Bernina Express - how far to go?
 

A quick question on the Bernina Express please - we have two nights in Chur in August and are going to take a day trip on the Bernina Express, probably on the local trains. My current thought is to go as far as Poschiavo and back - a journey time of about 8 hours in total.

My question - is this a sensible itinerary, giving us maybe 4 hours or so to break the journey, or is the scenery after Poschiavo good enough that it would be worthwhile going further, maybe even as far as Tirano? This would obviously leave a lot less time to make stops en route.

Thanks

Alan

The ride from Chur is long enough to Poschiavo and back. If you don't absolutely need to see the circular viaduct of Brusio then don't go farther than Miralago, which is three stops (I think) beyond Poschiavo. Reason is that Miralago has a very good restaurant by the lake and the view of the lake and the snow-capped mountains of the Bernina Massif are stunning.

However, nothing wrong with only going to Poschiavo, exploring the small town a bit, having a little lunch in one oft the nice restaurants there (or coffee, ice-cream, whatever) and hopping on the next train back.

Another excellent place for lunch is Alp Grüm where the local/regional trains stop. Restaurant with terrace offering gorgeous views of Palü Glacier and Peak and the turquoise lake below.

I wouldn't go all the way to Tirano, by all means. A waste of time.

Hi Ingo :)

MagicRat - I'd second Ingo's suggestion to stop at Alp Grüm. The restaurant terrace views are spectacular! Lovely walks in the area, too. I remember taking the open car a couple times (good weather permitting). Lots of great photo ops.

Happy travels!

Thanks Ingo and Swiss Hiker - I think we'll probably go as far as Poschiavo. Most people on the forum seem to recommend just taking the regular train rather than the Express itself - would I be correct in saying we don't need reservations for that? We'll be in Chur the day before the journey - if we did need a reservation would it be OK to get it then?

Thanks

Alan

You don't need a reservation for regular trains at all. You even can choose right there if you want to sit in a standard car or in one of those "convertible" from which you have the best panoramic views. Most of the regular trains have those special cars in summer.

Oh, and greetings to TX! ;-) Good to see you posting, swisshiker!