Bernina Express - overnight in Chur & St Moritz

I will be taking my 85 years old mum on Bernina Express in early December from Chur to Tirano.

We plan to stay 1 night at Chur and then board the Bernina Express the next morning. At Tirano, we will take the train to St Moritz and stay 1 night.

Appreciate to get some advice on the following:

1) What are the attractions in Chur suitable for me and my mum?

2) From Tirano to St Moritz, can we take the Bernina Express without booking a seat? I read somewhere that Bernina Express also have compartment with unreserved seats.

3) Is it advisable to do Chur - Tirano - st moritz? How long is this journey?

4) what are the attractions at St Moritz suitable for me and my mum?

Thanks.

Hi Jenn Chuah,

1. Chur has a picturesque old town: You can explore the town on foot independently or follow a guided tour organised by Chur Tourism. If you have time, I recommend taking a scenic train ride from Chur to Arosa. A single journey takes about 1 hour.

2. Seat reservation on the Bernina Express is obligatory so you need to book seat for your trip from Tirano to St Moritz: https://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets. There are also regular trains travelling on the same route which require no seat reservations. You can find the difference between Bernina Express and regular trains here: www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress

3. With the Bernina Express, the journey from Chur to Tirano takes about 4 hours. From Tirano to St Moritz about 2 hours.

4. St Moritz is a fairly small town but there are plenty of sightseeing to be done in the surrounding areas. You can find more information here: www.myswissalps.com/stmoritz/activities. In December, one of the highlights would be the Christmas market.

Regards,

Anna

2. Seat reservation on the Bernina Express is obligatory so you need to book seat for your trip from Tirano to St Moritz. There are also regular trains travelling on the same route which require no seat reservations. You can find the difference between Bernina Express and regular trains here: www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress

Concerning the Bernina Express 'Obligatory reservation'

The wording in the timetable is very subtle, Führt reservierungspflichtige Panoramawagen

but it does indicate that there are some vehicles that have seats that you don't need to reserve

Thank you, Anna &1960man.

For the regular train from Tirano to St Moritz, do we need to change train for Tirano to St Moritz?

Does the SBB apps indicate if we need to change train whenever we travel from Point A to Point B?

Based on the SBB app, the travel duration for Tirano - St Moritz ranges from 2 hours to 2.5 hours. Why is the duration not the same for all trains?

Does the train from Tirano - St Moritz cover by Swiss Travel Pass?

Is there a cafe or restaurant for us to take lunch at Tirano train station or nearby before we take the train back from Tirano to St Moritz?

Do we miss the best scenery on the Bernina Express Route if we just take the Bernina Express from Chur to St Moritz?

Thank you.

1) Chur is Switzerland's oldest city and has some lovely streets, it should be very nice for your Mum:

www.chur.graubuenden.ch/en/attractions/chur-old-town

2) You have probably read one of my posts. I have explained that the Bernina Express is formed of panorama coaches that require obligatory seat reservation, but the coaches are pulled by power cars that have some unreserved seats so that occasional travellers can join the train.

The journey from Chur to Tirano takes a bit more than 4 hours. Tirano - St Moritz takes about 2 hours 15 minutes and yes, you can take a regional train without panoramic coaches if you wish.

Thanks, 1960man.

For the regular train from Tirano to St Moritz, do we need to change train for Tirano to St Moritz?

Does the SBB apps indicate if we need to change train whenever we travel from Point A to Point B?

Sorry, I don't understand these questions.

The PDF timetable here will allow you to visualise the train service pattern on the Bernina Railway:

www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadmin/fap_pdf_fields/2022/950.pdf

Based on the SBB app, the travel duration for Tirano - St Moritz ranges from 2 hours to 2.5 hours. Why is the duration not the same for all trains?

Almost every railway in the world has a mixture of slower and faster trains; faster trains will not stop at some stations so they take a shorter time to get from one end of the line to the other.

Does the train from Tirano - St Moritz cover by Swiss Travel Pass?

Yes, The Bernina railway Tirano - St Moritz is part of the regular national rail network so the STP give free travel.

Is there a cafe or restaurant for us to take lunch at Tirano train station or nearby before we take the train back from Tirano to St Moritz?

Yes, there are plenty of cafes and bars in Tirano town

Do we miss the best scenery on the Bernina Express Route if we just take the Bernina Express from Chur to St Moritz?

Yes, but also no, because Chur - St Moritz is not the Bernina railway, however Chur - St Moritz is very spectacular as well

Hi Jenn

Some of the trains have quite nice dinning cars with tables next to windows.

The SBB mobile app will show all the train changes, where they occur, which platform you arrive, which platform you transfer to, and how long you have to change trains. For this info use the timetable and put in your location and destination and date and time of when you want to start And you can choose which itinerary suits you and complete the purchase.

We just got back from the St Moritz area and chose to stay in the nearby Sils Im Engadine on the lake, Sils Maria, at a very old, classic, but well maintained and famous hotel, The Waldhaus. The Waldhaus will pick you up at the St Moritz train station for the short 20 min ride to the hotel. I would expect the small town and excellent hotel Waldhaus to be gorgeous before Christmas. A visit to St Moritz is easily done as well. The hotel offers carriage rides down the beautiful Fex Valley next to Sils Maria (with plenty of blankets)for a very reasonable price in my opinion. See photos

Mark

Many thanks, 1960man and Mark.

I have checked the SBB apps. When I input St Moritz as the destination, a list of St Moritz train stations appear, such as St Moritz, St Moritz Banhof and a few others. Which train station should I choose that is nearest within walking distance to Hotel Chesa Languard?

For dining on Bernina Express, do we have to pre book online when we make the seat reservation?

Thank you.

The Languard is in the town centre, 15 minutes walk from the main station (there is only one main station in St Moritz, called St Moritz). St Moritz Bahnhof just means St Moritz station (Bahnhof is railway station in German language)

Computerisation and 'apps' have made travel mor complicated in many ways. For railways it is often better to look at the original 'printed' style timetable as that only shows the actual railways stations, without using additional confusing wording

www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadmin/fap_pdf_fields/2022/950.pdf

Thank you, 1960man for the clarification. It is much appreciated.

Hi Jenn Chuah,

for the Bernina Express, you have to reserve your seats in advance, you can do it here: www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets. You also need to have a ticket or a rail pass (www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses) that is valid on the Bernina Express, like the Swiss Travel Pass (www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price).

Take care,

Ildiko

Noted with thanks, Ildiko.

Sorry, I missed answering the Bernina Express dining question. This train does not have a restaurant car. Lunch is available in Poschiavo or in Tirano (Italy). There is a roving minibar on the train with snacks and drinks. You can find a (sample) menu here.

You can also take food and drinks with you if you want.

Ildiko

More about dining on the move in Switzerland: www.myswissalps.com/activities/culinary/dineonthemove

Thanks, Ildiko