A Journey Through the Beating Heart of the Alps
By Roland Dupuy - February 2024
For the sake of proper travel journalism, and as part of a wider commitment to championing sustainable travel, the Green Light team experienced the train in February — and has been on an Alpine high ever since.
The first section of what would go on to form the Glacier Express route opened way back in 1891, in the western canton of Valais, between Visp and Zermatt (already popular back then for its proximity to the emblematic Matterhorn). The first Glacier Express train ran along the entire, completed route between Zermatt and St. Moritz in 1930, but it wasn’t until 1982 that the train began running year-round, thanks to the opening of several new tunnels enabling it to bypass the portions of the line most under threat from excessive snowfall.
The train ride begins in Zermatt, at the foot of the mighty Matterhorn. The area has been named by the Swiss Meteorological Office as the sunniest in the country — a perfect spot to start one’s journey. The train makes its way down the Mattertal valley toward Visp, and further onto Brig, an important junction town at the mouth of the century-old Simplon tunnel, which links Switzerland with Northern Italy. But it’s deeper into the Swiss Alps that the train wishes to venture, and soon it heads further up the valley, approaching one of the most important namesake Glaciers, the mighty Rhône Glacier.
If the train ride had felt cinematic by any means up until this point, buckle up, because the movie’s just getting started. The Furka Pass is forever part of cinematic history...
After reaching the foot of the glacier, the source of the famous river of the same name, the train passes through the Furka tunnel, underneath the storied Furka Pass. If the train ride had felt cinematic by any means up until this point, buckle up, because the movie’s just getting started. The Furka Pass is forever part of cinematic history, having featured as a dramatic backdrop to the adventures of none other than British superspy James Bond in the classic 1964 film Goldfinger. Sean Connery was a regular visitor to this particularly scenic corner of the Swiss Alps, and used to frequent the famous Belvedere Hotel (the one known for its prime position, sitting pinched right inside a hairpin bend on the Furka road).
When Goldfinger was in early production stages and scouts were searching for the most dramatic, heart-stopping location for the mountain scenes, Connery himself suggested the Furka Pass — and the rest is movie history. As the train emerges from the Furka tunnel, the hair-raising bends of the Furka road behind it become visible, and if you listen closely, you can almost hear Shirley Bassey’s sultry voice singing about sins, guns and gold.
Leaving the spy world behind, the train passes through the newly-renovated ski town of Andermatt, and begins its ascent toward the highest point of the entire journey: the 2’000m high Oberalp Pass. Thanks to a third, toothed rack rail, the train is able to inch its way ever upwards. The wine in guests’ glasses tilts increasingly, as the gradient becomes steeper and steeper. Skiers whizz past, as the train passes right through the heart of the Andermatt ski area, running directly alongside the slope at times.
Soon enough, the train levels out, having reached the top of the Oberalp Pass. The snow-covered Lake Oberalp lies beside the tracks, and it becomes more difficult than ever to convince yourself you’re not actually aboard the Polar Express, or Snowpiercer (minus the latter’s dystopian apocalypse vibe, of course). After conquering the Pass, the train begins a gradual descent into the valley below, home to one of the two sources of the Rhine. It’s along this valley that the train will encounter the picturesque towns of Disentis/Mustér (the largest Romansh-speaking town in the country) and Ilanz, before running beside the awe-inspiring cliffs of the Ruinaulta canyon, also known as ‘Switzerland’s Grand Canyon’ due to its resemblance to the legendary American geographical wonder, albeit on an obviously smaller scale.
Emerging from the canyon, the train reaches the junction town of Reichenau-Tamins, and eventually Chur, the oldest town in Switzerland (with a settlement history of over 5000 years), where it changes direction to head deeper into the heart of Graubünden canton. From Chur, the train travels through the towns of Tiefencastel, Filisur and Bergün, each more dramatic than the next. This part of the journey is also where the train crosses the iconic Landwasser viaduct, also known as *that* bridge from the postcards. In fact it’s so iconic that it became, along with the region’s entire Albula Railway line, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Opened in 1902, the curving dark limestone viaduct continues to wow visitors year-round, and is a jewel in Switzerland’s railway crown.
Leaving the viaduct behind, the train enters its final stretch, passing by the town of Samedan and its airport, the second-highest in Europe. The Engadin valley lakes come into view, glistening in the afternoon sun, and soon the train pulls into arguably the chicest place on earth, the ever-alluring town of St. Moritz. Beyond the glamorous outfits, beautiful cars, and plentiful opportunities for celeb-spotting, however, is a place of immense natural beauty. It’s immediately clear why this spot is widely recognized as the birthplace of winter tourism — a few minutes of breathing the crisp, clear air and basking in the glorious mountain light is enough to make you feel more rejuvenated than ever, and ready to take on the world.
The Swiss alpine landscape is changing, and there is certainly cause for concern. Swiss glaciers have lost 10% of their volume in the last two years, The Guardian reports. However there have been some significant climate achievements, too — the European Court of Human Rights ruled in early April in favor of a group of elderly Swiss women who argued the Swiss government was not doing enough to curb the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. So all hope is not lost, far from it. And if anything, a journey on the Glacier Express can serve as a helpful reminder of not only the sheer beauty of our planet, but of the need to take bigger and bolder steps to protect it, now more than ever. Besides, with Swiss trains running on 90% renewable electricity generated from hydropower (and even 100% in the Grisons region), the journey is almost as green as it gets.
🏔 Journey Through the Beating Heart of the Alps
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By Roland Dupuy & friends
Est. 2023, London
Book 1 - Hope in Motion - Available soon