Day 36, July 2 - train from Chambery to St. Moritz

July 04, 2026

Today was a travel day. We tidied up our apartment in Chambery, took off for the train station around 8 am. We were on a different train than Jae/Boots. It’s weird – I’m using my Eurail interrail schedule, and they bought their tickets from the train network. So we ended up taking the southern route, and they took the northern route – although we ended up in St. Moritz just minutes apart.

Our train left Chambery to Geneva (changed trains) to Zurich (changed trains) to Chur (changed trains) to our destination in St. Moritz. They went to Landquart instead of Chur.

Anywho – after we left Chur the scenery began changing. And I gotta tell ya that it’s challenging trying to get photos on your phone from a moving train!

We left Geneva and went on the north shore of Lake Geneva through Lusanne. On the way, we could see some of the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, which is an 830-hectare UNESCO World Heritage site stretching for about 30 kilometers along the north shore. Because the steep layout prevents heavy agricultural machinery, almost every grape is still tended and harvested entirely by hand. The region is famous for what locals call the “Three Suns” that ripen the grapes: direct sunlight from the sky; reflected heat bouncing off the surface of Lake Geneva; and the thermal heat stored by the massive stone walls during the day and radiating into the vines at night.

Unknown to us until we got on the train was the fact that it was part of the UNESCO World Heritage railway in Switzerland called the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes. The entire route spans 122 km from Thusis to Tirano; it’s a 100-year-old engineering marvel featuring 196 bridges and 55 tunnels through dramatic alpine scenery. The train is on narrow-gauge tracks too. We were on the Albula Line that was completed in 1903. It famously conquers steep inclines using spectacular helical tunnels (corkscrews) between Bergun and Preda, and features the iconic 65-meter-high Landwasser Viaduct.

Also unknown to us was the fact that the Glacier Express, which we took from St Moritz to Zermatt the following day followed the same route.

Photos from the moving train do not do justice to the absolutely beautiful Alps landscape.

Don’t think I need to say more.

Jae/Boots arrived in Moritz just minutes after us. We were at 6,000 feet, and I was feeling the altitude, which is curious because I’ve never had difficulty with altitude before. We caught a bus and walked a short bit to our Hotel Nolda, which was very charming. You crossed a wooden footbridge over a rather large, rushing creek to get to the hotel, and the rooms have been renovated in typical Engadin style, which most likely refers to the rooms and furniture: traditional woodwork that features hand-carved floral motifs, religious symbols, or the year of construction.

After checking in, we had a drink at the hotel before walking over to a restaurant featuring fondue. I had a wiener schnitzel; Beth had raclette, which is a Valaisan cheese made from the fresh milk of cows that have grazed on alpine pastures. St. Moritz is not in the Valais region (the Valais is famous for the Matterhorn and Zermatt where we’re going tomorrow) but in the Engadine Valley.

Called it a night after we strolled back to the hotel. Getting up early tomorrow to get to the train station for our 9:38 am Glacier Express train trip through the Alps to Zermatt.