we are considering a road trip around northern Italy for about 3 weeks mid-Sept to mid-Oct and would like to do a day trip over the Alps into Switzerland . (We will do the Dolomites by car too). We were thinking of leaving the car in Tirano and taking the Bernina Express to St. Moritz on the tourist train and then returning on the regional train later the same day. We'd be interested in thoughts about doing that, whether this is feasible, if St. Moritz is far enough or if Chur might be a better destination, how much time to allow to enjoy time in any recommended stops along the way back, etc. Any advice and information about those questions, costs, reservations, etc would be appreciated.
Our general trip plan will cover Venice, Padua, Dolomites, Ravenna, Verona, Lake Como or another lake, possibly we would leave for home from Zurich and not do this as a day trip. We want to take about 5 days for Venice this time to include Murano and Burano. happy to have thoughts or recommendations on any of that as well.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33582 posts
You will get a flavour of it going to Sankt Moritz but only a taste. You will go over the summit and experience the open-air corkscrew but you will miss the dogbone tunnels and most of the scenery, and miss the Landwasser Viaduct (beyond Filisur) which is even more impressive in person than in photos.
You can only do what you can do, but out and back on that train route can take up much of a day. I have done it from Chur but didn't have time to sneeze in Tirano. I spent enough time in Chur to try various bits and pieces, and enjoyed being near Davos, on that line too. Sankt Moritz didn't do much for me but I didn't have the time to spend much time there.
I've never ridden the tourist train - while it is air conditioned I much prefer opening windows for photos so as to avoid reflection from the glass. Or ride at the door and be very very careful of sticking out a head. You will always find me on the hourly normal train.
If your car isn't rented from Switzerland it will cost a small fortune to return it there. You also need a CHF40 (around €36) toll Vignette to stick to the windscreen, and you also (if you are not a holder of a driver license issued in a member country of the EU) need IDPs for each driver in Italy. But you probably know all that...
I love Venice, and we return as often as we can. 5 days (6 nights??) would be about right for me, or maybe I could be happy with 5 nights and 4 days - but I have been so often it is like visiting an old friend and I'm happy with whatever I get.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, Wa, USA
24 posts
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I am already reworking my plan and may travel from Tirano all the way to Zurich and depart for home from there. Great points about the train windows.
Posted by
Atlanta
984 posts
MaryJean, we did a similar trip but shorter and in the other direction a few years ago in mid-October. My main intent was to connect Germany and Italy via the Bernina Express. The weather and scenery were stunning! I love about 4 hours on a train, and then I want to get off and do something else. We overnighted in Chur, then rode the regional train about 4 hours to the incredible Romantik Hotel Muottas Muragl which is accessed only by funicular. I got this idea from The Man in Seat 61. It's not a budget accommodation, but sitting on their deck on top of the world with hang gliders swooping overhead was one magical afternoon. The next day we took another regional train for about 4 hours to Tirano, then an Italian train on to Varenna on Lake Como.
At the Muottas Muragl there are great hiking opportunities if you can handle the altitude. I haven't been on the red train, but the regional train runs on the same tracks and seemed just great to me. We don't usually opt for first class tickets, but I'm glad we did on this trip. On the first leg we had a car all to ourselves for the four of us, which was great for jumping around taking pictures. The second leg had lots of hikers, and we were grateful to just find four seats in the same car!
This forum was so helpful answering all my questions about how to put together this train trip. We bought all our train tickets in Chur, and they were helpful there also. Now I want to do the Bernina Express in the snow. Thinking about trying that from Milan in March. You might find some answers about the train connections in my posting history if you're interested. Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Seattle, Wa, USA
24 posts
Thank you Ruth. I can feel your excitement!