My friends are going to be in Zurich the middle of September, heading to Milan via train. I recommended they stay in Lucerne for a night or two to recover from the plane trip. They love water and mountains. I thought they could take the Bernina Express to Lugano (pick up the bus in Tirano) but unless I have them spend the night here, they will be hauling luggage. Is there some way around this? I'm going to encourage them to pack lightly but they are in their 70s so really too much lugging around of luggage wouldn't be good. Thanks for any suggestions!
Posted by
Green Bay
21145 posts
At Tirano, it's a 2 hour direct train to Milan. It does not show up on a lot of schedules, but you can find it at http://www.trenord.it/it/home.aspx
Its only 11.05 euro and it runs every 2 hours. They will have to transfer stations in Tirano, but will have to do this regardless of how they continue, it only a couple of blocks.
Posted by
OP
perrysville, oh, usa
22 posts
Thank you for the information. I feel silly asking this but I gave never been to Switzerland before, can they pick up the Bernini express in Lucerne or do they have to go to Chur? Thank you again for all of your help!
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
If they are going to take the Bernina Express they should head out East to Chur, opposite direction from Zurich than going to Luzern.
Posted by
Easley, SC, USA
306 posts
Andre is right; the Bernina Express is simply one of the regular hourly trains from Chur south to Lugano, and vice versa. So if you want that particular route, (and you should! It's beautiful!) you do need to begin or end at Chur. But since it's merely one of the regular hourly trains on that route, you don't HAVE to take a specific one, to get the full scenic value. Simply hop on whichever departure fits your needs and sit back and enjoy the ride! Especially the 360 degree loop just about the south end! Sit on the right side to see the inside of the circle as you loop around and down the gentle grade.