Glacier and Bernina Express from Zermatt to Tirano
BrightCole wants to travel on the Bernina Express and Glacier Express, asking how many trains he’ll take and if there’s a lot of switching between Zermatt and St. Moritz. He is also curious about renting a car in Tirano to reach Lugano or Locarno instead of taking a bus.
- You won't have to change trains on the Glacier Express; it goes directly from Zermatt to St. Moritz.
- If you're traveling between Tirano and Lugano, consider taking a train via Varenna and Como as an alternative to a bus.
- The Swiss Travel Pass does cover the Bernina Express Bus, but it requires advance reservations, so book early to secure your seat.
AI-generated summary-
Hi there,
I want to travel on the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express. How many trains will I be taking in all? Is there a lot of on and off switching traveling between Zermatt and St Moritz?
If I get off in Tirano, can I rent a car to Lugano or Locarno?
Or can I get a driver to take me to Locarno or Lugano? I do not want to take a bus.
Thanks.
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Hello BrightCole and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
The Glacier Express runs from Zermatt to St Moritz. You don’t change trains.
The Bernina Express runs from Chur to Tirano or from St Moritz to Tirano in your case.
The Bernina Express Bus is quite an interesting ride once you reach the top of Lake Como.
All of the above require individual seat reservations made in advance.
If you don’t want to take the bus then the only viable option apart from renting a car would be to catch an Italian train via either Monza or Milan and then on to Lugano. I shudder to think how much it would cost to get someone to drive you (along the same route the bus follows).
See http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy.
Use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B) or the highly-recommended SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi) to plan your travel and buy tickets if required. If you are not familiar with using the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on this page – http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.
Thank you for all this!
Will I have to change trains going on the Bernina Express from St Moritz to Tirano?
This is so helpful. Thanks again.
Will I have to change trains going on the Bernina Express from St Moritz to Tirano?
Once you are on the Bernina Express you don’t need to change trains. Most people would spend a night in St Moritz as the trip from Zermatt to St Moritz is already over 8 hours. See http://www.rhb.ch/fileadmin/u ser_upload/redaktion/H ome_Marketing/Panorama zuege/Bernina_Express/ Fahrplaene/BEX_Europa-Zentral_DE-EN-IT-FR.pdf for BEX timetable. You can see there are only limited departures.
I don’t believe you can catch the Bernina Express on the same day you arrive but there are regular trains operating on the exact same route. These don’t need reservations.
If you don’t want to take the bus from Tirano to Lugano and don’t want to go all the way to Milan you can catch the train from Tirano to Varenna to Como to Lugano.
“Tirano to Varenna to Como to Lugano”
Is it safe to assume this route would not be included with the Swiss Travel Pass?
I would like to take the Bernina Express Bus, but the idea of having to book my seats in advance for a bus that only runs once a day, is stressing me out. What if I miss it? I’m looking at mid Sept. If it’s not full, can one just get on at the last minute?
Hi Linamary69,
Sure, the bus is included, please see the map: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity. You can only take that bus with a reservation. You can buy that on the same day, but it might be fully booked. Alternatively there are trains from Tirano to Lugano via Milano, which run all days. These are not included in the Swiss Travel Pass, apart from the Chiasso to Lugano section as that’s in Switzerland.
Hello LInaMary,
Are you planning to arrive at Tirano on the Bernina Express train? The absolutely no need to stress about missing the bus. The Bernina Express experience is a well-oiled and highly efficient tourist operation.
You will need to make seperate reservations for both the train and the bus and you can do that at shop.rhb.ch/en/catalog /product/view/id/18 up to 6 months from your travel date.
I had read that I could take trains that follow the same route to avoid paying for seat reservations. So yes, the plan is to do St. Moritz to Tirano on the Bernina Express route, not necessarily the train that requires seats. Then it seems the only option to get to Lugano is the express bus, without incurring additional costs for riding Italian trains.
I’m definitely a planner, and my trips are well organized, but I’ve always been hesitant to buy any sort of public transport reservation in advance. I’m not sure why I struggle with that. I worry I won’t be where I need to be and I want the flexibility to figure it out as I go.
Thanks for your help, even though I’m not the OP. lol
Hi Linamary69,
No problem, you can indeed take the regular trains to Tirano as explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/be rninaexpress. There is an alternative to get from Tirano to Lugano (see my previous post), but it’s an entirely different route than the bus.
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