How to Visit the Swiss Alps from Milan – Bernina Express Day Trip
The most highly regarded day trip to the Swiss Alps from Milan, Italy is via the Bernina Express. While you can visit the Alps more quickly by taking other trains, those trains are not open air, so much of your trip is spent in tunnels. If you want to SEE the Swiss Alps, the Bernina Express is the way to do it.
Though you will find lots of ads and postings about Bernina Express tours, it is quite easy to visit the Swiss Alps from Milan by yourself, with more comfort and space than with a tour.
About the Bernina Express
The following is from the Bernina Express Travel Guide:
“The Bernina Express travels high up to the towering glaciers of the mountains and deep down into the swaying palms of Italy. The fascinating journey takes you along the UNESCO World Heritage route of the RhB.”
This is the only line to cross the Swiss alps in the open air, versus traveling mostly through tunnels.
The train has both first and second class seating (more on that below), as well as bathrooms and a bar with snacks and soft drinks.
The trains also offer WiFi (though it was not working well on our train). They have a free service called “InfoT(r)ainment” where you can listen to a guided tour/facts throughout your journey on a laptop or mobile device. You will need earbuds to listen, but if you don’t have a pair, the train sells them for 2 Euros.
The Bernina Express does not offer outlets or USB plugs on the train cars, so plan accordingly. Be sure to have your devices full charged and bring an external charger as a back-up. (This is my favorite external charger.)
How to Get to the Alps Via Milan – Day Trip
From Milan, take the 6:20 a.m. train via TrenItalia to Tirano. The ticket is $11 Euros each way. This will get you to the city at about 8:30 a.m.
Then, leave the train station and walk across the square to the Bernina station. There, buy a first-class panoramic ticket to St. Moritz. I’d recommend buying first-class for the Bernina Express to St. Moritz, but doing second-class for the trip back from St. Moritz to Tirano. You can also book your ticket online. I read online that one side of the train is better than the other, but both sides have advantages part of the time. Every seat is a good seat! (We sat on the side with single seats, which was very nice.)
We did first-class for both legs, but it wasn’t necessary. This was the one excursion my husband wanted to do though, so we splurged! The Bernina Express train leaves at 10:07 a.m. and arrives in St. Moritz at 12:36 p.m. (Times valid through October 2019, check website to confirm.)
RECAP: You can easily ride the train from Milan to Tirano, then the Bernina Express in Tirano to St. Moritz, stay about two hours, then take the RhB train back to Tirano, then back to Milan the same day. (The RhB is red like the Bernina and operates out of the same station. It just doesn’t have the panoramic windows and some of the route is a bit different.) We left Milan at 6 a.m. for the train station and arrived back at the Milan train station at 7 p.m.
Bernina Express Review: What to Expect
The Bernina Express train winds up the mountain from an altitude of 429 to 2253. The views are spectacular. Words cannot do the landscape justice. You will feel like you are in the middle of a movie like Heidi or The Sound of Music. The experience was one of our favorite of our seven-day Italian vacation.
Alp Grum, which is one of the highest points at 2091, is the one stop on the 2.5-hour journey where you will be able to briefly get off the train before St. Moritz. Our stop was about 15-minutes long, which was perfect to take a few photos of the beautiful mountain and stretch your legs a bit.
TIP: Grab a Bernina Express travel guide when you get on the train. In it lists partners that if you show your train ticket, you are eligible to receive discounts/free treats.
We arrived in St. Moritz at about 12:30 p.m. and had just over two hours to walk through the charming village and eat lunch. We enjoyed a meal at Hauser Restaurant. Don’t miss trying a dessert and getting some Swiss chocolate from their dessert shop!
Benefits of First-Class on the Bernina Express
The most frequent comment I read in group reviews and on message boards about the Bernina was to book a first-class ticket to ensure you could enjoy the full extent of the mountain view. Several personal friends also advised booking first-class, one commenting how much better her family’s experience would have been if they had not been in second-class.
If you book a tour, you will be seated in a second-class train car. Groups book cars in advance. The fullness of the group determines how full your car is and if you will have restricted views. This was a big reason we chose to book the travel on our own.
