Can I board the Bernina Express at Pontresina ?
A traveler named Teetersann is planning a trip on the Bernina Express from Chur to Lugano in July. They are staying in Pontresina and want to know if they can board the train there despite their reservation stating Chur as the starting point. It's recommended to check their reservation agency for confirmation, but boarding in Pontresina shouldn't be an issue.
- You can likely board the Bernina Express in Pontresina even if your reservation states Chur, but it's best to confirm with your reservation agency.
- If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, you can board local trains freely in the Graubünden region instead of the Bernina Express from Chur.
- Be prepared for the last leg of the journey to Lugano to be by bus, which some find uncomfortable and inconvenient.
- Check train schedules carefully as not all Bernina Express services stop in Pontresina, especially in July.
AI-generated summary-
Hi! I made reservations for July 2020 on the Bernina Express from from Chur to Lugano. However, we are staying in Pontresina . Can we board the Bernina Express in Pontresina if our reservation states origination in Chur?
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Hello Teetersann and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
Nice to hear you’re coming to Switzerland and planning on the Bernina Express, too. If you have a reservation for Chur – Lugano I don’t see a problem is you board the train a little “later”, in Pontresina. To be entirely sure I would just quickly drop an email to wherever you bought the reservation stating this fact, but your seat is reserved for the whole journey, anyway.
– http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/ticketsBest,
StephAlso see:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/lugano
Ps- I took the Bernina Express last summer the entire way to Lugano. Just so nobody is disappointed, the last part of the trip is by bus to Lugano. The bus station is in poor shape, smelly and hard-to-find toilets, and you’ll need to drag your bags quite a distance from the train to the bus, also hard to find. Quite a long, winding bus ride, not pleasant imho, particularly if you are somewhat prone to nausea. I wouldn’t do it again, and I do think it’s a bit deceptive that it’s included as part of what most of us think is a train voyage. The train part was absolutely spectacular, truly.
You may have spent money unnecessarily. Some Bernina Express from the north stop in Pontresina, some don’t. I think the BEX from Chur officially omits Pontresina. Also, you do not have to travel on the Bernina Express from Chur, any local/regional train is free to board in Graubünden if you have the right valid pass. There are BEX trains starting at St Moritz
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_fields/2020/950.pdf
The Bernina Express title designates one or two trains a day operated by special coaches (with supplement payable) which include a journey on the Bernina Railway
The Bernina Express only stops at Pontresina outside peak seasons and not in July, as 1960man surmised. See timetable at http://www.rhb.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/redaktion/Home_Marketing/Panoramazuege/Bernina_Express/Fahrplaene/BEX_Fahrplan_de_en_it_fr_WEB.pdf.
Musicmommy paints a much more gloomy picture of the BEX bus than I recall. It is not so far to walk from the train station to the bus. Maybe 150 meters using an underpass. Turn right as you exit the train station and you can’t miss it. I didn’t have any trouble finding the toilets. You walk straight past them on the other side of the underpass. The bad news is “smelly” just doesn’t do them justice; they were disgusting. Try to find some in the town before heading over to the bus station.
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