Glacier Express: Zermatt to Pontresina in 1 day

Change at Samedan for a 7 minutes ride to Pontresina. In early June, there should be plently of light at 6 pm. Check Booking.com. Lots of properties are sold out already.

www.Sbb.ch lists all train schedules in Switzerland including postal busses, boats, etc. As I recall there's a shuttle train meeting virtually every train from Chur that takes you to pontresina. And yes, you'll have plenty of light. Personally, I'd NOT take the Glacier Express, but take regional trains over the same route instead. All the GE buys you is panorama cars, hundreds of Japanese and American tourists and a dining car. You'll see the same scenery and you'll get there almost as fast since you can change at Reichenau rather than go all the way to Chur. You might have to change trains in Brig, Andermatt and Reichenau on your way to Samedan but changing on the RhB and MGB just involves walking across the platform and the trains on the line are almost always synched. The local trains are much more fun since there will be almost no tourists on board and the windows will open (as opposed to the air conditioned cars on the GE). Since both the GE and locals travel so slow you can hang your head out, smell the great alpine air and take pictures. One more tip, when you're in Pontresina at the station check if the train you take to Tirano has open cars at the rear of the train. They're basically open air coaches with a roof over the top. The Bernina is absolutely amazing and riding in an open car is an experience you'll not soon forget.

I completely agree with Marcus - I've never used the fancy trains and have absolutely loved the local trains on the scenic routes. I have thousands of photos from over the years and they have all been through open windows. I don't see how you can enjoy photography through closed windows. A simple statement - Swiss scenic trains are cool.

Try Engadinerhof in Pontresina. My wife and I stayed there for two nights in August 2009 for 90 CHF. We did as you are thinking - skipped Chur in favor of Pontresina and are so glad we did. Pontresina is the prettier little sister to St. Moritz and Samedan.

Craig, something you might do is NOT stay in Pontresina. Pontresina is a posh Swiss ski resort (similar to St Moritz, Gstaad, etc). Why not stay a few towns down the valley so you can get a feel of what the real Engadin is like? A personal rec is a town called Zuoz. You'll probably find a great room in a B&B or small hotel and some nice small local restaurants. Its less than 15 mins on the train and a world away.