First-class is definitely more expensive, but provides you with many benefits including:
More space: in the second-class cars, seats are four across, while in the first-class cars, the seats are just three across, meaning everyone has a bit more room, not only in your seat, but for your legs as well.
More comfort: The black leather seats in first class are wider and more comfortable than the seats in second-class.
Less people: Though certainly not always true, in our experience, far less people were on the first-class car than what was in the second car. This meant we could go from side to side in the car, catching the very best views and photos. I read multiple reviews of tours/people who rode in second class and complained about not being able to see well because of crowded cars. Also, because of less seats, even if the train was completely full, you would be able to see better in a first-class car because less people sit in those cars.
Train view: First-class is in the last car, which means you often get to enjoy seeing the train itself traveling through the mountain. This is a delightful view to enjoy.
We accidentally boarded into a second-class car and sat in what we thought were our seats, so got a taste of the difference. I would definitely recommend doing the way up through the Swiss Alps in first-class.
I hope this helps you if you are planning a trip to Italy and want to do a day trip to the Swiss Alps from Milan. It was one of the best experiences of our Italian vacation. You won’t regret riding The Bernina Express.
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Thank you for this information. We are going to Italy for 12 days with our 12-year-old son. I saw the tour on Bernina express and he said he would like to do this. I like your way much better. Was the ride down just as beautiful as the ride up? Would you suggest taking a different train back to Tirano?
Hi Toni! Yes, the ride down was just as beautiful. We did not take a panoramic Bernina back to Tirano – it was just a regular train. The panoramic runs less often and we didn’t want to get to Milan too late since we were flying out very early the next morning. I think the way we did it was pretty perfect, unless you’d want to stay overnight in St. Moritz or shop at a bunch of the high end shops. It’s the perfect day trip.
Thank you! We are also flying out the next day. Definitely going to add this to our itinerary. Loved your Italy post too.
I’m visiting Milan and other parts of Italy in September 2021. I have been to the Amalfi coast 8 times because my daughter lives there but I always wanted to do the train through Swiss Alps (a bucket list for sure). Thank you so much for your insights. It was helpful!
Thank you this was exactly the info I wanted! I‘d rather go on the trip without the big tour group but was a bit nervous trying to understand the logistics. It sounds like it’s relatively straightforward to book the day trip from Milan! I’m wondering if booking the trains ahead of time is easier?
You certainly could book ahead of time. Like I said, despite what I read online, I don’t think the side of the train mattered much. It wasn’t a big deal to book at the station though!
Hi Jessica, your article says to take a train from Milan to “Torino”. It should read “Tirano”. Torino is Turin in English, and it’s on the other side of Italy closer to France. The information about the Bernina Express is very helpful as I’m planning a trip in October including a train trip in the Swiss Alps. Thanks and happy travels, Robyn, in Brisbane, Australia.
Oh my goodness, you are right! Thanks for the catch. I updated my post. I hope you have a great trip and enjoy the train ride as much as we did.
Hi
You are amazing and very clear about the Italy trip. I am planning to visit Italy and Swiss in April. I tried to check the Bernina Express time table from Tirano to Chur but i couldn’t find it. I am able to get it from Chur to Tirano. When did you catch the train in the morning from Tirano? Do you have any time table link?
I don’t have the timetable. I bought tickets in Italy at the train station. I am sure they can help you there!
Hi Jessica
I’m just reading your train ride info as i’m hoping to do the same in June.
Are you still monitoring this sight and info as it’s been awhile since the article was written and i’m wondering if much as changed.
any other tips traveling in IT FR CH
Hi there – I have not been back to Italy since I posted this. I’d read through the comments though because so many have left great feedback. Have a great time!
hi there,
just wondering what time of the year you travelled? I am unsure if the panoramic train is available every day in December?
Hi there – we were there in May, though I didn’t get the sense that the panoramic train was only available seasonally.
Hi Dear
Your post is so informative! Anyway I still need to know what time do you go back to Tirano? Was the ticket you bought a return ticket? And how much did you pay for that since you bought it offline and I heard that the price is cheaper vs online!
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Tara, I’m so sorry, the trip was almost a year ago and don’t remember the time we got back or the pricing. I do recall that the pricing was not different online than at the counter.
