I do love travelling by train — well, apart from the daily work commute — and a long-standing bucket list trip for me was to take a journey on the iconic Bernina and Glacier Express trains, starting in Milan and ending up on the “roof of Europe” in Zermatt.

There are train journeys you take simply to get somewhere — and then there are train journeys that become the destination. Travelling from Milan to Zermatt via Tirano and St. Moritz is one of those rare routes where the journey itself becomes the story: a slow unfurling of landscapes, cultures and altitude that feels a bit like moving through the pages of a beautifully illustrated book.

This wasn’t just a way of getting from A to B. It was the kind of trip you remember long after you’ve unpacked your suitcase..

Milan to Tirano: Leaving the City Behind

We flew into Milan Bergamo Airport on an evening flight and took the airport bus into the centre of Milan. Conveniently, the bus drops you right at the main station, and our hotel was just across the square — ideal for an early start the next morning.

The day began early at Milano Centrale, which was already buzzing with commuters and travellers. I hadn’t been in the station for around 15 years and was genuinely taken aback by how much it had changed. It has been beautifully restored and now has plenty of shops and food outlets, so we were able to grab a coffee and pastry before boarding our first train of the weekend.

Our first train of the weekend was a regional train to Tirano on the Italian-Swiss Border. The journey takes about two and a half hours, and within minutes of leaving the city behind, the scenary starts to work its magic.

As the train heads north, the landscape changes almost without you noticing. Vineyards cling to the hillsides, little Italian towns drift past, and then the real showstopper – Lake Como. It’s a calm, easy journey, the kind where all you really need to do is sit back, look out of the window and take it all in. By the time you arrive in Tirano, the Alps feel close enough to touch.

Once in Tirano, you need to change stations. This is because it serves as a important junction between the Italian railway network and the narrow-gauge Swiss Bernina line. Thankfully, it’s an easy transfer – just a short walk across the piazza, with time to grab another coffee on your way if you fancy it.

Tirano to St. Moritz: The Bernina Line’s Alpine Theatre

Our second train of the day was the Bernina Express – the first true bucket list item of the trip. The journey becomes dramatic almost instantly. Within minutes of leaving Tirano, the train begins climbing into the high Alps and the whole landscape starts to transform around you.

This is a journey of contrasts:

• Italian villages and vineyards
• Snowfields, glaciers, and icy lakes at the summit
• The famous Brusio Spiral Viaduct looping elegantly beneath you
• The Bernina Pass rising to over 2,200 metres

The windows become your cinema screen. Every turn seems to reveal something new – frozen lakes that look like brushed glass, tiny chapels perched on hillsides, and peaks that seem to glow even on cloudy days. We were lucky to have the carriage to ourselves for most of the journey, which meant we could move around seats and take it all in from every angle.

It’s one of those experiences where you think surely it can’t get any better than this – and then somehow it does.

Arriving in St. Moritz feels like stepping into a postcard. Crisp air, immaculate streets, and that unmistakable sense of Alpine glamour.

An Evening in St.Moritz

Since there are no Glacier Express departures in the afternoons, we had to stay overnight – such hardship! 

St.Moritz is synonymous with luxury, and it shows. Expensive cars line the streets and designer boutiques sit alongside traditional Alpine buildings. We spent the afternoon wandering before heading to the The Sky Bar at the Hotel Monopol for some rooftop drinks with a view.

As it was our wedding anniversary, we decided to treat ourselves to Ecco, a two-Michelin starred restaurant in a nearby village.  The meal was exceptional – so much so that it deserves a post of its own.

St. Moritz to Zermatt: The Glacier Express in Excellence Class

The next morning, the real indulgence began.

Boarding the Glacier Express in Excellence Class feels less like stepping onto a train and more like entering a boutique hotel. From the moment you arrive at the station (at your own special boarding point), everything feels carefully considered – from the dedicated concierge who welcomes you and helps you settle in, to the beautifully presented multi-course and wine pairings served at your seat.

The panoramic windows that stretch from table height to ceiling, giving you an uninterrupted view of the mountains, valleys and villages unfolding outside. The atmosphere is unhurried, elegant and almost meditative. It encourages you to stop checking the time and simply enjoy where you are.

The Glacier Express is famously the slowest express train in the world, and in Excellence Class, that slowness becomes part of the luxury. You’re not rushing through the Alps — you’re savouring them.

