varun_v16

2 people, getting to Milan on 14th. Would like to spend 1-2 nights exploring Switzerland ( first time). Was thinking about doing Como - Bernina express on 15th and then either coming back on 16th or 17th. Next stop is Florence on 17th or 18th.

1. Where to stay overnight? Chur and St Moritz don't seem like a good choice to spend time and see much this time of the year. We ski but that's not the goal of this trip. The commute back to Milan is also extra long. We could continue on to Lucerne/ Zurich and explore those, making the commute back much easier. Unless there's an easier route to Florence. Goal is to see some nicer villages/towns.
2. Any other loop that we can do for 2/3 day instead? I love trains so Bernina seems like the best choice but wanted to see what else is possible from Milan. We want to keep it relaxed but still get a chance to see 2-3 new places

PalenQ

Pontresina, near St Moritz is a neat smaller town lots of folks here love. And good base for excursions into the Alps. Going back consider the Maloja Pass special scenic bus that plies a neat Alpine Pass down to Lugano - short train ride from Milan.

For lots on trains check BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com- www.seat61.com has erudite info on booking your own train tickets in advance, often at a discount if early enough.

PalenQ

The Albula spirals that trains south of St Moritz use are a series of spiraling tunnels that help the train descend thousands of feet to Chur - it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a great feat of railway engineering for the Victorian Era.

swandav2000

Hi varun v16,

Yes Pontresina is a good choice. I love its location, sitting above a deep forest. However, it has a few modern buildings in town that (to me) detract from its charm.

If you want to experience a smaller town, you may want to consider Zuoz, an absolutely charming town, or Sils or Silvaplana. I visited Zuoz a long time ago and loved it. I have only just been through Silvaplana, but I am planning to spend a few nights there this June.

Have fun as you plan!

s

varun_v16

Thanks everyone. We decided to reverse our trip and wanted to get your opinion on the new plan. Take the train in the morning to Lucern on 15th and Spend 15-16 there. On 16th evening we can take the train to Chur and stay there overnight. Catch the morning Bernina express to Tirano and then spend the evening in Como. Stay overnight in Milan on Sunday and take the train to Florence on Monday? This way we reduce the amount of time on trains and get to see a lot of Lucern. Appreciate the help!

PalenQ

Looks hurried but good if you like traveling fast. Make the BE tickets as early as possible as they can fill with tour groups and try to get seat on west side of train as most awesome sights between St Moritz and Tirano are on west side of train.

Melnq8

The Bernina Express route can be traveled without reservations and seat assignments. One just need purchase a ticket on a regional train. We've done this several times, most recently this past December. We just buy our tickets right before boarding the train. In our case, 35 CHF each return from Zuoz to Tirano, half fare as we had a Half Fare Card).

The primary difference is the windows – the official BEX trains have panoramic windows and assigned seating. The regional trains do not. My understanding is that there is only one daily departure in winter for the official BEX train (?) - but do check schedules for March.

Having said that, the windows on our Regio train were expansive. And, as a bonus, we had an entire carriage to ourselves.

kja

I, too, recommend the regular trains rather than the Bernina Express. IME, the windows on the regular trains are more than sufficient to allow stunning and uninterrupted views. I didn't feel the need to see the sky -- which is what I missed.

PalenQ

ditto to regional trains for Bernina Pass Railway - you can easily move from one side to the other as scenery dictates vs the usually chock full BEX which does however offer commentary en route and plush seats with nice doilies, etc. as well as 'observation cars which are mainly glass but to me these are over-hyped as the scenery out the regular windows is great and as kja says all you see out the glass ceilings is sky. In summer regional trains have open-air flatbed cars that are the ultimate panoramic observation cars. I sat in one and it was a thrill - not all regional trains have these however.

neckervd

It seems that you want to visit Lucerne (why just this city? but it's up to you) and to do a train ride through the Swiss Alps ending in Italy.

Will you land at Milan airport after an overnight flight? Then I suggest to spend the first day at Lake Maggiore, just 17 miles away from Milan airport or at Stresa, in front of the Borromean Islands (with castle and botanical gardens).
You could then begin your Switzerland trip on March 15th:
Stresa dp 7.42 - Berne ar 10.54, luggage into the railway station lockers. Visit the medieval city center of Bern (Unesco World heritage site) with cathedral, Einstein museum, etc. Proceed to Lucerne in the afternoon, either by fast train (1 hr journey) or through the scenic Emmental Valley (1 1/2 hrs journey).
March 16th: Lucerne
March 17th: Lucerne dp 8.20 by train to Andermatt and by GLACIER EXPRESS to Samedan ar 16.29 or Pontresina nearby. Go by rope railway to Muottas Muragl and enjoy the panorama over Bernina mountain peaks and frozen Lakes St. Moritz, Champfer and Silvaplauna. The rope railway runs until 23.00.
March 18th: Pontresina dp 9.04 via Bernina - Tirano to Milan ar 13.40, dp 14.20 - Florence ar 15.59

SHORT CUT WITHOUT MUOTTAS MURAGL:
Samedan dp 16.48 - Bernina - Milan ar 21.40

SHORTCUT WITHOUT GLACIER EXPRESS:
Lucerne dp 12.35 - Pontresina ar 16.55 and then every hr until Lucerne dp 18.35 - Pontresina ar 22.55, BUT: of you leave Lucerne after 14.35, it will be dark along the most scenic railway line legs

Melnq8

Our regional Bernina express trains had commentary too!

PalenQ

Our regional Bernina express trains had commentary too!> wow that's sweet - a decade ago they did not - at least on ones I took several times. Most people just pass thru this awesome scenery on a full Bernina Express but better IMO to stay a few days in Pontresina or wherever and go bagless to places along the route that are nice to get out and take lifts or walk to glaciers, etc.