4 Days Switzerland’s Snowiest Train Journey! | 🇮🇹Italy-🇨🇭Switzerland | Bernina & Glacier Express

4 Days Switzerland’s Snowiest Train Journey! | 🇮🇹Italy-🇨🇭Switzerland | Bernina & Glacier Express

Today, we begin a 4-day ride across Switzerland snowy winter! Discovering scenic views on three legendary railways. Please enjoy the journey! Hello from Milan Central Station. Today, we begin a 4-day ride across the snowy winter of Switzerland! We ride three of the most scenic train routes in the world. The Bernina Express route, the Glacier Express route, and the Gornergrat Railway route. The journey from Milan to Zermatt covers approximately 462 km (288 miles) and costs CHF 347 / $440 without a rail pass. This is today’s route. Milan to Tirano €12.50/2.5 hours. Then Tirano to Chur on the Bernina Route 66CHF/$73 for the 4+ hour trip. We head north to Tirano where our train, the Bernina Express route, starts. Goodbye, Milan. We are passing by Lake Como. It is a beautiful resort town. We have arrived in Tirano. Tirano is a small town in northern Italy, close to the Swiss border. It is technically Italy, but it feels like the waiting room for Switzerland. While there is currently no snow in Tirano, significant snowfall is anticipated along the route. Our journey for today will take us to Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland, surrounded by towering peaks. The famous Bernina Express train runs only once a day in the wintertime from 2:24 PM. Since it will be quite dark at that time, I plan to take the regular hourly train instead. Both trains take the same scenic route, meaning I will not be missing anything that the other train offers. Reservations are not required for the regular trains! Here is a seat tour. I will be riding the regular cars for this ride. This is the regular car. It has a two-by-two configuration. There is a little table on the window side with a power outlet! The train has departed the platform! Let the journey begin! A scenic route awaits. After leaving Tirano, the train begins its crawl through the valleys. Like last time, there are only a handful of people on the train car. Everyone who wanted to travel to Tirano probably went to Torino. My condolences to my fellow tourists. There is no food service on the train, so I brought some food. I have milk and a couple of pastries. It is a four-hour ride, so food is important. While I was drinking milk, it seems we have crossed the border. Hello from Switzerland. I think this is the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, so Ciao. Look at that. Oh my goodness. I do not know the name of that waterfall, but it is frozen. Just ten minutes after departure, we hit one of the highlights of the entire journey, the famous Brusio Circular Viaduct. We now climb the coliseum of train engineering. This is an amazing moment. The atmosphere makes it look like a scene from Harry Potter. I would not be surprised if I see a flying car during this trip. The pizza ends here. Now, we have spaghetti. I found a “Relaxing River sounds, 4K Ambience” video in the wild. Goodbye, river ambience. Would you look at that? This is Poschiavo Lake. The lake’s appearance changes completely depending on the weather conditions. It is very amazing. There is even a dog swimming in the river. There are more dogs. We head further into the mountains. As you can see, the train is tilting. This was one of the hardest parts for the engineer. I cannot believe these mountains were conquered. This steep gradient is one of the reasons why the Bernina Railway is considered an engineering marvel and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now that I have been on many Swiss cogwheel trains, I am starting to understand why the Bernina Railway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a very steep incline of seven degrees while climbing nearly 2,000 meters or 6,000 feet. Some guy said that it is like a human walking up a wall. We get carried away with the view, but the train track itself is one of the most mesmerizing aspects of the journey, weaving through landscapes and connecting distant places like a thread in a vast tapestry. It is making snake turns right and left. It really is like a winter wonderland. It is the village that we passed by. It is so far away now. I hope I do not catch a fever from keeping the windows opened. It is freezing temperature outside. Everywhere you look, it is painted white. The red really stands out from the rest of the landscape. It is like a running Swiss army knife or a square tomato. I want to become a Swiss Army knife when I grow up. Although becoming a