Hello! My Fiance and I are visiting his family in Brusio 9/7/24- 9/11/2024 and are having a hard time figuring out how we should travel from one destination to the next. We are a bit overwhelmed with the many options and want to make sure we book ahead of time if we need to. We are going to fly into Milan and take the train to Tirano where his family will pick us up. After that we are heading to Grindelwald 9/11-9/16, Lucerne 9/16-9/20, and then munich. We are trying to book one of the scenic trains at some point during our visit but the locations are not very convenient based on where we are traveling to and from. We like the Golden pass train and I know the Bernina express does leave from Tirano. Do you have any suggestions on which trains would be the most convenient based on our travel plans? Our biggest challenge seems to be getting from Tirano to Grindelwald. We prefer to take the train but are open to taking a bus if need be! We are open to any and all suggestions!
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2544 posts
For travel in Switzerland, use the SBB Mobile app to see train options.
The Bernina Express makes the most sense, because you will already be in Tirano. You just have to get from the end point to Grindelwald. In the SBB app, enter your start point as Tirano, end point as Grindelwald, via Chur. Look at the options. The ones with “PE” next to them are the Bernina Express. Click on that option and you will see that noted. You. A reserve the panoramic cars on these trains. The other trains go the same exact route, but don’t have panoramic cars or require reservations, and may have more stops. It will be a long day on the train. No way around that.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much for the reply! So before reading your response, we thought of deciding to take the Bernina Express from Tirano to Chur, and then hop on a train from Chur with end point in Grindelwald. However, it is a bit confusing when multiple stations come up for Chur and Grindelwald. I am unsure how to know that I am looking at the correct stations when choosing them on SBB.
Do you know what station in Chur Bernina Express uses? Maybe then I will be able to know for sure which route to look at for getting from Chur to Grindelwald.
Thank you so much for your help!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
The regional trains that run on the same tracks as the Bernina Express stop in Brusio, so you could board there, no reservations required. We have ridden the regional train on this route and prefer it to the named Bernina Express train. You are free to move about the car from side to side for the best views. And you do not pave to have a reservation and do not need to commit to a particular train in advance.
For any town like Chur, etc., use the HB (Hauptbahnhof) station as the place. That is where you meet the next train and change.
This is one reason I use the SBB website and not the app. It is much easier to figure out on the website.
Posted by
Wengen
2488 posts
When using the SBB Planner, when you start entering a town name the main station is usually the first one that pops up. And normally it is just called after the town, so the main station in Chur is just called Chur.
The planner has the complete public transport system in its database, that is why you see so many destinations. Most of them are bus stops. So if it has a comma in it, it is a bus stop (or sometimes a tram stop), "Chur, Alexanderplatz".
And here is another trick: If you know the street address of your destination, or the name of a point of interest, you can enter that too. Often you can just enter the hotel name in the destination field, and it will figure out the best route for you.
Its a nation wide mass transit network, and you'll get the hang of it.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4853 posts
These guys love to vlog and I believe you can pay for a consult as well
Posted by
213 posts
While Alpins in the Alps are good, I prefer the Travelling Swiss. They are more mature, and also don't seem to be trying to make as much money from their videos.