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The Glacier Express, Matterhorn & Lake Lucerne

A walking & rail adventure in the Swiss Alps
 
The Glacier Express | Spend a full day on board this spectacular train.
Matterhorn walking | Follow easy trails close to Zermatt’s iconic mountain.
Historic Lucerne | Explore the pretty streets and landmark bridges of the Old Town.
Alpine contrasts | Daily doses of Switzerland’s diverse beauty – from peaks to pastures.
Explore by boat | Enjoy optional boat trips across Lake Lucerne.
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 3 dinners
    7 breakfasts
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • travel Sils-Zermatt & Zermatt-Lucerne
  • rail transfers from/to Zürich airport
  • half-fare card
  • travel pass for Sils area
  • The Glacier Express, Matterhorn & Lake Lucerne
    A walking & rail adventure in the Swiss Alps
  • Experience the Glacier Express
  • Ride the Gornergrat Railway
  • Lake Sils
  • Lucerne
  • Cross Switzlerland by train
  • The famous Matterhorn
  • Matterhorn panorama
  • Mount Rigi
  • Routes with a view
  • Zermatt
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 3 dinners
    7 breakfasts
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • travel Sils-Zermatt & Zermatt-Lucerne
  • rail transfers from/to Zürich airport
  • half-fare card
  • travel pass for Sils area
 

Holiday information

 

A walking & rail holiday in the Swiss Alps

There’s no journey quite like the Glacier Express. This world-famous train showcases Switzerland’s most striking scenery – from glaciers to gorges to glorious mountain lakes – and along the way reveals remarkable feats of Swiss engineering, as well as thousands of years of culture and history.
Despite its name, the Glacier Express is anything but fast: its steady pace allowing passengers to fully absorb the sights outside their panoramic windows – including the celebrated Landwasser Viaduct and 2,044-metre-high Oberalp Pass. On this self-guided holiday, you enjoy a full day on board the train, travelling the length of its route between St Moritz and Zermatt. It’s an unforgettable day, but it’s far from the only one on the trip: you also have the chance to explore the timeless Engadine Valley in the far east of the country; to enjoy easy walking trails up close to the Matterhorn; and to discover Lucerne’s ancient beauty – as well as its eponymous lake.

Another highlight of the holiday is your hand-picked accommodation, which ranges from a 17th-century former farmhouse in the pretty Engadine village of Sils to an elegant spa hotel in Zermatt’s vibrant centre.

 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice and are free to add extra nights.

Many of the walks we suggest involve a short transfer by boat, bus, train, or cable car. While in Sils, you will be provided with a pass that gives access to free local transport; elsewhere, use your included Travel Card to receive a discount of up to 50%.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

    The best time for flowers is late June and early July.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 7 7 10 14 18 21 23 24 21 18 12 8
    mm 150 156 181 179 227 247 262 261 203 152 151 173
  • Arrival in Sils
    Night 1: at Hotel Privata (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.
  • Choice of routes from Sils: 7km or 10.5km

    Lake Sils: 7km, 2.5hrs; ascent/descent 120m
    Lake Sils is the largest of the lakes in the Upper Engadine, its shores fringed by tranquil larch forests and with beautiful views to the towering peaks above. For a leisurely introductory trail, we recommend taking a boat across the lake (or a bus along the northern shore) to then walk back to Sils on the south side of the waters.

    Piz Nair: 10.5km, 4hrs; ascent 115m/descent 1315m
    This longer option begins by bus to St Moritz, where you may like to pause to soak in the town’s glamourous charm – and to visit its very own leaning tower, the 16th-century Schiefer Turm St. Moritz. Continue by cog railway and cable car to the summit of Piz Nair, to then enjoy a fabulous high-level walk complete with staggering views. After descending gradually through the rugged Suvretta Valley to lakeside Silvaplana, you return to Sils by bus.
    Lake Silvaplana
  • Sils to Zermatt on the Glacier Express
    Today, sit back in your reserved seat on the Glacier Express and enjoy one of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys. The route begins in St Moritz, which you reach by bus from Sils, and from here you are transported across Switzerland via 91 tunnels and 291 bridges – an extraordinary feat of engineering.

    Your eight-hour journey through the Swiss Alps promises many highlights, among them the chance to experience the UNESCO-listed Albula Line with its high viaducts, helical tunnels, and incredible 1,000-metre incline. You’ll pass through the cavernous Rhine Gorge, see the 1,400-year-old Disentis Monastery, and spy Europe’s highest vineyard above Visperterminen – before finally arriving into traffic-free Zermatt, the historic village synonymous with the Matterhorn. Here, you spend three nights at central Hotel La Ginabelle.
    The Glacier Express
  • Choice of routes from Zermatt: 6.5km to 15.5km
    As well as exploring on foot, you may like to take a trip on Zermatt’s famous Gornergrat Railway. Built in 1898, this cog railway whisks you up to 3,089 metres for superb mountain views.

    Lakes Walk: 15.5km, 5hrs; ascent 495m/descent 1070m
    Beginning by train to Riffelalp, this classic route explores the lakes to the east of Zermatt, below the Findel glacier. Be sure to bring your camera; on a clear day the pyramidal form of the Matterhorn is perfectly reflected in the glassy waters of Stellisee. The descent back to town takes you through ancient hamlets and forest, passing some of the region's finest mountain restaurants. There is the option of taking the lift down from Sunnegga to Zermatt, reducing the descent and shortening the route to 10.5km.

