Bernina Express route.

EnertaAllko
October 03
Status: 3 tokens - Active

What stops does the Bernina Express make? How much does it cost for a couple?

2 Answers:

meadow5 avatar

Bernina Express is one of my bucket list for next year. It is said to be one of the best train rides in the world. You could start your memorable train ride in Tirano Italy to the beautiful Swiss Town of Chur. But it also goes back to Tirano if you want to start it from Switzerland. It is a 4hour trip and cover 90miles of panoramic view. The best season to ride it in is in winter because of the spectacular snow covered landscapes, cheaper ticket prices and it is also less crowded. You can also bring food on board.

The 2nd class ticket costs CHF 63 ($64.27)  while the first class ticket costs CHF 111 ($113.25). You can read this article for a complete guide on Bernina Express.

You can also watch this vlog of Family of 3 on their experience of riding the Bernina Express.

MaxPassion avatar

The fabulous Bernina Express is a narrow gauge train with panoramic sightseeing cars run by the Rhätische Bahn between Chur in Switzerland and Tirano in northern Italy, see the route map here.  It's perhaps the most scenic Alpine train ride train of all - although the Glacier Express competes for the title - and one of the most scenic train rides in the world, a personal favorite.  It forms part of an alternative slow scenic route between Zurich & Milan. I'll explain how to use the Bernina Express as part of a scenic overland journey from London, Paris, or Zurich to Milan, Florence, Venice, or Rome.  You can ride it all year round, a completely different experience through Alpine snows in winter and through sunny green meadows in summer.  So you should probably ride it more than once!

A ride on the Bernina Express is a 4-hour, 144 km (90 miles) journey between icy Switzerland and sunny Italy, through 55 tunnels and 196 bridges, with Alpine gradients as steep as 1 in 7, on a railway built in 1896-1904. Between Chur and Samedan near St Moritz, the Bernina Express shares the route with its sister train, the Glacier Express, crossing the famous Landwasser Viaduct from mountainside to mountainside, on which many of the Glacier Express's and Bernina Expresses publicity photos are taken.  South of Pontresina, the train climbs up to the Bernina Pass, past the Morteratsch Glacier, reaching its highest point at Ospizio Bernina, 2,253 meters (7,391 feet) above sea level.  Descending through the fir trees on the other side of the mountain, the train calls at the pretty village of Poschiavo.  Between Poschiavo and Tirano, the train runs round the famous Brusio Spiral Viaduct, where most of the classic Bernina Express publicity photos are taken.  In Tirano, the Rhätische Bahn connects with Trenord regional trains to Milan Centrale, change in Milan for high-speed trains to Florence, Rome, or Venice.

How much does it cost?

  • Zurich to Tirano costs CHF 92 (€87) in 2nd class or CHF 161 (€153) in 1st class.  Children under 16 half price.
  • It's usually cheaper to buy a Saver Day Pass if you book in advance. The starting price is CHF 52 (€50) in 2nd class and CHF 88 (€85) in 1st class.
  • Tirano to Milan by regional train costs €11.50 in 2nd class or €17.50 in 1st class.  Children under 12 half price. That's a normal one-way ticket with unlimited availability, good for any train that day.

I hope you find this information useful. 

What's your answer? Login