Villages to stay and explore along the Bernina railway line
A traveler named KatKat is planning a four-day trip along the Bernina line from Tirano to Chur in February. They want to explore scenic villages and are looking for advice on their itinerary and accommodations to make the most of their short stay.
- Use the Swiss Travel Pass for unlimited travel on trains and mountain transports in the region.
- Check train schedules in advance to ensure timely transfers, especially between towns.
- Consider staying in Pontresina as a good base for sightseeing before heading to Zurich.
AI-generated summary-
Hi, My husband and I are planning to take the Bernina line from Tirano to Chur this coming February – we only have 3 nights, 4 days at our disposition. At first we had in mind to do the Bernina Express and then the Glacier Express and fly out of Zurich but then we thought it would be too much travelling in just 4 days.
We’d love to explore the villages and scenery along the Bernina line, and we’re considering taking the regional train to allow us the flexibility to hop on and off.
We enjoy walking, explore villages/towns, admire the scenery, mix with the locals and appreciate the local cuisine. I have come up with an itinerary based on our research. However, I’d greatly appreciate any suggestions or insights, as I may have missed something.
Day1 – Arrive in Milan Malpensa at 10:35. Train to Milano Centrale. Train to Poschiavo. Explore Poschiavo and spend the night there.
Day 2 – Train to Chur. Train back and stop at Pontresina. Explore Pontresina and villages, viaducts and spend the night in Pontresina.
Day 3 – Train to Alp Grum and explore. Explore also Diavalezza. Night in Pontresina.
Day 4 – Train to Tirano. Explore Tirano and go to Milan Malpensa for flight back. (Not very sure about Tirano. Do you have any other suggestion? Perhaps go to Lugano but flight is at 16:30).
Looking forward to your feedback. Thank you in advance for your help and time.
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Hi KatKat,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
Thanks for sharing your travel plans. I think this is definitely doable in 3-4 days. The journey from Milan to Switzerland on the Day1 will take about 3-4 hours, so spending one night in Poschiavo would be practical after a long rail journey.
Pontresina is a good base to explore the St Moritz area: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/st-moritz/. I would also consider staying in Filisur or Bergun for one night to have more time for sightseeing along the Albula railway.
For further information and travel tips along the Bernina railway line, you can read a detailed description of the route here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/bernina-express/
Hope this helps.
Anna
Hello Katkat
Welcome to MySwissAlps
Thank you for sharing your travel plans, which at first sight looked very interesting. But then I thought, Oh Dear! It is mid winter. Poschiavo (a very attractive Italian-speaking little town at 1014 metres above sea level) may or may not be covered in Snow. Pontresina, however, north of the Bernina chain of mountains is at 1774 metres above sea level will have lots of snow, and huge numbers of skiers. February is peak skiing month and you may have difficulty getting accommodation.
Between Pontresina and Poschiavo there is no significant centre of population – certainly nothing you could call a village. Alp Grum is simply a restaurant and a place where there are fantastic views over the valley in which Poschiavo is situated. Bernina Diavolezza is simply a station serving the cable car up to Piz Diavolezza.
Even more importantly the Bernina railway reaches 2,253 metres above sea level IN THE OPEN AIR. It inevitably from time to time gets blocked by a heavy fall of snow. Even the super efficient Swiss will need several hours to clear the tracks. A heavy fall of snow on the night between days 3 and 4 means you have missed your flight from Malpensa (about a four hour ride from Tirano).
At least for the moment, I will leave matters there for you to have think.
Kind regards
Roger
Hi KatKat,
>>> Day1 – Arrive in Milan Malpensa at 10:35. Train to Milano Centrale. Train to Poschiavo. Explore Poschiavo and spend the night there.
There are trains at 10:50, 12:50 and 14:50. Say you catch the 12:50, you will get to Poschiavo at 17:36. Sunset is between 17:24 and 18:00 in February, so you will be arriving in the dark, or shortly before.
>>> Day 2 – Train to Chur. Train back and stop at Pontresina. Explore Pontresina and villages, viaducts and spend the night in Pontresina.
Sunrise is between 7:00 and 7:42 (depending on the time of month), so lets say you leave Poschiavo at 7:32, you would get to Chur at 11:04. The next train back to Pontresina is at 11:50, arriving Pontresina at 13:55.
