Bernina Express from Pontrisina-reservations required?

We took the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano last April. Reservations were required. We enjoyed the panoramic cars. We were able to fully take in the full sweep of the snow covered mountains. Snow is a real novelty to us. Yes, you will have to reserve your seat on the Bernina Express bus from Tirano to Lugano. Go to the SBB Bernina Express website.

Cindy, According to the Bernina Express website..... "All passengers on the Bernina Express require a seat reservation and a valid ticket" SOME of the "regular trains" from Pontresina to Tirano will require a reservation, but from what I could see the majority are Regionals so no compulsory reservations. I'm not sure, but vaguely recall that a reservation may also be required for the Bus from Tirano to Lugano (but not sure). I travelled in the opposite direction, and bought my tickets for Bus and B.E. at the station in Lugano a few days before I'd be travelling, and if a reservation was required that was included. Happy travels!

For what it's worth, here's my 2cents from a trip I took in May 2005. I rode the "Bernina Express" several times over several days on a solo hike/train trip to Switzerland, and I never had a resv! My recollection is that the "official" BE was merely one particular departure from Chur (the southbound train; the other direction starts from the south end and runs north TO Chur; well, duh). I rode that one once, and all the other times I took that route to stop enroute and take short hikes from one stop to the next, along the well-marked walking paths, I merely got on the next train that travelled the same route, departing hourly almost all day long! And in May, I almost had a coach to myself a couple times! I distinctly recall getting off in Filisur for two short spectacular hikes; one to a viewpoint of that famous viaduct at viaduct level, and the other down a gentle path to river's bed for a to-die-for view from beneath the viaduct! Each time, I simply walked back to the little station, waited a while, and hopped on the next little red train going the direction I wanted to go. The views are always the same, from any of the cars you ride in! If you like that sort of thing, a short ways out of Chur, watch for the "source" of the Rhine where two branches of it join to form the official beginning of that famous river. It's marked on most local maps.

People are talking about different things here. There is the "true" Bernina Express scenic train (wiht panoramic cars), and the other trains that travel the same route. You are correct, Cindy, that the regular trains do not require reservations; the actual Bernina Express does require seat reservations and a ticket. The bus also requires a seat reservation and a ticket. You can consult the website for exact information on fares, schedules, and to make a reservation: http://www.rhb.ch/Bernina-Express.1676.0.html?&L=4 The fare from Pontresina to Tirano is 27 CHF regardless which type of train you take. The difference would be the 12 CHF reservation fee you would pay in addition to ride the panoramic cars of the Bernina Express. Whatever train you pick, make sure it is one that gets you to Tirano in time for the bus, which departs at 14:25. (Note that there are other ways to get to Lugano if you don't want to ride the bus: train to Varenna, ferry to Menaggio, and bus from there to Lugano; or train tirano to Milan and train back up to Lugano.)