How NOT to Ride the Bernina Express--Italy to St. Moritz

The Bernina Express (The Red Train) is arguably one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. It is not just a mode of transportation from the Swiss Alps to Italy, but has also become the most popular tourist experience from Switzerland to Lake Como and all the way to Milan. We recently rode the Bernina Express and I'm here to tell you how NOT to ride it!

We did an excursion from Milan in October 2023. We booked a Viator excursion tour (#notsponsored) for a round trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland. The price was $157 per person with up to 45 passengers. The tour consisted of a 12 hour tour with a four hour bus ride all the way to St. Moritz from Milan with one stop/bathroom break on the way in northern Lake Como. We then proceeded up through the mountains, across the border and finally arriving in St. Moritz. The scenery along the coastline of Lake Como and then up into the mountains included fantastic views of the lakes, waterfalls, quaint villages, picturesque farms, and mountains.

Our bus brought us to the train station in St. Moritz where we would later board the train. St. Moritz is a Swiss town with a mix of new and old. Swiss charm is everywhere in the old buildings as well as modern structures and high end shopping. It even has its own leaning tower!

Our tour guide led us a little way into the town of St. Moritz, pointing out a few sights including a famous Swiss chocolate shop. FYI, many of the high end shopping and hotels were closed until ski season started in November.

Shopping venues

We then had one hour for lunch and/or touring the town. The restaurant the guide suggested was full so we had lunch at Pizza Way, a small pizzeria/kebab shop. We ate quickly in order to have a little time for shopping.

St. Moritz Train Station

When time was up, we met our group at the train. The guide was a little frazzled trying to herd the passengers and tell everyone to wait for a toilet stop on the train (he was on a schedule and didn't want the train to leave without anyone). He led us as a group into one 2nd class train car. As my husband and I got on, there were no seats together except for two aisle seats. We finally settled and it was time to depart on our journey. I cannot tell you in words how beautiful the scenery is on this train ride! We rode the train in mid-October and it was quite cold outside. The tour guide told us we could open the windows to take photos (make sure you have a tight grip on your phone). Our tour guide then spent much of the journey settling an argument about open windows.

St. Moritzersee Lake

As I stated previously, the scenes viewed from the train are incredible. A camera cannot capture the majestic of these mountains, villages, and cascading waterfalls. Riding the Bernina Express is well worth the trip. However, when the train arrived in Tirano, Italy, we has a 15 minute break until it was time to board the bus again for an over three hour ride back. About an hour into the bus ride, we'd had enough!

I don't recommend an organized tour like this and here's why:

You are on a strict time schedule
You are in a group of large people
You may not get to sit together
There is not enough time in St. Moritz
You are seated in 2nd Class

An organized tour is great for first time travelers overseas who are unfamiliar with using the train system. Our tour guide was good but overworked with a large group. There is a better way to experience the Red Train!

Stay in Tirano

In my opinion, the best way to experience the Bernina Express is to spend the prior evening in Tirano. There are AirB&B's and hotels available in this quaint village with nice restaurants. Schedule two nights if you plan to do a round trip on the Bernina in one day.

Stay in St. Moritz

Even better than a round trip is to stay the night in St. Moritz. This will give you lots of time for exploring if you take a morning trip into this town and an evening trip out the next day.

See the Glaciers

If you haven't had enough travel through the mountains, extend your trip to Switzerland by booking a trip on the Glacier Express which takes passengers even higher through the alps. This train line makes stops in:

Andermatt
Brig Bahnhofplatz
Chur
Zermatt

Important Info to Know

Listed below are recommendations for creating a fantastic voyage on the Bernina Express.

When to Go:

The tourist season in St. Moritz is the ski season when there is lots of snow. I recommend riding the Bernina Express at any other time but the best time is in the month of October when the leaves are changing.

How to get to the Bernina Express:

The best way to get to the Bernina Express is to ride a train there! Travel by rail is fantastic in Italy and throughout Europe. If you are traveling from Rome, Florence or Bologna, book a high speed train to Milano Centrale, the main train station in Milan and transfer to a local train to Tirano, Italy.

Milano Centrale Station

How to purchase Bernina Express tickets:

There are two ways to purchase Bernina Express tickets:

Trainline App

Since there is only one train line which travels this route, the easiest way to book tickets is through the Trainline app. This app will show all of the routes and prices and gives you the option to book in the first class train carriage.

Tip: When booking on Trainline, book tickets on the app as opposed to using a computer or website. Your tickets will be available on your app. When using local trains in Italy, always validate your tickets in the machines before boarding.

Official Bernina Express website (listed below)

Even if you don't plan to book on the official website, it is still worth it to take a look at the site to familiarize yourself on what it offered.

Bernina Express Itineraries

Listed below are suggested itineraries for optimizing your Bernina Express experience.

3 Night Itinerary

The best way to start this trip is either from Lake Como or Milan. For the sake of this blog, we'll start and end in Milan.

Tip: If it's in the budget, treat yourself to a luxury stay at the Excelsior Hotel Gallia which is adjacent to Milano Centrale. After reading this, if you still want to book through Viator, the buses pick up at this hotel.

Day One

Train--Milano Centrale (Milan's main train station) to Tirano, Italy
Stay the night in Tirano

Day Two

Morning train--Tirano to St. Moritz
Stay the night in St. Moritz

Day Three

Afternoon train St. Moritz to Tirano
Stay in Tirano

2-Night Itinerary

Day One

Train--Milano Centrale to Tirano
Stay over in Tirano

Day Two

Early morning trip on Bernina Express to St. Moritz
Late afternoon trip on Bernina Express to Tirano
Stay in Tirano

Tips:

If you are from a warm climate, bring a jacket. Even in the summer, it is chilly in St. Moritz.
If bringing luggage on the train, limit it to smaller bags.
Try to book tickets in the first class carriage if it's in the budget.

In conclusion, the itineraries listed here will probably be less expensive than an organized tour. In planning it yourself, you will have control over your own destiny and can customize your experiences.

Links:

Italy Travel Fashion Must Haves

Go Wine Tasting at La Gatta Estate

www.StMoritz.com

Bernina Express Official Site

Glacier Express Official Site

www.visititaly.com Tirano

Viator Bernina Express Tour

Trainline