Jubilee trip: 25 years
«Railway journey through the Swiss Alps»
Gornergrat - Zermatt - St. Moritz - Tirano
on the tracks of the legendary Orient Express
June 28 to July 1st, 2025
Prices from: CHF 2'450.-
Private de Luxe Train
“26 June 1930 saw the maiden journey of the first continuous express train from Zermatt to St. Moritz, the auspicious “Glacier Express”. The new train lived up to all expectations. The “Glacier Express” is also a masterstroke in terms of advertising for all of Switzerland…”. This quotation from the annual report of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) from 1930 underlines the visions and the kind of “product communication” practised by marketing specialists at that time.
End June 2025, we are extending the “direct connection from Zermatt to St. Moritz” with two more attractive rail routes and making up for the “25 Years of the Alpine Classic Pullman Express” anniversary journey. The trip from Zermatt to the Gornergrat is with a Matterhorn Gotthard Railway NostalChic railcar. For the first sector from Zermatt up to the Gornergrat at 3,089 metres we travel on board a specially organised Gornergrat Railway train on Europe’s highest open-air cog railway. We relax in our comfortable NostalChic car of 1961 and enjoy the finest views of the majestic Matterhorn and a mountain panorama of overwhelming beauty. From Zermatt to St. Moritz, we travel on board the stylish “Glacier Pullman Express – Private de Luxe Train”.
The train is hauled by the He 4/4 n° 26 of MGB Historic on the route of the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn.
The “Alby Glatt” locomotive will haul the stylish special train on the sector of the Rhaetian Railways from Disentis to St. Moritz. The special train consists of two Pullman cars, a bar-lounge carriage and a baggage car. For lunch on board, two Gourmino dining cars are added to the train. The tour ends with a trip over the famous Bernina Line to Tirano, the lowest point on the Rhaetian rail network, over the highest rail crossing in the Alps. From St. Moritz to Tirano two original Pullman cars, built in 1931, which once belonged to the Cie. Int. des Wagons-Lits et Grands Express Européens, are attached on a regular train.
Trip Details
Saturday June 28 to Tuesday, July 1st, 2025
At around 16.30 our private train, consisting of the NostalChic railcar departs Zermatt for the Gornergrat, the highest point on our trip. The electrified rack railway opened on 20 August 1898 and is the secondhighest mountain railway in Europe. The line begins at an altitude of 1,604 m and travels around 9 km at a maximum gradient of 20% to the Gornergrat at 3,089 m. We enjoy the splendid views on the famous Matterhorn on the Gornergrat followed by a delicious dinner. Return to Zermatt at around 21.00h.
Overnight stay in Zermatt, according to your personal arrangements.
We depart Zermatt at around 08.15 on the “Glacier Pullman Express – Private de Luxe Train”. We sit back in our luxurious carriage dating from the 1930s and enjoy the ever-changing views from the window as our enchanting journey continues.
Eggishorn and the Aletsch region: UNESCO-recognised wonders of nature
The Eggishorn cable car takes us up to a unique vantage point from which to enjoy the wonderful views of the Aletsch region: Eggishorn (2,893 m). The mighty Aletsch Glacier, the main focal point of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Aletsch, now lies at your feet.
Fiescheralp (2,212 m) is the perfect place to enjoy an apéro riche.
The heady romance of steam, on the Furka Mountain line
The Furka Mountain section was operated until October 1981 by trains of the Furka-Oberalp Railway and the Glacier Express. After the inauguration of the Furka Base Tunnel, the section of line running over the Furka Pass was decommissioned and handed over to the Furka Steam Mountain Railway (known by its German initials DFB). Hundreds of thousands of hours were invested in the painstaking task of repairing and restoring the section of line.
Our romantically nostalgic journey begins at Oberwald (1,366 m). The steam loco, which is more than a century old, begins its journey by climbing up alongside the bubbling waters of the Rhone River before continuing up to the highest-altitude railway station of them all, at Furka (2,163 m). We exceed the accumulation point of over 2100 m above sea level of our trip. The journey of ends at Realp (1,546 m). We change back to the Glacier Pullman Express and head to Andermatt where we arrive at around 17.00h.
We then enjoy an overnight stay in Andermatt, at the foot of the St. Gotthard Pass
The first written mention of Andermatt dates from the year 1203, but archaeological evidence of its earlier history indicates a human presence in the surrounding Urserental valley as early as 4,000 BC, and also a time of Roman settlement in the period around 300 BC. The Gotthard Pass was opened between 1818 and 1830, to be followed by the Oberalp and Furka passes, and Andermatt became a spa town and centre of commerce.