At what point will you be getting rid of your luggage? The Landwasser Viadukt is near Filisur, and the Brusio Viaduct is at Brusio. Neither of those places are near Pontresina, and stopping off would take at least 2 hours at each location.
By the way, most of the hotels in Pontresina are not near the station. You need to take a bus or walk uphill for the best part of 1km to get to the main part of town. There is, however, at least one hotel (and a youth hostel) close to the station, which might suit your requirements if they have vacancies.
>>> Day 3 – Train to Alp Grum and explore. Explore also Diavalezza. Night in Pontresina.
This should be achievable, and both are very beautiful viewpoints.
When you get off the train at Diavolezza, you walk to the adjacent cable car to go up to the top, where the view of the glacier is wonderful. There is a restaurant and an outdoor terrace (if the weather is suitable). There will be a lot of skiers up there.
Alp Grüm is very remote – there is no village there, only the railway station. When you get off the train at Alp Grüm, there is a restaurant in the station building, and an outdoor viewing terrace. The view is glorious in clear weather, but if it is fogged in, you won’t see anything. There is nowhere to go away from the station in the middle of winter.
Diavolezza and Alp Grüm are both truly amazing viewpoints at any time of the year if the weather is clear, so definitely worth visiting in good weather. Dress warmly!
>>> Day 4 – Train to Tirano. Explore Tirano and go to Milan Malpensa for flight back. (Not very sure about Tirano. Do you have any other suggestion? Perhaps go to Lugano but flight is at 16:30).
If you are flying to somewhere outside the Schengen area, you will need to be at the airport at 13:30. Leaving Pontresina on the first available service of the day at 7:02 would get you to Malpensa at 13:52, which is a bit less than 3hrs before your flight, but might work if there are not long queues to undergo the formalities at the airport. And no transport delays due to inclement weather of course!
Are you committed to flying out of Malpensa, or could you fly out of Zürich as originally planned?
As you can see, there are some challenges associated with your current plans, but you can probably rearrange things to have an enjoyable short stay, even if it’s not possible to fit in everything you would like to do!
Good luck with your ongoing planning!
Alpenrose
Good morning!
Hello Roger, Anna and Alpenrose.
Thank you for your welcome and another BIG thank you for your insights and suggestions. They made me ponder and compelled me to make some changes which, hopefully, make the short break in Switzerland more effective, enjoyable and smoother. I had tried various other ways even going to Lugano after landing in Malpensa and then catch the Bernina Express bus from Lugano to Tirano but it seems it does not operate on the date requested in February – I have read that it operates daily in summer and only on selected dates in winter. So that option was discarded. This is my new itinerary on your suggestions:
Day 1: Malpensa Airport to Milano Centrale, catch the 12:20 train to Tirano. Arrives in Tirano at 14:52 – still in daylight as sun sets at 5:34. Take the regional train to Poschiavo. Overnight stay.
Day 2: Explore Poschiavo, Alp Grum (restaurant and a place where there are fantastic views over the valley in which Poschiavo is situated), Ospizio Bernina, Bernina Diavolezza (station serving the cable car up to Piz Diavolezza) and view of glacier. Travel to either Pontresina or Filisur or Bergun and spend the night there. Choosing between the three places depends on accommodation availability and the Engandin card – still have to learn about this.
Day 3: More sightseeing along the Albula railway. Visit Chur and or Lucerne. Either overnight stay in Chur or overnight stay in Lucerne.
Day 4: In order to be safe just in case of heavy snowfall, decided to fly out of Zurich. Morning explore Chur or Lucerne. Then in the afternoon train to Zurich airport to fly out at 17:40. I come from a Schengen area.
What do you think of this? Of course, once this is in place, I will book accommodation and research about train connections on the bernina line. Fingers crossed to have blue skies.
With regards to luggage, we had invested in a very good back pack to go to Africa and we may bring just that. This would give us more flexibility. Problem would be that if we find something nice to buy, we wouldn’t be able to do so.
I augur you that the 2025 brings you wonderful memories. Again, thank you for your time.
Hi KatKat,
Looks good.
