Bernina Express or not?

We did the Bernina Express in 2010. We got on a bus in Lugano, Switzerland and took a long ride and went all around Lake Maggiorre. It was a beautiful ride. Eventually we got on a train and rode through the Alps. It was breathtaking. Then we changed trains probably in Chur and ended up at our destination of Zurich. Initially we also did the William Tell out of Lucerne. That was part boat and part train. We ended up in Lugano. We would totally recommend doing the Bernina Express and not having to change so many trains doing the regular train schedule.

Tim, the other trains ( regional trains) use the same tracks and you see the same views. I checked the SBB website and it looks like you change 2 times between Tirano and Chur if you don't take the "official" Bernina Express. Hopefully Nigel will see this and respond tomorrow ( it is the middle of the night for him). He has done this route and I have not, as yet. I hope others who have done this train will weigh in. The intermediate choice would be the Gotthard Pass route from Milan to Luzern via Lugano. We have talked about this option but I suggested spending a night on Luzern. Instead, you could go from Venice to Lugano on one day, then Lugano to Brienze ( via Luzern) the next day. We have done this route. It does not get you as up close and personal with the peaks and glaciers as the Bernina Express, but it is not one long tunnel like the Brig route. There are numwrous shorter tunnels with mountain views in between. An interesting feature of this route is the spiral tunnels. You can see them on the synoptic map. When there, you would never know it is happening unless you were informed in advance. Travel always involves compromises, often between time constraints and wish lists. We have been to Switzerland 4 times and I have not yet made the Bernina Express. I have been unwilling to give up hiking time and other interests to do it. But someday I hope I will.

Use SBB.ch and pit in Tirano to Luzern, with Pontresina in the "via" field to make sure you are on the Bernina Express route. Enter a weekday date and 8 am. You will see a train departing Tirano at 8:40 that takes you to Luzern with 3 changes,mat St. moritz, Chur, and Thalwil. You arrive at Luzern at 16:25. Younwould catch the next train leaving for Brienz and be there before dark. You could get to Luzern an hour earlier by taking that same train from Tirano at 8:40 but making one additional change at Samedan to avoid the long stop at St. Moritz. Then you arrive Luzern at 15:25. But the whole point of riding a scenic route is to spend time on the train and enjoy the scenery, so the longer route is a good option too.

We took this trip in 2010. We spent the night in Lugano, Switzerland, then took a bus to Tirano, Italy. The bus trip was the best part of the trip. The bus takes you to the train station. The train trip was very pretty. We spent the night in Chur. We enjoyed the day, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do it. We were headed to the Berner Oberland eventually, and we wished we had gone directly there. It was a nice trip, but none of the three of my wife, our 18 year old son, or me found it fabulous. None of the three of us remembers much about the train, but the bus was really great -- big bus, small busy road, bus driver getting out to direct traffic, beautiful scenery -- anyway, the bus was fun.

IT depends a lot on the weather. Anything less than clear skies dims the prospect of enjoying the Bernina Express. I think the Bernina Express is better suited for a trip that starts in Milano, Varenna, Leco or othes places on that line, goes by regular Ittalian train to Tirano and the moves north to Zurich or Bern or Interlaken....

Hi Lola: I too, am trying to travel from Venice to Lauterbrunnen in early May '12 (1 month). if I do not take Bernina Express, but instead take public trains (via Milan > Spiez > Interlaken Ost >Lauterbrunnen) will I still see the same stunning scenery in the Alps?
Should I travel 1st or 2nd class? Realize this is a long day, the goal is to travel to Alps, with best possible scenery. Your thoughts?

Milan > Spiez > Interlaken Ost >Lauterbrunnen)
will I still see the same stunning scenery in the Alps? Nope. You will be in a tunnel under the alps instead of over. If you have enough time to go Gotthard to Arth Goldau then Luzern then the narrow gauge Zentralbahn cog railway - known as a part of the Golden Pass - to Interlaken Ost where you will change to the train up the hill I think you will find that pretty scenic.

Should I travel 1st or 2nd class? Entirely up to your preference and budget.

Hi KT- I completely agree with Nigel that the Brig-Spiez route is not as scenic, as you tunnel under the Alps instead of going "through" them. There is nice scenery after the tunnel, though. The Milan to Luzern to Interlaken route, via the Gotthard pass, takes about 2 hours longer than the Brig-Spiez route. If you are doing this all in one day from Venice, that could make for a long day. However, if you get an early start from Venice it could be well worth it. Or it might be nice to just get to lauterbrunnen 2 hours sooner and start enjoying your time there. Whichever route you choose (Milan to Spiez or Milan to Luzern) you can look for Smart fares on the Trenitalia website and save some money. We have only traveled 2d class on the train between Milan and Switzerland, and it was fine.

thanks everyone! i'll take another look at our itinerary and see what we can fit in. Its a long journey from Venice to Lauterbrunnen!