90 YEARS OF THE GLACIER EXPRESS 15 to 19 July 2020
JUBILEE TRIP TIRANO – ST. MORITZ – ZERMATT – GORNERGRAT Private de Luxe Train
Railway journey through the Swiss Alps on the tracks of the legendary Orient Express
This luxury train includes two original Pullman cars, built in 1931, which once belonged to the Cie. Int. des Wagons-Lits et Grands Express européens. The exquisite wooden inlay work in the carriages was carried out by renowned French cabinetmaker René Prou.
For the sector from St. Moritz to Zermatt, the train also has a bar-lounge carriage built in 1928 and a luggage car from 1930. For lunch on board, two Gourmino dining cars, dating from 1929 and 1930, are added to the special train.
All these carriages have been lovingly restored down to the smallest detail, in accordance with today’s safety standards. The train is hauled by a railway locomotive from the period, such as the world-famous “Crocodile” of the Rhaetian Railway.
Glacier Pullman Express passenger service staff will be on hand to attend to your needs throughout the trip.
90 years of the Glacier Express Jubilee trip from Tirano via St. Moritz and Zermatt to the Gornergrat Wednesday, 15 to Sunday, 19 July 2020
The trip from Tirano to the Gornergrat is a journey to remember
Wednesday, 15 July 2020 Join the tour in Chur or St. Moritz (own travel arrangements) and overnight in the selected hotel.
Thursday, 16 July 2020 In the morning travel by scheduled “Bernina Express” train service in 1st class from Chur or St. Moritz to Tirano. Enjoy breathtaking views as our train travels through valleys and tunnels, over deep canyons and across bridges. We traverse the Alps on Europe’s highest rail crossing, which also boasts UNESCO World Heritage status.
Outside Tirano we visit the “La Gatta” winery for a guided tour to learn all about grapes and how wine is made. We enjoy a typical local lunch accompanied by delicious wines from Triacca.
At around 16.00 we rejoin the train and leave Tirano, the lowest destination on our tour (441 m), and head for the Gornergrat (3,089 m). On the stretch from Tirano to St. Moritz our private train consists of 2 Pullman cars hauled by the “Bernina-Krokodil” locomotive. We sit back in our luxurious carriage dating from the 1930s and enjoy the ever-changing views from the window as our enchanting journey continues. Stops are planned along the route to take photographs. We arrive in St. Moritz at around 19.00 for our overnight stay.
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Friday, 17 July 2020 We depart St. Moritz at around 08.00 on the “Glacier Pullman Express – Private de Luxe Train”. The train is hauled by the world-famous “Crocodile” loco of the Rhaetian Railway for the sector to Disentis. The Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008, and today’s journey takes us along the Albula section from St. Moritz to Thusis.
Church of St. Martin in Zillis After arriving in Thusis, we continue our journey to Zillis on board a specially chartered post bus. The first written record of the Church of St. Martin dates back to the year 831, when it was described as an ecclesia plebeia (people’s church). The painted ceiling was created some time between 1109 and 1114. This masterpiece of the Romanesque period is the only example of a work of art of this type that has survived virtually intact, without being painted over. The church ceiling consists of 153 rectangular painted panels. You will have a chance to find out more about them during the tour.
Lunch on board our Gourmino dining cars of 1929/1930 vintage The attentive on-board staff will serve you an exquisite lunch as the Glacier Pullman Express travels along the section from Thusis to Disentis.
Ruinaulta – the spectacular Rhine Gorge Enjoy dazzling scenery as we travel along the Rhine. Here the river is still young and narrow, but its power is clear to see. Over the centuries, it has ground away the rock and carved out the spectacular landscape known as Switzerland’s Grand Canyon. We interrupt our lunch briefly to disembark and marvel at this wonder of nature.
Disentis Abbey The Benedictine Abbey of Disentis was founded in the year 720. Since then its fortunes have repeatedly waxed and waned, but it has never ceased to exist. The centuries-old school run by the Abbey has been a grammar school since 1880. A Benedictine monk shows us parts of the Abbey and tells us about daily life.
The Oberalp Pass At Disentis, our train is coupled to a locomotive of the Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway, which pulls us over the 2,044-metre-high Oberalp Pass to Andermatt.
We then enjoy an overnight stay in Andermatt, at the foot of the St. Gotthard Pass The first written mention of Andermatt dates from the year 1203, but archaeological evidence of its earlier history indicates a human presence in the surrounding Urserental valley as early as 4,000 BC, and also a time of Roman settlement in the period around 300 BC. The Gotthard Pass was opened between 1818 and 1830, to be followed by the Oberalp and Furka passes, and Andermatt became a spa town and centre of commerce.
We arrive in Andermatt at around 19.00 for your overnight stay in the hotel of your choice.
Saturday, 18 July 2020 After breakfast at the hotel, the Glacier Pullman Express carries us onward to Realp.
