Basel to Milan via Bernia Express

The Bernina Route runs Chur - Pontresina (near St Moritz) - Tirano.
There are regular hourly trains on this route, as well as the tourist Bernina Express. You see the same mountains whichever train you take.
You can get to Chur from anywhere in Switzerland, including Basel.
From Tirano an Italian line runs conveniently to Milan.

You are starting from Basel, so you need to go: Basel - Chur - Tirano - Milan.
You can look up train times on the SBB (Swiss Railways) website: https://www.sbb.ch/en
IMHO This is too far for one day. You could stop in Chur, Pontresina or other places along the route.

"What city should we start in?" - You are starting from Basel
"Should we spend time there before we leave" - Basel!
"If we choose to stop in a small town on the way, which would you chose?" - Chur, Pontresina or other places along the route.

RhB Webpage on the Bernina Route. Rhb (=Rhätisch Bahn) is the company running this route: https://www.rhb.ch/en/panoramic-trains/bernina-express

Sorry for not being clear 🥴 yes, we will be in Basel, but both Zürich and Luzern have been listed as places to see. So I was wondering if it would be worth stopping there, before going in to Chur. So much get lost in translation 😱

And is it worth stopping for a night in Portresina (to explore, not because it’s a long ride)??

Can you end near Lake Como or Milan

Hi,
So, to try to answer your last questions...
- Yes, Luzern is worth exploring, Zürich less so. But Luzern does not get you much closer to the Bernina railway. Incidentally, what are you doing in Basel?
- Pontresina is definitely worth the overnight stop, two nights even, there are many things to explore in the area.
- Once on the train from Tirano (end of Bernina railway) to Milan, you can get off along Lake Como, in particular in Varenna which is interesting in itself and an easy ferry ride away from Bellaggio and other towns.

Balso- thank you, very much!! Basel because our son and his wife live just across the border in Germany. About 30 minutes from Basel airport.

All sorts of things to do in Basel - I can spend days in and around and not do the same thing twice.

And Alsace, and B-W.

What time of year? Asparagus season?

We took this route from Zurich to MIlan a couple of years ago, with overnights at Samedan ( near Pontresina) and Varenna on Lake Como. We rode the regular regional train rather than the named Bernina Express train; the service is more frequent and the scenery is the same.

Here is some information on what to see and do in Pontresina:

https://www.pontresina.ch/en/mountain-time/muottas-muragl-alp-languard/

In Varenna, we like to stay at Alberto Milano in a room facing the lake. If you don't mind climbing stairs, the top floor room in their adjacent building ( Casa Rossa) is large, Bright, and modern, with a nice terrace and great views.

Lola, thank you!! How is the view out the windows? I was leaning toward the “tourist” train because of the big windows 🥴

Nigel - late April/early May. We had white asparagus last time we visited our son. So good!!

The view was excellent, although I cannot compare it to the view from the panoramic windows as we have not done that.

A big benefit was that the car was so empty ( only one other couple) that we could freely move from side to side to get views both ways. ( Although if you are patient you can see both sides because the train actually makes switchbacks on its way down from the pass to the valley.

Here is a Swiss rail map, in case you have not seen one yet.

https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/sbb/de/pdf/freizeit-ferien/ferien-kurztrips-schweiz/internationale-gaeste/sts-geltungsbereich.pdf

Lola, thank you! I have a map, but not of the train system.

"Can you end near Lake Como or Milan" - The line from Tirano to Milan goes down the side of Lake Como. You can see that on the map. It is shown as a grey line as it is a foreign railway. One of the towns it goes through is Varenna, that is a good place for an overnight (or longer) stop.

All your other questions have I think been answered: Luzern is a good place for a day trip from Basel, I do it a few times a year, only 1 hour by train. It is no nearer Chur.
Zürich, don't bother until you have exhausted everywhere else.
Bern, nice city for a day trip from Basel.
Other day trips from Basel: Colmar, Alsace wine villages (by car), Strasbourg, Freiburg im Breisgau, and the Black Forest (this last one is easier by car).

Chris, thank you!! We’ve been to a lot of the day trips you mentioned at the end. Beautiful!! Our son lives in Kandern.

So, going to Chur from Lucerne would be the same as going from Basel? Maybe we’ll explore Basel. Haven’t done that yet 😊

Yes, by train Luzern isn't closer to Chur than Basel, so if time is limited you might as well explore Basel.
I biked through Kandern once, your son is lucky, it is a very pleasant part of the world...

Great! One last question, if I understand correctly, if we want to take the “tourist” express, we will need to get there early in the morning for the one daily train. If we take the “local” express, we’d see the same route, but have options as to when to depart? And do you need reservations for that train?

The so-called Bernina Express is the "tourist train" with panoramic windows. It departs Chur at 8:32 and reservations are required. (There is also a departure from Landquart but you do NOT want that train as it does not pass over the famed Landwasser. Induct; it takes a more easterly route via Klosters.). You can get information on schedules, reservations and pricing here:

https://www.rhb.ch/en/panoramic-trains/bernina-express#info

The "regular" regional train runs on the same tracks roughly hourly. No reservations; just buy a ticket and board the train. You can see the schedule at SBB.ch

If you are going to break your journey with an overnight at Pontresina, it makes sense to use the regional train at least for the journey from Chur to Pontresina. Then book the Bernina Express for the journey from Pontresina to Tirano if you want the large windows. Otherwise, just ride the regional train for that part as well.