[Anonymous]

28 July 2023 at 17:44:43 #830398

hi

Am travelling in late September. Wanted to take a Panoramic Train at least once on this trip. will be taking the 15 day Swiss Travel Pass.

Am going to be based in Zurich, staying in Interlaken or nearby for 5 nights and would be going to Lugano for one night

Was planning to take the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano and then hopefully the bus to Lugano.

Please advise

1. if this the correct decision or should i take the Gotthard Panorama Train. Which would be more scenic ?

2. And second part 🙂 on which site should i book the panorama seats ?

3. Is this correct ? The Bernina Express has 2-3 regular carriages which do not require a seat reservation (in case seats are unavailable on my travel date). In that case, how do i reach Lugano from Tirano, through a panoramic route

Extremely confused with the multiple options

P.S. This is a great forum…extremely informative and patient

Thanks

Anshu

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[Danielsan]

Reply 1 of 6 • 28 July 2023 at 19:44:52 #956930

Hi anshu,

You can do all the above, but not in one day. I took the Gotthard Ex from Lucerne (boat to Fleulen) down to Lugano. (You can catch an early train to Lucerne from Zurich, as they run constantly, and it’s only about 45 min.) I stayed the night in Lugano and then rode Bernina bus to Tirano the following morning. The bus departs for Tirano at 10 am (from the back end of the train station). I believe it’s just the one bus a day on that part. I would imagine the bus from Tirano to Lugano would be the same, but you’d have to check on that and probably need to spend a night there. Coming from either Zurich or Chur, you’ll ever be able to be in Tirano early enough to catch an early bus to Lugano. Personally speaking, I’d rather spend an overnight in Lugano than Tirano. Much prettier scenery and more to do. From Tirano, I took the Bernina to St Moritz for a night, then a regular train to Chur, where I caught the Glacier Ex to Zermatt. You can take the Bernina all the way to Chur as well. Or Pontresina. There are a few variations available, depending on if one wants to go to Davos as well. The Bernina Ex does Not have carriages that don’t require seat reserves. Those carriages would all be on the regular lines. They travel along the same tracks, but there are more changes involved. I hope this helps get you started and you have a great trip.

Regards,

Danielsan

[Anna]

Reply 2 of 6 • 29 July 2023 at 0:08:34 #956931

Hi anshu66,

1. I agree with Danielsan. It’s possible to combine several panoramic train trips but ideally spread over a multiple days. The Gotthard Panorama Express is perfect if you are based in Lucerne and planning a trip to Lugano.

2. You can find information about the Gotthard Panorama Express route and which side to sit here: http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress/gettingthere

3. Yes, there is usually a few regular carriages on the Bernina Express train from Chur to Tirano, which require no seat reservations. From Tirano you can take the Bernina express bus to Lugano if you have a seat reservation. You can find information about tickets and schedule here: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets

Let us know if you need further info.

regards,

Anna

[Danielsan]

Reply 3 of 6 • 29 July 2023 at 1:39:31 #956932

Hi Anna,

Thank you, I stand corrected. I didn’t realize about the “no reservations” carriages on the Bernina Ex. I never knew that or read it anywhere. Thanks for the heads-up.

Regards,

Danielsan

[Anna]

Reply 4 of 6 • 29 July 2023 at 14:36:16 #956933

Hi danielsan,

No worries. Travelling on the regular trains is a good alternative if you can’t secure seats on the Bernina Express. However regular trains do not have panoramic windows.

Regards,

Anna

[User]

Reply 5 of 6 • 30 July 2023 at 15:38:06 #956934

Thanks Danielsan and Anna for your guidance…Was anyways just planning one panoramic route especially the bus to lugano section but read they are difficult to reserve and frequency is less. So just a thought, in case I am not able to get reservations on the Bernina Express, is doing a day trip to Lugano from Zurich possible ? And how do I figure the Bernina Express timings from Chur in the regular carriages…(is the the SBB app itself, coz it shows the regular train numbers)…a bit confusing.

Thanks and Regards

Anshu

[Arno]

Reply 6 of 6 • 30 July 2023 at 17:00:26 #956935

Hi Anshu,

You’ll find all the options in the online timetable, which is a bit easier to deal with than the app for complex itineraries: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable. Zurich to Lugano for a day is no problem. You can take the scenic or the fast route. Please see the first link that Anna gave you.

As for the Bernina Express route: all the trains are regular trains, apart from the very few specifically labelled “PE” in the timetable. You’ll find that explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/gettingthere