Swiss Rail Journeys
Rock your way through the scenic landscapes of Switzerland by train, taking in the breathtaking views as you traverse mountain passes and soaring viaducts. Wind past alpine lakes and rolling hills or cut across the Alps between Zermatt and St. Moritz on the iconic Glacier Express on one of 8 Swiss guided rail tours.
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Discover Must Do Experiences and Highlights
Gornergrat Bahn
From Zermatt, take the Gornergrat Bahn and ascend over 3,000m to Gornergrat's summit - the highest open-air railway station in Europe. With unparalleled vistas of the Matterhorn and surrounding Swiss Alps, you'll have to pinch yourself.
Glacier Express
This slow and steady 'express' service links Zermatt to St. Moritz in about 8 hours. Wind your way through the Swiss Alps, with panoramic views around every bend - can you count all 91 tunnels and 291 bridges?
Bernina Express
A mesmerizing, must-ride journey connecting Switzerland to Italy between St. Moritz and Tirano. You will cross 196 bridges and navigate steep mountain gradients, with some of the most stunning Alpine landscapes on offer.
Interlaken - Jungfrau
Interlaken is your gateway to Jungfrau, a prominent peak in the Bernese Alps. Alongside Eiger and Mönch, Jungfrau offers a monumental sight. Reach new heights on the Jungfraujoch railway, peaking at 3,500m above sea-level.
Golden Pass Railway
The Golden Pass Railway presents you with an enchanting and unforgettable journey, in style of course! Connecting Lucerne to Montreux, this ultra-modern train offers panoramic-windowed carriages with views that capture the true beauty of the Swiss Alps.
Latest Reviews What our clients are saying about their journeys through Switzerland
Well organised tour. The logistics of moving 47 people on and off trains to a strict timetable would be a nightmare, but Carolyn our guide, handled all aspects in a professional and friendly manner. This tour is not relaxing, but you do get to see some magnificent scenery throughout the Swiss Alps. Early mornings and punctuality is a must, but totally ...read more worth it!
Switzerland by Rail was a great insight into Switzerland and well worth a fortnight holiday in one country. However, APT left a lot to be desired and I will personally not travel with them again. Fabulous hotels, but as a Solo traveller (hence pays a big single supplement), always seemed to get a very small back room. I kept feeling that APT were cutting ...read more costs. The meals were acceptable but always a set menu, take it or leave it, no choices. One tiny glass of wine included in the dinner was pathetic as that, on most occasions, was finished before the meal was even served. Again, cutting costs at our expense.
We thought it was the best trip. The group wasn't big which was great, the tour leader Marco, was the best, the itinerary was great and we couldn't fault it...The trip was relaxed and we weren't rushed. Thank you.
We had good prompt service from Rachel at Global Journeys and a wonderful Tour Guide, Tina, travelled with us - very happy, funny and knowledgeable, however, it went downhill from there. As train enthusiasts we had a few disappointments along the way.
Cosmos brochure stated that the highlight of the tour would be travelling on the Glacier Express ...read more and Bernina Express. We did not step foot on the Bernina Express, no explanation given, very disappointing. Eight hour day on the Glacier Express was very long, not allowed to wander anywhere to stretch our legs or take photos except in our carriage. Thank goodness for the amazing scenery. We read that the bar/dining carriage has special non-glare windows so you could take clear photos of the amazing scenery - we were not allowed to enter that carriage so photos from our seats were not as good as they could have been - we asked different train staff members if we could just sit there to take photos, did not want any service... no not allowed.
The day before our 8 hour journey on this train we were told there would be no food service on board so we needed to shop for our lunch and snacks the day before leaving Zermatt. Strange for such a prestigious train not to serve lunch etc. On the day however train staff came through our carriage to take orders for lunch and was told we all had already purchased our food the day before. Train staff were confused and disappointed - as we were as there was obviously food service available - would have been much nicer than a day old sandwich.
Tour accommodation started very nicely at Novotel Zurich, most hotels after that were obviously chalets for skiers than general tourists. Had a bad back by the end of our tour due to old beds that needed replacing. Special mention of the accommodation at Zermatt: half the group stayed in the listed hotel, the other half were taken across the road to a different building. During conversation on the train the next day it was discovered that those travellers 'across the road' had a coffee machine, kettle, fridge... the rest of us had nothing but a bed and bathroom. No fridge to put our food for the train trip - was told by hotel staff to put our bag of food on the ledge outside our window, will be cold enough! Agro hotel staff were not helpful or sympathetic at all.