The heady romance of steam, on the Furka mountain line The Furka mountain section was operated until October 1981 by trains of the Furka-Oberalp Railway and the Glacier Express. After the inauguration of the Furka Base Tunnel, the section of line running over the Furka Pass was decommissioned and handed over to the Furka Steam Mountain Railway (known by its German initials DFB). Hundreds of thousands of hours were invested in the painstaking task of repairing and restoring the section of line, along with its steam locomotives and rolling stock.
Our romantically nostalgic journey begins at Realp (1,546 m). The steam loco, which is more than a century old, begins its journey by climbing up alongside the bubbling waters of the Furkareuss river on a section of metre-gauge rack railway, before continuing up to the highest-altitude railway station of them all, at Furka (2,163 m). Our journey of adventure to the Furka Pass ends at Oberwald (1,366 m).
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In Oberwald we change back to the Glacier Pullman Express and head to Fiesch.
Eggishorn and the Aletsch region: UNESCO-recognised wonders of nature The Fiesch-Fiescheralp-Eggishorn cable car takes us up to a unique vantage point from which to enjoy the wonderful views of the Aletsch region: Eggishorn (2,893 m). The mighty Aletsch Glacier, the main focal point of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Aletsch, now lies at your feet.
Fiescheralp (2,212 m) is the perfect place to enjoy two typical Swiss-cheese specialities: cheese fondue or raclette. And if you don’t like cheese, you can rest assured that there is an alternative.
Arrival in Zermatt At around 19.30, the Glacier Pullman Express – Private de Luxe Train pulls into our destination of Zermatt. We wish you an enjoyable stay in the land of the Matterhorn.
Sunday, 19 July 2020 At around 09.30 our private train, consisting of a railcar and an Alpine Classic Pullman Express carriage, departs Zermatt for the Gornergrat, the highest point on our trip. The electrified rack railway opened on 20 August 1898 and is the second-highest mountain railway in Europe. The line begins at an altitude of 1,604 m and travels around 9 km at a maximum gradient of 20% to the Gornergrat at 3,089 m. Return to Zermatt at around 12.30.
Tour ends. Depart in accordance with your own travel arrangements. You are of course welcome to book further extension nights for your tour.
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Prices per person: Option Chur: 1 night in Chur, 1 night in St. Moritz, 1 night in Andermatt, 1 night in Zermatt Option St. Moritz: 2 nights in St. Moritz, 1 night in Andermatt, 1 night in Zermatt
Package with 3-star hotels: Hotel 3 Könige in Chur, Hotel Hauser in St. Moritz (Economy rooms), Hotel Sonne in Andermatt (no official classification) or Hotel 3 Könige & Post in Andermatt as well as Hotel Derby in Zermatt (main building or Bellevue annex)
Hotel Sonne in Andermatt (no classification) Hotel 3 Könige & Post*** in Andermatt CHF 2,685 in a double room CHF 2,750 in a double room CHF 2,925 in a single room CHF 2,990 in a single room
Package with 4-star hotels: Romantik Hotel Stern in Chur (Deluxe or Superior single rooms), Art Boutique Hotel Monopol in St. Moritz, Hotel Radisson Blu Reussen in Andermatt and Parkhotel Beausite in Zermatt (Panoramic rooms with Matterhorn view)
CHF 3,085 in a double room CHF 3,495 in a single room
Package with 5-star hotels: Grand Hotel Hof in Bad Ragaz (Comfort rooms with grand lit as well as transfers from Landquart railway station to the hotel and from the hotel to Chur railway station), Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St. Moritz (rooms with lake view), Hotel The Chedi in Andermatt (Deluxe rooms) as well as Hotel Mont Cervin Palace in Zermatt (Junior Suite with Matterhorn view)
CHF 3,995 in a double room CHF 5,125 in a single room
Included: - Train journey as described (Tirano – St. Moritz – Andermatt – Zermatt – Gornergrat – Zermatt) - 4 overnights in the selected hotels including breakfast and city tax -in Andermatt at the hotels Sonne and 3 Könige & Post: dinner and drinks are included and at the hotels Radisson Blu and The Chedi: dinner and drinks are at your expense - Journey on the scheduled Bernina Express train service from Chur or St. Moritz to Tirano in 1st class - Coach transfer to the winery, guided tour, lunch and wine tasting in “La Gatta” - Reserved seats in the Pullman coach - Coach transfer and guided tour of the church at Zillis - One lunch in the Gourmino dining car including drinks (wine, beer and mineral water) - Tour of parts of Disentis Abbey with a monk - Journey by steam train on the Furka mountain line from Realp to Oberwald - Excursion by cable car to the Eggishorn - Lunch including drinks (wine, beer and mineral water) on the Fiescheralp - Tour guides - Documentation
Not included: travel to St. Moritz and return from Zermatt, drinks except with meals, spirits, all meals and excursions not mentioned in the programme, personal expenses. Min./max. participants: 35/60.
We can of course assist you with travel to Chur/St. Moritz and back from Zermatt as well as with extension nights in those towns. Please contact us for more information.
Note on the itinerary: Unforeseen changes to the itinerary may occur. We will however make every effort to operate the tour as it is described here. Thank for your understanding. Organiser: Pullman Tours GmbH, Hergiswil. The organiser’s General Terms and Conditions of Travel apply.
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