For your overnight stay, you have a choice of hotels in different categories. Evening at leisure.
After breakfast at the hotel, the Glacier Pullman Express carries us over the 2,033-metre-high Oberalp Pass to Disentis.
Disentis Abbey
The Benedictine Abbey of Disentis was founded in the year 720. Since then, its fortunes have repeatedly waxed and waned, but it has never ceased to exist. The centuries-old school run by the Abbey has been a grammar school since 1880. A Benedictine monk shows us parts of the Abbey and tells us about daily life.
Lunch on board our Gourmino dining cars of 1929/1930 vintage
The attentive on-board staff will serve you an exquisite lunch as the Glacier Pullman-Express travels along the section from Disentis to Chur.
Ruinaulta – the spectacular Rhine Gorge
Enjoy dazzling scenery as we travel along the Rhine. Here the river is still young and narrow, but its power is clear to see. Over the centuries, it has ground away the rock and carved out the spectacular landscape known as Switzerland’s Grand Canyon.
Chur
Chur is the oldest city in Switzerland and has been settled for over 5,000 years. The historic Old Town, one of the best-preserved in the country, is completely car-free and very much worth a visit. Enjoy a guided walking tour and learn all about the history and culture of Graubünden’s capital.
Continue to St. Moritz
The Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008, and today’s journey takes us along the Albula section from Thusis to St. Moritz.
At around 19.00h, the Glacier Pullman Express – Private de Luxe Train pulls into our destination of St. Moritz.
Overnight stay in the fashionable St. Moritz, according to your personal arrangements.
We wish you an enjoyable stay in the Engadin Valley.
In the morning travel on the board the Pullman cars from St. Moritz to Tirano. The cars are attached on a regular train. Enjoy breathtaking views as our train travels through valleys and tunnels, over deep canyons and across bridges. We traverse the Alps on Europe’s highest rail crossing, which also boasts UNESCO World Heritage status.
Outside Tirano we visit the “La Gatta” winery for a guided tour to learn all about grapes and how wine is made. We enjoy a typical local lunch accompanied by delicious wines from Triacca.
At around 14.30 we rejoin the modern train “Bernina Express” and leave Tirano, the lowest destination on our tour (441 m). We sit back in the 1st class and enjoy the ever-changing views from the window as our enchanting journey continues.
We return to St. Moritz or Chur (arrival Chur around 18.30h)
Individual departure.
Saturday, June 28 2025
At around 16.30 our private train, consisting of the NostalChic railcar departs Zermatt for the Gornergrat, the highest point on our trip. The electrified rack railway opened on 20 August 1898 and is the secondhighest mountain railway in Europe. The line begins at an altitude of 1,604 m and travels around 9 km at a maximum gradient of 20% to the Gornergrat at 3,089 m. We enjoy the splendid views on the famous Matterhorn on the Gornergrat followed by a delicious dinner. Return to Zermatt at around 21.00h.
Overnight stay in Zermatt, according to your personal arrangements.
Sunday, June 29 2025
We depart Zermatt at around 08.15 on the “Glacier Pullman Express – Private de Luxe Train”. We sit back in our luxurious carriage dating from the 1930s and enjoy the ever-changing views from the window as our enchanting journey continues.
Eggishorn and the Aletsch region: UNESCO-recognised wonders of nature
The Eggishorn cable car takes us up to a unique vantage point from which to enjoy the wonderful views of the Aletsch region: Eggishorn (2,893 m). The mighty Aletsch Glacier, the main focal point of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Aletsch, now lies at your feet.
Fiescheralp (2,212 m) is the perfect place to enjoy an apéro riche.
The heady romance of steam, on the Furka Mountain line
The Furka Mountain section was operated until October 1981 by trains of the Furka-Oberalp Railway and the Glacier Express. After the inauguration of the Furka Base Tunnel, the section of line running over the Furka Pass was decommissioned and handed over to the Furka Steam Mountain Railway (known by its German initials DFB). Hundreds of thousands of hours were invested in the painstaking task of repairing and restoring the section of line.
Our romantically nostalgic journey begins at Oberwald (1,366 m). The steam loco, which is more than a century old, begins its journey by climbing up alongside the bubbling waters of the Rhone River before continuing up to the highest-altitude railway station of them all, at Furka (2,163 m). We exceed the accumulation point of over 2100 m above sea level of our trip. The journey of ends at Realp (1,546 m). We change back to the Glacier Pullman Express and head to Andermatt where we arrive at around 17.00h.
