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poschiavo
Scenic routes

The Bernina Express

Zurich · Chur · Pontresina · Poschiavo · Tirano · Milan

Timetable-checked:5 trains · 7h 54m on board
3-4 daysSuggested duration
6 stopsIconic cities
AlpineHigh pass & border crossing
Lower CO₂Than flying

“Glaciers above, palm trees below, in one afternoon.”

Suggested
3-4 days
Stops
6
On board
7h 54m

Alpine · Timetable-checked · Lower CO₂ than flying

Overview

This route follows the line east from Zürich into the Engadin, then climbs again above Pontresina to cross the open, treeless saddle of the Bernina Pass before dropping steeply into the Val Poschiavo and across the border to Tirano.

“No tunnel, no fuss — just the Alps, close enough to touch.”

The route

  1. Zürich, photographed for Wikimedia CommonsZurich · Day stopThe start of the climb east.
    Schweizerische Bundesbahnen SBBICE 27511:07 → 12:22 · 1h 15mTimetable-checked
    ICE 275 · Schweizerische Bundesbahnen SBBZürich HB → Chur11:07 → 12:22
    1. Zürich HBDep 11:07
    2. SargansArr 12:02 · Dep 12:03
    3. LandquartArr 12:11 · Dep 12:12
    4. ChurArr 12:22
  2. Chur, photographed for Wikimedia CommonsChur · 1 nightSwitzerland's oldest town, and the last flat ground for a while.
    Rhätische BahnBEX13:34 → 15:34 · 2hTimetable-checked
    BEX · Rhätische BahnChur → Pontresina13:34 → 15:34
    1. ChurDep 13:34
    2. ThusisArr 14:11 · Dep 14:11
    3. FilisurArr 14:42 · Dep 14:43
    4. Bergün/BravuognArr 14:55 · Dep 14:56
    5. PontresinaArr 15:34
  3. Pontresina, photographed for Wikimedia CommonsPontresina · 1 nightHigh peaks, glaciers, and the last stop before the pass.
    R1908:18 → 09:41 · 1h 23mTimetable-checked
    R19 · Rhätische BahnMorteratsch → Poschiavo08:18 → 09:41
    1. MorteratschDep 08:18
    2. Bernina SuotArr 08:25 · Dep 08:25
    3. Bernina DiavolezzaArr 08:28 · Dep 08:28
    4. Bernina LagalbArr 08:30 · Dep 08:31
    5. Ospizio BerninaArr 08:38 · Dep 08:38
    6. Alp GrümArr 08:49 · Dep 08:53
    7. CavagliaArr 09:11 · Dep 09:11
    8. CaderaArr 09:25 · Dep 09:25
    9. PoschiavoArr 09:41
  4. Poschiavo, photographed for Wikimedia CommonsPoschiavo · Day stopA sudden change of climate on the Italian-speaking side of the pass.
    R1913:42 → 14:23 · 41mTimetable-checked
    R19 · Rhätische BahnPoschiavo → Tirano13:42 → 14:23
    1. PoschiavoDep 13:42
    2. Li CurtArr 13:44 · Dep 13:44
    3. Le PreseArr 13:48 · Dep 13:49
    4. MiralagoArr 13:54 · Dep 13:54
    5. BrusioArr 14:02 · Dep 14:02
    6. CampascioArr 14:08 · Dep 14:08
    7. CampocolognoArr 14:12 · Dep 14:14
    8. TiranoArr 14:23
  5. Tirano, photographed for Wikimedia CommonsTirano · 1 nightAcross the alps, into Italy.
    TrenordRE808:08 → 10:43 · 2h 35mTimetable-checked
    RE8 · TrenordTirano → Milano Centrale08:08 → 10:43
    1. TiranoDep 08:08
    2. Tresenda-Aprica-TeglioArr 08:18 · Dep 08:19
    3. SondrioArr 08:39 · Dep 08:40
    4. MorbegnoArr 08:59 · Dep 09:00
    5. ColicoArr 09:13 · Dep 09:14
    6. Bellano Tartavalle TermeArr 09:29 · Dep 09:30
    7. Varenna EsinoArr 09:34 · Dep 09:35
    8. Mandello Del LarioArr 09:46 · Dep 09:47
    9. LeccoArr 09:58 · Dep 10:01
    10. MonzaArr 10:26 · Dep 10:27
    11. Milano CentraleArr 10:43
  6. Milan, photographed for Wikimedia CommonsMilan · 1 nightThe last stop.

