Planning an upcoming Switzerland adventure and considering the Bernina Express panorama train? If you’re wondering “is the Bernina Express worth it?” then look no further, here’s a detailed review of my trip on the Bernina Express from St Moritz to Tirano, as well as some handy tips to ensure you have the best time possible.
After recently spending two months in Europe travelling by train, I’m a total convert for rail travel, especially in countries with landscapes as magical as Switzerland. Minimal effort, comfortable seating and some of the most mind-blowing views you could ever experience while travelling from A to B.
The Bernina Express was high on my train travel bucket list, and I was able to slot it into my itinerary right after completing another Swiss panorama train, the Glacier Express.
If you’re currently planning your Europe rail adventure you might be thinking “is the Bernina Express worth it?”. It’s not cheap, even with a Eurail Pass you have mandatory seat reservations that set you back between 20-26CHF depending on the time of year, and if you’re like the then you want to make sure every travel dollar (or Swiss Franc in this case) is put to good use.
No need to go scouring the internet through hundreds of reviews of the Bernina Express to make your decision, this blog post has literally all you need to know about the train journey to help you decide if the Bernina Express is worth it for you. In this post I explain the Bernina Express routes, the current timetable, pricing, options to get a discount or take the same route for cheaper, tips for taking photos and more.
Here’s a deep dive into the Bernina Express to help you decide if the Bernina Express is worth it.
A summary: Is the Bernina Express worth it?
The answer will depend on your exact circumstances of course, but for me the Bernina Express was totally worth it.
If you’re wanting to witness some of the best landscapes in the world, if you’re travelling with a Eurail, Interrail, Swiss Travel Pass (and therefore are entitled to a discount), if you’re simply a keen train traveller, or if you prefer easy, simple journeys and don’t mind paying a bit of a premium for convenience, then the Bernina Express is probably worth it.
But on the other hand if you struggle to sit still for half a day, if you’re on a super tight budget and would rather save money by taking a cheaper but less scenic route, or if you’ve only got a couple of days to spend in Switzerland, then the Bernina Express might not be worth it for you.
But please read on for a more detailed explanation on if the Bernina Express is worth it (or not!).
Bernina Express quick links
- Buy Bernina Express tickets here (if you don’t have a Eurail Pass)
- Book your Bernina Express seat reservations here (if you have a Eurail Pass)
- Buy a Eurail Pass
- Or buy a Swiss Travel Pass
- My top hotel recommendation in St Moritz is Randolin’s Berghotel, I stayed in their incredible observatory which was a once-in-a-lifetime accommodation experience
- My top accommodation recommendation in Tirano is Ostello del Castello, a top-rated locally-run guesthouse that offers comfortable rooms for a very affordable price
- Read my guide to the Glacier Express if you’re considering taking another panoramic train from St Moritz through to Zermatt
- Planning an extended Europe train adventure? Read my guide on if a Eurail Pass is worth it (with my detailed budget breakdown from my own trip)
What is the Bernina Express?
The Bernina Express is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed train journey in Switzerland (and a bit in Italy) that takes you past vibrant alpine lakes, charming mountain villages and endless snow-capped peaks over a four hour, 144km journey. You’ll go through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges, experience an incline of up to 7%, and probably take hundreds of photos!
The railway is made up of two lines, the Albula Railway which was completed in 1904, and the Bernina-Bahngesellschaft which was opened in 1910. Those two railways were taken over by Rhaetian Railway (RhB) in 1943, and RhB have been marketing the train journey to tourists as a scenic route since the 1980s.
These days the Bernina Express (along with the Glacier Express and the Gotthard Panorama Express) is known as a ‘panorama trip’, a term used for tourist-focused scenic train routes through Switzerland that boast panoramic windows for the ultimate sightseeing experience.
Is the Bernina Express worth it for the views?
The views are simply stunning *chef’s kiss*. I’ll give you an idea of what views you can expect.
Where does the Bernina Express start and finish?
This question caused immediate confusion for me when I was doing my research, so to avoid that here’s all you need to know about the Bernina Express route.
The full 144km journey runs from Tirano in Italy to Chur in Switzerland, and vice versa. This trip takes about four hours from start to finish, and runs year-round.
What confused me is that many of the reviews I read mentioned staying in St Moritz. The Chur-Tirano route bypasses St Moritz completely, however there is another Bernina Express route that runs from Tirano to St Moritz, a shorter journey of about 2.5 hours. This route only runs from 7 April to 22 October in 2023 (and randomly for three days between 7-9 December).
If you’re travelling in winter and want to stay in St Moritz rather than do the full route to or from Chur, you can catch the Bernina Express to Pontresina and then catch a short 10 minute train to St Moritz (or vide versa).
In this close up map you can see that the Chur-Tirano line runs straight from Samedan through to Pontresina, bypassing St Moritz. If you start your journey in St Moritz then you join the main line at Pontresina.
