Bernina Express in late May - Pontresina

Old Apr 12th, 2007, 11:22 PM
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Bernina Express in late May - Pontresina

Hi folks,

Hubby and I are travelling to Swizterland from 23 - 30 May 2007. We'll be flying into Zurich and plan on hopping onto the Bernina Express, with Pontresina as our 1st base (for 3 nights). We then plan to hop back on the Bernina Express route (can someone please tell me whether I can buy a Swiss Flexi Pass and hop-on, hop-off throughout my week's stay in Switzerland? We don't plan to travel far from that route due to limited time) and move on to, say, Lugano, or somewhere with a different atmosphere than Pontresina. Total 2, max 3, bases.

The problem is... can't find a hotel! Most good hotels in Pontresina seem to be closed in late May. Any ideas on a nice comfy (small-ish) hotel to stay in? We're ok with standard - deluxe accommodation, but not over-the-top expensive ones.

If Pontresina seems to be asleep during that time, would you recommend we use another village/town as base? We like relatively quiet places with good views and that has good trials for hiking and bicyling etc. Got to be near the Bernina Express stations. I've heard good things about Arosa and Pochiavo but don't know much about them. Please help me out! Thanks much!

Maya
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Old Apr 13th, 2007, 01:49 AM
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well st moritz is not far or pschiavo (switzerland)
have a look also in italy tirano (here starts bernina express) and here you can do a little shopping and buyng some valtellina wine
but the nicer time to take the bernina express is in february
stria53
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Old Apr 13th, 2007, 07:43 AM
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Thanks, Stria53. I'll look into your recos!

As you seem to have done the Bernina Express, can you please tell me whether I buy can a Swiss Flexi Pass and it would cover all my travels on the Bernina Express and allow me to travel to different stops on different dates? Do I get a discount on other modes of transport too?

Thanks so much!

Maya
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Old Apr 13th, 2007, 07:51 AM
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Yes you can do all that on a Swiss Flexipass - covers Bernina route in full but if you want to take the official Bernina Express you'll have to make a reservation. Otherwise on the hourly local trains over the same route you can just hop on and off. For details on Swiss Pass i always recommend BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) for their sheer expertise - on the site you can request their free European Planning & Rail Guide that has a chapter on Switzerland and Swiss trains and a special article on the Bernina Express or Bernina Pass route - one of my top five most scenic train trips in Europe!

And yes until you use the final 100% travel day on your Swiss Flexipass you get 50% off everything that moves in Switzerland on the other days you don't use the pass - everything.

www.ricksteves.com also has good info on Swiss rail travel. And also www.swisstravelsystem.com is the site of the various Swiss railways, boat lines and postal buses. It also has data on the Bernina Express. Or just search for Bernina Express on Fodors as there have been plenty of great posts on that topic.
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Old Apr 13th, 2007, 08:28 AM
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Wow, you guys seem like really experienced travellers in the beautiful land of Switzerland. I'll look into those websites you mentioned tomorrow, PalenQ. They really help in reducing my planning time. I have precious little of that cos work has been crazy! So, thanks!

I'm still a bit concerned about hotels/shops/cable cars etc not being open in the villages along that route. Do you guys have any idea which towns/villages would be more alive at that time? Hubby and I like quiet and peaceful, but not half dead... I had a brief look at St. Moritz on this site, but people generally seem to like Pontresina/Arosa better in terms of charm, authencity etc. Are these 2 villages so small that they would be half-closed in late May? What about Lugano (which I'm tentatively planning on being the 2nd base of our trip?

Again, much thanks!
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Old Apr 13th, 2007, 09:06 AM
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3 for 2 deal in Lugano: Hotel de la Paix SFR. 332 per person including breakfast and Tessiner dinner.

http://www.myswitzerland.com/de/sdm/...pecial&id=1830

Switzerland is full of sleepy towns. You don't go to Switzerland for it's nightlife unless you enjoy a yodel concert.

St. Moritz is actually quite lively during the winter months but falls into a sleep afterwards.

I'd go to Pontresina and enjoy the atmosphere. I've stayed at the Schweizerhof. Nice breakfasts and the wellness area includes a jacuzzi. Hotel bathrooms are VERY small.

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Old Apr 15th, 2007, 07:07 PM
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My first advice would be to go 30 days later, because as you can see from the closed hotels, May is NOT a good month in the mountains. It is between seasons. I am really afraid the hiking will be a disappointment, as the trails will be snow slush or mud. They won’t be hard packed snow like in winter, and they won’t be clear of snow until about mid to late June, so will be a mix of snow and mud. Some of them may not even be walkable at all. You may also encounter more rain for bike trips than you want. Take a look at weatherbase.com for info. It is just not spring in the mountains in May.

I agree that St Moritz would probably have more open hotels as it is more of a year- round place. You might also look at Celerina, in particular the Cresta Palace Hotel
http://www.crestapalace.ch/default_english.htm (southside rooms have great views)
which I believe is open all year. It also has an indoor pool and wellness centre, which might be a good indoor activity if you get a rainy day.....Also try the Hotel Misani at http://www.hotelmisani.ch/pgs_en/0000_home.php

You might also consider the village of Guarda, about an hour from St Moritz, which is extremely charming and I believe the wonderful the Hotel Meisser is open all year, take a look at http://www.hotel-meisser.ch. You can explore Scuol and Tarasp and their little castles and also get over to the Pontresina area to do the glacier part of the Bernina Express, which departs at like 11 am each day.

