A Bold Guide To Bernina Express Tour From Milan

After having done hundreds of Bernina Express tours from Milan, we felt this tour could be conducted in a better, more enjoyable way.
We are focused on providing English-only tours with a minimum age requirement of 7 years, to ensure a quiet and relaxed experience.

Now you will read about the most beautiful railway in Europe — the Bernina Express. This article’s authors have done over 100 tours on the Bernina train. So, you may find some little-known invaluable tips.

The Bernina Express line route

Bernina will delight those who love the mountains but do not want to climb for hours. You overcome, in mere hours, a height difference of 1,800 metres to see the turquoise alpine lakes and the famous Swiss cows. The final station is in the glamourous world-famous ski resort of St. Moritz. The Bernina Express travels the perfect route to witness the beauty of the Swiss Alps up close.

If you ride the Bernina train between November and April, you will experience the magic of winter surrounded by a sparkling snowy landscape. The lakes you see along the way may only be found in some northern countries (like Canada) or the mountains. Human activity and wild nature in the Alps are in complete harmony. The people there care for nature. In return, nature allows them to grow food and benefit from exclusive tourism.

In the summer, you will enjoy green meadows and brisk alpine air with breathtaking views. If you stay in Milan in the summer, the weather can be sweltering — up to 38 Celsius or 100 Fahrenheit. But in the Alps, the air is a refreshing 20 Celsius or 70 Fahrenheit.

On the Bernina Express line, three different carriages are utilised. They are regular passenger carriages, open carriages (used in the summer when the weather is warm), and carriages with large panoramic windows. Let’s take a closer look at the three types of train cars:

• Large panoramic windows – As mentioned above, there are two trains per day, and the ride prices are significantly higher. From the train, you enjoy a spectacular view overlooking the Swiss Alps. One negative is that these windows cannot be opened. So, in rainy weather, the view will be slightly ruined by drops on the glass. And should you wish to photograph the mountains, you will inevitably have the window’s reflection in your picture. The Bernina Express takes the same travel time as the regular train — two hours and 20 minutes.
• Regular carriages – you see 100% of the same landscapes visible from the other carriages because the train travels on the same line. I enjoy travelling on regular carriages immensely — you can open the window and take award-winning photos (without a reflection of the window in your photo). You can lean out the window and feel the fresh alpine air on your face, hear the cows’ bells, and enjoy a nearly open-air journey. The travel time is two hours and ten minutes or two hours and 30 minutes (depending on your departure time).
• Open carriages (summer only) – have you ever driven a cabrio? If so, imagine cabrio carriages that transport you across the Alps. Open-air carriages are available only in the summer on certain trains. Take note: these carriages are not reservable, but you can enjoy the ride if space is available.

Have you ever travelled on a train on the unesco heritage list?

• The Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes represents an exemplary railway development for the disenclavement of the Central Alps at the beginning of the 20th century.
• The railway’s socio-economic consequences were substantial and lasting for mountain life, the interchange of human and cultural values, and changes in the relationship between man and nature in the West.
• The Rhaetian Railway offers a wide diversity of technical solutions for the establishment of the railway in often severe mountain conditions.
• It is a well-designed construction that has been realised with a high degree of quality and has remarkable stylistic and architectural homogeneity.
• The railway infrastructure, moreover, blends in particularly harmoniously with the Alpine landscapes through which it passes.

Year after year, the Bernina line has attracted tourists from far and wide with its awe-inspiring scenery. The landscape transforms before your eyes as you ascend from 400 metres to 2250 metres above sea level. Be prepared to see everything, from palms, fruit orchards, and olive trees in Italy, to glaciers and mountainous lakes high in the Alps.

If So, Here Is Your Schedule:

Let’s look at the economic side of the self-organised Bernina tour.

A round-trip Bernina Express second-class train ticket is 64 euros per person. If you drive your car from Milan, you’ll spend approximately 35 euros on fuel and at least 10 euros for parking in Tirano.

Do you not have a car right now?  You can take the train from Milano Centrale to Tirano. A round-trip ticket is 24 euros per person. Therefore, the minimum estimated price of a self-organised trip is 88 euros per person if everything goes smoothly and you don’t miss any details.

You can easily check all the information and prices mentioned above online.

The Bernina Express organised tour from Milan

With an organised tour, you will definitely see more and avoid the hassle of dealing with organisation, schedules, and timing. If you take a tour, you will ride a train only once. The bus leaves you in Tirano and picks you up in St. Moritz after the train ride (or vice versa), which means that you have a one-way train ride and bus ride time (six hours for a round trip), creating a somewhat circular trip, as seen on the map below. For logistical reasons, you can’t take the same trip and see so many things on your own.

There are many travel agencies that offer tours to the Bernina Express, Swiss Alps and St.Moritz from Milan, while others may offer additional activities that can be overwhelming. It’s important to consider that the Bernina Express tour itself is already a long day, and adding other activities may result in an exhausting experience. We reccomend carefully reviewing the tour details and selecting the option that best fits your interest and energy level, to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable journey

All the agencies use the same train carriages and itinerary and visit the same towns: Tirano and St. Moritz. The possible concerns and differences are:

Bernina Express tours on Sundays and national holidays may be a nightmare. Roads, restaurants, service areas, trains — everything is overcrowded. Drive time on these days takes at least two hours more than during the week!

After having done hundreds of Bernina Express tours from Milan, we felt this tour could be conducted in a better, more enjoyable way. So, we added some options and flexibility for those looking to experience all Bernina Express offers.

How is this tour different from other tours to Bernina Express and St. Moritz that you see online?