THE BERNINA EXPRESS
Chur-St Moritz-Tirano
The
Bernina Express connects Chur in the canton of Graubünden with Poschiavo
and Tirano in the Italian Veltlin district, with travel across the Bernina
Pass, the highest of the Alps passes. The route can travel from sunny summer forested Albula Valley to snow
blown heights in the pass and back once again to grassy pasture fields
in the course of 2 ½ hours. For my money the Berina Express is the
most impressive of the Swiss Scenic train routes, both for the scenery and the marvel of its engineering. It is actually one of
the shorter scenic trips in distance, but almost in two worlds, and usually taken as a return round trip. The red liveried train
operated by the Rhaetian Railway climbs to 2,253 metres above sea level,
where the permanant glaciers cling to the crags between Switzerland and
Italy.
The
Bernina Express offers a most beautiful connection from the cool
north to the temperate south on the highest trans-Alpine rail route.
Take a seat in one of the very modern panoramic window coaches, and
lean back to enjoy the scenery. The Bernina Express passes through
the Unesco World Heritage designated viaducts and tunnels which has
made this train line one of the world's most fascintating rail trips.
The Bernina Express shares part of the same route as the Glacier
Express. From Tirano, during the summer months, rather than make
the return journay, you can take a bus from Tirano to Lugano in Italian
speaking Switzeraland to take the Willhelm Tell Scenic Train and
Steamer Route to Lucerne.
Seat
reservations are required on the Bernina Express. With a Swiss Pass
or Rail Pass there is only a seat reservation suppplement. There
is no meal service on the Bernina Express, though snack carts with
a full compliment of beverages, sandwiches and snacks, pass your
seat at the view windows. Kids will likely clamour for one of the stuffed
plush mounatin rams which are the symbol of the Graubunden region.
The stop in Tirano allows enough time for some sight-seeing and a
lunch at one of the restaurants around the station square or near
the famous pilgrimmage chuch which you see out the window when the
train rolls down the middle of the street in the Italian town at
the end of the line. Be sure to have valid entry documents for Italy
(Shengen Europe) since you do cross the border. (For US, Canadian
’t require anything extra). This route can also be taken in a standard regional train, sometimes actually connected to the panoramic cars. © sbr