Timetable-checked on 24 September 2026 for travel on 2026-09-25 · Data: SBB / opentransportdata.swiss

Suggested tickets

  • Rail pass: Swiss Travel PassBest fitSBB

    4 consecutive days · The panoramic train on this route needs a seat reservation on top of the pass. Buy the Tirano–Milan leg separately.

  • Single tickets: Point-to-point ticketsTrainlineSBB

    Standard Swiss tickets for each journey. Saver fares for set trains are cheaper when booked ahead.

Suggestions only. Trainlink doesn't sell tickets: check prices, coverage and reservation rules with the seller.

The experience

View by
Zürich, photographed for Wikimedia Commons Zurich - Where the route beginsZurich

Lake and old town

Zürich's station is the launch point for this route east, with the lake and the old town a short walk from the platforms. Stroll across the Limmat to the Grossmünster, whose twin towers are the city's landmark.

Before you boardFood

Stock up for the journey on Swiss chocolate and fresh bread from the station's bakeries. If you have time for a meal, a plate of rösti is the classic Swiss choice.

Zürich celebratesTraditions

Every three years the Züri Fäscht, one of Switzerland's largest festivals, brings fireworks over the lake and music across the city.

Zurich → Chur11:03 → 12:231h 20mdirectTimetable-checked

Along Lake Zürich

The first stretch is flat mainline along Lake Zürich and the Walensee, where sheer cliffs rise straight from the water. At Sargans the line turns up the Rhine valley towards Chur and the mountains.

Chur, photographed for Wikimedia Commons Chur - Where the mainline hands overChur
Stay 1 night in ChurBooking.com

The oldest town in Switzerland

Chur claims to be Switzerland's oldest continuously settled town, with a compact old quarter worth an evening's wander. It's also where the standard-gauge mainline ends and the narrow-gauge mountain railway that carries this route the rest of the way begins. The cathedral holds a remarkable carved Gothic altar.

Graubünden flavoursFood

Try a Bündner Gerstensuppe, a rich barley soup with dried meat, on a cold evening. Chur's bakeries sell Churer Fleischtorte, a savoury meat pie that is a local speciality.

Three languagesTraditions

Graubünden is the home of Romansh, Switzerland's fourth national language, alongside German and Italian. You will hear all three on the journey south, as the railway crosses from one language to the next.

Chur → Pontresina13:32 → 16:333h 1mdirectTimetable-checked

The Albula climb

The narrow-gauge line climbs the Albula route, part of a UNESCO World Heritage railway, across the curving Landwasser Viaduct and into a tunnel in the cliff. Between Bergün and Preda it gains height through a series of spiral tunnels, then passes under the Albula Pass into the Engadin.

Pontresina, photographed for Wikimedia Commons Pontresina - Staging post for the climbPontresina
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At the foot of the glaciers

Pontresina sits high in the Engadin valley, ringed by glaciers and some of the highest peaks in the eastern Alps. It's a quieter base than neighbouring St Moritz, and the natural place to spend a night before the climb over the Bernina Pass the next morning. A path from Morteratsch station leads towards the Morteratsch glacier, with markers showing how far it has retreated.

Mountain fareFood

Engadin cooking is built for cold days, with capuns, pizokel and generous plates of local cheese. Take home an Engadiner Nusstorte, a walnut and caramel pie that travels well.

