Hi Kristin, The Bernina Express train route— which can be enjoyed on the regular trains as well as the more expensive “Bernina Express” train— starts in Italy from Tirano. From Milano Centrale train station, you can reach Tirano in 2.5 hours. The train travels near Lake Como with stops including Lecco, Varenna and Bellano. BELLANO is just 3 miles from Varenna, where ferries travel to Bellagio and Menaggio in 15 minutes. More ferries travel to towns on Lake Como’s shoreline, including Lecco and the town of Como at the south end of the lake.
You might really enjoy BELLANO because it has several hiking trails going through the nearby forest of chestnut trees. There is a particularly beautiful 30-minute hike here called “ Orrido di Bellano” that goes to a waterfall through beautiful water-filled gorges.
Bellano would make a good overnight on its own, or on the way to Tirano by train. Tirano itself is not an especially scenic town and, when we’re there this fall, we plan to just go there to board a train traveling the Bernina Express route.
The Bernina Express route travels to a place called Alp Grum about midway between Tirano and St. Moritz. There’s a casual hotel where the train stops at Alp Grum called “Albergo Ristorante Alp Grum.” From ALP GRUM you can see the turquoise-colored Lagh da Palu a couple miles below. When I was last in Alp Grum, I saw the color of the lake and took off to see it on an afternoon roundtrip hike. The panoramic views here are spectacular!.
Just a few miles shy of St. Moritz is the alpine town of PONTRESINA. Pontresina is about 2:15 by train from Tirano— roughly the half-way point of the Bernina Express route, Staying overnight as a guest at the Hotel Steinbock in PONTRESINA gives you complimentary access to the spa, whirlpool, sauna and swimming pool of its pricey neighbor— the Relais & Chateaux Hotel Walther.
Just three miles from Pontresina is the train stop at MORTERATSCH. It is the trailhead for the easy, flat hike to the tongue of the MORTERATSCH GLACIER. The hike to the glacier takes about 35 minutes.
The scenic Bernina Express train route continues another couple hours to Chur,
The number of possible daytrips and overnight trips from Milan is really extensive. Traveling on Italy’s high-speed trains, you can be in Venice in just 2.5 hours and Florence in 2 hours.
Have a great Trip!