If you’re traveling from Tirano and are planning to stay in overnight St Moritz, or want to stop off for a short visit before taking the trip back to Tirano on the same day in summer, then you need to ensure you book and board the St Moritz train and not the Chur train, as the Chur train will not stop at St Moritz.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the Glacier Express, another panoramic train, runs between Zermatt and St Moritz, but makes a stop in Chur. If you’d like to combine the two train journeys and go all the way from Tirano in Italy to Zermatt in Switzerland then you could either spend a night in St Moritz or a night in Chur, as both the Glacier Express and Bernina Express service both of those stations.
There is also a Bernina Express Bus add on available for some of the year which connects you from Tirano to Lugano or vice versa with a three hour journey. From 16 February to 26 March, and from 26 October to 26 November, it runs once a day from Thursday to Sunday. From 30 March to 22 October it runs once daily every day of the week.
How often does the Bernina Express run?
It depends on the time of year and the route you’re taking, here are the train times (last updated 21 February 2023).
Note: The Bernina Express summer season runs from 13 May to 22 October 2023, and the rest of the year (until 12 May 2023 and from 23 October 2023) is referred to as the winter season.
Chur >> Tirano
One train in winter, two trains in summer.
- Departs Chur 8.28am, arrives Tirano 12.49pm (year-round)
- Departs Chur 1.34pm, arrives Tirano 5.59pm (summer only)
Tirano >> Chur
One train in winter, two trains in summer.
- Departs Tirano 8.06am, arrives Chur 12.22pm (summer only)
- Departs Tirano 2.24pm, arrives Chur 6.22pm (year-round)
St Moritz >> Tirano
The winter timetable is very weird this year, I don’t know if that’s due to track upgrades or if they purposefully cut services when St Moritz is already slammed with winter tourists. There are no trains in winter until 7 April, then one train daily from 7 April til 12 May, then three trains daily throughout summer until 22 October. No trains after 22 October except for three days between 7-9 December, when there is one train per day.
- Departs St Moritz 9.17am, arrives Tirano 11.32am (summer only)
- Departs St Moritz 1.17pm, arrives Tirano 3.31pm (summer only)
- Departs St Moritz 4.14pm, arrives Tirano 6.39pm (from 7 April until 22 October, also 7-9 December)
Tirano >> St Moritz
Same dates as the opposite direction mentioned above.
- Departs Tirano 10.06am, arrives St Moritz 12.35pm (from 7 April until 22 October 2023, also 7-9 December)
- Departs Tirano 1.17pm, arrives St Moritz 3.45pm (summer only)
- Departs Tirano 4.06pm, arrives St Moritz 6.25pm (summer only)
How to check the Bernina Express timetable
I found the RhB website pretty confusing to see the timetable because they include regional trains in the search results, and it’s not clear anywhere that these are regional trains (not the panorama trains) except for the fact that the seat reservation is only 5CHF rather than the usual 24CHF+.
For an easier way to check the current timetable for the Bernina Express panorama trains (not the regional trains that run on the same route) you can go to https://www.sbb.ch/en, put in your origin and destination, click ‘advanced search’ and then untick all train types except for PE. This will show you the train journeys that are serviced by the Bernina Express panorama train carriages.
Can you do a Bernina Express day trip?
You sure can! Unlike the full day Glacier Express journey between St Moritz and Zermatt, the shorter Bernina Express offers the option to spend a day travelling to and from the same point with a return trip. The day trip options depend on the route and the time of year.
You can choose to do the return trip in either direction, stopping in Tirano, St Moritz or Chur for lunch or a quick explore around town.
Here are the possible timings for a Bernina Express day trip.
Chur-Tirano day trip (available year-round)
Depart Chur at 8.28am, arrive in Tirano at 12.49pm
Depart Tirano at 2.24pm, arrive in Chur at 6.22pm
St Moritz-Tirano day trip (only available in summer)
Depart St Moritz at 9.17am, arrive in Tirano at 11.32am
If you want a quick turnaround then depart Tirano at 1.17pm and arrive in St Moritz at 3.45pm, OR for a longer stay then depart Tirano at 4.06pm and arrive in St Moritz at 6.25pm
Tirano-Chur day trip (only available in summer)
Depart Tirano at 8.06am, arrive in Chur at 12.22pm
Depart Chur at 1.34pm, arrive in Tirano at 5.59pm
Tirano-St Moritz day trip (available from April 7-22 October 2023)
Depart Tirano at 10.06am, arrive in St Moritz at 12.35pm
If you want a quick turnaround then depart St Moritz at 1.17pm and arrive in Tirano at 3.31pm (only available from 13 May) OR for a longer stay then depart St Moritz at 4.14pm, arrive in Tirano at 6.39pm (available from 7 April)
And if you’re spending a few days in Milan and want to tick the Bernina Express off your bucket list, there are some highly-rated organised Bernina Express day tours that take you to Lake Como, St Moritz, the Bernina Express through to Tirano and then back to Milan.
What’s the price of Bernina Express tickets?