Sgraffito and cowbellsTraditions

Many village houses are decorated with sgraffito, patterns scratched into the plaster, a craft the Engadin is famous for. On the first of March children ring cowbells through the streets for Chalandamarz to chase away the winter.

Pontresina → Poschiavo08:07 → 09:461h 39mdirectTimetable-checked

Over the Bernina Pass

The line climbs past the Morteratsch glacier to the Bernina Pass, the highest point of the railway, beside the milky water of Lago Bianco. At Alp Grüm the view drops away to the Palü glacier and the valley far below. The descent to Poschiavo is one of the steepest on any railway without a rack, looping down through forests and hairpin curves.

Poschiavo, photographed for Wikimedia Commons Poschiavo - Down from the passPoschiavo

Italian-speaking Switzerland

Not long after the treeless saddle of the Bernina Pass, the line has dropped into Poschiavo, an Italian-speaking valley town with a handsome arcaded square. It is proof of how fast this railway changes climate and culture on its way south. In the Spanish quarter, grand houses were built by locals who made their fortunes as confectioners and café owners abroad.

Valley flavoursFood

The valley is proud of its buckwheat pizzoccheri, tossed with potatoes, greens and cheese. Much of its farmland is organic, and local shops sell herbs, honey and rye bread from the valley.

Poschiavo → Tirano13:37 → 14:2346mdirectTimetable-checked

The circular viaduct

Below Poschiavo the line runs along the shore of Lago di Poschiavo before descending past Brusio. There it loops right round on the famous circular viaduct, a stone spiral that lets the train lose height in a tight space. Soon after, it crosses the border and runs through the streets of Tirano like a tram.

Tirano, photographed for Wikimedia Commons Tirano - Where the mountain railway meets ItalyTirano
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A Lombard market town

Tirano is a small Lombard town whose station sits a short walk from the Italian mainline. Here this high Alpine crossing quietly becomes a normal Italian branch line again, with vineyards climbing the valley sides in place of glaciers. The Basilica of the Madonna di Tirano, just outside the centre, marks the spot of a sixteenth-century apparition.

Valtellina cookingFood

The Valtellina is known for pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta baked with cabbage, potatoes and melted cheese) and for bresaola, air-dried beef. Pair them with a red from the terraced vineyards, made from the local Nebbiolo grape.

Faith and harvestTraditions

Every September the town honours its Madonna with a festival at the basilica, drawing pilgrims from across the valley. Autumn is harvest time on the steep terraced vineyards, and villages celebrate with food and wine festivals.

Tirano → Milan08:08 → 11:133h 5mdirectTimetable-checked

Valtellina and Lake Como

The line runs down the Valtellina between terraced vineyards and orchards. At Colico it reaches Lake Como and follows its eastern shore to Lecco, before crossing the Brianza hills to Milan.

Milan, photographed for Wikimedia Commons Milan - The last stopMilan
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Journey's end in Lombardy

After the mountains, Milan's scale comes as a shock, with the marble spires of its Gothic cathedral rising over the busiest square in the city. Walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to La Scala, then on to the Castello Sforzesco and the Brera district. Leonardo's Last Supper is here too, but tickets must be booked well in advance.

Aperitivo hourFood

Milanese evenings begin with aperitivo, a drink with small plates served along the canals of the Navigli. Save room for risotto alla milanese, golden with saffron.

Opera and designTraditions

The opera season at La Scala opens on the seventh of December, the feast of Saint Ambrose, the city's patron. In April, Design Week turns courtyards and showrooms across Milan into galleries open to all.

Practical info

Booking

Trainlink doesn't sell tickets. Check each leg with the operator or a retailer before you travel.

Reservations

A seat reservation is strongly recommended for the Bernina Express itself, especially over the summer high season.

Best time to travel

Clear winter days give the sharpest views of the pass under snow; early autumn keeps the vineyards around Tirano at their best.

Trainlink plans journeys; operators and retailers sell the tickets.