square tomato might be a good life as well. ??? There might have been alcohol in the milk I just had. Wow, it is starting to snow. My eardrums are starting to crack. The snow is becoming a lot more prominent as we proceed through this route. There should be a lake and a glacier here, but it is just white now. We are arriving at Alp Grüm Station. Alp Grüm is a significant stop, located at an altitude of 2,091 meters or 6,860 feet. Passengers can enjoy breathtaking views of the Palü Glacier if it was not covered in fog. What is this? No view is depressing, so here is pecan bread. It cost 1.25 Euros. Bread was pretty cheap in Italy. It is not so depressing now. We are currently under a tunnel. Once we get out of this tunnel, we will see Lago Bianco, also known as the White Lake. What is happening? I did not understand why it was known as the White Lake, but today I understand. It is a whiteout. I cannot even see the front of the train. Nor can I see the lake. There should be a lake here. This region usually has super clear skies because of the altitude, but we did not get lucky this time. Well, never mind. The snow, fog, or whatever it was has cleared all of a sudden. It is covered in snow, but it is Lago Bianco. This is the highest point on this trip, the Ospizio Bernina at 2,253 meters or 7,400 feet. We can now see the tallest mountain in the region. I will wave at it for no particular reason. The water from this lake will flow all the way to the Mediterranean. There is apparently another lake that flows all the way to the Black Sea. That is a lot of travel even for water. It is 1,500 kilometers away. I might be standing on the roof of Europe’s water system. Now this is something else. This is amazing scenery. It is beautiful. It is very beautiful. There is a crazy four-story igloo in the middle of nowhere. Because we are on the other side of the mountain, the sky is clearer than ever. We will soon need to transfer to a connecting train, from Pontresina station to Samedan station. Thank you, train, for bringing me all the way here. Pontresina was a mountaineering hub in the 19th century. Rich British people came here to climb things. Now, rich people come here to wear Moncler jackets. What? Wait a second. This is not Pontresina station. Are you kidding me? I got off at the wrong station. The good news is that I still have time for the connecting train. I have to be careful not to slip. I am glad I only had a backpack with me. If I had a suitcase, I would be panicking. This trail is so cool. The air smells so good. The air is so fresh here it is like breathing for the first time in your life. The snow around this area is like powder. It might be good for skiing but not for making snowballs. Thank you, legs, for bringing me all the way to Pontresina station. I made it on time. I am going from Pontresina to Samedan. We made it to Samedan station. We still have a long way to go. This next train will bring me all the way to Chur. It is such a luxury just to ride this without people around. I basically own this scenery from this window. We will soon pass the Albula II tunnel. The original tunnel built in 1903 was the highest Alpine tunnel of its time, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. We pass through the 5.8-kilometer-long Albula II Tunnel and we are now in Preda. These are nice mountains. The mountains are still bathing in sunlight. It looks less like a mountain and more like half-eaten bread. I wonder how long it would take to eat a piece of bread of that size. From this area, we will continue our descent towards Chur. It is about a 1,100-meter descent. Like the ascent from Tirano, the train cannot withstand a steep gradient. The train will now weave across the mountains like the Brusio Spiral Viaduct, but this time inside mountains. This route looks crazy on Google Maps. It looks like tangled yarn. We say goodbye to the snow as we continue our descent. It was nice knowing you. For a second, I thought this was the famous Landwasser Viaduct. This is Filisur Station. It is the last station before the Landwasser Viaduct crossing. If we pass this tunnel, the Landwasser Viaduct will show itself. Behold. Landwasser Viaduct! Is this the Landwasser Viaduct? Wait. That was underwhelming. It would have been better if there was more snow, I think. Now, we sleep. Chur. It is the capital of Graubünden. It is the oldest city in Switzerland. We have arrived. It is very cold. This station is the terminus for the Bernina Express. Chur. Here is a cool fact. Apparently, it is pronounced “Chur” and not “Chur”. Good to know. The train from Chur to Zermatt