Many thanks Jessica. A wonderful post. I am visiting Milan (from London) for a city break weekend (for the 3rd time) at the end of August 2020. I have debated a day trip to Portifino OR the Bernina Express – going back and forth between the two options. Both are on my bucket list. But thanks to your posting and clear details, I will take the Bernina Express to St Moritz. Thanks again!
I’m so glad. I hope you have a wonderful time. It is one of my favorite memories from our trip.
If the Corona virus situation is better in the fall of 2021, we are planning to take this trip from Milan to St. Moritz. Your information is so helpful. I was debating between traveling on our own or taking a tour. After reading your post, we will definately follow your advice and travel on our own! Thank-you
You won’t regret it!
Hi Judy. Do take the trip if you have the opportunity. Jessica’s information was 100% accurate and so helpful. Thank you again Jessica!
I took the journey last year in Aug 2020 (while we, in Europe, had a 3-month travel window from the Covid madness) and it was an amazing trip.
Do consider booking the 1st class carriage. I lucked out on my journey – due to the downturn of passengers due to Covid – I had the entire first-class carriage all to myself (with some baguette sandwiches and wine 🙂
I opted to take a one-way trip on the Bernina Express from Tirano to St Moritz and then a regular train (1st class) back to Tirano.
I’ve travelled a lot in Europe as I’ve lived in London 20 years, so I didn’t have any desire to walk or (shop 🙂 around St Moritz (as I was more interested in Milan) so once the Bernina Express train pulled into St Moritz, I got off the Bernina Express and – literally – walked across the platform to catch the return regular train back to Tirano. That train left 15 minutes after I arrived. The timing was perfect.
I’m just mentioning it as it’s a good option if your time is limited. I recall that by doing that, I was back in Milan around 18:00.
Try to take the journey in the autumn when there is some snow. I didn’t have a choice but to take my trip in August but according to the first-class conductor, the most picturesque journeys are when there’s snow.
And I think it’s better to do on your own and not take a tour (although I’m a big fan of tours sometimes). Follow Jessica’s guide and you’ll have a wonderful time.
Enjoy. You won’t regret it!
Thank you SOOOO much for this thorough feedback. It’s rare that I hear from someone after a trip. I’m glad you had a wonderful time.
Ciao Jessica, thanks for the great post. I have a question for you. I looked up tickets online (https://www.rhb.ch/en/panoramic-trains/bernina-express) and could not find availability for MAY-16th-2021 or anyother days in May. I want to take a chance and buy the tickets at the counter in Tirano. What do you suggest?
Hi Kimi,
I hope it’s okay if I jump in here. I did a check on the Bernina Express from Tirano to St Moritz and I didn’t find any availability also. There aren’t any scheduled trains in May.
I think it’s a good possibility that the railway is closed for scheduled maintenance works in May.
Here in London, tube lines are closed on a regular basis. And the same situation happened when I went to the Schilthorn in Switzerland but fortunately I made it on the last day before a 2 week shut down and maintenance.
I see there are seats available on the Bernina Express from the 4th June 2021 and onward.
If you want to be sure about the Bernina Express from Tirano, I’d suggest you call Rhaetian Railway. +41 81 288 65 65
I hope you get a chance for a journey on the Bernina Express. It’s magnificent.
And again, thanks to Jessica for getting us all inspired!
Thank you Michael, the information you provided really helped.
Hi,
I was wondering if you get your passport stamped when you get there or do you just have to have your passport with you?
Hi Hannah,
Switzerland is in the EU Schengen zone. So you won’t get a stamp in your passport when you arrive in Switzerland on the Bernina Express. There is no passport / customs control between Italy and Switzerland. If you are coming from outside of the EU, you will get a stamp in the country where your flight lands.
Take the Bernina Express. It’s wonderful.
I hope that helps.
Mike
Hello…thank you so much for the info. Do you think is recommendable to buy the tickets in advance? we are planning to do our trip in September 22. Also can you advice what to see in a day trip? (the chocolates are for sure) 😉
Thnks again
Hi! Thank you for this very informative sharing. I was wondering if the scenery would be as beautiful (hopefully with some snow capped mountains still) in the middle or 3rd week of July?
Hi ! Thank you so much for the info sharing. I was wondering if the scenery would be as beautiful in mid or 3rd week July? Still with snow-capped mountains and greenery?
