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Train stops along Bernina Express route

Hi! We have one day to enjoy the Bernina Express from Tirano to St. Moritz and back.

The Savers Day Pass looks to be more expensive then a single ticket for a round trip to St Moritz from Tirano, Italy. However, if we want to get off in a town, say in Pontresina for lunch, then get back on an hour later to continue onto to St Moritz, is this possible with the purchase of a single ticket from Tirano to St Moritz on the Bernina Express? Or is the only option to buy a Savers Day Pass for getting off & back on at stops along the route? Thoughts of our day adventure on the Bernina Express?

I have tried multiple different websites to figure this out, as a non train riding US citizen, but I can't seem to find the answer. I appreciate your help from your experience and knowledge of navigating the Bernina Express.

Posted by
8378 posts

Are you planning to ride the actual train named the Bernina Express, the one with the panoramic cars, their own website for tickets, and extra costs and seat reservations required? Or just the regional trains that ride the same route as the BE without the fancy cars?

Posted by
31 posts

I was thinking it would be a cool experience to do the panoramic train car. However, I do want to be able to stop and visit towns along the route. What are your suggestions? We would be in Tirano around 10 or 11 am, and need to be back in Tirano by 1830 to go back to Lake Como. I appreciate your help and suggestions.

Posted by
4616 posts

You have much more flexibility with the regional trains. We took the regional trains and found them much less crowded (almost empty), no seat reservations, (so you can switch sides for the scenery), the windows open, and you have more stops. The scenery is the same as you're on the exact same tracks.
I can't answer your question about the tickets about the Savers Day Pass.
We also did an out and back a few years ago, (due to COVID restrictions), from Pontressina to the last Swiss stop, and I enjoyed seeing the sights twice, from different angles and changes in the angles of the sun.
Safe travels!

Posted by
6794 posts

The Savers Day Pass looks to be more expensive then a single ticket for a round trip to St Moritz from Tirano, Italy. However, if we want to get off in a town, say in Pontresina for lunch, then get back on an hour later to continue onto to St Moritz, is this possible with the purchase of a single ticket from Tirano to St Moritz on the Bernina Express? Or is the only option to buy a Savers Day Pass for getting off & back on at stops along the route? Thoughts of our day adventure on the Bernina Express?

As stated by the others: the named Bernina Express has mandatory reservations and cannot be used to hop on and off. You can use the regular trains on the route.
If you buy a ticket from Tirano to St Moritz, you can break your journey in, say, Pontresina, and resume it later. However, Tirano-St Moritz costs Fr. 64 return, whereas Saver Day Passes start at Fr. 52 on weekdays (70 at weekends) if you buy them 60 days ahead. So, a Saver Day Pass could be cheaper on a weekday.
This being said, I would be inclined to break the journey at Pontresina (or Punt Muragl for Muottas Muragl funicular maybe, and have lunch up there? The funicular is costly though), not St. Moritz which is not that great to visit. It lowers the fare by a few francs.

Posted by
476 posts

Here is how you can research the prices

On the SBB website or app:

Search Tirano - St. Moritz

Choose a date a day or two from right now so that you will be able to see what I am talking about

You will see a list of departure times, if the price in the top right corner has a % sign before it, then it is a reduced price for that exact train. It is cheaper, but you can only use this ticket for that exact train/time/route. It will tell you so when you go to actually purchase that ticket. Non-refundable.

If you purchase a ticket at the regular price (no % sign before it) then it is good for that day. You can get on and off as you wish. 


To get an overview of all available Saver Day Passes at once you can look at the BLS train website, just to get an idea how it works. Click on the date to see the breakdown of prices for 1st or 2nd class as well as ‘Halbtax’ (half fare card), or no reduction.

https://shop.bls.ch/en/blscustom/daypass

The cheapest in your case would be 2.Class, no reduction at CHF 52

You can purchase through the SBB website/app of you prefer, the BLS just allows you to see every available ticket all at once. Busier days sell out quickly, others remain available for a while. Starting price is the same any day of the week, you just have to be very quick to get the cheapest ones on popular days.

Here is where you buy them on SBB

https://www.sbb.ch/en/buying/pages/kontingent/kontingent.xhtml

Edited to add:
When I tested the BLS link it doesn't work well. Just search BLS saver day pass and click on "check availability"

Posted by
1516 posts

With a normal return ticket you can take any train, and break your journey at will. So what you plan is doable.
What is good to know is that you can actually travel on the Bernina Express without paying the additional fee. The first two or three cars on the train are normal ones, where ou only need a ticket.

In summer they sometimes attach open cars to the trains. These are quite an interesting experience, and no additional fee is required to ride in them.

Posted by
31 posts

I so appreciate everyone's replies to my questions. I bought a Day Saver Pass, as we have a specific day for this travel, but wondering if I can use it on the following train? It is on the rhb website ...it is a 10 am departure from Tirano to St Moritz...it has a BLUE train figure icon & a red PE symbol (I know the PE stands for panoramic cars), no % icon. How do I know if this is a regional train that has PE cars attached to it? It is the time I would love to leave Tirano. I'm struggling to find the regional trains in Switzerland. (I figured out Italy's train options, but Switzerland, I don't know). Thank you for your guidance!

Posted by
32523 posts

using the SBB website sbb.ch/en I can see that the 0941 is R for Regional as is the 1100 and 1141. The 1006 with the red PE is the named Bernina Express.

Posted by
155 posts

Hi, i have similar questions to.

My plan is to arrive Tirano by 10am and take the regular train to St Moritz and back to Tirano on the same day.

I was advice to buy the saver day pass in advance and upon checking the price for one way journey to st moritz from tirano, it only cost CHF14 with % on it. May i confirm price with % on it means a ticket for that specific timing only?

I am still wondering how saver day pass can save me the cost.

Posted by
476 posts

@movexz

Yes, the CHF14 with % is valid only for that specific timing. When you click on it and go further in the purchasing process (before actually paying) you will see that this is the price for someone with a Half Fare card. If you do not have that you have to choose ‘full price’.

When I look at one that is currently 14.00 with a % sign, the price for that ticket without a Half Fare Card is 25.80.

If you were to find two discounted tickets like this (one for each way of your journey), then it will be slightly cheaper than a Saver Day Pass…but you have to take those exact trains, no other options. Our family buys these tickets if the savings is large enough and only when we are very sure of our timing.

Posted by
476 posts

It's interesting to hear that you can take the regular train, which seems more flexible, rather than the BE, but still on the same route. I'm planning to travel from Strasbourg France to Florence Italy in October and was planning to use the BE from Chur to Tirano, but now I'm wondering if the regular train would be more or less as nice for seeing the scenery. Any thoughts? Thank you!

Posted by
4616 posts

KRS,
Pls read my comment above, I think I have answered your question.
Have a great trip!

Posted by
476 posts

Thank you Pat, that did answer my question. I guess I've been reading so many comments today that it's all started blurring together into some vague things I kind of remember I'm supposed to remember... It might be time for me to take a break from it all for today!

Posted by
1 posts

Hi, we are planning a trip in October and would like to travel the Bernina express from St. Moritz to Tirano one way. I want to confirm there is a station in St. Moritz as we will book a hotel near the train station and that you can buy a one way ticket. Thanks in advance for your guidance.