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Hi there! We are planning to do the Bernina Express from Tirano (coming from Milan on the same day) on 13 March 2023! We have to be in Zurich by 15 March 2023 (late afternoon). We were going to stop in Chur for 2 nights but now thinking St Moritz might be a nicer option – any comments on either??
At that time of year the Bernina express only goes from Tirano to Chur in the afternoon & doesn’t stop at St Moritz from what I understand! However there seems to be an option from Tirano to St Moritz but is this on a Bernina Express train?
To then do the portion from St Moritz to Chur & onto Zurich, would we only have the option of using regional trains & if so, do you get pretty similar views?
Sorry for all the questions! First time venturing to Europe so everything is new for us! Look forward to reading your responses! Thank you 😊
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Hi Birdsnest399,
That’s right, in March the Bernina Express service only runs between Tirano to Chur in March. If you wish to make a stopover in St Moritz, you can travel from Tirano to Pontresina and then take a local bus or train to St Moritz. There are regular train service between St Moritz and Chur. The views are similar. You can find more information about the Bernina Express route here: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/gettingthere
regards,
Anna
Thanks Anna! When I go to the Bernina Express section on rhb.ch and put in going from Tirano to St Moritz on 13 March 2023, it actually gives me a number of time slots to pick from! I’m wondering if they add a couple of panoramic carriages to the normal trains? See my screenshots below! That’s what has me confused! Are you able to shed any light on this? Thank you! Di
That is exactly what happens. The Bernina express marketing can be misleading.
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.
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PDF timetable: http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadmin/fap_pdf_fields/2022/950.pdf
Once you reach Pontresina 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
Thank you so much 1960man for your detailed reply! That certainly makes it all a lot clearer! Many thanks! Di
Hi Birdsnest399,
Thanks for sharing the screenshots. I’m not really sure how the booking platform operates but in the first screenshot, it’s clearly highlighted that seat reservations are currently unavailable for the date you selected.
You can still travel on the Bernina Express route with regular trains, which require no seat reservations. Most local trains have panoramic windows too.
Regards,
Anna
Hello
I’m hoping to travel from Tirano northwards on the train line i have a few days and aren’t particular about where i go or stay as me and my wife were close to the alps before and since then we always wanted to take a train ride through them. I’m hoping to get the train from Tirano on the morning of the 17th of November i think i will go with the ordinary train as i want to be able to get off as i like.
My thinking is to stay in maybe Pontresina or st Moritz we really want to take the cable car at Diavolezza will it be open at that date plus are there other peaks we can get up to by Funicular or cable car nearby?
Last question is the weather forecast suggests it will be snowing and cold would we need to bring a lot of changes of clothes and obviously heavy boots?
Regards
Hi Birdsnest399,
In addition to the previous answers, you’ll find the differences between the Bernina Express and regional trains explained under “Regular trains versus Bernina Express” at http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress. Seats can usually be reserved between 2 to 3 months ahead, so it’s too early for your travel date in March. You’ll definitely manage to get seat reservations if you try again in December or January :-).
I applaud your decision to take normal trains so that you can hop on and off at the fabulous places along the Bernina Railway. The overhyped marketing of the Swiss ‘panoramic trains’ means many people get stuck in these sealed trains all day and never experience the true mountain air!
Diavolezza is open on 17 November as far as I can see (from the slightly confusing local web site)
Hello Jhegartyo, thanks for joining MySwissAlps!
A visit to Diavolezza is absolutely worth it. You’ll have up-close views of the Bernina mountain range there. Other great viewing points are Lagalb, Muottas Muragl, Piz Nair and Corvatsch. You’re traveling in low season though, so you’ll have to check operation dates. Quite some lifts will be closed for maintenance.
As for clothes: it’s best to dress in multiple thin layers. That helps you adapt to the varying temperatures in the valleys and mountain tops. A water tight warm jacket and solid boots are helpful. Please find more information here:
If you have further questions about your trip that aren’t related to Birdsnest399’s original question, you can best open a new thread. Thanks :-)!
Hello 1960man
Thanks so much for your reply, yes i’d rather hop on and off the trains and see the sights rather than through the window on the train which i’m sure will be amazing as well
Hello Arno
Thanks for the reply and help with my questions, i have done a lot of research with links i found on this site and yes it seems some cable cars etc are closed at the time we visit. I am really looking forward to the Diavolezza trip as this is all new for us. Something tells me this might not be our first trip there as no matter how much research you do there will always be things that you miss on the first trip because of time restraints etc.
Again thanks so much for the help
Regards
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