it

  • The Glacier Express, Zermatt to St. Moritz — the slowest express train in the world
  • The Bernina Express over the Alps' highest rail pass, Switzerland to Italy, UNESCO-listed
  • Car-free Zermatt and the Matterhorn without a single hairpin to drive
  • End in Ljubljana, the Alps' most underrated capital, gateway to the Julian lakes

When to go

JuneJulyAugustSeptemberDecember

Countries you cross

  • 🇫🇷French Alps
  • 🇨🇭Swiss Alps
  • 🇮🇹Dolomites
  • 🇦🇹Austrian Alps
  • 🇸🇮Julian Alps

Leg by leg

Each leg is a great journey in itself — here's the loop, with travel times and what you'll see from the window.

  1. Leg1

    Geneva / Annecy Chamonix

    🇫🇷 FranceMountain town
    90 km / 56 mi2.5 hrs

    Begin beneath Mont Blanc in Chamonix — reached by the scenic Mont Blanc Express up from the valley — to set the tone.

  2. Leg2

    Chamonix Zermatt

    🇨🇭 SwitzerlandCar-free resort
    130 km / 81 mi4 hrs

    Across into Switzerland and up the Mattertal to car-free Zermatt, your first Matterhorn evening and the start of the great rail lines.

  3. Leg3

    Zermatt St. Moritz

    🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAlpine resort
    290 km / 180 mi8 hrs▲ 2,033 m

    The Glacier Express — eight hours, 291 bridges, and the Oberalp Pass — the single most famous train journey in the Alps.

  4. Leg4

    St. Moritz Tirano

    🇮🇹 ItalyBorder town
    60 km / 37 mi2.5 hrs▲ 2,253 m

    The Bernina Express over the highest rail crossing in the Alps and down the spiralling Brusio viaduct into Italy.

  5. Leg5

    Tirano Bolzano / Dolomites

    🇮🇹 ItalyAlpine city
    200 km / 124 mi4 hrs

    Through the Italian lakes and vineyards to Bolzano, the gateway city to the Dolomites and their pale, theatrical peaks.

  6. Leg6

    Bolzano Salzburg

    🇦🇹 AustriaBaroque city
    270 km / 168 mi4.5 hrs

    Over the Brenner Pass into Austria and on to Salzburg, all baroque domes, fortress, and Sound-of-Music backdrop.

  7. Leg7

    Salzburg Ljubljana

    🇸🇮 SloveniaCapital city
    290 km / 180 mi4.5 hrs

    South through the Austrian lakes to Ljubljana — green, walkable, and the perfect launchpad for Lake Bled to finish.

Get the pass for this trip

Crossing this many countries, a rail pass usually beats buying each leg separately — compare your options before you book.

Check pass pricesCompare rail passes

The biggest mistake

Reserving the pass but not the scenic trains. The Glacier and Bernina Express both require a seat reservation on top of a rail pass, and they sell out in summer — turn up without one and you'll be watching the views from a regional service instead.

How it’s done

The same route, packaged for different travelers. Pick the version that fits your time, fitness, and how you like to sleep.

The full loop

12 days

5 countries, both scenic expresses, a stop each night

Rail lovers who want the complete cross-Alps journey, unhurried.

Swiss scenic core

7 days

Zermatt, the Glacier Express, and the Bernina Express

First-timers who want the two great trains without the full loop.

Winter markets edition

8 days

Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Ljubljana by rail in December

Travellers chasing snow-globe Christmas markets car-free.

Where to base

Bases & springboards

The towns that work as trailheads, rest stops, and the nights you’ll want a real bed before or after the route.

Haute-Savoie

Chamonix

$$$$

Mont Blanc on your doorstep — the Alps at their most serious.

3–4 nightsCar-free OK
Valais

Zermatt

$$$$$

The Matterhorn, a car-free village, and the best splurge in the Alps.

2–3 nightsCar-free OK
Salzburg

Salzburg

$$$

Baroque city, alpine doorstep — culture before the mountains.

1–2 nightsCar-free OK
Central Slovenia

Ljubljana

$$

Europe's most charming small capital — and Slovenia's front door.

1–2 nightsCar-free OK
Good to know

Questions, answered

Do I need a rail pass or point-to-point tickets?
For a multi-country loop like this, a Eurail/Interrail Global Pass is usually the simplest and best value — one pass covering all five countries. Note that the headline scenic trains, the Glacier Express and Bernina Express, are covered by the pass for the ride but require a separate paid seat reservation, which you should book well ahead in summer.
Is it really possible to cross the Alps without a car?
Yes — the Alps have the densest, most scenic rail network in the world, and this route is built entirely on it. Some of the most desirable towns, like Zermatt, are deliberately car-free and reached only by train. Between the panoramic expresses and frequent regional services, you can see the high Alps end to end without ever touching a steering wheel.
When is the best time for an Alps rail trip?
June to September for long days, green passes, and every line running — the prime window. December is the other sweet spot, when the same route links up the great Christmas markets of Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Ljubljana and the scenery turns to snow. Avoid the shoulder weeks when some seasonal scenic services pause.

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