Chur to St Moritz by Bernina or Glacier Express

We will be in Chur on the 28 Dec. I have read a lot of info and am so confused. We want to do a day trip to SM. Need to be back in Chur late afternoon. My question ... Can we do this using the BE or GE and catching a regional train back? Or just using regional train for round trip. Any help would be greatly appreciated 😄

Hi Shazzy, welcome to MySwissAlps!

The Bernina Express does not go from Chur to St. Moritz. It goes to Pontresina and on to Tirano. The Glacier Express does go to St. Moritz but there's no point in using it for your trip: it only departs later in the day and it would be quite expensive to buy the surcharge for this relatively short ride. It may not even be allowed to board in Chur; I 'm not sure. You'd better take any of the regular trains. You won't need a surcharge and you'll be more flexible as they run all day round. Please see the timetable. It's a scenic ride, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Hi Arno. Thanks for clearing that up for me. One more problem. I have checked the regular timetable and times will work. I know it is expensive in Switzerland, but when I put in tentative dates ( I know I can't do our proper dates as too far ahead), the prices seemed way over the top for a 2hr return trip. We are from Australia and it says we can go from C to SM for approx $46,but when I put in a random date, it tells me for 2 of us it's going to cost AU $336 return. Is this right?? That's choosing a date in Dec and in July.- thinking maybe more expensive at Christmas. Also we need to train to Zurich airport and the price is about the same. There never seems to be a time we could do it for the stated $46. Not sure if you can help me with this issue? Sharon

Hi Shazzy,

A regular 2nd class return ticket Chur - St. Moritz costs CHF 82 per person. Prices change once a year at a maximum and not by the season.

Are you sure you don't need a rail pass? That might save you a lot. You need to list all your transfers and day trips as explained here. Then see if a pass makes sense. It usually does. With a Swiss Half Fare Card, for example, you can cut those prices in half.

Hi Arno. We are arriving in Zurich from Milan by train. We,re looking at going 1st class. Is there a pass to do all the sections of travel as explained above.Some say yes others say no. If I can, please tell me which one. I'm being sent to all these different websites and I'm just getting confused. Unfortunately it is so different to Australian travel. Thanks again. Sharon

Hi Shazzy,

After reading your posts I'm not 100% sure which sections you're aiming at. Do you mean Zurich-Milan, Zurich-Chur and a return trip Chur-St. Moritz and back? Here are some options:

• the Swiss Half Fare Card mentioned by Arno: valid for a 50% discounted travel on all journeys within Switzerland. You'd still need an additional ticket from Milan to the Swiss-Italian border. Depending on the connection you pick, a Swiss Half Fare Card will be valid from Chiasso or Domodossola;
• a Swiss Travel Pass, allowing free traveling throughout the country. Again, you'd need an additional ticket from Milan to Chiasso or Domodossola.

The pages I linked to provide up to date and correct information about both passes, including a detailed validity map, purchase options and further details. Arno provided you with the link to calculate your options. Unfortunately that's the only way to tell for sure which pass suits your needs best.

There are Eurail passes covering the leg from Milan to Chiasso/Domodossola too, but those are valid for several European countries and too expensive for the itinerary you've outlined here.