Bernina Express mid-March
 

We will be flying into Milan mid-March & have a couple of free days. We'd like to take the train from Tirano to St Moritz & back in the same day but it doesn't look possible when I check the schedules. Any ideas? We will have a rental car.

Why doesn't it look possible?

You've checked the Milan Centrale to Tirano trains at www.trenord.it? They run every 2 hours, 06:20, 08:20, 10:20...

Then you've checked the Tirano to St Moritz schedules at www.rhb.ch? These run every hour, I think it is.

and the most sublime part of the Bernina Pass Railway is about half-way to St Moritz-no need to go to SM - get off at Bernina Ospiz and savor the views and re-board a train to Tirano.

I'd drive to Tirano - faster than the train from Milan perhaps and no worrying about late connections back to Milan.

For lots on Bernina Pass Railway check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

there is the official Bernina Express with spiffy glass-domed panoramic cars but regular trains trundle over the same tracks just as fast and the scenery is the same.

If doing BE book far ahead as they are often full with tour groups IME.

You may do a roundtrip Milan Tirano - Bernina Pass - Pontresina - St. Moritz - Maloja Pass - Chiavenna - Milan.

Milan dp 6.20, 7.20, 8.20, 10.20
Tirano ar 8.52, 9.52, 10.52, 12.52
Tirano dp 9.00, 11.00, 13.00, all 3 trains with panoramic Bernina Express wagons
St. Moritz ar 11.11, 13.11, 15.11
St. Moritz dp 12.15, 13.15, 14.15, 15.15, 17.15
Chiavenna ar 13.53, 14.53, 15.53, 17.01, 18.53
Chiavenna dp 15.26, 17.26, 19.32, 20.42
Milan ar 17.40, 19.40, 21.40, 23.20

Thanks so much. We were thinking to fly into Milan, pick up our rental car & head towards Tirano day 1. When I looked at the rail schedule it didn't look possible to leave Tirano in the morning (destination St Moritz) & return to Tirano the same day on the Bernina Express. I was looking on the RailEurope site as we are in the US. Will check recommendations above.

If you stay the first night in Tirano there is NO problem taking the BE one way and any old regular train coming back - to do the BE each way would mean pegging yourselves to a few daily BE trains and again the locals go about hourly.

https://www.rhb.ch/en/panoramic-trains/bernina-express

We took all the info & booked a Tues train trip. We were so pleased with how inexpensive it was. We're not sure about the seats we chose, but we're looking forward to this mini-adventure.

Thank you for this thread! We will be in Milan late March and wanted to do this also, but wondered about bypassing the "tour" option and just doing it ourselves. A lot of people don't realize you can simply take the train from Milan and choose your departure times, thereby allowing you more time in St. Moritz if you like...or more flexibility than the Group Tours.

Open http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/en/welcome.html
put in either 950 or Tirano and you will get the Bernina railway timetable

thereby allowing you more time in St. Moritz if you like.>

Most folks don't want much time in St Moritz-but if taking trains Milan and back it makes sens to train to St Moritz and then catch the Maloja Pass scenic bus to Lugano and train back to Milan from there-a long but awesomely scenic day out.

Better to break your journey in St Moritz or Pontresina which many like better for a night.

Or simply go half-way up to Bernina Ospiz and the most awesome scenery and shoot back to Tirano and Milan - quickest way to experience Bernina Pass Railway.

And I actually like the regular trains with no reservations possible and never really full IMO more than the official BE- always chuck full -on the locals I can bop from side to side as the scenery dictates (though most of the awe-inspiring scenery is on the west side of the train.)

In summer some local trains even have the ultimate observation cars - open-air flatbed rail cars with just railings - nothing special needed to ride those -I did and like levitating thru the high Alps.

We're not sure about the seats we chose, but we're looking forward to this mini-adventure.>

I assume you booked the official BE-if so

hopefully they are on the west side of the train - right side you may have to crane necks to see the best scenery- hopefully the train stops at the summit for a few minutes - if so get out and savor the Top of the World scene.