Tirano – St Moritz – Zematt train travel
A traveler is planning a trip from Italy to Switzerland, specifically wanting to take the Bernina Express to St. Moritz and then continue to Zermatt on the Glacier Express. They need advice on ticketing options, especially regarding short-distance tickets and possible train changes.
- You can purchase a Bernina Express ticket only for the Tirano to St. Moritz leg, as you don't need to travel the full distance to Chur.
- Having a valid Swiss Travel Pass will cover your trip from Tirano to St. Moritz, but you still need to reserve your seats.
- Regular trains from St. Moritz to Zermatt can be taken, but be prepared for a couple of train changes.
AI-generated summary-
Hi Coming from Italy, is it possible to take the Bernina Express to St Moritz then overnight there and the next day take the Glacier Express to Zermatt. In other words can one purchase a Bernina Express ticket, for that Tirano to St Moritz leg and not for all the way to Chur?
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Hi Tron and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
regarding the Bernina Express, you’re not required to travel the full stretch from Tirano to Chur. The reservation fee is the same for short and long distances though. You can check the prices here: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets. Note that you need to have the train tickets and also reserve your seats in advance. If you have a valid train pass, like the Swiss Travel Pass, that covers the tickets, so you only need to pay for the seat reservation.
You can switch between the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express, for example in St. Moritz or Chur. It’s best to take at least 2 days for such a combination, so overnight in St Moritz is a great idea! More information about the tickets and prices for the Glacier Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/tickets.
I hope this helps,
Ildiko
As you are coming from Italy: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy
Thanx for the quick response, this helps with planning.
If you are stopping over in St Moritz, you can take any Bernina railway train (views are the same from any type of train) as explained below
In fact if you travel non-reserved on the Bernina Railway you could even stop off at the summit section and catch another train later on
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
Once you reach Pontresina or St Moritz you will have completed the journey on the Bernina Railway. As such you can then get any regular train from Pontresina to Chur, either via Samedan or via St Moritz. From St Moritz to Chur via Samedan is the UNESCO World Heritage Albula railway. It has express trains once per hour St Moritz – Chur, which have large windows and special photographer’s coaches so that when you get to the famous Landwasser viaduct at Filisur you get a good view
Thanx 1960man this is great info. With tourist Covid restrictions now lifted for South Africans it is almost impossible to get reserved tickets on either the Bernina or Glacier Expresses at such short notice. I assume that from St Moritz to Zermatt one could also take the non-reserved trains option.
Doing the Tirano to St Moritz non-reserved section and onwards then a Swiss Pass will be the answer as no tickets need to be purchased. I assume an Italian non-reserved ticket is required for the section of the trip from Tirano to the Swiss border.
One, being a tourist, is normally concerned about luggage space:storage on non-reserved seats. But in Europe this is sorted. In South Africa you wouldn’t dare do this.
We are really looking forward to our tour to Europe, your response comforting and reduces the stress associated with such last minute planning as we are doing.
Hi Tron,
Yes, you can also travel on the regular trains from St Moritz to Zermatt. However you will have to switch trains a few times. You can use the SBB timetable to plan your journey. Be sure to indicate that you are travelling via Disentis or Andermatt as the timetable will usually display the fastest route via Zurich.
You can read about the differences between travelling on the Glacier Express versus regular trains here: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress (just scroll down to the relevant section)
For your information, if you have a Swiss Travel Pass, the trip from Tirano to St Moritz is fully-covered. In Tirano, be sure to get on the right track (the Bernina Express/railway train track, not Trenord Italia).
Safe travel and enjoy your trip!
regards,
Anna
Thanx for this advice Anna much appreciated.
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