has already departed for the day, so let us head to the hotel and rest for tomorrow. I do not want my wallet destroyed from the exchange rates, so I will eat supermarket food for dinner. There is a McDonald’s? I did not expect to see a McDonald’s because I thought Chur was just some random village in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, it is the capital of the region and has a population of 40,000. This is where we are going to stay. Hotel Chur. It is a solo-traveler-friendly room. Day Two. Good morning. Or Guten Morgen from the German-speaking region of Switzerland. Today, we will ride the Glacier Express. It is known as the world’s slowest express train. Here is the route. There are two daily departures during the winter. I will ride the 903 Glacier Express departing at 11:05 AM with a scheduled arrival of 5:10 PM. Chur to Zermatt will take 5 hours 173CHF (217USD.) However, since the train actually originates in St. Moritz with an 8:51 departure, the full route is about seven hours. Seven hours. My bottom cannot handle all of that. That is a long train ride. The good news is that it is not just a train ride. There are dining options available onboard. I purchased my onboard food when buying the tickets. Including the seat reservation, it cost a lot. I will be eating grocery food for the rest of the trip to balance the budget. I will not be eating breakfast, so I hope my lunch is good. Here is the Chur train station. Our Glacier Express will depart from gate 13. It departs at 08:39 AM. The Glacier Express is composed of the Excellence Class, two First Class, and two Second Class cars. The windows are huge. It almost hugs the entire train car. It is time to board. What is that? That is a lot of luggage. Let us find my seat. It looks like most passengers have boarded from the previous stops. Seating is two-by-two. Here is a quick seat review. Headphones were provided for the audio guide. There is a power outlet here. The table is large and folds out. Also, it is the fan favorite face-to-face seating. It is knee-to-knee. It is eye-to-eye. Six hours. Six hours. I will consider it a challenge. Our journey starts. Goodbye, Chur. We are also fighting for table territory. Because of my meal, I was able to claim a lot of land by default. This is a pay-to-win situation. We are entering the Rhine Gorge. It is known as the “Swiss Grand Canyon.” It was formed by a massive landslide 10,000 years ago. The train slows down here so we can enjoy the scenery. My three-course meal starts. We will start with soup. It is pumpkin soup from the looks of it. Eating requires advanced geometry. If I lift my elbow two centimeters, I will hit the lady next to me. The people sharing the table are looking at me because I am recording myself eating soup. The meals do not come with drinks, so bring a drink or two. 6.5 Swiss Francs for a Coca-Cola? Okay, that is crazy. I was served a plate. Our second meal is this. What is this? What in the world is this? It is something. Oh, here is more food. Oh, and vegetables. This must be the main meal. For the final meal, we have this log cake. It looks like a log, but it tastes like a lemon. Thanks for the food. There are too many people in the car and it is hard to film. It is time to escape to the end of the car. We will soon reach our first stop. That big building is the Benedictine Monastery. It has been here since the year 720. We are arriving at Disentis station. There is even a Japanese label noting that the Swiss railway and the Hakone railway are sister brands. We stop here for about ten minutes. The locomotive is being changed. The RhB engine is swapped for a Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn engine. This new engine has cogwheels for the steep climb ahead. The cogwheels have engaged. We are starting the steepest ascent of the trip. We will climb to over 2,000 meters. This is the Surselva region. The language here is not German. It is Romansh. It is a language spoken by less than one percent of the Swiss population. The scenery in Valais is stunning. The air smells like air here. Mountains. There are mountains everywhere. These are snowy villages. The trees have disappeared. The landscape turns to snow and rocks. The scenery offers endless photo opportunities. This is the Oberalp Pass. It is the highest point of the journey at 2,033 meters. The view is snowy and peaceful. That is the source of the Rhine River nearby. There should be a lake around here, but it is covered in snow. It is like yesterday’s scenery. Compared to the Bernina Express route, this route has fewer landmark points. Maybe