Day trip on the Bernina Express from Lake Como
A traveler is planning a day trip from Como to experience the Bernina Express train in August. They want advice on whether to travel from Varenna to Tirano before taking the train or go straight to Milan. They're seeking guidance on the best travel pass to purchase and route planning.
- Consider getting a Saver Day Pass for a budget-friendly choice.
- Plan your route as Varenna to Tirano to experience the Bernina Railway more fully.
- Be aware that the Bernina Express runs on two different routes; focus on the section from Tirano to St. Moritz for the best views.
AI-generated summary-
We are going to be in Como city in Aug 22 specifically either at Varenna or Bellagio from here want to do Bernina Express train experience as a day trip. Which travel pass I should purchase and route planning help needed. Should I do Varenna to Torina and then Bernina Express train or go straight to Milan and Bernina Express train Thanks
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Hi Sam22,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
If it’s just a day trip, a Saver Day Pass might be the cheapest option. A sensible route might be Varenna – Tirano – Chur. The Bernina Express runs from Tirano to Chur. More information about the Bernina Express here: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress. You can check the train schedules here: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
A day trip from lake Como to travel on the ‘Bernina Express’ is not as easy to do as it seems. It would take nearly 6 hours each way to get from lake Como to Chur. However the ‘Bernina Express’ brand is applied to more than one train service.
Also it is important to understand difference between the Bernina Railway and the Bernina Express (see below)
Your best option would be to limit your day trip to the ‘real’ Bernina railway ie from Tirano as far north as St Moritz. That would mean you could stop off somewhere to enjoy the mountain air instead of being stuck inside a train all day.
Bernina Express mythbuster
It is important to understand the difference between Bernina Express and the actual railway infrastructure that the Bernina Express trains travel on. The Bernina Railway is the railway linking St Moritz, Pontresina and Tirano, the only railway to cross the high Alps without a summit tunnel. Elsewhere the Bernina Express train travels over other routes of the Rhaetische Bahn (RhB), ie the Albula Railway.
In recent years the RhB railway company decided to make it easier for tourists by making the ‘Bernina Express’ a through train all the way from Chur to Tirano, but only half the journey is on the actual Bernina Railway, the other half of the journey is on the Albula Railway en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albula_Railway
The Bernina Railway is the (independent until 1947) railway built separately from the rest of the Rhatische Bahn railway. There are ordinary trains on this line and short distance Bernina Express services. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernina_Railway
From the south, once you reach Pontresina you will have completed the journey on the Bernina Railway.
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