Bernese Oberland and the Bernina Express

We would like to spent four days in Murren, seeing Schilthorn, , hike to Grulschlap and rent bikes to ride from Murren to Gimmelwald , Stechelberg, Lauterbrunnen and Trummebach Falls then take a lift back to Murren and maybe some other easy hikes as time permits or a boat ride on Lake Thun.

In addition, I really do have my heart set on the Bernina Express going north to south.

Would we be able to go straight from Zurich airport to Tirano in one day. Our flight lands at 8:40. I don't need to be on the actual Bernina Express train, just on that route and not in the dark.

Overnight in Tirano then maybe bus to Lugano for the William Tell route to Lucerne and the boat trip, overnight there or go to Murren for four days then whatever would be the best way to Milan and on to Cinque Terre on September 10th.

The Cinque Terre dates are fixed, Sept 10 - 17. I would like to to see Switzerland first because I think the weather would be warmer?

Which do you think would work best for us?

Thanks,

Nioka

Hi Nioka, welcome to MySwissAlps!

You can certainly add the Bernina Express to your plans. It's doable to travel from the airport to Tirano using the Bernina Express route on day 1, and then head north again using the Wilhelm Tell Express. This will take a lot of traveling in the first couple of days though. If you're interested in scenic train routes, like to explore Lucerne and don't mind some long days that's fine of course!

There's anoter option exluding the Wilhelm Tell Express: first, spend your time in Mürren. On your last day(s) in Switzerland, travel to Chur (by default via Bern, alternatively via Lucerne if you prefer a more scenic route that's part of the Golden Pass) and then do the Bernina Express route to Tirano. You may want to spend a night in Chur or in the Upper Engadine in order to avoid too long of a day trip. From Tirano you can move on to Cinque Terre. The pages I linked to and the Swiss timetable will help you in your planning.

Once your itinerary is set, you can start looking into rail passes.

Generally, temperatures will drop in the course of September indeed. No guarantees though; weather is highly changeable in the Alps.