it is the weather. What the heck is this? There is an army of fences. Now we descend towards Andermatt. The road winds back and forth like a snake. I have been on the train for about three hours now, and I feel like I am going to catch a cold. We made it to Andermatt. It is one of Switzerland’s ski resorts. We will now pass the Furka Base Tunnel. It takes about 15 minutes to pass through. Before this tunnel opened in 1982, the train had to go over the mountain. We passed the Furka Base Tunnel. There are people on skis in the middle of the road. This is the Canton of Valais. The sun feels stronger here. There is actual sunlight here. The houses are built in the “Walser” style. You might not be able to notice because of the snow, but the houses are raised on stone stilts to keep mice out. We will arrive at Visp soon. This is Visp station. We reverse direction here. Now we head south into the Mattertal valley. We are following the Rhone River now. It flows all the way to France. This is the final leg of the journey. There are glaciers. Are there any signs of the Matterhorn? Sometimes I wish I had enough power to blow up the cliff so I can get better views. We will soon arrive at our terminus of Zermatt. It was six hours of getting hit by the cold air of Switzerland. It was an experience listening to the wind. Sharing one openable window between 30 people for six hours is simply painful. Apparently, I can replicate the Glacier Express route from Chur to Zermatt with three to four transfers. It has less crowds, is cheaper, and has openable windows. Now I know what to ride the next time I come here. Matterhorn! Thank you, Glacier Express, for bringing me all the way to Zermatt. If I am riding the train to Zermatt, it is either in Excellence class or the regional train. There is no in-between. There is even a bar. Wow. Unlike the Bernina Express route that needs no reservation, it is pretty difficult to book. This seat was the only seat available one week before departure. Consider booking in advance even if it is not the holiday season. Zermatt is a car-free village. Only these small electric taxis are allowed. And there it is. The Matterhorn. It is truly majestic. Seeing it in person is different from photos. It is so small from the village. (Laughs) I will head to my hotel now. I am looking forward to exploring the mountains tomorrow. All I have eaten today was that three-course meal on the train. I think it is time for dinner. But wait. Dinner at a resort town in Switzerland? That is how people file for bankruptcy. I am not ready for all that. The good thing is that there is a McDonald’s. It is the oasis in the middle of the desert. What is this? 4.2 Swiss Francs or 5 dollars for water? For water! This place is crazy. My hotel is one stop away from Zermatt. Today I will be staying here. Hotel Porta Cervino. It was like 150 dollars a night. If this hotel was in Zermatt, it would cost me five times more. It is a good deal. For some reason, I got champagne. This hotel might be good. I think I got upgraded because there is a kitchen. There is a nice bathroom. And a bed. A kitchen. Hmm. There is an oven, okay. A dishwasher? Great. I think I will be making my own meals for the remainder of this trip. Today, I will feast on this McDonald’s and call it a day. Good night. Day Three. Good morning. It is a sunny day today. Beautiful. Though it looks sunny, the Matterhorn is covered in clouds. I bought more food. My morning starts off with meatballs that I bought in Chur. And this apple pie I bought at a 50% discount. I think my wallet can survive here if I feed myself food from the grocery store. The pie was 1.85 Swiss Francs. (Clapping) So, I bought these dried mashed potato packages and… Oh no. That is a lot of mashed potatoes. Day Four. I did get hungry, so I will go out to eat. As in go out to eat, I mean go out to get groceries. For some reason, my hotel has a kitchen, so it will be a perfect time to show off my cooking skills. Today I am making lasagna. This is the good stuff. There is a hanging Santa. That is a lot of snow. For dinner, I made shell-less tacos. Or at least I tried. Day Five. Today, we are riding the Gornergrat Railway, also known as the Matterhorn Express! Today, we are going to ride on the Gornergrat Railway, also known as the Matterhorn Express. I will be riding a short train ride to Zermatt. This is the last day I will be in Zermatt. I was hoping for better weather, but… Apparently, the weather will get better as the day folds. Even with the clouds. The winter atmosphere is ethereal. Zermatt. It is a charming alpine village. Private