Glacier Express reservations

Yes: http://www.glacierexpress.ch/EN/timetable_tickets/Reservations/Pages/default.aspx

You can ride regional trains on the same route and see the same scenery, without reservations. But you will change trains several times. If you want the official designated Glacier Express, though, It states both on their webiste and the Swiss train website www.rail.ch that reservations are required. So it's not clear how someone got by without them. Maybe they rode the regional trains?

I also received a private reply telling me that another party had not made reservations. If one does indeed go to the Glacier Express web site to make reservations, one finds that there is a CHF33 fee per person to make reservations and a minimum CHF30 required meal cost!!!! Diana

That's why I take the regular trains. Same great scenery. Better air. Cheaper. Same speed. But then, maybe its not better...

Oh, but you get the chance to buy and use the little tilted wine glass that are level when going up to the Overlap pass. They come around with a little cart to sell all this stuff. We still have the wine glasses. Yes, there is a stiff reservation fee for the real Glacier Express. And yes, you can ride the Regional trains on the same tracks for a lot less money. And yes, you will most likely change trains at Disentis and Andermatt on the Regionale trains whereas no changes on the GE. BTW, the Glacier Express is not an express. A few less stops than the Regionales but, it's definitely not an express.

Oh flip! I forgot about the glasses. Sorry. Don't take the ordinary cheap trains. I withdraw my advice.

We have "done" the Glacier Express twice and don't feel it's worth the cost, compared to many other scenic routes in Switzerland. The extra 30 or 33 Swiss francs is required in addition to your Swiss railpass. We were not required to buy a meal, but maybe that has changed. We brought a picnic sandwich with us and just ordered a beer. We preferred to concentrate on the scenery rather than a pricey lunch, and saved our francs for a nice dinner. Switzerland is truly magical and gorgeous, but very pricey.... We find German Bavaria equally lovely and much more reasonable. Up to 5 people can travel by rail all over Bavaria on a 30 Euro day-ticket available in machines at all the rail stations.

I don't mind paying for a reservation on this train, but I do mind buying a $33 lunch pp. Is this really required?