Bernina Express tickets are made up of two separate payments, one for your ticket and one for your seat reservation.
The ticket price for the full journey between Chur and Tirano is 63CHF in 2nd class and 111CHF in 1st class. For the shorter journey between St Moritz and Tirano, 2nd class tickets are 32CHF and 1st class tickets are 56CHF. Prices are the same year-round.
On top of the ticket price, to use the panoramic carriages there is a mandatory seat reservation fee which changes depending on the season. The reservation fee is 20CHF in January/February, 24CHF from March to May, 26CHF from June to September, 24CHF for October and 20CHF for November/December. I don’t know why they need to make it so complicated 🙃
If you’re paying full price you can expect to pay between 83-89CHF for 2nd class or 131-137CHF 1st class between Chur and Tirano, or 52-58CHF 2nd class or 76-82CHF for 1st class between St Moritz and Tirano.
If you have a Eurail Pass (or an Interrail Pass or Swiss Travel Pass), you do not need to pay the ticket fee. Your rail pass covers your ticket, you only need to pay for the seat reservation. For more info on Eurail Passes you can read my super detailed guide on how to use a Eurail Pass.
If you’re doing a return trip, obviously you’ll need to pay for a ticket and a seat reservation each way (or just seat reservation each way if you’ve got a Eurail Pass).
And if you’d like to avoid paying the seat reservation fee at all then you can skip the panoramic carriages and sit in the unreserved seats of the Allegra unit, the ‘normal’ train carriage which pulls the Bernina Express for the whole journey. These windows actually open (unlike the panoramic carriage windows) which actually makes for better photos without annoying reflections. These Allegra seats are first-come first-served so I’d avoid relying on this during busy periods or you might not end up with a window seat.
How do you buy Bernina Express tickets?
You can purchase your Bernina Express tickets and seat reservations on the RhB website.
Tickets can only be booked 60 days before travel but you can lock in your seat reservations many months ahead. Reservations do get booked up for the summer season, especially during school holidays and on weekends, so if you’re travelling in Europe summer I’d recommend locking in your seats as soon as possible.
If you want to sit in the panorama carriages then you can use the Bernina Express booking tool which will let you reserve your seat at the same time.
Put in your origin, destination and travel date, then click ‘next’ to go through to the availability calendar.
Select the train time that suits you best and it’ll show you the seats that are available on that train.
Select your seat, then click ‘next’ to add in your details. If you have a rail pass of any sort then in the ‘reduction’ dropdown you can select Eurail, Interrail or the Swiss Travel Pass, then your ticket will show as 0.00CHF and you’ll only pay the reservation fee.
Buying a ticket for the Allegra carriage
If you want to avoid the seat reservation and and want to sit in the Allegra carriage, and you don’t have a Eurail Pass, then you can just book a ticket for the route on the normal RhB booking system. Select your origin, destination and travel date and it should show you the route that matches the Bernina Express route with the same ticket price, just without a reservation added on. When you board the Bernina Express Allegra unit you can show this ticket to the train staff.
If you have a rail pass then no need to buy a ticket at all, you can simply add the train to the ‘My Trip’ section in the Rail Planner app to use a travel day, then show your ticket on the app to the train staff.
If you have a Eurail Pass and are currently planning your trip but have no idea what I’m talking about with ‘My Trip’ and ‘Rail Planner app’, then you can read all you need to know about Eurail in my ultimate Eurail Pass guide for 2023.
Which side of the Bernina Express should you sit on?
The best views are on the right side of the train if travelling south from Switzerland to Italy, and the left-hand side views of the train if travelling north from Italy into Switzerland.
Unfortunately when you’re booking your seat in the booking system, you can’t be certain which side of the train carriage your seats are on. The seat selection page says ‘no information on the driving direction is available’, the carriage layout/direction can change so they can’t definitively say that the bottom seats (when looking at the seat layout online) are on the right side or whatever.
However, I heard from previous Bernina Express travellers that the single column seats in 1st class are typically on the right side of the train when travelling south and the left side of the train when travelling north, i.e. the side you want to sit on. I can’t be certain that this is always the case, but I booked a single column seat in 1st class (I’m a solo traveller so always go for the single seats anyway) and it worked for me. No guarantees of course, but you can give it a go.
If you’re travelling in 2nd class then just click the different coaches at the top of the seat selection tool to find the single seats to see if they’re up the top or at the bottom, then go back to the 2nd class coach and choose a seat on the same side.
Bernina Express 1st Class vs. 2nd Class
If you’re travelling with a Eurail Pass then you’ve probably already made your choice between a 1st class or 2nd class pass, and you need to book your reservation for the class that you have a pass for.
If you’re not travelling with a rail pass then you can choose from 1st class or 2nd class on the Bernina Express.
The main benefit of 1st class, as on all trains, is that there is more space. 2nd class cabins have two columns of two seats next to each other, whereas 1st class has one two-seat column and a single seat column. 1st class is ideal for solo travellers or a couple/two friends because you can have your own window seat with aisle access, rather than having to choose between the two.
