Bernina Express tickets from Milan
Bernina Express tickets from Milan combine a coach ride north into Switzerland with a crossing of the Bernina line, the 61-kilometre railway between St. Moritz and Tirano that has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The trains climb to the Bernina Pass at 2,253 metres, run past glaciers and Lago Bianco, and loop down the Brusio spiral viaduct on the way back into Italy.
Book your tickets to the Bernina Express from Milan
What can travellers see on the Bernina line?
The Bernina Pass and Lago Bianco
The highest point of the line is Ospizio Bernina, at 2,253 metres, where the track follows the shore of Lago Bianco, a reservoir framed by bare rock and snowfields. The pass is a watershed: water on one side flows through the Inn towards the Black Sea, and on the other through Valposchiavo towards the Adriatic.
Glaciers of the Bernina massif
Between Pontresina and the pass the train runs below the Bernina massif, whose highest summit, Piz Bernina, reaches 4,049 metres and is the easternmost four-thousander of the Alps. The Morteratsch Glacier descends towards the valley close to the line, in full view of the carriages.
The descent through Valposchiavo
South of the pass the line drops into Valposchiavo without any rack assistance, on gradients of up to 70 per mille, among the steepest of any adhesion railway. Tight curves and loops carry the trains down past Alp Grüm, Cavaglia and Poschiavo towards the Italian border.
Lago di Poschiavo
Below Poschiavo the line runs along the shore of Lago di Poschiavo, between the villages of Le Prese and Miralago, often only a few metres from the water. The lake lies at about 960 metres, almost 1,300 metres lower than Lago Bianco at the top of the pass.
The Brusio spiral viaduct
Near the village of Brusio the train turns a full circle on a nine-arch stone viaduct to lose height on the narrow valley floor. The viaduct opened on 1 July 1908 and is the best known structure of the Rhaetian Railway's UNESCO-listed Bernina line, a short run before Tirano.
Tirano and Piazza Basilica
In Tirano the train leaves its own track and runs through the streets, crossing Piazza Basilica in front of the Basilica of the Madonna di Tirano, a pilgrimage church begun in 1505. The terminus stands beside the Italian railway station, a few minutes further on.
Photo: "Tirano-Piazza Basilica-01ASD" by Asurnipal (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Plan your visit in advance
A quick guide to departures, operating days, meeting points in Milan and the border crossing:
Departure times
Every Bernina day trip from Milan leaves in the early morning and returns in the evening, since the drive to the Swiss border and the train ride fill most of the day.
- Bernina Express panoramic tour: runs daily with one morning departure and lasts about 12 hours.
- St. Moritz and Tirano day trip: lasts about 12 hours, and the route can run in reverse, from Tirano to St. Moritz.
- Bernina red train roundtrip: runs daily from April and lasts about 13 hours.
- Bernina red train experience: reaches St. Moritz in the late morning and is back in Milan around 18:00, about 11 hours in total.
The exact departure time is printed on each ticket, and passengers are asked to reach the meeting point 15 minutes before it, as coaches cannot wait for latecomers.
General information for visitors
- Time needed: between 11 and 13 hours, most of it on the coach between Milan and the Alps.
- Panoramic carriages: only the Bernina Express panoramic tour guarantees them. The red train roundtrip rides the Bernina Express in second class without a guaranteed panoramic coach, and the other two tours use the line's regular red trains.
- Windows for photos: the panoramic carriages have large fixed windows, while the regular red trains have windows that open, which many photographers prefer.
- Food and drink: no tour includes meals, so travellers bring a packed lunch or eat during the free time in St. Moritz or Tirano.
- On the coach: the coaches of the panoramic tour and the St. Moritz and Tirano day trip have no restroom, and seats on the day trip are not pre-assigned.
- Languages: the panoramic tour has a live guide in English and Italian, the day trip a bilingual assistant in English and Spanish, the red train roundtrip a guide in English (Spanish and Portuguese on set days) plus an audio guide in eight languages, and the red train experience an English-speaking guide with headset.
- Clothing: the Bernina Pass sits above 2,200 metres, where it is much colder than in Milan, so a warm layer helps even in summer.
- Changes: tickets are non-refundable, and the date and time cannot be changed once booked.
Differences between the various tickets
| Ticket | St. Moritz & Tirano Bernina Express panoramic tour |
|---|---|
| Train and carriage | Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Tirano, panoramic carriage guaranteed |
| Free time | Not included as a set stop |
| Guide | Live guide in English and Italian |
| Meeting point | Piazza della Repubblica |
| Duration | About 12 hours |
| Best for | Travellers who want the panoramic carriages |
| Ticket | St. Moritz & Tirano day trip with Bernina train ticket |
|---|---|
| Train and carriage | Bernina line in second class, windows that open, no assigned seats |
| Free time | Not included as a set stop |
| Guide | Assistant in English and Spanish, no guided tour |
| Meeting point | Piazza della Repubblica |
| Duration | About 12 hours |
| Best for | Photographers who want windows that open |
| Ticket | Bernina red train roundtrip |
|---|---|
| Train and carriage | Bernina Express in second class, panoramic carriage not guaranteed |
| Free time | St. Moritz, with a visit to a chocolate house |
| Guide | Guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese, audio guide in 8 languages |
| Meeting point | Largo Cairoli 18 |
| Duration | About 13 hours |
| Best for | Travellers who want a guided day with time in St. Moritz |
| Ticket | Bernina red train experience |
|---|---|
| Train and carriage | Regular red Bernina train with windows that open |
| Free time | About 2 hours in St. Moritz and 30 minutes in Tirano |
| Guide | English-speaking guide with headset |
| Meeting point | Milano Porta Garibaldi station |
| Duration | About 11 hours |
| Best for | Visitors who want the shortest day and time in both towns |