We then enjoy an overnight stay in Andermatt, at the foot of the St. Gotthard Pass
The first written mention of Andermatt dates from the year 1203, but archaeological evidence of its earlier history indicates a human presence in the surrounding Urserental valley as early as 4,000 BC, and also a time of Roman settlement in the period around 300 BC. The Gotthard Pass was opened between 1818 and 1830, to be followed by the Oberalp and Furka passes, and Andermatt became a spa town and centre of commerce.
For your overnight stay, you have a choice of hotels in different categories. Evening at leisure.
Monday, June 30 2025
After breakfast at the hotel, the Glacier Pullman Express carries us over the 2,033-metre-high Oberalp Pass to Disentis.
Disentis Abbey
The Benedictine Abbey of Disentis was founded in the year 720. Since then, its fortunes have repeatedly waxed and waned, but it has never ceased to exist. The centuries-old school run by the Abbey has been a grammar school since 1880. A Benedictine monk shows us parts of the Abbey and tells us about daily life.
Lunch on board our Gourmino dining cars of 1929/1930 vintage
The attentive on-board staff will serve you an exquisite lunch as the Glacier Pullman-Express travels along the section from Disentis to Chur.
Ruinaulta – the spectacular Rhine Gorge
Enjoy dazzling scenery as we travel along the Rhine. Here the river is still young and narrow, but its power is clear to see. Over the centuries, it has ground away the rock and carved out the spectacular landscape known as Switzerland’s Grand Canyon.
Chur
Chur is the oldest city in Switzerland and has been settled for over 5,000 years. The historic Old Town, one of the best-preserved in the country, is completely car-free and very much worth a visit. Enjoy a guided walking tour and learn all about the history and culture of Graubünden’s capital.
Continue to St. Moritz
The Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008, and today’s journey takes us along the Albula section from Thusis to St. Moritz.
At around 19.00h, the Glacier Pullman Express – Private de Luxe Train pulls into our destination of St. Moritz.
Overnight stay in the fashionable St. Moritz, according to your personal arrangements.
We wish you an enjoyable stay in the Engadin Valley.
Tuesday, July 1st 2025
In the morning travel on the board the Pullman cars from St. Moritz to Tirano. The cars are attached on a regular train. Enjoy breathtaking views as our train travels through valleys and tunnels, over deep canyons and across bridges. We traverse the Alps on Europe’s highest rail crossing, which also boasts UNESCO World Heritage status.
Outside Tirano we visit the “La Gatta” winery for a guided tour to learn all about grapes and how wine is made. We enjoy a typical local lunch accompanied by delicious wines from Triacca.
At around 14.30 we rejoin the modern train “Bernina Express” and leave Tirano, the lowest destination on our tour (441 m). We sit back in the 1st class and enjoy the ever-changing views from the window as our enchanting journey continues.
We return to St. Moritz or Chur (arrival Chur around 18.30h)
Individual departure.
Hotels in Andermatt
Alpenhotel Schlüssel oder Hotel Sonne (3-stars):
Double room: CHF 2’450.- per person | Single room: CHF 2’520.-
Hotel Radisson Blu Reussen (4-stars):
Double room Standard: CHF 2’610.- per person | Single room Standard: CHF 2’715.-
Double room Superior: CHF 2’635.- per person | Single room Superior: CHF 2’765.-
Booking
Price per person (inkl. VAT 8.1%)
plus 0.25% risk contribution for the guarantee fund
Included:
Train journey as described from Zermatt – Gornergrat – Zermatt – St. Moritz – Tirano, journey on the scheduled Bernina Express train service from Tirano to Chur or St. Moritz in 1st class, reserved seats in the Pullman- and Dining coaches, dinner on Gornergrat including drinks, excursion by cable car to the
Eggishorn, apéro riche on the Fiescheralp, journey by steam train on the Furka mountain line in 2nd class (wooden bench), overnight at your chosen hotel in Andermatt including breakfast and city tax, tour of parts of Disentis Abbey with a monk, lunch in the Gourmino dining car including drinks, guided tour in Chur, coach transfer to the winery, guided tour, lunch and wine tasting in “La Gatta”, tour guides, documentation.
Not included:
Travel to Zermatt and return from St. Moritz or Chur, drinks; except with meals, spirits, and hotel accommodation in Zermatt and St. Moritz/Chur.
We can of course assist you with travel to Zermatt and back from Chur/St. Moritz as well as with extension nights in those towns.
Please contact us for more information.
Program, routes and rail traction subject to change. The organizer’s general information and conditions of travel apply.
A minimum of 35 travelers is required for the trip to take place.