Whether to stay in Pontresina or Filisur or Bergün – yes, that’s a good idea. I recommend that you research the train connection options between the towns on the Swiss timetable and see what works best for you.
Here’s the link to the Swiss timetable: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/
Yes, should you have the Engadin guest card, this provides unlimited travelling on selected cable cars, funiculars and chairlifts as well as public transport in the area.
More information regarding traveling around the Engadine region in the below link:
Lucerne activity suggestions can be found here:
We have a dedicated accommodation section, just use the drop down filters to find some recommendations:
Wish you a great trip ahead!
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi again
The plan set out in your reply 4 is doable.
Best wishes
Roger
Hi KatKat,
>>> With regards to luggage, we had invested in a very good back pack to go to Africa and we may bring just that. This would give us more flexibility. Problem would be that if we find something nice to buy, we wouldn’t be able to do so.
Depending on the nature of what you buy, and where you buy it, the store might arrange to post it home for you (at a cost, of course).
Alternatively, to post something yourself, this link might come in handy for finding a post shop:
https://places.post.ch/location-search?shortcut=locations-footer
I hope this helps!
Alpenrose
Our Whirlwind Swiss Adventure – Snow, Trains. Cheese and Scenery!
We did it! Three nights, four days, a ton of trains (still have to work out whether we should have bought any of the Saver Passes), stunning scenery, and enough cheese to last a lifetime. We flew back home with incredible memories, a desire to return in summer for some serious hiking, and big plans to explore a new region next winter. Flexibility was our best friend, and here’s how it all went down:
Day 1: Planes, Trains & Poschiavo Charm
- Flew into Milan Malpensa, hopped on the express train to Milano Centrale, then onto a train to Tirano (with a quick bus detour at Morbegno).
- Started the legendary Bernina Line and stopped for the night in Poschiavo—a charming little town that stole our hearts – in a charming hotel with exquisite breakfast.
- A well-earned rest before the adventure continued!
Day 2: Snow, Viaducts & The Unexpected Detour
- Woke up to snow (which we loved), but bad weather meant skipping Alp Grüm and Bernina Diavolezza—so no mountaintop lunch this time.
- Adjusted the plan and headed north to Filisur and Bergün (great suggestion!).
- Explored Bergün, then Filisur and made our way to the Landwasser Viaduct—an engineering marvel! Waited for the train and snapped some epic shots from below.
- Onwards to Chur, where we had a spectacular dinner in a cozy local haus. Food was amazing, and the atmosphere was perfect!
Day 3: Pilatus, Fondue & The Perfect Swiss Send-Off
- Morning stroll in Chur (since it was Sunday, all shops were closed 🙁 )before heading to Lucerne.
- Since Mt. Titlis was a no-go, we opted for Mt. Pilatus instead—absolutely breathtaking! Blue skies, fluffy clouds, and a magical winter wonderland.
- Afternoon treat: outdoor fondue with blankets. Nothing says Swiss perfection like melted cheese with a side of crisp air!
- The morning after we wrapped up the Swiss break in Zurich, where we had a peaceful takeaway lunch by the river, surrounded by swans, pigeons, and seagulls. Simple, but unforgettable.
The Aftermath – What’s Next?
We’re officially hooked on Switzerland! ✔ Next winter: The Bernese Oberland and the Top of Europe are calling! ✔ Back to the Bernina Line for hikes through picturesque villages sometime in summer.
PS: Train trips are amazing. The app works brilliantly and they are always on time.
Grazie! Vielen Dank for all your help.
See you soon again Switzerland! 🇨🇭✨
Hello KatKat
Thank you for this wonderful report. Your feedback will be very much appreciated by everyone involved.
Even this old hand with Swiss travels (I first visited Switzerland in 1971 and have been visiting Switzerland regularly ever since) learnt some things from your queries. That there is an express train from Malpensa Airport to Milano Centrale every 30 minutes. That Malpensa is a very good airport if you are heading for the Tirano/Poschiavo area or for the Italian speaking Canton of Switzerland – Ticino. (It is not a good airport for any other part of Switzerland.)
Very best wishes
Roger
Hi KatKat,
Thanks for the update!
We have a designated forum for trip reports. You can post it there so everyone can read it.