During the peak summer months you’ll find that the Bernina Express is probably quite busy, so even in 1st class it might be full, but a full carriage in 1st has maybe 28-34 people compared to 44-50 people in 2nd.
When I travelled on the Bernina Express in mid-October I actually had the entire 1st class carriage completely to myself, what a dream!
What is the Bernina Express train like?
The train itself isn’t as fancy as the Glacier Express, but it’s comfortable enough for a four hour (or less) journey. The trip is also packed with stunning, diverse views so the time absolutely flies by, I was up out of my seat taking photos for most of the trip!
There’s no restaurant on-board but there is a mini cart that serves refreshments to you directly in your seat, like coffee, tea, soft drinks, traditional dried sausage and cheese, and some sweet treats. In 1st class we also got a little tin of chocolates (a great souvenir!) and a herbal tea but I’m not sure if 2nd class passengers get the same.
There is WiFi on the train but in my experience this didn’t work very well so don’t rely on it. There also aren’t proper tables in front of the seats in either 1st or 2nd class, not much room for a laptop so don’t expect to be able to get any work done during the journey.
Other tips for the Bernina Express
How to take good photos in the Bernina Express
While the panoramic windows are superb for soaking up the scenery, they aren’t ideal for photography thanks to reflections. The Bernina Express staff are fantastic at making sure the windows are clean before each journey so dirt or streaks shouldn’t be an issue, but having a reflection ruin a stunning photo is something all photographers have experienced.
This is why many photographers choose to sit in the unreserved seats of the Allegra unit, they have opening windows.
To maximise your chance of getting the best photos on the Bernina Express, here are some tips:
- Some of the carriage connectors (like the end of the carriage that connects with the next carriage, do these have an actual name? If so please tell me in the comments haha) have windows that partly open, these are where I got my best photos
- Use a polarising filter to reduce reflections
- Wear dark clothing, bright clothes show up more in reflections
- Have a dark scarf with you to wrap about your phone or lens which also helps remove reflections
- Shoot away from the sun if possible
- Use a high shutter speed to get the landscape in focus
Some of the best photo spots along the Bernina Express running from north to south on the full Chur-Tirano route are:
- Charming villages and endless mountains between Chur and Filisur, particularly incredible in autumn when the trees are all shades of orange
- The Landwasser Viaduct
- The Morteratsch Glacier
- Lago Bianco
- Alp Grüm and Lago Palü (there’s a 15 minute photo stop at the station here, 2091m above sea level)
- Lago Poschiavo
- The Brusio Spiral
Pack your own food
The food options on the Bernina Express are minimal (and expensive for what you get) so I’d recommend taking some food and drink with you to avoid getting hangry while on one of the best train journeys in the world.
Spend time before and/or after the journey
I’d recommend spending a couple of days before and after your Bernina Express journey if you can, many travellers opt to do the St Moritz route in summer as there is more to do in St Moritz than in Chur.
Tirano travel tips
Tirano is a sleepy mountain village near the Italy-Switzerland border, best known as the gateway to the Bernina Express. Many travellers choose to travel here from Milan (2.5 hours by train) and don’t spend any time in Tirano except for when they’re waiting on the train platform, but I’d encourage you to spend a night or two here if you can find the time in your itinerary.
The town has an intriguing combination of both Swiss and Italian heritage, the cuisine is Italian with an alpine twist and some unique dishes not found elsewhere in Italy, and there are hikes, bike trails and wineries to keep you busy.
Tirano also boasts a majestic basilica, the Santuario della Madonna, dating back to the 1500s. Be sure to go inside (when it’s open) to see the exquisitely carved 17th century organ and ornate decorations on the walls and ceiling.
What to eat in Tirano | For food in Tirano I highly recommend trying local Valtellinese cuisine at Parravicini Restaurant, and I also loved the pizza at L’Hostaria Ristorante.
Where to stay in Tirano | I stayed at an amazing guesthouse called Ostello del Castello, perched on the hills above Tirano with expansive views across the valley. The guesthouse boasts a 9.6/10 rating on booking.com from more than 500 reviews, so you know it’s good!
The rooms are spacious and comfortable with all you’d need for a short stay, there’s common areas to relax in and chat to other travellers or the hosts if you wish, and it’s a short walk to the restaurants and shops in town. Highly recommend!
St Moritz travel tips
St Moritz is an iconic Switzerland resort town, it was actually the birthplace of alpine tourism in 1864 and now plays host to travellers from Europe and around the globe throughout the year.
There’s plenty to do and see in St Moritz, particularly for outdoorsy adventurers. In winter the ski opportunities are unmatched, the St Moritz train doesn’t run for most of winter but you can catch the Tirano to Chur route and just book a ticket for up until Pontresina, then switch trains to a short 10 minute regional train to St Moritz. In summer there’s an endless selection of walking tracks, technical climbs, cable cars to viewpoints and more.