Cosmos needs to book a different hotel in future. Also this hotel was the provider of the second group dinner as part of our tour package. It was the most disgusting meal we have ever had. McDonalds two doors down the road did a booming trade that night. The third dinner in the tour package was supposed to be the farewell dinner on our arrival back in Zurich - it did not happen and no explanation or apology was given. The obvious attempt to cut corners did nothing but damage the Cosmos brand. There are lots of tour companies that run Swiss rail tours, Cosmos needs to lift their game.
Reply From Cosmos: We certainly regret to learn of the disappointment experienced due to unforeseen operational circumstances resulting in the Glacier Express and Bernina Express being unavailable on this specific departure. We sincerely apologise for any miscommunication that may have occurred in this regard, and in addition, for any disappointment experienced as a result. We are not aware of any further operational circumstances that may impact remaining 2023 departures. Furthermore, please be assured that our European operations team constantly review our contracted Hotels, taking on feedback provided by our guests. Specifically, your feedback concerning the ‘Derby’ Hotel in Zermatt, has been duly noted. We trust you will appreciate that the problems you have encountered in this instance are extremely rare and we sincerely hope that this experience does not deter you from travelling with us again.
Cosmos brochure stated that the highlight of the tour would be travelling on the Glacier Express ...read more and Bernina Express. We did not step foot on the Bernina Express, no explanation given, very disappointing. Eight hour day on the Glacier Express was very long, not allowed to wander anywhere to stretch our legs or take photos except in our carriage. Thank goodness for the amazing scenery. We read that the bar/dining carriage has special non-glare windows so you could take clear photos of the amazing scenery - we were not allowed to enter that carriage so photos from our seats were not as good as they could have been - we asked different train staff members if we could just sit there to take photos, did not want any service... no not allowed.
The day before our 8 hour journey on this train we were told there would be no food service on board so we needed to shop for our lunch and snacks the day before leaving Zermatt. Strange for such a prestigious train not to serve lunch etc. On the day however train staff came through our carriage to take orders for lunch and was told we all had already purchased our food the day before. Train staff were confused and disappointed - as we were as there was obviously food service available - would have been much nicer than a day old sandwich.
Tour accommodation started very nicely at Novotel Zurich, most hotels after that were obviously chalets for skiers than general tourists. Had a bad back by the end of our tour due to old beds that needed replacing. Special mention of the accommodation at Zermatt: half the group stayed in the listed hotel, the other half were taken across the road to a different building. During conversation on the train the next day it was discovered that those travellers 'across the road' had a coffee machine, kettle, fridge... the rest of us had nothing but a bed and bathroom. No fridge to put our food for the train trip - was told by hotel staff to put our bag of food on the ledge outside our window, will be cold enough! Agro hotel staff were not helpful or sympathetic at all.
Cosmos needs to book a different hotel in future. Also this hotel was the provider of the second group dinner as part of our tour package. It was the most disgusting meal we have ever had. McDonalds two doors down the road did a booming trade that night. The third dinner in the tour package was supposed to be the farewell dinner on our arrival back in Zurich - it did not happen and no explanation or apology was given. The obvious attempt to cut corners did nothing but damage the Cosmos brand. There are lots of tour companies that run Swiss rail tours, Cosmos needs to lift their game.
Reply From Cosmos: We certainly regret to learn of the disappointment experienced due to unforeseen operational circumstances resulting in the Glacier Express and Bernina Express being unavailable on this specific departure. We sincerely apologise for any miscommunication that may have occurred in this regard, and in addition, for any disappointment experienced as a result. We are not aware of any further operational circumstances that may impact remaining 2023 departures. Furthermore, please be assured that our European operations team constantly review our contracted Hotels, taking on feedback provided by our guests. Specifically, your feedback concerning the ‘Derby’ Hotel in Zermatt, has been duly noted. We trust you will appreciate that the problems you have encountered in this instance are extremely rare and we sincerely hope that this experience does not deter you from travelling with us again.