Trip report: https://www.myswissalps.com/community/forum/trip-reports/
Regards,
Anna
Dear Roger, Thank you for your kind words! I’m delighted my report offered something new—even to a seasoned Swiss traveller like yourself. Hope our paths on this forum meet again.
Oh didn’t know there was such a forum. I will do as suggested. Thank you for letting me know!
Hi Kat Kat,
Thank you for the great trip report. I am planning some sort of a similar trip like yours but we are doing it in 1st week of June.
Your trip report provided great insights, the direct train from Malpensa Airport to Milano Centrale is going to help ease our worry as we will be travelling in and out of Malpensa.
Question: If we only have time for one of the 2 viaducts, which will you consider a must-do between Filisur and Bergun?
Hello AlbertAsia.
VIADUCTS
Going north from the St Moritz area towards Chur on the hourly IR38 train the train will stop at Preda, then Bergun, then Filisur, then Tiefencastel. Bergun is a very attractive village to visit. It also has a museum (by the station) about the history of the Albula railway.
There are a lot of viaducts (and short tunnels) on the stretch of railway between Preda and Tiefencastel. There is ONE viaduct which is world famous. That is the Landwasser Viaduct about two kilometres (just over one mile) north of Filisur in the direction of Tiefencastel. The Landwasser Viaduct appears in numerous publicity photos for Switzerland. It is CURVED, with one end (the end towards Filisur) going straight into a tunnel in a cliff!
‘KatKat’ visited only one viaduct. What is remarkable is that, even though it was a wintry day in early February, they were able to get to a point where they could photograph trains passing over the viaduct.
MALPENSA AIRPORT
Although probably not relevant to either KatKat or yourself, there is another point which should be made. In addition to the fast trains to Milano Centrale every 30 minutes, there is the hourly ‘TILO’ S50 service which runs from Malpensa, via Varese, Mendrisio, Lugano, (change there for Locarno) and Bellinzona to Biasca. This service organised jointly by the province of Lombardia and the canton of Ticino links a number of Italian and Swiss towns with the airport without the need to go through the city of Milan!
KInd Regards
Roger
Hello AlbertAsia, we visited just one viaduct—the Landwasser Viaduct. We stopped in Filisur on our way to Chur and asked at the train station for directions. There are two routes to the viaduct: one shorter route that offers a view from the top, and a longer route that takes you to the base, where you can see the viaduct from below. It is about 45 minutes walk down the road and, once you leave the main road, and turn on your right, there are signs to guide you along the way.
I’ve uploaded some pictures from our visit. On our way back, we opted to take the bus back to Filisur instead of walking uphill again.
If you have time to visit, you won’t be disappointed.
Attachments:
Hi Roger,
Thank you for all the info, given that my travel period is either end May or early June and we are choosing a base (2/3 nights) between staying around Chur, Bergun or Filisur (Landwasser Viaduct is a must hike). Which of these 3 villages/town would be best for a base. We want to experience nature, food and bit of easy hikes.
Hi Kat-Kat, you got me sold on Landwasser Viaduct (its a must hike item for us) and your shot of that viaduct from below was simply lovely, did you have to wait long to gey a picture of a moving train on the viaduct?
Also, would you be able yo share the name of the charming hotel in Poschiavo.
Thank you in advance.
Hello AlbertAsia,
We got off the train and asked for directions to the Viaduct at the Information desk. We walked all the way and waited abetween 15 and 30 minutes before the train arrived. If you have the SBB app (it is very useful for checking train schedules, and buying tickets especially if you’re not purchasing any of the Saver Passes (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/saver-day-pass/ )), you may check the times.
At one point, we thought we heard the train coming, only to realize it was an airplane. When the train is near, it toots.
We have taken videos of the train passing on the viaduct but it is too large to upload here.
With regards to the hotel, it is the Poschiavo Suisse Hotel – it is quite outdated but our room was large – I can check the room number for you, breakfast is very fresh and superb, staff is helpful and Poschiavo is charming. We had dinner at their restaurant La Terrasse du Suisse. It is elegant, serene atmosphere and the food is exquisite. Poschiavo is an area where Italian is widely spoken. We had booked through a booking platform but, may be, you can check it online and book directly.
Hope this helps and enjoy planning. Let me know if I can be of further help. KatKat
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