Is train travel included?

Yes. The price includes Eurostar Standard Class, TGV, Bernina Express, Glacier Express, Albula Line, and Arosa Line travel, plus coach transfers and all rail connections throughout.

Is this an escorted or independent tour?

Escorted. A UK Tour Manager accompanies the group from London St Pancras through to the end. Great Rail Journeys operates the tour.

Which trains are featured?

Eurostar (London to Paris), TGV (Paris to Basel and return), Albula Line (Tiefencastel to St Moritz), Bernina Express (Tiefencastel to Tirano), Arosa Line (Chur to Arosa), and Glacier Express (Tiefencastel to Brig).

What hotels are included?

Hotel near Basel train station for two nights, and Hotel Albula & Julier (family-run, 3-star) in Tiefencastel for five nights.

What meals are included?

Breakfast and dinner each day. Five picnic lunches are provided. Drinks including beer, wine and soft drinks are included each evening from 7pm to 9pm with dinner at Tiefencastel. A seven-course New Year's Eve gala dinner is included.

Great Rail Journeys · Escorted tour

GRJ All Inclusive Glacier Express at New Year

Swiss Alps rail loop from London, New Year Bernina and Glacier Express journeys

Great Rail Journeys operates this eight-day New Year escorted tour from London to Switzerland and back. The journey opens with Eurostar to Paris and a high-speed TGV to Basel, followed by five nights based in the Tiefencastel hotel on the Albula Valley. From this location, the tour features four UNESCO-listed or world-famous train lines: the Albula Line to St Moritz, the Bernina Express on New Year's Eve crossing the Landwasser Viaduct and Brusio spiral viaduct into Italy, a free day in the region with a Swiss Half Fare Card, the Arosa Line climbing 3,000 feet through wintry valleys, and the Glacier Express with panoramic carriages across the Swiss Grand Canyon and Oberalp Pass. The final night returns to Basel before Eurostar home. A UK Tour Manager accompanies the group throughout, and all meals, drinks with dinner, and rail travel are included. This trip suits couples and repeat rail travellers seeking relaxed stays with daily excursions, as well as groups who value guided comfort and included dining experiences.

Price history

Across 3 checks, this price has held at £3,099 every time.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

What to know before you look closer

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day dates mean this is a seasonal departure only; confirm current availability with Great Rail Journeys.
Maximum group size is 40 passengers; the tour is fully escorted rather than independent.

Day by day

Day 1railovernight: Strasbourg
London to Strasbourg in Alsace
We meet the Tour Manager at London St Pancras, board the Eurostar to Paris, then switch to the TGV to Strasbourg, checking in to our hotel near the station before our first dinner together.
Day 2overnight: Tiefencastel
Arrival at your hotel in scenic Switzerland
After a free morning in Strasbourg, we transfer to the station for the journey to Switzerland via Basel and Chur, arriving in Tiefencastel for a five-night stay at a family-run riverside hotel.
Day 3overnight: Tiefencastel
Along the UNESCO-listed Albula Line to St Moritz
We travel the Albula Line to St Moritz, Switzerland's original winter wonderland, with free time to explore its lake, shopping streets and the Diavolezza cable car, before returning to Tiefencastel for dinner.
Day 4railovernight: Tiefencastel
New Year's Eve on the Bernina Express
We board the UNESCO-listed Bernina Express, crossing the Landwasser Viaduct and Brusio spiral viaduct into Italy to Tirano, with free time before returning to Tiefencastel for a New Year's Eve gala dinner.
Day 5railovernight: Tiefencastel
At leisure on New Year's Day
A free day to explore the region, including Filisur, Bergün's Albula Railway Museum, or Davos and Klosters, using the Swiss Half Fare Card.
Day 6overnight: Tiefencastel
Ascending the Arosa Line from historic Chur
We travel to Chur then continue on the Arosa Line, crossing the Langwieser Viaduct to the lakeside resort of Arosa, with free time to explore Chur before returning to Tiefencastel for dinner.
Day 7railovernight: Basel
The incredible Glacier Express and on to Basel
We board the Glacier Express from Tiefencastel, delving into the 'Swiss Grand Canyon' and over the Oberalp Pass to Brig, then change trains for an overnight stay in Basel.
Day 8rail
Homeward bound
We travel from Basel on the TGV to Paris, then transfer to the Eurostar back to London St Pancras.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 1Board Eurostar at London St Pancras, travel via Paris on the high-speed TGV to Basel, then explore the Old Town's half-timbered houses and festive lights before the first group dinner.
Day 3Travel the UNESCO-listed Albula Line from Tiefencastel to St Moritz, crossing deep ravines and scenic viaducts with free time to walk the lake shore or ride the Diavolezza cable car overlooking the Morteratsch Glacier.
Day 4Board the Bernina Express on New Year's Eve, cross the Landwasser Viaduct, climb to Ospizio Bernina at 7,400 feet, view the Palü Glacier, and spiral around the Brusio viaduct before returning to a New Year's Eve gala dinner at the hotel.
Day 6Ride the Arosa Line from historic Chur, climbing more than 3,000 feet in 16 miles through wintry valleys and across the Langwieser Viaduct to the lakeside resort of Arosa.
Day 7Board the Glacier Express at Tiefencastel in panoramic carriages, pass through the Swiss Grand Canyon, cross the Oberalp Pass and glacial lakes, traverse the nine-mile Furka Base Tunnel, and arrive in Brig before heading north to Basel via Lake Thun and Spiez Castle.

Included

Expertise of a UK Tour Manager from start to finish
7 nights' 3-Star hotel accommodation
Eurostar Standard Class rail travel
All rail and coach travel throughout your tour
Breakfast and dinner each day, 5 picnic lunches
Drinks including beer, wine and soft drinks each day from 7pm-9pm with dinner in Tiefencastel
Group luggage transfers between hotels from Tiefencastel to Basel
Swiss Half Fare Card, permitting 50% discounted fares on free days for rail, boat and most mountain railway journeys
All guided tours and excursions

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance is not included in the price of the tour

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?: Yes. The price includes Eurostar Standard Class, TGV, Bernina Express, Glacier Express, Albula Line, and Arosa Line travel, plus coach transfers and all rail connections throughout.
Is this an escorted or independent tour?: Escorted. A UK Tour Manager accompanies the group from London St Pancras through to the end. Great Rail Journeys operates the tour.
Which trains are featured?: Eurostar (London to Paris), TGV (Paris to Basel and return), Albula Line (Tiefencastel to St Moritz), Bernina Express (Tiefencastel to Tirano), Arosa Line (Chur to Arosa), and Glacier Express (Tiefencastel to Brig).
What hotels are included?: Hotel near Basel train station for two nights, and Hotel Albula & Julier (family-run, 3-star) in Tiefencastel for five nights.
What meals are included?: Breakfast and dinner each day. Five picnic lunches are provided. Drinks including beer, wine and soft drinks are included each evening from 7pm to 9pm with dinner at Tiefencastel. A seven-course New Year's Eve gala dinner is included.