The Bernina Express Is a Winter Train
196 bridges, 55 tunnels, one glacier and a pass at altitude, from Chur to Tirano. Bookings for the new season open 13 October.
Summer is when most people ride the Bernina Express, and that is the wrong season. The Rhaetian Railway's panoramic train runs from Chur in Graubünden to Tirano in Italy. It crosses 196 bridges and passes through 55 tunnels, over the Landwasser Viaduct, across the Bernina Pass and past the Palü Glacier, then spirals down to the Brusio Circular Viaduct. All of that reads better in snow. The Albula and Bernina lines it uses have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since July 2008.
Booking
The practical news is about dates. Bookings are currently open up to 12 December 2026, and further dates for the coming season go on sale on 13 October 2026, from 9:00. Anyone planning a December crossing should book then. Note too that engineering works divert trains 951 and 952 via the Vereina Tunnel route, through Klosters and Pontresina, from 29 October to 13 November 2026. It is a pleasant line, but not the one in the brochure.
On board
The train runs panoramic cars in first and second class, with Wi-Fi and food and drink served at your seat. The railway is currently offering a return trip for two, including lunch, for CHF 249. From Tirano, the Bernina Express bus continues to Lugano, which turns the journey into a north-to-south crossing of the Alps in a single day.
How to do it
Take the morning train south from Chur, then spend a night in Tirano or Lugano rather than doubling back. On the return, stop for a night in the Engadine, and see the pass a second time in the late-afternoon light.
