Bernina Express

Varenna on Lake Como is a popular stop on the way to/from the BE, as it is on the train line and takes about 1.5 hours.

Although Varenna and Lake Como are likely pretty dead in February. Milan might be nice for 3 days.

Since your Bernina Express does not depart until 2;24 pm, you have plenty of time to get to Tirano from Milan.

You can get to Zurich in 1 1/4 hour from Chur. Luzern is another hour.

While Varenna is the logical and popular place to stop, it may not be a good choice inFebruary. Many hotels will be closed—-I know Albergo Milano, our favorite, is.

What time does your reserved Bernina Express train depart Tirano? That may help determine where you should overnight the previous night.

Regardless of the answer to that question, I would look to a small town with good tourism infrastructure in winter for the previous 2 nights. Maybe Parma?

I tend to agree with the others regarding staying in Varenna in February. While you might be able to find a hotel at that time of year, there likely wouldn't be much to do. Spending a few days in Milan is certainly one option as there are lots of good indoor sightseeing options.

If your reservations are for the panoramic Bernina Express, as someone else mentioned it departs in the afternoon. I found that the panoramic cars provided a fantastic view, but weren't great for taking photos due to the glare.

When I took that trip a few years ago, I decided to spend a few nights in Chur to have a look at the local sights, and I quite enjoyed it. I had some interesting and memorable experiences there, partially due to my lack of German language skills. As you said, it will be a long day if you continue on to Zürich or other stops after the Bernina Express.

In February, it will be dark before you get to Chur if you take the afternoon panoramic train that was mentioned. Therefore, to maximize the scenic train experience, it might be preferable to stay where you could take an earlier train.

If you are open to considering the regular (non panoramic) train, the views are still great and you have more flexibility. You could do part of the trip one day, spend the night at a scenic town along the route and then continue the next day. The RS Switzerland book has information about places to stay, eat, and see in Tirano and stops along the way. It also has a nice description of what you are seeing or want to lookout for as you ride the Bernina train.

I took the train from Varenna to Ponsetrina and back as a day trip last week -- it was a peak experience. I second the suggestions to spend a couple nights in Milan.

If you already have purchased seat reservations on the Bernina Express, not much point in tossing them. They cost you 32 CHF each.

We just caught the Bernina Express a couple of weeks ago, in the panoramic carriage and loved it.

Surprisingly all my photos have turned out very well, with no glare issues. I was just using an old iPhone 13, so nothing special. Possibly they have done something to improve the glass but I was very pleased.

If you do stay a night in Tirano, which we did, I recommend the Hotel Bernina, right on the square where the train from Varenna comes in and the Bernina Express leave.

I also highly, highly recommend eating at Parravicino, about a ten minute walk away. I read about it somewhere online, then saw it mentioned again on a random You Tube, so we made a booking. I am so very glad we did, it was one of the best meals of our almost four week trip. Sensational food.

Thank you everyone for the information! I didn’t think about sunset. Looks like the last 30 minutes will be in the dark! Can’t change anything at this point. We have seat reservations. How do I go about purchasing tickets ? We may purchase a Swiss Travel Pass which includes the Bernina Express.

You should be able to get tickets on the official Bernina Express website.....

https://tickets.rhb.ch/en/pages/bernina-express