Thanks for the great info. Wondering if we go from tirano to st mortiz and then complete journey to zurich. Our flight is back to US from zurich instead or would you recommend staying overnite in chur
HI -I am booking for July. This was really helpful! I wasn’t sure if the long day trip made sense but I love trains and this sounds perfect. I was considering the Bernina Express on the way to St Moritz and the regular train back to actually have more than an hour in St Moritz (that seems to be the schedule these days). Should I do that? or in July, not much to do in St Moritz?
Also – i saw that sometimes people get on and off at several stops on this trip. Can anyone comment on that? Is that only on the regular train? Does the train stop for a bit so everyone can get on and off, or do you need to catch another train if you get off?
We have to do this in a day and I want to book seats in advance so we know we have them. Thank you!
Hi. I am wondering. Once i dropped off at the Tirano from Milan Centrale. How far is the station to board bernina express? Heard its not the same building n platform.
If my tren from milan arrive at 9.50, will i be able to catch the bernina at 10.05am?
Thank you for the tippp anyway!
Hi Nura,
The train ride up to Tirano is amazing. I suggest the left side of the train to see the lake then the mountains. Amazing.
The Trenord train station in Tirano is a 5 minute walk away from the Bernina Express train station.
If all goes to plan, you can make it. But it appears you want to take the 07:20 (arrive 9:52) departure from Milano. I suggest, get the first train at 06:20 arriving at 08:52 and not stress yourself! You’re on holiday. You’ll lose an hour sleep but gain it in less stress and time to enjoy a coffee and croissant in Tirano.
If it was me, I’d not cut it that close for such an epic journey.
My thoughts. Happy to share more about my experience.
Mike
Thanks, Mike! Appreciate your reply. Will consider to take the 6.20AM the train then. Travelling with a 11 months old, i need all the luck <3.
Sorry another question, as I could not find it while googling. For the regular train from St Moritz back to Tirano, do I need to make advanced booking? If I can buy at the counter, do they only accept CHF notes? or I can pay via debit/credit card or Euros?
Hi Nura,
Happy to help.
To start, do try to take the 6:20am train from Milan! It’s very early I know.
To return to Milan from St. Moritz, I bought a ticket in advance at the train station in Milan so I paid in Euros. I bought the one way ticket from St. Moritz to Milan from THE TICKET OFFICE in Milan Centrale. It was easy.
However, you can find train times on the Italian train website Trenitalia (but I don’t think you can purchase your ticket on that site).
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
Careful: when you are using the Trenitalia website in English, spell St. Moritz exactly like that. With the period after St. Without the period, it didn’t pull up St. Moritz. It will show you the train times.
There are other websites where you can purchase the ticket online but I preferred buying the ticket in the ticket office in Milano Centrale.
Once you arrive in St. Moritz, the regular train back to Milan is a 1 minute walk to the other platform. I didn’t go into St. Moritz. I took the Bernina Express to St. Moritz, walked 1 minute across the platform and I took the regular train back. That train left 15 minutes after I arrived in St. Moritz.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Mike
Mike, Thank you so much for being such a great help. Will look into those details. May you have a good day everyday! And Keep posting on the blog
Hi, i read the article and comment section and found out very good recommendations. I am planning for bernina express in june 2023 with my husband & 2 kids. However, i have two plans that might need your comments or tips. I hope u don’t mind.
1. Option 1 as per ur suggestion which is doing the Milan –>Tirano (bernina express) –> St.Moritz (regular train) –> Tirano –> Milan. I can have 2 hours stop in St.Moritz to spend.
2. Option 2 is Chur (bernina express) –> Tirano –> Milan route.
On top of these 2 options, some questions i have in mind are:-
i) Are the routes/rail track/scenery are the same for bernina express going from Tirano –> St.Moritz and St.Moritz –> Tirano as u suggesting taking regular train going back to Tirano?
ii) If i choose Option no.2, is there any stop at St.Moritz? or the train is direct from Chur to Tirano?
Thank you
Hi Diyana,
It’s all a question of personal choice re option 1 and 2.
For me it was all about the Bernina Express experience. I took First Class (but Second Class is certainly an excellent choice also) and that was amazing, especially, since because of Covid and few travellers anywhere, I had the carriage all to myself! And I only wanted to do it one way. The return trip was just a repeat so regular train is fine.
