Hotel on the Bernina and Glacier Express line
A traveler plans to visit Switzerland, starting their trip in Zurich and heading to Chur for the first night. They are looking for budget-friendly accommodations near the Bernina Express and Glacier Express routes, while considering options outside of St. Moritz due to high hotel prices.
- Consider staying in Filisur for more affordable options; it has nice hotels and is well-located for both trains.
- Explore the observation deck near Filisur to see the Landwasser Viaduct, a great spot for photos.
- Look into the Gletscher-Hotel Morteratsch, which offers convenience on the Glacier Express route and good breakfast for your trip.
- If choosing Pontresina, various restaurants are within walking distance; make reservations in advance.
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We will arrive from Zurich and take the train to Chur for our first night. We are then going to ? to take the Bernina Express RT the next day to Tirano. So we will be spending 2 nights in ? I know the obvious choice for ? is St Moritz, but the expense of the hotels there make it hard to justify. The next day we have a reservation on the Glacier Express to Zermatt. Is there a town with less expensive accommodations that is on both Train Lines you can suggest?
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Hi Qualityfirst,
Welcome to MySwissAlps! There are Bernina Expresses departing from Chur and from St. Moritz (and various intermediate stops). So Chur is certainly an option. That’s where I stayed the very first time I took the Bernina Express. Hotel Drei Könige, to be exact: https://www.hotelscombined.nl/hotels/Hotel-Drei-Konige,Chur,Zwitserland-c2460-h48352-details.
The Glacier Express stops in Chur too so it would work out just fine. If you want to spend the night more to the south you can look into Samedan and Pontresina, for example.
Thank you Arno!
I have been looking for a place between Chur and St Moritz and have discovered the village of Filisur. There are 3 nice hotels (one is next to the train station). Since we will only be there to sleep and have breakfast and dinner, I think that Filisur will work.
Hello Qualityfirst,
A couple of my favorite routes/trains.
I have taken the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano and from Davos to Tirano before great trip. Tirano is a small Italian town with a couple hotels right next to the train station. I have booked the Eco Rooms&Breakfast Tirano, Italy before and it is my go to place in Tirano, just a few steps from the train station. I found them on Booking.com, the picture is a red & black image of a train with mountain in the background. It is a family owned place, they actually own the restaurant on the corner “Merizzi” is where you check in and where you will eat breakfast. I don’t know if there is enough in Tirano to keep you busy for 2 nights, maybe some day trips from Tirano.
I have also stayed in Filisur, at the “Hotel Restaurant Ratia“, it is down the hill from the train station, room was good, nothing too fancy restaurant was great, had several meals there. I understand the family that use to run the hotel/restaurant have sold it, I stopped in for a pizza with the new owners and still good. It is on my list to stop by for pizza when I am in the area.
***When in Filisur, don’t miss the observation deck if you are interested in seeing the trains cross the Landwasser Viaduct. From the Filisur train station there is a easy walk down a well-marked trail to a observation deck where you can see the trains crossing the Landwasser Viaduct.
I traveled from Zermatt to Chur on the Glacier Express in January 2020, beautiful journey.
Hope you enjoy your trip!!!
Steve
Hi Qualityfirst,
That’s funny, I actually stayed in that hotel in Filisur as well. It’s called Hotel Grischuna. Indeed it’s right next to the station, very practical. I remember the good view from the breakfast room. It’s a long time ago but it’s probably still good.
If you would have an extra day then this nearby walk is worth it: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/preda-berguen. The viaduct that Steve mentioned is also a must see.
Pontresina is great option. Many restaurants are short walk from most hotels Pontresina has 2 rail stops. Upper one (called xx?) is closest to most everything but buses serve the lower main station. Reserve a restaurant day or 2 before arrival
We have stayed several times at Gletscher-Hotel Morteratsch, right at the station just one stop from Pontresina. This is directly on the Bernina Express route. We always take the “regular” train along this route so we can get on and off as we please. The morning we were planning to take the Glacier Express to Zermatt they packed us a wonderful brunch to take on the train with us. We bought a bottle of wine (on the Glacier Express) and we were set for the trip.
I recently booked the Hotel Morteratsch for two nights in July – looks like a really fun place to stay and with the train stop and path to the glacier right there, it will be very convenient. In the past I’ve stay at the Hotel Bernina in Pontresina, and can recommend it. If you’re looking for something closer to the train station in Pontresina (town), there’s the Station Hotel.
We have always liked staying at Morteratsch Hotel. The staff has always been very considerate, lots of hikers in the summer with a full terrace, and the breakfast was especially good. It is just a short walk back to Pontresina which we have done several times for groceries, snacks, or drinks. And, of course, the train could not be more convenient.
We ate twice at Morteratsch and maybe 3x at SportsHutte across from SportsHotel, but were very happy staying at ChesaMulin in Pontresina – very nice breakfast buffet and friendly family staff.
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