We want to leave from Milan Central train station and go to Tirano to pick up the Bernina Express there. We've seen multiple references on the web to this being a 2.5 hour train ride to Tirano, but when I go to any sites (Trenitalia, Trenord, etc) all the routes are described as taking 3.5 hours and include a bus connection.
Is there any train-only way to get from Milan to Tirano?
When?
.....
August 24 - next month.
No, till Sep. 9th part of the line is closed for maintenance and rebuilding. You could take a train up to Colico and buses will wait for trains at the Colico station, going up to Tirano. As buses will be slower than trains (the road is trafficked) it will take more than usual.
Thank you. Looks like this screws us. We were planning on a day trip from Milan - Tirano then picking up the Bernina Express to St Moritz and coming back the same way but with the significantly longer Milan-Tirano times this doesn't look possible any more.
Have a look if you can come back with the post bus St. Moritz-Chiavenna, then train Chiavenna-Colico and Colico-Milano; this itinerary is shorter and could make up your day. - Be sure to leave some schedule leeway, as the substitute buses Colico-Tirano may run late if the road has too much traffic, and the Bernina Swiss train will not wait for a delayed Italian bus.
Looks like you want the 10:06 Bernina Express. If you take the 6:20 am departure from Milano Centrale, you are scheduled to arrive in Tirano at 9:30. Should be OK, but as was pointed out by lachera, could be tight if the bus is delayed. If you were to miss it, your ticket would still be valid on the 11:00 am regular train, but the reservation fee would be forfeited.
From St Moritz, you could take either the 14:15 or the 15:15 post bus to Chiavenna to make the 17:25 train to Colico and make it back to Milan by 19:40. From Chiavenna, there are also train connections back to Milan at 18:30 and 19:25. Scenery over the Maloja Pass should be pretty nice as well.
Thanks for all the info, folks. We've decided to just change our outgoing flight and land in Zurich instead of Milan. This lets us go southerly into the Alps instead of northerly from Milan.
OK, am now considering taking a rental car from Milan to Tirano to catch the Birnina Express. Any opinions/takes on that? How's the road? The traffic? etc.
