Milan, Bernina Express and back to Milan in 2 days
Dwayne is planning a trip from Milan to Switzerland, specifically to experience the Bernina Express. He is confused about the routes, particularly whether to go to Chur or St. Moritz, and is seeking advice on which route to take during his overnight stay.
- You can choose to travel the Bernina Express from Tirano to Chur or to St. Moritz, with the latter being a slight detour.
- Seat reservations are mandatory for the Bernina Express, but you can travel on regular trains without reservations.
- Chur has a charming old town and is generally more picturesque than St. Moritz, but St. Moritz offers closer access to stunning alpine scenery.
AI-generated summary-
Hi All,
I’m just a little confused about the Bernina Express Routes. We are planning on traveling from Milan to Switzerland, stay overnight, them return to Milan.
I know we need to take a train to Tirano (from Milan)……
Can someone tell me the Bernina Express Route? I see Chur-Tirano and also St. Moritz? Are they different routes?
Any information will be appreciated.
TIA
Dwayne
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Hello Dwayne and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
You can either travel on the Bernina Express from Tirano to Chur bypassing St Moritz OR travel from Tirano to St Moritz which is a short detour off the through route.
Find timetables at http://www.rhb.ch/en/panorami c-trains/bernina-express#info
Seat reservations are mandatory or you can travel the exact same routes on regular trains without reservations.
Hi Dwayne,
The route and a map can be found here: http://www.myswissalps.com/be rninaexpress/gettingth ere.
For completeness it is worth noting that there is now a new service which runs from Tirano to Landquart via Davos. See map at http://www.rhb.ch/en/panorami c-trains/bernina-express.
It departs Tirano at 15:13 and reaches Landquart at 20:13.
Whether bernina express should be taken or normal routes train can be taken. What should be the best option for lugano and lake como from Milan or lucerne
Hi Shroffchetan,
Both panoramic trains as well as normal regional trains are fine. I personally like the experience of panoramic trains due to their larger windows, comfortable seats and the information about the route that’s provided. But opinions differ. Please refer to “Regular trains versus Bernina Express” at myswissalps.com/bernin aexpress.
I’m not quite sure if I understand your second question. Arno provided you with information on the Bernina Express route and a map. The timetable allows for further planning: myswissalps.com/timeta ble. Did you study these tools, and if so, can you be more specific about the information you’re looking for?
It is important to understand the difference between the ‘Bernina Express’ and the ‘Bernina Railway’. The Bernina Railway is the (originally independent) railway line from Tirano – St Moritz – Tirano. It became part of the Rhätische Bahn* (RhB) in 1943.
The Bernina Railway itself does not connect to Chur
It has regular ‘normal’ train services :
http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/ fileadmin/fap_pdf_fiel ds/2019/950.pdf
The Bernina Express runs through once a day from Chur or Landquart – Tirano – Chur/Landquart , but the line from Chur as far as Samedan/Pontresina/St Moritz is the Albula railway not the Bernina railway.
The Albula railway is also superb, but you can stick to doing just the Bernina Railway from Milan by going Milan – Tirano – St Moritz – Tirano – Milan
* – The Rhätische Bahn is the ‘national’ train operator in Canton Graubünden, with a network of metre gauge lines, separate from Swiss Federal Railways
Thank you for the info. To clarify..are you saying I would need to catch the Albula railway to St. Moritz? Otherwise, the Bernina Express will stop at Chur?
Is Chur a nice place to stay? Or should I make the trip to St. Moritz? We only have one night…and we are coming the first week in June 2020. It looks like a lot of hotels in St. Moritz are still closed for the season at that time?
Sincerely,
Dwayne
Hi Dwayne,
The whole route is worth it, both the Albula (northern part) and Bernina (southern part) section. Chur is the oldest town of Switzerland with a more picturesque city center than St. Moritz. But in St. Moritz you’ll be much closer to the alpine scenery.
Hi Dwayne,
If you want some variety you can stay overnight in Chur and get a bus to Bellinzona and return to Italy that way. Or if you stay at St Moritz you can get the Palm Express (Bus) from there to Lugano via a very scenic route then on to Milan.
Reservations are required.
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