Greetings all,
My wife and I will be going from Tirano to Chur at the end of April. We originally thought of taking the Bernina Express but the infrequency of that particular train is my concern.
My question is…would taking a “regular” train that has many departure times be better? I just wanted to make sure we would be able to see all the same wonderful sites that we would see on the express. Your thoughts?
Thank you very much, Mark
Just look here. In general, there is a train in every direction at least once per hour in each direction.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/buying/pages/fahrplan/fahrplan.xhtml
No seat reservation fees, less crowded, so you can move side to side as the scenery changes. Windows can be opened for better photos.
Yes, same tracks, same scenery. You might have to change trains a couple times, mainly to short cut St Moritz, with a short connector train from Pontresina to Samedan.
The regional trains run on the exact same tracks as the panoramic trains. We rode them 2021. In fact, the regional trains are less crowded, require no seat reservations, and the windows open. You can jump from side to side as the scenery changes. For us, the regional trains were a better experience.
Enjoy this spectacular ride!
Thank you so much for your quick replies. It is greatly appreciated!
I’m very glad to hear that these trains will provide the same beautiful scenery, with a little less of the crowds.
Be well, Mark
yes, for the reasons above. I love it, I never take named trains in Switzerland. I want to go when I want, change and get off when I want to and don't need the fancy trappings.
So simple one word answer to the question in your subject line - YES
Agreed! In April 2019 we took the train from Varenna walked across the platform and boarded the train to St Moritz. We had the entire rail car to ourselves. It was amazing. A long day but one of our best day trips ever.
One last question on this topic…Should we purchase tickets prior to our trip or is this something that’s ok to purchase that day? Thanks !
We purchased all our tickets in advance (Trentalia and Swiss Rail/SBB) to get the best fare and for ease once in Italy. At the time (April 2019) the ticket machine in Varenna was pretty useless.
Unless you're afraid it will ruin it for you, Youtube is absolutely stuffed with vlogs of that route, Both directions, all times of year, short/long/narrated/nat sot. Your choice.
Sorry, nat sot means natural sound on tape.
I watched several videos of the Bernina Express route, along with the related Mighty Trains segment. And, no, that did not ruin the experience for me, as the homework helped me appreciate the precision that was used in the early 1900's to build those bridges and viaducts. I knew the names of the features and recognized what I was seeing. It still amazes me that the route was built so well with hand-calculated math. Enjoy!
