Switzerland is a naturally appealing country for anyone interested in luxury rail travel. With its high standard of living, outstanding rail quality, and mastery of transport technology, it would seem logical for Switzerland to dominate this segment. And yet - unlike Italy (with the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express) or Spain (with El Transcantábrico or Al Andalus)—there is no true luxury train in Switzerland in the classic sense: no hotel train in the style of the Orient Express. Swiss rail luxury takes a very different form, embodied in premium panoramic and tourist trains that have become global benchmarks.
Is there a luxury train in Switzerland?
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Switzerland was a key rail transit country at the heart of Europe (which is still true today, as many European rail journeys pass through it). But the prestige trains of that era were not Swiss. Even when they crossed Switzerland, they were operated by foreign companies.
Not only did Switzerland never develop residential luxury trains like Spain (Al Andalus) or Italy (the VSOE today), it does not even have a single overnight train. This is largely due to the country’s small size—but also to the sheer beauty of the scenery: who would want to sleep while crossing the Alps?
Instead, Switzerland has forged its own interpretation of high-end rail travel, where a luxury train tour in Switzerland is defined not by sleeping cars, but by daylight journeys through some of Europe’s most spectacular alpine landscapes.
Swiss rail luxury: the view comes first
In Switzerland, true luxury is the landscape itself. Rail operators understood early on that their greatest asset lay in the Alps, glaciers, lakes, and legendary mountain passes. As early as the 1930s, panoramic coaches with wide windows were introduced. That philosophy lives on today with trains such as:
- Bernina Express (Chur–Tirano): a UNESCO World Heritage route crossing the Bernina Pass at 2,253 meters before descending into Italy. Breathtaking panoramas and full-height windows—but without claiming true luxury status, as the onboard comfort remains fairly simple.
- Gotthard Panorama Express (Lucerne–Lugano): combining a cruise on Lake Lucerne with a panoramic train through the historic Gotthard tunnel. Not luxury in the strict sense, although the lake cruise with lunch does offer a taste of it.
Excellence Class and Prestige Class: a Swiss take on luxury
Two Swiss trains have nevertheless developed premium classes that can genuinely be considered luxury options, forming the backbone of what can today be described as a luxury train tour in Switzerland: the GoldenPass Line with Prestige Class, and above all the Glacier Express with Excellence Class.
- GoldenPass Line (Lucerne–Interlaken–Montreux): recently introduced GoldenPass Express trains featuring Prestige Class carriages, where each seat can rotate to face the scenery, turning the journey itself into a refined panoramic experience.
- Glacier Express (Zermatt–St. Moritz): often called “the world’s slowest express,” this iconic train links two prestigious resorts, crossing 291 bridges and 91 tunnels through spectacular Alpine scenery. Excellence Class represents the pinnacle of rail travel in Switzerland and the most accomplished expression of a luxury train tour in Switzerland. Each carriage seats just 18 passengers in large, rotating leather armchairs arranged face to face. Service is highly personalized, with a dedicated concierge, a seven-course gourmet menu served at the seat with Swiss wine pairings, and an exclusive onboard bar. It is the most high-end rail experience Switzerland has to offer, blending comfort, gastronomy, and exclusivity against a dramatic Alpine backdrop.
Switzerland: luxury, Swiss-style
Even without a classic luxury sleeper train, it is remarkably easy to enjoy luxury rail travel in Switzerland. Beyond the Glacier Express in Excellence Class or the GoldenPass Line in Prestige Class, Swiss trains are so consistently high in quality that a simple first-class ticket already feels refined. Carriages are comfortable and punctual, and the scenery is extraordinary.
And the journey doesn’t end at the station. It continues in the renowned hotels that line the routes: five-star properties combining elegance and authenticity, with spas and pools set in spectacular landscapes. Switzerland has effectively created a unique formula in which the train becomes a natural extension of luxury hospitality—and vice versa.
In short, there’s no need for an Orient Express to experience Swiss rail luxury. In Switzerland, luxury is not just about the train itself; it’s a way of traveling—where every first-class journey and every night in a mountain palace becomes part of a seamless, unforgettable experience.
Luxury train travel in Switzerland (ref.)
