Lucerne to Florence via the Bernina Express
A group of 5 adults is planning to spend 2 days in Lucerne in mid September before traveling to Florence. They want to take the Bernina Express and are unsure whether to go to Chur from Lucerne early that morning, take a detour via Zurich, or arrive the night before. They also seek clarity on train reservations for local trains.
- Consider taking an early train from Lucerne to Chur for a smoother connection to the Bernina Express.
- Visiting Chur the night before can be a relaxing option, allowing time to explore the town.
- You only need to make reservations for the Bernina Express; local trains do not require them.
AI-generated summary-
Our group of 5 adults will be in Lucerne for 2 days in mid September 2019. When we leave, our next destination is Florence. We would like to travel there by train and include the Bernina Express for part of that journey.
It looks like we have to pick up the Bernina Express in Chur. Should we take an early train from Lucerne to Chur that morning or would it be better to take a train to Zurich and then onto Chur? Or should we go to Chur the night before? Is there any advantage to any of these options?
Also, I know we have to make reservations for the Bernina Express but do we need to make reservations for the local trains?
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Hello T Taylor, welcome to MySwissAlps!
The timetable will tell you where to change on your way from Lucerne to Chur: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable. It will mostly be Zurich or Thalwil. Going to Chur the night before is indeed another option. It’s up to you if you find that more relaxed. It’s the oldest town of Switzerland so it could be nice to spend an afternoon there.
Only the special express trains require a reservation. The normal trains are regular public transport where you can simply hop on with a valid pass or ticket: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/reservations.
I recommend a stopover in Chur.
Consider leaving Luzern in the early afternoon and travelling Luzern – Erstfeld – Göschenen – Andermatt – Disentis – Chur
That route includes (a) the historic short Schöllenen railway up a famous gorge alongside the mediaeval Gotthard mule road and (b) the Oberalp pass line – which includes two of the four best sections of the so called 'Glacier Express' route
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