Is a Glacier Express first class ticket actually worth the price? Learn the truth before you book your Swiss rail trip. Taking a train through the Alps is a bucket list item for many, but the booking process can be tricky. This review covers my recent journey on the Glacier Express, specifically focusing on the first class train experience. I will show you the exact route, including iconic sights like the Landwasser Viaduct, to help you decide if the premium fare provides enough value for your specific travel style.
The biggest takeaway involves a seating mistake I made during the reservation process. Proper planning is essential for Switzerland train travel, as where you sit drastically changes your view of the mountains. I break down how to avoid the same error and share tips on selecting the best seats to maximize those famous scenic rail routes. If you are planning a trip, these train travel tips will save you from common booking pitfalls.
Subscribe for weekly travel breakdowns, and let me know in the comments if you want my specific seat advice for your situation.
Chapters: 0:00 Is Glacier Express first class worth it? 0:06 I thought I booked the wrong seat 0:17 The 93-day number 0:29 St. Moritz to Zermatt 0:38 First class: two seats vs table of four 0:56 Sold out in under 2 minutes 1:45 The Chur reverse 2:14 Ticket vs seat reservation 2:51 The mid-ride mountain stop 3:07 Landwasser Viaduct and the views 3:40 Verdict: worth it? 3:49 Next: Bernina Express
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Is this first class ride on the Glacier Express worth it? I'll answer that in three minutes.
First, I thought I booked the wrong seat. Turns out the seat wasn't wrong, I was. I didn't figure
it out until I arrived at the train station, and it looked like my seat was facing the wrong way.
One more number before you pick a seat. 93 days. I'll explain why that matters in one minute,
and by the end I'll give you the exact seats I booked instead. But first, you need to know the
mistake I made. I was riding the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt, the very first thing
I booked for my four-week trip across Switzerland. This is the famous eight-hour ride across the
Swiss Alps. First class has two setups, a section with two seats facing each other in a single row,
or four seat tables. I wanted the two-seat side, fewer strangers, better view. I was traveling solo,
so that felt smart. I knew exactly when the seat reservations would go on sale online.
To my shock, the side with the single row sold out in less than two minutes.
Every single one of those two-seat pairings gone. My only option was the table for four.
Eight hours, knee-to-knee with strangers. What if we didn't get along? I boarded in St. Moritz.
My seat, table for four, a family already there. Eight hours would tell us if this is fine
or awful. But the family was spread across the nearby seats, which left the seat directly across
from me empty. So as soon as we started moving, I switched seats and faced forward. How lucky can
you get? So far, so good. Great views out my panoramic window. Somewhere in there, I started
talking to the family across the table. Turns out they were from Taiwan, or the nicest people I met
on this whole trip. One worry gone. The direction thing was about to get more interesting. Here's
what I didn't understand. And if you're studying the city chart, you need this too. About three
hours in, we reached Chur. The conductor told me I would have to move back to my assigned seat in
Chur because someone was boarding there for the seat I was in. But here's the funny part. The train
reverses direction at Chur. Suddenly, the seat I thought was backwards faced forward. The seat
wasn't wrong. My assumption was. But that wasn't the real problem. Not getting a seat at all, that
would have been a disaster. Remember that number from the beginning? 93 days. Your ticket and your
seat reservation are two different things. Seat reservations open 93 days before your travel date
for first and second class. Traveling in the summer? Seats can vanish quickly. The tour agencies get
prairie. Count back 93 days. Seriously, put it on your calendar. And there's a moment later on this
ride that has nothing to do with seats or booking. The real reason you take this train. I'll get to
that in just a second. But first, please remember 93 days. That's the number. And find out the exact
time seats go on sale online. Here's that moment. Around the middle of the ride, the train stopped
for real. Not to pick up people. To let you off for about 15 minutes. Stand outside. Breathe the
mountain air. Get the photos with no window annoying. Then back on, the ride keeps going.
Across the ride, the views of both sides are hard to beat. A stone bridge that looks too thin to hold
a train. A gorge people call the Swiss Grand Canyon. This is the real reason to ride the
Glacier Express. Not the seat. Not the booking window. The panoramic window itself. It's not
about getting somewhere fast. It's about watching Switzerland change around you, mile by mile. And
yes, of course I'd ride it again. Remember one number. 93 days. And first class? Worth it? For me, yes.
More space. Quieter ride. Worth it for an eight-hour trip. Want the exact seats I'd book? Comment seats
below. I hope you liked this video. I rode the Bernina Express 2 from Toronto to St. Moritz.
This time I got to see that one. That video drops in one week. Subscribe and hit the bell. Want to
see what I did off the trains? Two videos linked here cover six of my favorite hikes from this trip.
11 hikes. Four weeks. One incredible summer reward after losing 104 pounds.
Watch this video to see me on one of Switzerland's suspension bridges.
