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A few eustions about buying tickets for Bernina Express

Posted by on

I have read through some of the posts and done some research but I was hoping someone could help resolve a few questions regarding the Bernina (BEX) train and buying tickets.

We will be traveling from Tirano to Chur then onto Zurich
(we are starting our day in Milan and will end it in Zurich)

Since for us, this will be a one time trip I think we would take the dedicated BEX train at 14:26 (we are travelling in mid June)
The Rhb website (Rhaetian Railway) seems easier to use, but it seems I can only get the Tirano to Chur segment - not the connection to Zurich.

I tried the SBB english website which seems a bit more complicated. What is the difference (benefits) of using the SBB english website instead of the Rhaetian Railway rhb. ?

Additional questions:
1. Is there a way to do everything on RHB website.
2, For the Tirano to Chur portion of the journey is it the same cost using either website ?
3, For the Chur - Zurich airport section, can you buy that ticket on the train ?
4. Is there a ticket office at Chur to buy it that day
5. if we do buy it in advance. can we just get that portion Chur to Zurich on SBB - I can try to navigate the website.

  1. It seems there is an SBB ticket office in Milan. We will be travelin mid June and will be in Milan for a few days - Do these trains sell out - or can we wait and buy tickets in Milan ?

Thanks again for all your help.

Posted by
16241 posts

For a train entirely within Switzerland, like Chur to Zurich, there is no need to purchase in advance and reservations are not necessary. You could buy that ticket on SBB.ch, but only within a month of the journey. Or you could buy it from a machine or an agent at the Chur station ( although I did not confirm that this is a manned station, it seems large enough that it would be). That is what we did when going the opposite direction.

Do not board a Swiss train and expect to buy a ticket from the conductor. Some of the trains are " Selbstcontrolle" ( honor system--they do not regularly check tickets). The fines for riding without a ticket on those trains are large (80CHF last time I saw the fine posted). While I doubt that Chur to Zurich is such a train, it is best not to assume.

Posted by
2487 posts

The European train expert Man in Seat 61 has a whole page dedicated to the Bernina Express, including a way to have your tickets at a bargain price.

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