There’s also a world-class food scene to cater to the rich and famous guests that visit, so if you’d like to splurge on a luxurious evening, St Moritz might just be the place to do it.
Where to stay in St Moritz | I stayed at Randolin’s Berghotel, a great value hotel with fantastic facilities, including a hearty buffet breakfast, restaurant serving up traditional meals with mountain and lake views, a dreamy wellness and spa area, and playgrounds for kiddos.
But my Randolin’s experience was taken to the next level, literally, because I actually slept in their historic observatory, which boasts an actual turning mechanism and a hand-wound window for stargazing. One of the most unique places I’ve ever stayed and one that I will remember forever, this is a true once-in-a-lifetime accommodation experience and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Alternative options to the Bernina Express
If you have come this far and have decided you don’t want to spend the money on the Bernina Express, there are ways to experience the same journey without having to fork out for the ticket price and seat reservation.
If you have a Eurail Pass (or other rail pass) or just want to save on the reservation, your best bet is to try and get a seat in the unreserved Allegra cabin on the Bernina Express. With a rail pass you’ll need to use a travel day for this (unless you have a consecutive pass) but you won’t need to pay a seat reservation fee. Keep in mind that these cabins can get very busy in summer so get to the platform early to guarantee your seat.
If you don’t have a rail pass, or if you have a rail pass but don’t want to use a travel day, you can do the exact same route as the Chur-Tirano Bernina Express on regional trains which will end up being around 50CHF if you book in advance, saving 13CHF on the ticket price and not requiring any seat reservation.
For this route you’ll need to change either once (likely in St Moritz) or twice (Samedan and Pontresina) depending on the day you travel.
To find the regional train options, go to the SBB website, put from Chur and to Tirano (or vice versa) and add via Thusis to make sure you take the Albula Line past the Landwasser viaduct. If you don’t add the ‘via’ bit then it’ll probably show you a faster route via Davos Platz which misses the viaduct and isn’t as scenic.
I hope this blog has helped you decide if the Bernina Express is worth it for your upcoming Switzerland trip. If you have any other Bernina Express questions please let me know in the comments and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Hi dear Alexx, I am Angelina from Singapore 🙂
I am planning my Europe trip while searching online I chanced upon your blog. It is so informative ! I definitely want to get onboard Bernina Express.
I have a couple of questions about the route. Looking forward to hear from you.
Hey Angelina! Always happy to help if I can, let me know your questions 🙂
This is so useful. My head has been spinning. I just want to confirm that if I make a seat reservation on the direct Chur to Tirano train, I have a seat in the panoramic carriage. Are there panoramic 1st and 2nd carriages? Another site said I had to make a first class Reservations to get a panoramic. Your has been the most helpful out of many!
I’m so glad it’s been useful, my head was spinning too when I was trying to plan my trip haha so I wanted to put together a super informative guide!
The second class Bernina Express carriages do have panoramic windows, so if you make a second class reservation on the Bernina Express website you’ll definitely get the panoramic windows. The Bernina Express train also has carriages with non-panoramic windows, the Allegra unit, and these carriages don’t require reservations. I hope this helps, have an amazing trip!
Hi Alexx, very helpful post! I am staying in Switzerland for 15 days and I wanted to try to do Bernina Express the 2 days I am in Zurich. My last day in Zurich is a Sunday. Is it possible to do Bernina Express and Spend couple of hours in St. Mortiz? I would do this on a Sunday.
How exciting, you’ll have an amazing trip I’m sure! The Bernina Express doesn’t run from Zurich so you’d need to get to Chur first, which is a 1h 15m direct regional train. From Chur the Bernina Express starts and then ends in Tirano, this Bernina Express route doesn’t actually stop at St Moritz, the St Moritz-Tirano Bernina Express is a different train altogether. If you just want to get to St Moritz and then go back you could take the Bernina Express from Chur to Samedan and then catch a very quick 7 minute regional train from Samedan to St Moritz. I hope this helps!
Do you have any recommendations of places to stay in Chur?
I didn’t stay in Chur unfortunately as I took the Glacier Express all the way to St Moritz and then caught the Bernina Express from there, sorry!
Hi Alex thanks for your time putting this information together. my questions are:
does the 2nd class Bernina train have panorama view?
apart from the seat arrangement , is there any other difference between 1st and 2nd class? would you have any photo of the 2nd class cabin as well?
Thaks in Advance!
Hey Alex! The 2nd class Bernina Express trains have the same panoramic windows as 1st class so you’ll still get the amazing views. I don’t have a photo of the 2nd class cabin sorry as I travelled in 1st class for this trip and didn’t make it to the 2nd class cabin to take a photo, but the seat layout is 2-2 rather than 2-1, the seats aren’t leather, and the seats are a bit smaller as they have to fit four across instead of three.
This is great info! Thank you! Do you have info on hotels you have stayed at?