    Matterhorn Glacier Trail: 15km, 5hrs; ascent 270m/descent 1560m
    The glaciers which sweep down from the border with Italy appear tantalisingly close on this high-level route. After a gondola ride to Trockener Steg at nearly 3,000 metres, you cross a stark landscape dotted with glacial lakes and dominated by the classic Matterhorn east-face view, which looms ever larger as you come within one kilometre of this iconic mountain. You could descend from Schwarzsee to Zermatt by gondola (deduct 5km), but to do so would be to miss out on the beautiful larch forest and hamlets of the lower slopes.

    Blatten: 6.5km, 2.5hrs; ascent/descent 230m
    This low-level, circular walk from the south end of Zermatt up to the traditional hamlet of Blatten (complete with a highly rated restaurant) is perfect for a relaxed day or in low cloud. Discover historic buildings amid lush pastures, with the option of a short detour into the Gorner Gorge.
    Walk the Matterhorn Glacier Trail
  • Zermatt to Lucerne
    Your destination today is the historic lakeside city of Lucerne, reached via a scenic rail journey that takes you through the meadows and forests of the Matter Valley and past the turquoise lakes of Thun and Brienz. The last part of the journey is particularly pretty – along the shores of Lake Lucerne and with views to its surrounding peaks, including Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi. In Lucerne, you stay in the heart of the city, spending two nights at Hotel Wilden Mann.
    Brünig Pass
  • Choice of walking & sightseeing options from Lucerne

    Lucerne walking tour
    Spend your last day exploring historic Lucerne, wandering through the atmospheric streets, admiring the Renaissance architecture, and visiting the famous covered footbridges, the Kapellbrücke and Spreuerbrücke. We share our favourite route around the city in our included self-guided walking tour.

    Rigi, Queen of the Mountains: 6km, 2hrs; ascent 155m/descent 505m
    Alternatively, take a boat to Vitznau, from where Europe’s oldest cog railway takes you to the 1,797-metre summit of Mount Rigi. Admire the exceptional 360-degree panorama of lakes and mountains before descending across meadows and forest to Rigi-Kaltbad, then return by cable car and boat to Lucerne.

    Mount Pilatus
    Another thrilling option is to ascend towering Mount Pilatus on the world’s steepest cog railway. On clear days, the mountain commands views of 73 peaks, and there is a panoramic walkway from the top station. For your return journey, we recommend the Dragon Ride cable car with its floor-to-ceiling windows, followed by bus to Lucerne.
    Ascend Mount Rigi by cog railway
 

Accommodation

If spectacular scenery is a key highlight of this holiday, so is the accommodation. Your three hotels are very different – from rural and family-run to a sophisticated, city-centre stay – but each is high in both quality and character.
 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 7 Nights: 15 June 2025 - 15 October 2025 & 15 June 2026 - 15 October 2026

    Start Any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price
    23 Jul - 9 Aug 2025 £2546
    15 - 16 Aug 2025 £2246
    20 - 23 Aug 2025 £2346
    2 - 4 Sep 2025 £2386
    12 - 12 Sep 2025 £2446
    25 - 25 Sep 2025 £2406
    6 - 6 Oct 2025 £2286
    9 - 9 Oct 2025 £2286
    15 - 30 Jun 2026 £2701
    1 - 31 Jul 2026 £2701
    1 - 31 Aug 2026 £2511
    1 - 30 Sep 2026 £2591
    1 - 8 Oct 2026 £2451

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Included travel: return rail from Zürich airport. A Half-Fare Card is also included, providing you with half-price tickets for trains, bus, and boat journeys and up to 50% reduction on private railways and cable cars.

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Recommended airport(s): Zürich
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Zürich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Zurich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Aberdeen - Zurich (via Paris) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Zurich Swiss 
    Birmingham - Zurich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Zurich (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Zurich Swiss 
    Bristol - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Zurich easyJet,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Zurich British Airways,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Zurich British Airways,  easyJet,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Zurich British Airways,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Zurich easyJet,  Vueling 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Zurich easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Zurich easyJet,  Lufthansa,  Swiss 
    Manchester - Zurich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Zurich (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Zurich (via Paris CDG) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Zürich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Zürich

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Zürich airport to St Moritz (3h45), bus St Moritz to Sils/Segl Maria (0h25), walk to hotel (0h05) included 1530
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    rail Lucerne to Zürich airport (1h15) included 1130
 
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FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • Yes, prior to going on holiday you will be able to download GPX tracks so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you use them – our detailed, step-by-step route notes remain the principal means of guiding you from A to B – but we provide them as a secondary means of navigation for additional reassurance when walking.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Switzerland, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official languages are German, spoken in the majority of the country; French, spoken in the south-west; Italian, spoken in the south-east; and Romansch, mostly limited to the Engadine valley. The currency is the Franc. Swiss time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
  • You are the best judge of your child’s/children’s capabilities. We are happy to take bookings for families of older children/teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved. Please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.
Price from
£2245.01pp | 7 nights
The Glacier Express, Matterhorn & Lake Lucerne. 7 nights
Price from
£2245.01pp
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