Bernina Express with Swiss Travel Pass
Marivic is planning to take the Bernina Express with her 10-year-old child on 29 November. She needs help with whether she needs to buy a ticket or just a seat reservation with her Swiss Travel Pass and has questions about returning from Tirano to Chur, as well as visiting St. Moritz. Get ready for a fun trip!
- With a Swiss Travel Pass, you only need to make a seat reservation for the Bernina Express, no extra ticket is required.
- On your return journey by regular trains from Tirano to Chur, you won't need to pay any additional fare if you have the Swiss Travel Pass.
- You can stop in St. Moritz on the Bernina Express and continue to Chur via regular trains for free with your Swiss Travel Pass.
AI-generated summary-
Good day.
I have a Swiss Travel Pass (and Family pass for my 10-yr old child). We would like to take the Bernina Express on 29 November 2021.
Few questions, kindly help to advise:
1. With the Swiss Travel Pass, do we still need to book a ticket? or only seat reservation?
2. If going back i.e. Tirano – Chur and we choose to take the normal train, do we pay or is it still free?
3. If we choose return Chur-Tirano-Chur via Bernina Express, can we go down to St. Moritz? If yes, can we take normal train from St.Moritz to Chur and is train ride still free?
Thank you,
Marivic
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Hi Marivic,
1. If you have the Swiss Travel Pass, there is no need to purchase a ticket to ride the Bernina Express train. However you do need to make a seat reservation. Please find more details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets
2.If you choose to take the return journey (Tirano-Chur) by regular trains, there is no need to buy tickets as your journey will be covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. Please use the timetable to search for your connections: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable
3.Yes, it is possible to get down in St Moritz on your return journey on the Bernina Express. And if you wish to continue to Chur with regular trains, there is no need to by additional tickets if you already have a Swiss Travel Pass.
Enjoy your holiday and have a pleasant journey!
Regards,
Anna
1. With the Swiss Travel Pass, do we still need to book a ticket? or only seat reservation?
2. If going back i.e. Tirano – Chur and we choose to take the normal train, do we pay or is it still free?
You seem to have a good understanding of the differences between the ‘Express’ services and the ordinary trains on what might be called the ‘red narrow gauge network’ [in other words the RhB*/MGB* group] which runs across the Alps in Southern Switzerland.
The Bernina (and Glacier) Express trains are special trains on the RhB and MGB lines which run in addition to normal ordinary service trains. The ‘panoramic’ coaches on these trains require a reservation or supplementary fare to be paid in addition to the normal fare. In all cases ordinary trains can be travelled on on the RhB/MGB network without paying any additional fare.
In all cases if you choose (or find yourself on) an ordinary train you won’t miss the scenery as all Swiss train carriages on these lines have large windows giving good views.
*Rhaetische Bahn – effectively the ‘national network’ of Canton Graubunden
*MGB – Mattrhorn Gotthard Bahn (Disentis – Oberalp – Andermatt – Brig – Zermatt
3. If we choose return Chur-Tirano-Chur via Bernina Express, can we go down to St. Moritz? If yes, can we take normal train from St.Moritz to Chur and is train ride still free?
It is worth taking a moment to understand the geography of the Rhatische Bahn RhB. The RhB is essentially the national railway network of Canton Graubünden, with six main routes. The two most famous are the ALBULA RAILWAY which runs Chur – Filisur – Albula Tunnel – Samedan – St Moritz, with a branch to Pontresina. and the BERNINA RAILWAY which runs St Moritz – Pontresina – Bernina pass – Tirano.
There are two types of ‘Bernina Express’ train. One version is the direct trains from Chur to Tirano using the ‘Bernina Express’ carriages – these traverse the Albula railway route to Pontresina where the train runs onto the Bernina Railway. The other services dubbed ‘Bernina Express’ just stick to the original Bernina Railway St Moritz – Pontresina – Tirano.
So to answer your specific question, yes you can travel on any train on the Bernina Railway (ie Bernina Express or ordinary train) from Tirano to St Moritz, then travel St Moritz – Chur on the regular once per hour Albula railway inter regio express train (which have large windows and a special photographers carriage)
Thank you so much for the information, and for your help!
Thank you very much for the detailed information.
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