Yep, I’ve listed the hotels at the bottom of the post! I stayed at Ostello del Castello in Tirano (a cute local guesthouse) and in an observatory at Randolin’s Berghotel in St Moritz 🙂
Hi Alexx! Your info on the Bernini Express is super helpful! I just reserved seats on round-trip out of Chur for late Oct, traveling solo, so per your advice I booked single column seat in each direction in 1st class. (Will purchase tickets 60 days out.) I will look for the partially opened window for potential photos. Thx for all of the great advice!
That’s fantastic Dan, you will have such a great trip! Late October will be a beautiful time to do it 🙂
Hello! I’m considering taking the express going south on October 19th near the end of the season. Will it still be scenic at this time? Or should I just take the direct train from Zurich to Milan?
I did the Bernina Express trip on the 20th of October 2022 so the photos you see on this post are exactly what you can expect 🙂
Hi Alexx!
Thank you so much for writing such informative and readable blogs! Its been very helpful in planning for my trip to Italy!
I’m sold on going on the Bernina Express!!
I was wondering if you could help me with a question? Do you know whats the scenery like on the Tirano – St.Mortiz route around late (20th) September? In terms of summer becoming fall season, we are trying to grasp what the foliage would be like… still relatively green, yellow/golden, or golden with browning and leaves falling off?
Any light you could shed on this would be mucb appreciated!
I did the trip about a month after that and as you can see from the photos it was quite orange, so I would guess that late September would be a good mix of golden in some parts and still quite green in others. Autumn is my favourite time of the year to travel in Switzerland and Italy!
Hi Alex, thanks for your reply!
When you went during October, was it turning dry and bare already?
You can see in the photos in the post, some areas were still beautifully autumn-y and orange but some were more wintery! Still stunning though 🙂
Thank you so much Alexx!
Hi Alexx! Thank you for all the information, I am going to be there in Late November, but I am going from Italy to Zurich one way, I see the train tirano-chur is pretty late in the day, to arrive in Zurich at 8pm!!.. I was looking maybe do tirano-St Moritz is ealy in Bernina express, and then St Moritz-chur in another train earlier to try to arrive not so late to zurich? since the second half of the trip most likely it will be dark if I stay in the Bernina the whole time?
I only have 2 days in Switzerland, Do you have any thoughts?
I really appreciated any input! I hope I was not so confusing.. lol..
That would work, do the earliest Bernina Express to enjoy the panoramic windows and good views, then just take the normal regional trains to get to Zurich via Chur as they will be cheaper and get you there faster.
Awesome! Thank you for the confirmation! We might give a quick stroll around in St Moritz between trains, are there places to store luggage over there?
Thanks so much again!
There were luggage storage lockers when I was there in October last year but best to Google to get the most up to date info!
I have read a lot and I mean A LOT of blogs on this topic and I have found yours to be the most helpful! Thank You!!
This means a lot, thanks Jennifer 🙂
Thanks for all the info!! We’re landing at ZRH in August & staying in Pontresina. Which trains / seats should we book from ZRH if we want it to be a scenic ride, but not take longer than 4 hours? We’ll have luggage & a toddler with us.
Also would you know if I purchase these tickets in advance & my flight is delayed, can I just get on the next train or how does that work?
I appreciate if you can help me figure this maze out.
Thanks so much!
Hey Anna, I haven’t caught the train from Zurich to Pontresina sorry so I can’t advise on scenery for that route but honestly in Switzerland everywhere you look is beautiful, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it either way! If you miss a train due to a flight delay then you can speak to customer service at the train station and they will give you a ticket for the next available train. Enjoy your trip 🙂
Hi Alexx, am glad I came across your blogs. The glacier express stops operating by the time I am in Switzerland from late October to mid November. I am looking at Bernina express from Chur to St. moritz. From you blogs, Am I right to take the Bernina express from Chur to Samedan and hop on to a regional train to St. Moritz. Going back to Zurich, I’ll take the regional train from St. Moritz. Appreciate your advice
Hi Wendy! Yep that’s correct, you can take the Bernina Express from Chur to Samedan or Pontresina and there are easy, short regional trains from those places to St Moritz. When I did the trip last October Samedan was a stop on the timetable but for the current timetable it’s not showing as a stop, in this case you can get off at Pontresina and take the local train from there instead. I hope this helps!
Hello Alex, thanks for all the info. We are heading to Switzerland for 8 days by mid Jan 2024 and we booked our stay in Basel, Lucerne & Zurich. Since we only have limited time is it possible to do a short trip via Bernina Express from Zurich? If yes, any recommendation which station to get off and maybe have a break for couple of hours, then hop on to Bernina Express again back to Chur, then to Zurich. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and bless you more!
Best
Liezl
Hi Liezl 🙂 if you have a full day to spare then you could do a day trip from Zurich, catch a regional train to Chur, do the Bernina and stop in Tirano for lunch before catching the return trip back to Chur and on to Zurich, but in January you’re daylight hours are obviously limited so the first and last parts of the trip will be dark.