vehicles with combustion engines are banned from entering the town to preserve air quality and the view of the mountains. Good to know. The only vehicles allowed are electric cars like these or the old-fashioned small horse-drawn carriages. You do get a nice view of the Matterhorn from the village, but for a better view, we are going to ride… this. The Gornergrat Railway. Here is the route: We will climb all the way up to an altitude of 3,089 meters or 10,135 feet. The original round trip price is 96 Swiss Francs from November to April and 132 Swiss Francs in other seasons. The fare is 48 Swiss Francs round trip with the Swiss Travel Pass. The Swiss Rail Pass and Half Fare Card will grant a 50% discount to the top. I have heard the train will be packed, but I guess I got lucky. I will sit on the right side for the best views. Nice openable windows. To the top of the mountain we go. It will be a 30-minute ride. Would you look at that? The clouds you see there are the famous clouds that cover the Matterhorn from tourists. Where are you, Matterhorn? We are arriving at Riffelalp. The Gornergrat Railway is renowned not only for its scenic views but also for its rich history. Opened in the 19th century, it is Switzerland’s oldest electric cogwheel railway. It is specially designed for the train to climb steep mountains. Even without the Matterhorn views, there are views. Look at this. This is an amazing moment. In this season, you can see people skiing. There is a train coming down from the top. We have to wait because there is only one track. We made it to Riffelberg. A lot of skiers got off here. Everyone that got on from Zermatt is now gone. Let us keep climbing. We have ascended so far up that we rival the glaciers in height. These glaciers are as old as the Ice Age, I believe. Here is a poster of the Matterhorn if we do not get to see it in person. Nice views. My eardrums are starting to crack. We can see the final stop from here. 30 minutes does feel like a short ride. And just like that, we made it to Gornergrat. An altitude of 3,089 meters or 10,132 feet rivals even Mount Fuji, which is 3,776 meters. (Laughs) It is kind of cold. It is like a giant walked here. Did someone actually throw a snowball? Why do I feel like that could be dangerous? There is a viewing platform above the building. Let us head there. How do the crows even fly over here, and why are they not freezing to death? I am going to have to wait for my mountain date to arrive. They are getting ready right now. It should arrive soon. While the Matterhorn prepares itself, let us check out the other mountains. I cannot believe I am standing here. One slip and I am a goner. A traveler from the 19th century notes Gornergrat as “one of the most beautiful and magnificent things the whole world has to offer”. Well, I kind of agree. These are some insane views. Would you look at that? The Matterhorn has arrived at last. It apparently formed when the African and European tectonic plates collided back when the dinosaurs were still around. Because of its African descent, it is known as the original Pyramid. I just made that up. What is this? It is so cold that my bottled water is freezing. The return train is here. I do not know if I am lucky, but there are barely any people here. The famous clouds of the Matterhorn have appeared again. You can kind of see it. Kind of. Good stuff, I can get nice shots of the scenery. We will see you down in Zermatt because the fog has appeared. We are almost back. It was like staring at a wall. I got a nice white view for 20 minutes or so. A very unique experience. It was a descent of around 1,500 meters. There is a regular car. I think this is a rare appearance in Zermatt. Alright, let us head to our next destination. Thanks for the trip! See you all on the next trip! Have a nice day!

Today, we begin a 4-day ride across the snowy winter of Switzerland! Discovering scenic views on three legendary lines: The Bernina Express route, the Glacier Express route, and the Gornergrat Railway route.

Fare: CHF347 / €371 / US$436 / ¥67,850 / £326 / ₹39,300 / C$600 / ₩643,000 / ₽34,700
Route: Milan (Italy) – Tirano – Chur – Zermatt (Switzerland)
Train: Bernina Express Route (Regional Train), Glacier Express, Gornergrat Railway
Accommodations: Hotel Chur, Hotel Porta Cervino
Experience: Riding the world’s slowest express train and seeing the Matterhorn

0:00 Introduction
01:03 Map and Fares
02:25 Day 1: The Bernina Route
40:12 Day 2: The Glacier Express
57:00 Day 3 & Day 4: Food vs Wallet
01:01:02 Day 5: Gornergrat Railway (Matterhorn Express)
01:13:52 Thanks for watching!