As noted above, there is NO reason to take the Bernina Express from Zurich to Pontresina or the St Moritz Valley area. You don’t need to pay for the Panorama cars for this portion of the trip, the regular Swiss Rail cars are fine, IMO. Sit on the right, esp once you change in Chur, as the really beautiful part of this trip is between Chur and Pontresina/Celerina and that valley, esp Fillisur and up through that winding valley. (You would not see this route if you stayed in Guarda.) Save the Panorama car for the glacier trip up and over the Bernina which you can do on another day.

You could also consider staying in Davos or Klosters where you may find open hotels, and which area bout 30-40 minutes by train from the St Mortiz valley.

You might also consider going to the Lake Geneva area which will be much better in May. You can bike and walk there, albeit not IN the Alps, but the great restaurants, more activities and stunny Alp views may make up for that...

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Old Apr 15th, 2007, 08:55 PM
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Hi, thanks for your suggestions, Cicerone.

Unfortunately, postponing the trip is not really an option, so I guess we'll just have to make the best out of it.

Guarda sounds interesting, but I don't really know anything about it. Have you been there before? It is lower down in the mountains and thus livlier at this time of the year? Will there be as much melting ice/rain?

Also, can I get there relatively easily by train from Zurich (I arrive very early in the morining of 23 May 2007, after a 13 hour flight). Is there a way we can see the best of the Bernina Express but still stay at Guarda (if hotels are available and we are not likely to get snowed/rained in)?

I've been to the Lake Geneva area before, but hubby hasn't, so it's gonna be on my reserve list. We're flying in and out of Zurich though, so the location is not as good as towns/villages along the Bernina route.

Any thoughts? Thanks!!
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Old Apr 15th, 2007, 11:46 PM
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I have been to Guarda several times. Guarda is a very charming small village of painted/scraffito buildings and cobblestone streets. I think it is actually the most beautiful village in Switzerland, which is a country of lovely villages. It is perhaps a few hundred feet lower in elevation than the St Moritz village, but more importantly it is not a ski village, it is a year-round village with permanent residents, so I think it may be a better choice for May in terms of things to do in a month in which winter resort villages are shut down. If nothing else during bad weather it is a very pleasant village to stroll around and admire the houses, which is not the case with Pontresina or St Moritz, IMO (although St Moritz has some interesting buildings and does have some very high end shopping like Gucci, LV, etc). It will probably have the same weather and rain in May as the St Moritz valley (notwithstanding the fact that I spoke to a friend of mine in Zurich today and it is almost 80 F, which is extremely unusual for April, and should not be continuing for May....).

You can get to Guarda very easily from Zurich, it’s about 2.5 hours. You can get to Pontresina or St Moritz (to do the glacier portion of the Bernina Express) in about an hour from Guarda. Go to rail.ch for schedules for all these.

Actually, Lake Geneva is extremely accessible from Zurich, and the trip is actually over an hour shorter than the train journey time from Zurich to Pontresina. It is about 2.5 hours from Zurich airport to Lausanne (some trains requiring NO changes), a bit longer to Vevey or Montreux or other towns. There are trains about twice an hour, as this is basically the most heavily traveled route in Switzerland. Much of the ride is quite pretty, esp the last hour or so. If you have a very early return flight out of Zurich you may have to overnight in Zurich, but that could be the case if you are in the Engadine/St Moritz region as well, as with a 3.5 journey time you won’t be able to take an early morning train from Pontresina in time for say a 10 or 11 am departure from Zurich airport. You can’t do the Bernina Express from this area, but IMO I don’t know how great an experience the Bernina Express is going to be in May anyway due to rain/fog possibilities.

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Old Apr 16th, 2007, 01:41 PM
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Maya -
I'll be in Switzerland the same time - leaving for Zurich on May 25th and heading straight to Locarno for 5 nights, then on to Lauterbrunnen for another 5 nights. I'm spending one night in Luzerne to get closer to the Zurich airport for my flight back. Last September I spent 3 wonderful nights in Pontresina - after seeing all the little towns in the area, I would try to stay in Pontresina or Poschiavo. I'll look up my notes to see where I stayed in Pontresina. It was a nice small hotel on the main street. The Bernina Pass train ride is very lovely. I just took the regular trains, where you are able to open the windows. It's easy to hop off and get back on the next train when you see a little enchanting town - that's what I did when the train was going through Poschiavo.
I hope we had good weather!!!
Martha
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Old Apr 16th, 2007, 01:48 PM
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Maya -
I remembered where I stayed in Pontresina. It was the Hotel Rosatsch. Their website is hotel-rosatsch.ch
Good luck finding a place.
Martha
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Old Apr 17th, 2007, 07:11 AM
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Back to Bernina Pass route... in summer there are open-air platforms - no car, just a platform with rails on it and these are 2nd class and to me when i rode in them it was far superior to any observation car on the official Glacier Express - open seating, no reservations possible. Not all trains have them but some do - it could be cool however!
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Old Apr 18th, 2007, 12:10 PM
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www.rb.ch is the site of the Rhatische Bahn (sp?) that runs the Bernina Express and has current info on it as well as other trains on the route.
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Old Apr 19th, 2007, 07:53 AM
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Thanks, everyone, for all your input. I will check out your recos!

Cheers,
Maya
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Old Apr 22nd, 2007, 07:23 AM
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The reports on Pontresina are universally great - those on St Moritz across the board. I'd take Pontresina, a few minute train ride from St Moritz for the de rigeuer walk around the lake there.
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