I haven’t been to any other stops on the route unfortunately, I’ve just done the full trip myself, so I can’t give a personal recommendation of where else to stop. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Super helpful post. Question – We are planning to travel north from Tirano to St. Moritz. I understand that the route for Chur is common until Pontresina. Do you know if the Pontresina to Chur stretch is not worth missing out? If not, we’d rather spend a night in St. Moritz and enjoy the place. Appreciate all your help!
Hi Nimit, the whole route is beautiful but I personally preferred the Tirano to St Moritz stretch, I don’t think the segment between Pontresina and Chur is any more magical. Take a night at St Moritz and enjoy there instead 🙂
Hi Alex, thanks for the info. Just want your help, if I want to travel from Tirano to Swiss, which station do I need to stop, Chur or St Moritz. For your info, my itinerary will only cover Interlaken, lauterbrunnen and grindelwald as I have only 4 days in Swiss. And can you advice me on STP, is it worth it to buy STP for my trip or is it better to pay individual tickets for my 4 days in there.
Tq in advance😊
Hi Syida, Chur is closer to those destinations you want to visit and has better train connections, so I’d say it would be better to travel from Tirano to Chur and then head to Interlaken from there, which would be via Zurich for a change in train probably.
RE: Swiss Travel Pass it really depends on the train prices on the day you want to travel and if you’d be making use of the other Swiss Pass benefits like discounted mountain trains, free museums and public transport, etc.
Thanks so much for your post. Im planning on arriving in MIlan on the 26th march an would like to go on the Bernina Express from Tirano to St Moritz. I know there isnt a direct train.. How clould I plan this trip staying in St Moritz for a day and return to Milan on the 31st?
Thanks
Hey Laura! If you’re travelling in winter and want to stay in St Moritz rather than do the full route from Tirano to Chur, you can get a direct train from Milan to Tirano, then you can catch the Bernina Express from Tirano to Pontresina and then catch a short 10 minute train to St Moritz. Coming back you’d do the same again, the short train to Pontresina and then hop on the Bernina Express from there to Tirano and then back to Milan. Hope this helps!
Hi Alex, thanks for your detailed information. I am planning a trip and it includes to Chur which I will take the Bernina Express to Tirano. May I ask if is worth staying a night in Tirano ? Thanks
Tirano is a very small town but it is super charming, I had two nights there and enjoyed it! They have a unique local food scene with an interesting Swiss-Italian cuisine, there’s a beautiful church and also some wineries and bike trails nearby if you’re there in the warmer months. Not a big touristy destination but if you like quiet, authentic local towns then it’s worth staying a night.
Hi am soo pleased I came across your blog. It’s amazing so thank you. I’m planning a trip in January for 4-5 days just really to do the Bernina express; budget won’t allow for Glacier express. Wondering if it’s best just to purchase train ticket as won’t really be doing other excursions. Wondering which airport to fly into from London gatwick to catch the Bernina express. I I’m feeling very overwhelmed as I really don’t know how to plan this trip let alone how to get to the train. I’ve read all your great advice re where to stay once on the train route. Just really need help on figuring how to get as close to the train as possible by plane.
Regards
Leanne
Hey Leanne, I just replied to your comment on the other post before seeing this. For the Bernina Express you could either fly into Zurich (I think EasyJet flies there from Gatwick) or into Milan.
From Zurich it would be a 1h 15m-1h 30m direct train to Chur which is where the Bernina Express starts. You could either catch the Bernina Express return, to Tirano (Italy) and then back to Chur, or you could do it one way to Tirano and then catch an easy 2h 30m train from Tirano to Milan and fly out of Milan.
With 4-5 days you could spend a few days in Zurich, or Chur, or Milan, so it really depends on what interests you.
Hi Alex
IM so confused, we want to travel from Zurich to Lake como and stay there. Bernina express will take us there in under 4 hours with two stops in late november 2023?
The Bernina Express does not go to Lake Como, it travels from Chur to Tirano and then there is a connecting bus that takes you to Lugano. To do the Bernina Express on this route you’d need to first train from Zurich to Chur, take the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano, catch the connecting bus to Lugano, then take a further 35m-45m train to Como San Giovanni so it would be a very long travel day.
If you want to get from Zurich to Lake Como you can catch a direct train (runs every two hours) that takes 3h 35m.
Hi Alexx! your blog is amazing and helped me a lot with my hesitations.
We are a young couple who is planning to travel to Italy-Switzerland in the end of December to the mid of January.
I would appreciate your help – do you think it is possible to travel from Milan to Zurich in the same day?
The plan is to take a regular train from Milan to Tirano -> from there to take the Bernina Express to Chur -> from there to take a train to Zurich and spend the night there.
All this journey with 2 large luggages (we want to experience the great views from panoramic windows in train, so we want to take the bernina express 1st class).
Thank you so much!
