Tirano connection

I have made this connection many times. You arrive in Tirano, exit the station slightly to the left, and walk across a small piazza to the Swiss railroad station. Personally, I'd take the 9:40 train to give yourself a margin for any delay. The ride up the Bernina Pass is stunning.

Buon viaggio,

Thanks, RB. I am leaning towards the 9:40 - if nothing else, at least I won't be stressed out on the way with that bit of leeway.

Any other tips? I'd like to see the Landwasser viaduct, so it looks like the best station to exit/return from is Tiefencastel. Does that sound about right to you?

The trains in Italy run on time most of the time but they are delayed from time to time.

I would choose the 9:40 train just in case.

It's not fun rushing & feeling stressed that you might miss your train connection!

Safe travels!

I expect that you're looking at regional trains that don't require reservations. Therefore, you can be very flexible in which departure you choose, if you don't have a firm deadline at your destination. When I once I traveled that route from Varenna to Appenzell, all six train connections were so slick that I never "found time" to stop for lunch.

Laura - I did see that buying for the Milan-Tirano leg is day-of. No problem. My concerns is the Bernina Express portion. Is it safe to wait until the day of? I don't care what class I sit in, I just want a window seat since the sight-seeing component is obviously the most important.

If I'm good to wait on that portion, then this is a good point - I can purchase the 9am if we arrive early, or on time.

I also wondered if there's a big price difference between beforehand purchases, and day-of. The ticket I'm looking at for that day is 92 CHF as it is, which was surprising (this is on the RhB website).

Bernina Express trains carry panoramic cars. Reservation is compulsory.

All other trains along the line are simply Regional trains. They do not carry panoramic cars, but they do not require reservation either. So if you don't want to purchase tickets in advance just show up at the ticket counter in Tirano and buy tickets, even five minutes prior to departure.

Thank you all for the replies.

It seems that I can only select a seat from Tirano - Pontresina. The full route on the Rhb website shows to be to TIefencastel, but the seat selection is only to and from Pontresina. Is this because the rest of the route is considered regional, rather than BE?

Stacy,

Just to clarify, are you planning to travel Milan > Tirano > Bernina Express and then back in one day? Also, do you want to travel on the scenic Bernina Express cars with the panoramic windows, or would regional trains also suffice? Finally, when is this trip taking place?

If you want to travel back and forth in the same day, you could stop at St. Moritz before returning to Tirano. If that's the case, the 09:40 departure should work, although I don't believe that will be on B.E. cars. You'll have time for a brief lunch and walkabout, before connecting with the train back to Tirano at 14:45 (arrival at 17:12).

There's a departure from Tirano to Milan at 17:10, but unfortunately you'll miss that by two minutes, so will have to wait for the next departure at 19:10 (arrival in Milan at 21:40). In the same situation, I'd probably stop for a leisurely supper in Tirano. That will be a LONG day trip, but as far as I can see, it's certainly possible.

Correct. Milan - Tirano - Tiefencastel and back in one day. Regional trains would suffice. The trip will be on 15 December 2014.

The BE seems to leave Tirano at 9:40 and arrive in Tiefencastel around 13:14, with a return leaving around 13:45. It seemed to connect in Tirano with more than enought time to take the Trenitalia back to Milan.

Very long day, but I think the scenery will be spectacular.

The regional trains should suffice. This is, of course, a scenic tour for me - but I'm not sure if the panoramic windows make that much of a difference. Different people have different opinions... I would think I'll spend more time looking out as opposed to up, but let me know what you think.

Many thanks!

Stacy,

I'm not sure you'll be using the panaromic Bernina Express cars with the 09:40 departure (arriving 13:14), but it appears to travel the same route so you'll see the same scenery. That departure appears to have two train changes in Pontresina and Samedan, so it's not direct.

AFAIK, the panoramic Bernina Express cars only have one departure per day in each direction, and on 15 December that will depart from Tirano at 15:00, arriving Chur at 19:03. If you had more time, another option would be to take that train to Chur, stay one night and then return the following day via "regular" train.

On the return trip from Tiefencastel, there's a departure at 13:47, arriving back in Tirano at 17:00. Again, that also has two changes in Samedan and Potresina. In that case, you should be able to connect with a 17:10 departure from Tirano to Milano Centrale, arriving at 19:40. As those are Regionale trains, DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel.

Also, don't forget to take your Passport along.

Thanks so much, Ken.

I would love to stay in Chur for the night, but I ruled that out since my time in Milan is pretty limited to begin with. Champagne problems.

Everything you've said makes sense, and the train changes would explain why I can only select a seat for the first and last portion, which is fine by me.

I will definitely remember to validate, and will have my passport with me at all times. :)

Again - thanks for your time and assistance. It is truly appreciated!

Here's a note just in case anyone else wanting this info stumbles along this thread - it looks like I am booked in the panoramic car, despite this not being a full Bernina Express train. The 5CHF surcharge was added, and my reservation email indicates this:

1 Seat reservation in the panoramic train from Tirano to Pontresina in the
2.class

I guess I'll figure it out next month - and I'm sure I'll be happy whatever happens. I think I had read that they add on panoramic cars to the regular regional trains.