My sister and I have never traveled in Europe. We are in Bayeux, France until June 7 and rather than get a hotel, we thought we would ride the overnight train to a connection to catch the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express on the 8th of June. Is that possible? Our next stop is Fussen, Germany.
Also, is it true that we can ride a local train that follows the same track that is much less expensive than the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express?
Best answer by ralderton
There is no sleeper train that run anywhere near that route. There aren’t really any overnight (non sleeper) trains either - you will likely end up on short local trains, with long stops somewhere in the middle of the night.
It’s possible that you could work in a sleeper train if you take a longer route. For example, from Paris to Nice, then work your way back up via Milan to Tirano (the Italian end of the Bernina) but that only really works if you have plans to visit the south of France and / or northern Italy.
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To your second question - yes, there are frequent (hourly) trains along both routes, usually needing a change or two. They don’t need reservation and they’re very good quality trains.
But also, you don’t need a reservation on the Bernina Express, as long as you travel in the unreserved cars. This isn’t true on the Glacier Express - on that one, the whole train is compulsory reservation, so it’s best to stick to the regional trains along the same route.
+8There is no sleeper train that run anywhere near that route. There aren’t really any overnight (non sleeper) trains either - you will likely end up on short local trains, with long stops somewhere in the middle of the night.
It’s possible that you could work in a sleeper train if you take a longer route. For example, from Paris to Nice, then work your way back up via Milan to Tirano (the Italian end of the Bernina) but that only really works if you have plans to visit the south of France and / or northern Italy.
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To your second question - yes, there are frequent (hourly) trains along both routes, usually needing a change or two. They don’t need reservation and they’re very good quality trains.
But also, you don’t need a reservation on the Bernina Express, as long as you travel in the unreserved cars. This isn’t true on the Glacier Express - on that one, the whole train is compulsory reservation, so it’s best to stick to the regional trains along the same route.
Thank you for your response. I guess we will just stay overnight in Bayeux one more night. We just were trying to avoid a whole day on a train. What part of the route through the Alps is the best in your opinion? Or should we do the entire route?
+8Is the order of your trip fixed?
If you change things around a bit, you could take a train from Bayeux to Paris (a couple of hours), then sleeper to Munich (arrival before 6am!) in order to visit Füssen.
Then continue to Switzerland and do one of the scenic trains there.
They’re all gorgeous - the Glacier Express, the Bernina, and the Goldenpass. I would always recommend the Bernina above all, but if one of the others fits in better with your overall plans, do that one.
I love the idea of going to Munich then over to Fussen. Should we buy our global pass for the train first then book our trains?
+8I love the idea of going to Munich then over to Fussen. Should we buy our global pass for the train first then book our trains?
Well, first you should decide if you want a pass. Compare the cost of a pass + reservations to the cost of buying regular tickets.
If you look at a good timetable search like Bahn.com, it will tell you if it’s a sleeper. If the train number starts with NJ (Nightjet), EN (Euronight) or ES (European Sleeper), then it has sleeping accommodation. You’ll see ‘sleeper’ mentioned in the train details.
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