Hiya! It would be possible, just a long travel day. From what I can see, in winter 2023/2024 the Bernina Express leaves Tirano at 2.24pm so you’d have plenty of time to catch a regional train from Milan, then you’ll arrive in Chur at 6.22pm, then there are direct Chur to Zurich trains a couple of times an hour which take around 1h 20m-1h 30m. If you wanted a short break in Chur to grab something to eat then you’d probably end up arriving in Zurich around 8-8.30pm.
Hi Alex, thanks for the super informative guide (complete with imbedded links!).
Just wanted to double check I understood this route I’m planning correctly.
Our travel date is winter (Dec 17ish). We would be coming from Milan and want to do a day trip.
From Milan we would take a direct train to tirano, then catch the Tirano to Chur Bernina express, get off at Pontresina, catch a 10 min regular train to St Moritz, then back onto the reg train to pontresina to catch the opposite direction of the bernina express (chur to Tirano) to get back to Tirano and then direct train to Milan?
Is this a doable intinerary?
Hey Kristina 🙂 the Bernina Express only runs once a day in winter, it leaves Chur in the morning (8.28am) and it leaves Tirano at 2.24pm, so there’s no way to do a Milan to Tirano to St Moritz and back day trip, to get the next Bernina Express back you’d need to wait until the next morning. You could spend a night in St Moritz if you had time.
I’ve had a quick look at current train timetables and I have found something that *might* work but please note I am not a travel agent nor a train expert, so you’ll need to do your own research to double check, but from what I can see based on December timetables you could:
– Regional train to Tirano in the morning/early afternoon
– Catch the 2.24pm Bernina Express
– Get off at Pontresina at 4.22pm
– Catch the regional train RE1649 from Pontresina (departs 5.04pm) to Tirano (arrives 7pm)
– Catch a regional train back to Milan (current timetable says this departs at 7.08pm and 8.08pm, and takes 2h 30m to get to Tirano)
I hope this helps.
Hi Alex, thanks for this information. Please how do we book the regional trains ahead of time (e.g the regional train RE1649 from Pontresin)
Additionally, are the regional trains located close to the Bernini express stops, considering the tight schedule, would it be possible to catch the train?
Also I have just a seat reservation, wondering how I can get a ticket for the Bernini express for early November from Tirano to Chur.
Hi Jay, regional trains you can easily book on the SBB website or app, or at the train station when you get there. Regional trains go to the same stations that the Bernina Express stops at (you just need to check what track the train leaves from once you’re at the station), I’m not sire what you mean by your second question? You can buy a ticket from the Bernina Express website, the link is in the blog post 🙂
Hi Alexx, You are SO KIND to answer so many questions! Maybe you can help me too. We’re planning on the Bernina Express on December 22 from Chur to Tirano (and a regional train on to Milan) – but we can’t “lock in our seat reservations” via the rhb website. It only offers booking through December 9th. But everywhere online I read that you can reserve your seat all year round. I’m so confused! What’s the scoop?
Hey Kara! Hmm I just tried to look on their website and it is showing me a ‘website down for maintenance’ message so I can’t replicate your search, perhaps they’re having technical difficulties with their booking platform. I’d suggest getting in touch with their customer service team at [email protected] and they’ll be able to give you an official answer. Enjoy your travels!
Hello! I’m so happy I came across your blog. My wife and I are going to be staying in Geneva, Switzerland for a week and then in Milan, Italy for a week. So we were trying to see if we could take the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano and the regional train from geneva to chur and tirano to Milan. However, are there regional trains that early?
If you’re travelling in winter and therefore only have the one daily departure from Chur at 8.28am then there’s no trains that will get you to Chur early enough unfortunately. It would be best for you to stay in Chur the night before, or you could stay in Zurich and catch an early train to Chur (the earliest is around 6.15am, arriving at 7.45am). I hope this helps!
Hello, I was so excited to come across your blog with all of your information. I have spent hours reading and researching trying to decide on how best to book the Bernia Express. I even went in and asked a travel agent and they were unsure. I have been planning a 6 week trip to Europe on my own for myself and my husband. We will be doing the Bernia Express on May 7, 2024, Chur to Tiranp. I thought I could only book 2 months out. Luckily early November I decided to look at their booking system again and found I could of reserved already and there were only 2 seats left in 1st class, Train car 951 leaving at 08:28 Carriage no. 11, 1. Class, Seats 43, 54 Panorama, which I immediately reserved. The seats are not next to each, are both aisle seats and are probably on the left side of the train. I have a couple of questions. Since 1st class is full will we be able to move around to take pictures? I will need to book the tickets 60 days out, correct? I do see there are a lot of seats in 2nd class, would this be a better option? I welcome any suggestions. Thank you so much foe your help!!
Hey Leisa! In a full first class you will still be able to stand up and take pictures, you can always walk into the 2nd class carriages to take photos there if there is more space. I prefer first class because having that single row of seats means you can get in and out of your chair without disrupting anyone next to you. Tickets are available 60 days before the trip yep so make sure to book those when you can. Have a fantastic time.