FRIDAY, JUNE 10: CHUR TO LUGANO
This morning we left Chur on the Bernina Express train (www.rhb.ch/en/panoramic-trains/bernina-express) for the 4-hour trip to Tirano, Italy. Like the Glacier Express, the train is free with the STP, but requires seat reservations for an extra fee. This train is also quite popular, but we were able to reserve 1st Class seats; the cars were almost as crowded as the Glacier Express. We actually saw more glaciers on this train than we did on the Glacier Express. However one of the main attractions of this train is all of the interesting viaducts and tunnels, some of which are spirals that dramatically reduce the land area needed to increase/decrease elevation.
The first part of the route, from Chur to Samedan, overlaps part of the Glacier Express route that we did not take yesterday. First we backtracked from Chur to Reichenau along the Rhine River and then started following the Hinterrhein River. This part of the route has many hillside castles, hearkening back to the time when tolls were extorted to travel on the river. Between Thusis and Filisur, the train crosses the Landwasser River gorge on the famous Landwasser viaduct. The train crossed slowly so that we could have time to admire the curved viaduct, with its six limestone arches towering 213 ft (65 m) high above the river. The viaduct leads directly to the Landwasser Tunnel. In the eight miles (12.9 km) between Bergün and Preda, the train loops up through five spiral and two straight tunnels, crosses nine viaducts, and goes under two galleries—ascending 1365 ft (416 m). From Preda to Spina, the train passes through the Albula Tunnel, the highest subterranean Alpine crossing in Europe. Between Pontresina and Poschiavo, we began to see glaciers—Morteratsch, Sassal Masone, Piz Cambrena—as the train climbed to the highest point on this trip, the Ospizio Bernina station at 7403 ft (2256 m). Next to the station is Lago Bianco, white from glacial runoff. Just before reaching Poschiavo, the Palü Gletscher glacier came into view. As the train descended to Tirano, Italy, it spiraled down through the Brusio viaduct—the train makes a complete circle and exits through one of the viaduct’s arches.
A few days ago, Italy eliminated the requirement that persons entering Italy be vaccinated against COVID. Thus we did not have to show our vaccination certificates. In fact, we just walked out of the train station; there were no Italian border officials in evidence at all. From the station, we made a sharp right turn towards a pedestrian underpass with the sign “Bus to Lugano e Poschiavo;” that leads to the connecting red Bernina Express bus to Lugano, CH.
We now had a 1.5 hour “rest stop” before the 3-hour trip to Lugano. We found a comfortable bench in the shade and read our Kindles until it was time to board the bus; the weather was significantly warmer here than in Chur. The bus route took us through the Swiss-influenced part of Italy. There were many picturesque Italian villages and lots of grape vines (mostly Nebbiolo). Some of the towns had streets so narrow that it was amazing that the bus could squeeze through. Just before reaching Lake Como, we had a potty break at Sorico. From there, the route traveled along Lake Como to Menaggio before turning inland. At Porlezza, the route began following the shoreline of Lake Lugano; we crossed into Switzerland near Gandria. Once in Lugano, the Bernina Express Bus station is about 0.1 mile (170 m) from the main train station.
Finally we reached Lugano (www.luganoregion.com/en) and trudged to our hotel. It is close to the train station, but on the opposite side from the Old Town. That means we had to go through the train station to get to everything interesting. There is a funicular (free with STP) from the train station down into the Old Town.
