The Most Scenic Ski Trains for Vintage Winter Vibes—Without the Traffic and Icy Roads

I rode my first ski train on a morning when everything felt freshly reset—new snow, bluebird sky, the kind of crisp cold that makes a cozy rail car feel especially inviting. This was in Switzerland, but I would come to discover that these trains exist in a few countries, connecting travelers to major ski areas—and usually more effectively than driving. They often have winter schedules, built-in ski racks, and sometimes perks like mulled wine, dining cars, and big panoramic windows. But the real appeal is practical: You can travel car-free, skip mountain traffic, and step off the train already in the heart of a ski region.

On that winter day when I arrived at Andermatt station, the Glacier Express was already waiting, fire-engine red against the white valley backdrop. Other passengers were doing the same shuffle I was: juggling coffee, gloves, and ski gear while finding their seats before large windows framing the surrounding peaks, all topped with meringue-like snow.

The entire route was an eight-hour journey through the Alps, moving steadily across 291 bridges and 91 tunnels on its way between Zermatt and St. Moritz, two of Switzerland’s most well-known ski hubs.

Along the way, skiers could detour into smaller resorts, building the journey into a multi-resort ski trip without ever renting a car. I could spend a couple of days in Zermatt lapping glacier runs under the Matterhorn, ride the Glacier Express to Andermatt for steep Gemstock terrain or quieter laps in Sedrun, and continue to St. Moritz for its 217 miles of interconnected slopes—all on a single, seamless rail corridor.

With its expansive windows, full dining car, and slow pace—this is famously the “slowest express train in the world”—the Glacier Express turned the transfer days between resorts into part of the experience, making it a luxurious, almost meditative approach to my ski day. It became as much about seeing how the Alps connect as it was about getting from one place to the next.

While Switzerland’s famous railway may be the most recognizable, it’s hardly the only great ski train out there. In addition to Glacier Express, here are five other incredible ski trains to take around the world.

Photo by Jujumin Chu/Shutterstock (L); photo by RATM/Shutterstock (R)

The Hokuriku Shinkansen

• Route: Tokyo to Nagano, Japan

The Hokuriku Shinkansen is the most direct link between Tokyo and Nagano, host city of the 1998 Winter Olympics. The region is still shaped by that legacy and is known for its consistent, snow-heavy winters. The journey is under 90 minutes, but it covers a dramatic shift: The train leaves the capital at high speed, passes through suburban sprawl, and then settles into a steady climb toward the foothills of the Japanese Alps.

Nagano’s position along the Sea of Japan storm track gives the region its reliable powder, and the Shinkansen drops riders right into the center of it. From the station, well-organized buses connect efficiently to three of the area’s major resorts. Hakuba Valley is where several Olympic events were held and where varied terrain draws advanced skiers. Nozawa Onsen is known for long runs and a compact hot-spring town at its base. And Shiga Kogen, one of Japan’s highest-elevation ski zones, has snow that sticks around well into spring.

For travelers interested in Nagano’s Olympic legacy, several venues are still active: Happo-One allows skiers to access sections of the downhill courses used in 1998, while the Snow Harp Nordic center in Hakuba maintains trails built for the Games.

Alaska Railroad Aurora Winter Train

• Route: Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska

The Alaska Railroad’s Aurora Winter Train isn’t only a scenic ride into the 49th state’s interior—it’s also the last true whistle-stop train in the United States, a service that still halts wherever passengers need to get on or off. That quirk makes it uniquely useful for skiers. With permission from the conductor, you can step off in stretches of wilderness with no road access, click into your bindings, and spend the day touring quiet valleys and ridgelines before flagging the train down on its return.

The Ski Train, a once-a-year charter run by the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, takes that idea and turns it into a community event. Pulling out of Anchorage as the rose-gold alpenglow starts to peek over the Chugach Mountains, the train heads to Curry, a former ski resort site lost to a fire in the late 1950s. For one day each winter, hundreds of skiers spread out across the old slopes and forested flats to cross-country ski, snowshoe, or skin for back-country laps.

Enroute, the train passes braided glacial rivers and hoarfrost-entombed spruce and cottonwood trees. It’s also common to see moose—they’re easier to spot in the snowy landscape.

Photo by Julia Kuznetsova/Shutterstock

The Mont Blanc Express

• Route: Martigny, Switzerland, and St. Gervais, France

The Mont Blanc Express is less a specialty ski train and more an everyday Alpine lifeline, but it functions beautifully for skiers moving between France and Switzerland. Running from Martigny in Switzerland to St. Gervais in France, the line drops travelers midway directly into the center of the Chamonix Valley, where a cluster of world-class ski areas fan out along the tracks.

From Chamonix-Mont Blanc station, riders can connect quickly to Brévent and Flégère, two lift-linked resorts known for their long, sunlit trails and front-row views of Mont Blanc. Farther up the valley, the train stops at Argentière, home to Grands Montets, a favorite of expert skiers thanks to its steep off-piste terrain and big north-facing snowpack. Continue toward the French side of the pass, and you reach Les Houches, a family-friendly area with forested runs and one of the valley’s most reliable storm-day options.

Because the resorts are spread along a narrow corridor, the train becomes the easiest way to hop between them—no parking lots, no valley traffic, no navigating icy mountain roads. The Mont Blanc Unlimited skipass includes full train access, encouraging riders to use it as a daily connector between resorts and to chase the best conditions up and down the valley.

The Arctic Circle Train

• Route: Stockholm to Abisko, Sweden

The Arctic Circle Train is the most reliable way to reach Sweden’s far north in winter, running overnight from Stockholm to Abisko. The journey covers nearly the length of the country, moving from dense forest into open tundra and finally into the vast, opalescent snow-blanketed valleys of Abisko National Park.

Abisko is the focal point of the route, and the train stops directly at Abisko Turiststation, essentially a trailhead on the edge of the national park. Step off here and immediately tour mellow bowls, frozen lakes, and sections of the Kungsleden trail. It’s a landscape that feels genuinely expedition worthy.

Or you can continue another hour north on the train until you reach Riksgränsen, one of Sweden’s most storied ski areas. Known for its maritime snowpack, playful in-bounds terrain, and late-season light—people ski here into May and June—it has a loyal following among skiers and snowboarders worldwide.

Many visitors use Abisko for touring and Riksgränsen for lift-served days, and the train connects the two. Because winter roads here are remote and subject to stormy weather, the train isn’t just scenic; it’s the simplest, safest, and most atmospheric way in. And on clear nights, the northern lights often ignite right above the train and Abisko.

Courtesy of Amtrak

Amtrak Winter Park Express

• Route: Denver to Winter Park, Colorado

The Winter Park Express is as close as America’s lower 48 gets to an actual train-to-ski experience—and a welcome alternative to inching along Colorado’s notoriously congested I-70. Throughout the winter, Amtrak runs a dedicated service from Denver’s historic Union Station straight to a platform just steps from the lifts at Winter Park Resort, depositing skiers and snowboarders among terrain outfitted with everything from wide beginner groomers to steep tree runs and double-black chutes.

The two-hour ride traces an early-20th-century rail corridor through the Front Range and disappears into the Moffat Tunnel before emerging in high alpine light, where the forest thins, peaks stack up in every direction, and the valley opens toward Winter Park’s snow-covered slopes. The ski train itself dates back to 1940, when it became a reliable weekend pipeline for Front Range residents heading to the slopes. After closing in 2009, community advocacy and Amtrak support helped revive the service in 2017, restoring one of Colorado’s most storied winter traditions.