Getting There
St. Moritz is linked by rail (through a complicated series of tunnels) to the rest of Switzerland via Chur, with other links to such non-Swiss population centers as Milan and Munich. Travel time by train from Chur is 2 hours. St. Moritz is also the endpoint of the world-famous Glacier Express, which links Zermatt, in the southwest, with St. Moritz, in the southeast. For rail information and schedules, call tel. 0900/300-300 or visit www.sbb.ch.
St. Moritz is linked by bus to Chur, Lugano, and Pontresina, each of which is easily reachable via bus connections from Munich. Call the tourist office for further information.
By car from Zurich, take N3 (later N13) to Chur and, once there, head southwest along Route 3.
The Glacier Express -- The most famous of Switzerland's railway lines, the Glacier Express connects the highest peaks and glaciers of the southeastern Alps with those of the southwestern Alps. When the train link opened in 1928, the danger of winter blizzards and snowdrifts required that many of the most isolated mountain bridges be dismantled every October and then reassembled the following May. As a result, in the winter, trains were rerouted on a lengthy detour through Zurich and northern Switzerland. In 1982, a 13km (8-mile) tunnel was drilled beneath the Furka mountain, and today trains run uninterrupted across the mountains all year long. The route is one of the most spectacular in the world, with 91 viaducts and tunnels and 291 bridges along the way. One daily train runs between the regions in the winter; in summer, with its longer hours of sunlight, there are two and, in rare cases, three trains per day.
The one-way trip from Zermatt to St. Moritz takes 7 1/2 hours and costs 230F in first class and 140F in second class. En route, many travelers opt to disembark in the medieval trading city of Chur to spend the night. From Chur, convenient connections can be arranged to Davos and all points east, including many towns in the alpine regions of Austria.
Advance seat reservations are required for the comfortably upholstered coaches with restaurant cars. Note that the Swiss Pass covers the full fare on the Glacier Express, but because part of the route is administered by a different organization from the rest of the Swiss Rail network, holders of any travel pass in the Eurailpass family, including Youthpass and Flexipasses, are charged about half the total fare. For more information about fares, call tel. 800/622-86-00.
For more general information about the journey, contact any Switzerland Tourism, or the Swiss Center, 608 Fifth Ave., Ste. 202, New York, NY 10020 (tel. 212/757-5944, or visit www.raileurope.com or www.glacierexpress.ch/en.
Visitor Information
The St. Moritz tourist office, via Maistra 12 (tel. 081/837-33-33; www.stmoritz.ch), will answer many of the questions a visitor might have. It's open in midsummer and midwinter, Monday to Friday 9am to 6:30pm, Saturday 9am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 6:30pm, and Sunday 6 to 6pm; off-season hours are Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 2 to 6pm, and Saturday 9am to noon.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
