The Rhaetian Railway
If you fly to Zurich – or arrive there by train – you can embark on an onward journey that will stay with you forever.
The journey requires two changes: firstly, a 15 minute ride takes you from the airport terminal to Zurich’s main station. Then a 75 minute journey takes you through the attractive Rhein valley to Chur in 75 minutes. Change here onto a narrow gauge mountain train to St. Moritz and enjoy a 2hr ride on the UNESCO World Heritage Rhaetian Railway.
You can book the whole journey – single or return – from Zurich Airport through to St Moritz at www.sbb.ch
However, some trains from Chur to St Moritz offer panoramic seating, from which you can capture photographs of the scenery more easily. If this takes your fancy, book your panoramic seat first by calling 0041 812 88 6565. The phone will be answered in German, but all operators speak good English. The Swiss Travel Centre in London can also be very helpful for general Switzerland-related train enquiries – 0207 420 4900.
Outside St. Moritz station jump on a No.4 bus for the 15 minute bus ride that will drop you 150m from the Hotel Maria in Sils. (There is a bus every hour at 15 mins. past the hour)
Rail tickets are available 60 days before your day of travel from www.sbb.ch. The tickets we suggest are:
Point to Point – 2nd Class Ticket – This costs around £130 return (£228 for 1st class) from Zurich airport to St Moritz and is valid for any train on the day of travel. If you end up cancelling your holiday this ticket is partially refundable. Tickets can be purchased up to 2 months in advance.
1-day Travelpass – 2nd Class Saver Day Pass – This costs approximately £99 return from Zurich airport to St Moritz and is valid for any train and bus service on the day of travel. This is a non-refundable ticket, however. The Travelpass can be purchased up to 2 months in advance.
Half-Fare Pass – this costs £96 and gets you half price travel on all Swiss transport for 1 month – this option is better if you are making your Collett’s Mountain Holiday part of a larger itinerary.
