August: 7 days, Lake Como-Zürich, Bernina Express
Joe is planning a trip to Lake Como and Switzerland in August, aiming to travel from Tirano to Chur on the Bernina Express. He seeks advice on his itinerary, especially where to stay along the railway on Day 4, and whether he should get a rail pass for his journey.
- For Day 4, consider staying in Pontresina, St. Moritz, or Samedan along the Bernina Express route for easy exploration of the region.
- A point-to-point ticket from Tirano to Pontresina allows for hop on and off at stations, giving you flexibility for sightseeing.
- You might benefit from a Swiss Travel Pass for unlimited travel on many trains, making your trip smoother and more economical.
AI-generated summary-
Greetings everyone. Thank for very informative website and forum.
I’m currently in the planning stages. We plan to visit Lake Como in August, then travel from Tirano to Chur via Bernina Express, then fly out of Zurich.
Here’s what was recommended but would like you feedback.
Day 1: Arrive Milan (early evening) head towards Varenna.
Day 2: LC
Day 3: LC
Day 4: LC to Tirano (take Bernina railway) not sure where to stay.
Day 5: Explore area/region.
Day 6: Continue on to Zürich
Day 7: depart in the evening.
Any changes or recommendations? For day 4, where do you recommend we stay along the railway?
Thanks,
Joe
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You should either
1) Leave your Lake Como base (where is it as it makes a difference to travel options?) early morning and travel to Tirano, take any train on the Bernina Railway and stop off where you wish for views (eg Alp Grum)
2) Leave you lake Como base in the late afternoon and stay in a hotel in Tirano. Next day start travel on the Bernina Railway early morning – as fast (one train) or as slow (several trains with hops off along the way) trains, overnight in Pontresina, Samedan or St Moritz
3) Get to Tirano as you see fit, take one train direct to Pontresina, overnight there and the next day either travel up and down the Bernina Railway getting on and off without main baggage or visit other places as day excursions from Pontresina
Hi Joe,
Welcome to MySwissAlps, that’s great you are planning a trip to Switzerland.
Traveling the Bernina Express (https://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress), you will for sure experience some amazing scenery!
In terms of places to stay: a place in the Engadine would be a good spot, after (part of) the Bernina Express ride on your days 4 and 5. That way, you can have a full day to explore the region. Afterwards, it will be en route for you to reach Zurich.
Other options, either directly en route to Zurich or with a doable detour, would be Chur, Arosa, the Walensee, or Davos are also pleasant locations.
I hope this helps, feel free to reach out with any further questions.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
@1960man, @yolanda.
Many thanks for the feedback. I’ve been doing lots of research and planning. Here’s what we’ve got so far.
Day 1: Arrive Milan 6:30pm. Take train to Varenna. (What’s the arrival ETA? Is it about a 2 hour train ride?)
Day 2: LC
Day 3: LC
Day 4: Depart toTirano – (Depart late afternoon, check out town)
Day 5: Depart to Pontresina (Hop off and on until arrival.)
Day 6: Depart to Zürich (Departure time to Zürich not scheduled yet.)
Day 7: Check out of hotel and discover more of Zürich until 5pm. Head to airport for evening departure.
Question: Do you think we will benefit from a rail pass? If yes, which do you recommend?
Do you know if rail ticket from Tirano to Pontresina allows for hop off and on?
What’s the best way to get to Zürich from Pontresina?
Any recommendations on places to visit on Zürich?
Thanks for all the feedback. I really appreciate it
Joe
Hi Joe,
Your current itinerary is doable. A point-to-point ticket from Tirano to Pontresina is valid until 5am the next day and this will allow you to hop off and hop on at stations along the route. Be aware the ticket is only valid for forward travel. You cannot use the same ticket to come back. You can purchase point-to-point tickets online: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/switzerland
The journey from Pontresina to Zurich by train takes about 3.5 hours. You can check train schedules on the SBB timetable: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable
For sightseeing ideas in Zurich, have a look at this link: http://www.myswissalps.com/zurich/activities
Regards,
Anna
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