But if you don’t have anything special to see in Chur, why go all the way there? It’s over 4+ hours and you have to repeat the trip on the return. Good luck if you have kids 🙂 I’m not sure of the option to get off in St Moritz but you certainly won’t be able to do it all in a day.
I’d suggest just to go to St Moritz. It 2.5 hours from Tirano. You’ll tick all the boxes and enjoy it.
Your return trip on either the regular train or the Bernina Express will cover basically the same scenery. A regular train is a lot cheaper on the return.
And remember the train from Milano to Tirano is 2.5 hours each way!
Mike
Hi Mike!
Thanks for the reply. Yes we decided to only take the Bernina Express from Tirano – St Moritz n go back to Tirano on regular train.
In the article it says that i will have 2 hours in St.Moritz if i take the Bernina Express from Tirano at 10am and will arrive Milan at 7pm using the Rhb line. However, the available timetable that i managed to see online shows arrival at 7.40pm (leaving St Moritz at around 2.30pm). Is this the same schedule that you take?
we want to able to have dinner outside with the kids once we arrive in Milan.
Thabk you
Hi Diyana,
Just use the standard web sites and train times. The details may have changed since I did my trip. But on review, they are the sane.
The key is take the FIRST train out of Milan in the morning. I just checked and it is still at 06:20. That will get you into Tirano at 8:52.
Plenty of time to catch the 10:06 San Bernina Express . I tried to put a date in the Italian train company and other companies you can book with but they don’t allow a forward date for June. Yet. I tried April and yes, again, the 06:20 is running. Take that.
I only booked the Bernina Express online before BUT you can get a ticket from the Milan train to Tirano even the day before at the train station. A 6:20 in the morning train, I can assure you it, won’t be booked out. I flew into Milan. Coach to Milan Central train station and then did my booking at the machines, booking my train from Milan to Tirano at the station. I got my tickets and left the next morning.
But I had pre-booked my Bernina Express.
It’s not uncommon not to be able to book European train journeys more than two months in advance.
The Italian rail company is :
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
And the Bernina Express web site is:
https://tickets.rhb.ch/en/pages/bernina-express
But I found the Bernina Express site less obvious to book. Click on Ready For Your Next Trip on the Bernina Express BOOK NOW. That’s the best link.
For my regular train trip from St Moritz back to Milan, I honestly forget how I booked that. I save ALL my booking emails and I can’t find anything for it. I suspect I booked that the moment I arrived at Milan Central from my flight and picked up the tickets then.
As for your timings:
06:20 train Milan Tirano
12:35 arrive St Moritz
Various options to return to Tirano then Milan but you won’t have much time there if you want to be back in Milan around 19:00. I literally crossed the platform and not waking into St Moritz and and I got back to Milan at 19:00. If you want to do St Moritz for a couple of hours, expect a post 21:00 arrival in Milan.
Do the trip. It is so worth it. It’s an eye full of experience. Personally I don’t think you should fuss with going around St Moritz with the time scale. Do what I did and I have memories for a lifetime (and I’ll do it again!)
I hope this helps.
Mike
Thank you Mika for the time to explain, found it very useful.
We already purchased our bernina express ticket online, and now trying to check out the purchase for the regular train tickets out/back to Milan. I hope that i can manage to buy them online so i dont have to go to milan centrale the day i arrive in Milan (which is a day before the travel day).
thank you again
Hi..
Is it normal that when we purchase bernina ticket for kids below 5years old, that there’s no printed ticket/actual ticket for them?
We already booked four (4) 1st class seats, however, when we purchased tickets, only 3 printed tickets.
thank you
I just want to appreciate for doing a fantastic job explaining everything. I am going there in June and searched so much but could not find any relevant info. I stumbled upon your page and now i am set. Thank you so much from Canada.
Hi..Found this article very informative.. Could you please share a link of the website to book a return RhB train back to Tirano..
Thanks..
hi, i came across your blog. can u share some information how i can travel milan to zermatt?hence I am non EU so the train system and routes are complicated to me. From which website I can get the tickets of Bernina Express in Advance?
i will appreciate your advice.
thanks and regards.