My wife and I will be traveling from Innsbruck to Zermatt in early December. It looks like one option is to take a train to Chur and then ride the Glacier Express to Zermatt. The other option is to take a regular train through Zurich to Zermatt. From what I can figure out the Zurich option is 200 USD cheaper (for 2) and 2 hours shorter. Is the Glacier Express worth the extra time and money?
Posted by
Green Bay
20940 posts
Where are you getting your pricing? I am getting that the Glacier Express is less money than through Zurich, except you will have an added reservation fee for the Glacier Express. It does not run from October 24 to December 10.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
We will be traveling on 12/12, and I think the Glacier Express begins its Winter schedule on 12/11. Because the trip is more than 90 days out you can't get actual prices, but I got the prices from looking at the OBB Ticket Shop and using dates in November.
Posted by
Green Bay
20940 posts
I was looking at Swiss railway site, www.sbb.ch/en for October 23 when the Glacier Express is still running.
Innsbruck to Zermatt via Zurich is 356 CHF for 2, 2nd class fully flexible, but a nonrefundable SuperSaver ticket is 154 CHF for 2. To go via Sargans and Chur with the Glacier Express is 324 CHF fully flexible, but SuperSaver ticket is 140 CHF. In winter, the Glacier Express reservation fee is 13 CHF per person. So with a SuperSaver ticket, the cost would be 166 CHF for 2 people.
So you see, it is not that much more expensive, 12 CHF for 2. You can take a closer look in a couple of weeks when you get inside the 3 month window.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
I didn't know there SuperSaver tickets on the Glacier Express. Where do you find them?
Posted by
Green Bay
20940 posts
www.sbb.ch/en. Put in From: Innsbruck Hbf, To: Zermatt, Via: Disentis/Muster. You will see the departure list and the 7:40 departure from Innsbruck has 2 connections and one of the trains marked GEX.
Edit - Use the advance search function and make minimum connection time of 10 minutes, otherwise it will show a 6 minute connection in Chur, which I would not trust. That way you will have a 10 minutes connection in Sargans which is an easy cross-platform connection, and over 30 minutes in Chur.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Wow. Thanks! I had assumed that as an independent railway you would have to buy Glacier Express tickets from them, and I had never seen an super saver fares there. Thanks again.!
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Sam, trying to buy the tickets from Innsbruck to Zermatt for 12/12, and also tickets from Zermatt to Paris on 12/14, but the SBB website says they are not available yet, I'm guessing due to the schedule change. Any idea when we might be able to get them? Thanks.
Posted by
Green Bay
20940 posts
Yes, the schedule change is December 10, so you'll need to wait a bit yet.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Ok. Thanks again for your help.