Once settled, the experience begins with tea or coffee to enjoy and prepare you for the meal ahead. Over the course of the seven-hour journey, a five-course menu is served at a relaxed pace, allowing time to enjoy both the food and scenery.

The meal began with champagne and canapes – a perfect start. This was followed by Swiss smoked trout with beetroot, apple and horserdish cream cheese; a delicate pea and mint soup with apline blossoms and fresh bread; and a beautifully cooked fillet of swiss beef with truffled mashed potatoes, carrots, spring onions and mountain herb jus.

Next came a cheese course featuring regional specialities, before finishing with a rich chocolate dessert. Thankfully, we had plenty of time to enjoy it all.

The Scenery Unfolds Like a Story

The route from St. Moritz to Zermatt is a masterclass in Alpine drama. Over the course of the journey, you pass through landscapes that feel almost impossibly beautiful:

• The Rhine Gorge, often called the Swiss Grand Canyon
• The Oberalp Pass, where the train climbs to over 2,000 metres
• Forests, valleys, and villages that look hand‑painted
• Rivers that twist like silver threads through the landscape

One of the real pleasures of travelling in Excellence Class is that you never feel like you have to choose between enjoying the food and enjoying the view – the two just become part of the same experience.

And then there’s the Excellence Class bar, a curved and beautifully designed space where you can wander through between courses and sip champagne or cocktails while the mountains glide by outside. It’s indulgent, yes – but in a way that feels entirely fitting for a journey like this.

Arrival into to Zermatt

As the train begins to descend into the Mattertal Valley, the scenery softens. Wooden chalets start to appear, framed by pines and steep mountain slopes.

Then, it comes into view.

The Matterhorn rises above the village like a silent guardian. Even when you know it’s coming, that first glimpse still feels special — cinematic, yet deeply personal.

After two days of extraordinary travel, arriving in Zermatt feels like the perfect reward.

We arrived in the late afternoon and stayed overnight, spending the evening wandering through the village and soaking up the atmosphere before a well-earned rest.

Riding the Gornergrat Railway: Meeting the Matterhorn Face‑to‑Face

The next morning I opened the curtains to reveal the Matterhorn in full view, bathed in sunlight and staring back at me. I had booked a mountain-view room – but I hadn’t quite expected that mountain.

No visit to Zermatt is complete without taking the Gornergrat Railway, one of the world’s most spectacular mountain railways.

From the village, the cogwheel train climbs steadily upwards. As you rise above the treeline, the views begin to open up in every direction — glaciers, ridges, and a sweep of 29 peaks over 4,000 metres.

But the true showstopper is the Matterhorn,

Seeing it from the Gornergrat feels completely difference from capturing glimpse of it in the village below. Up here, it stands in full, unobstructed glory, and it’s every bit as impressive as you can imagine it will be.

At the summit station, the air is thin and crisp, and the landscape around you feels almost lunar in places – vast, dramatic and slightly surreal. It was the perfect finale to a journey that had started in the bustle of Milan and carried us, step by step, into the heart of the Alps.

Once off the train there are numerous points for that iconic photo. You can wander along snowy paths before stopping at one of the restaurants for an Aperol Spritz and fondue, all with the Matterhorn as your backdrop.

The Final Stage

Zermatt wasn’t our last stop. After descenfing from Gornergrat, we collected our bags from left luggage at the station (a quick tip: this fills up fast – hotel storage is often the safer option) and boarded a very busy train to Geneva for our final evening before heading back to Edinburgh.

Geneva, however, deserves a post of its own.

A Journey That Stays With You

Travelling from Milan to Zermatt via Tirano and St. Moritz isn’t just a route — it’s a progression:

• From Italian warmth to Swiss precision
• From lakeside calm to high‑Alpine drama
• From simple regional trains to the quiet luxury of Excellence Class

It’s a journey that invites you to slow down, look up and let the landscape do what it does best: amaze you..

We travelled: With Easyjet from Edinburgh to Milan Bergamo. We flew home with Easyjet from Geneva.

Where we Stayed:

• Milan – NYX Hotel
• St.Moritz – Hotel Piz
• Zermatt – Hotel Bristol

Where we ate and drank:

• The St.Moritz Sky Bar, St.Moritz for drinks
• Ecco, St.Moritz for Dinner
• Alpine Kitchen at the top station of the Gornergrat Railway, Zermatt