Hambagahle

You are still going to have a real problem in getting any hotel in Sils Maria in late April. It is totally out of season. I have friends who run a hotel there and they close on 3 April until summer. You would be marginally better off in Pontresina or - probably - have no problem in St Moritz.

Chur to Tirano and back to St Moritz is an awful lot of train riding - 7+ hours. If possible add a night to St Moritz/area and make the BE a day trip.

Bellinzona - you can get there by taking a train from St Moritz on the Albula line (line which goes to Chur) to Thusis. Connect there to a post bus which takes you over the San Bernardino pass/tunnel and to Bellinzona. be careful when looking up the connection - there are a few a day that involve only ONE bus. Others mean a couple of changes of bus and clearly with luggage the one bus is easier. (Example: Lv St Moritz at 1102, one change in Thusis and arrive Bellinzona at 1420). See the SBB site for details.

Then you can return from Bellinzona to Zürich on the fast train and from Zürich it is 3 hours to Munich.

However I would not base myself in Bellinzona. (I would definitely go there...) In late April/early May the lakes are marvellous so I would stay in either Locarno or Ascona, just to be on a lake.

Ingo

Jenny, I like it that you take our advice and reconsider your itinerary. I see a lot of improvement here, but it involves some backtracking, too. Another suggestion:

Go from Innsbruck directly to Poschiavo and stay there for three nights. (Frankly, as much as I love Sils, at this time of year I would not stay there and hiking is only possible in the valley then.) The route would involve a couple of changes, sure, but is very scenic and I trust you can manage also with lots of luggage. Don't worry about short times for the changes, the bus driver would wait for you (in Martina) and the trains, too (in Scuol, Samedan or Pontresina). If not, you can always have a coffee or snack and wait for the next bus/train in an hour.

From Poschiavo go to Lugano or Bellinzona via Tirano and Monza/Italy. Three nights in either town.

From either Bellinzona or Lugano to Zürich - straight shot.

neckervd

SOME PRECISIONS:
TIRANO: Swiss train station, restaurant Bernina and Bernina bus station are all only a few steps from each other. it's easier to put luggage into the baggage storing compartment of the Lugano bound bus than to take it into a train wagon. But If there should occur any difficulty, the bus driver would help you.
MUNICH - CHUR - BERNINA EXPRESS -TIRANO: not possible in one day, as the only Bernina Express train starting from Chur (in April) leaves Chur at 08.32am.
BELLINZONA - CHUR: it's not a train, but a bus.
BELLINZONA - ST. MORITZ: take the Bellinzona - Chur bus up to Thusis and change there to a train
"we will now be coming from Innsbruck which gives us more direct routes with less train changes": there is no difference between Innsbruck and Munich (except for the itinerary via Scuol (thermal spa and castle).
Munich or Innsbruck - Bellinzona/Lugano: for both just 1 change at Zurich
Munich - Chur: 1 change at St. Margrethen
Innsbruck - Chur: 1 change at Sargans

I wouldn't stay more than 1 day at Poschiavo or Le Prese (Lake Poschiavo). The Engadin Valley offers much more possibilities. Be aware that end April the snow line may be around 2000 metres (6500ft). Sils-Maria/St. Moritz will be some 200 metres (650ft) below this limit, whereas Scuol-Tarasp will be greener (2500ft below the snow line).

Ingo

Three nights in Poschiavo only means two full days. The town itself offers quite some sights (churches, museums, nice old town to wander around). A walk by the lake nearby is also an excellent idea. The other day could be spent hiking - e.g. bus to Viano, hike to Alp Romerio with cute little church, down to Poschiavo. Sunny, with fantastic views. Or along the Bernina train line uphill, as far as snow allows. Or to the circular viaduct near Brusio ...

Jenny755

Wow! with all this expert and detailed input there is no room to go wrong- I'll get it right I'm sure.
I will spend the day digesting this information and finalizing the itinerary.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

neckervd

Nice walk, Ingo, but only for people used to walk first 550 metres (1800 ft) upwards and then 800 metres (2600 ft) downwards on small and partially steep trails.

Jenny755

I have poured through the myriad of options based on your comments and train schedules and the following seems to work the best for what we want to see and do.
I have developed two itinerary options and please let me know if there is any logistical/seasonal issues with either or if both work, we will the decide what suits us best:

Option 1: Takes into consideration visiting lower Engadine,(as Neckervd suggested it may give us a chance of better weather at this time of year and thus hiking options, right? ), also allows us to experience both the Glacier Express and BE ( I know many of you don't see the advantage of panoramic trains but dreaming of riding scenic trains was how our trip got started !)
INNSBRUCK-SCUOL 3 nights
9:47 -12:27 (train and bus- your comments have eased my fear of buses and luggage)
CHUR-ST.MORITZ 1 night
Take Glacier Express from Chur 2:34-4:37
ST.MORITZ -LOCARNO 4nights
Take BE Train to Tirano / BE Bus to Lugano, Train ride (30 minute) to Locarno
LOCARNO-ZURICH 1 night
Fly home from Zurich

Option 2: This itinerary concentrates our visit in the lower elevation of Poschiavo (which, as pointed out by Ingo and others , could translate to better weather), and allows for the full BE experience from Chur.
Both options do include Locarno which sounds lovely and sunny
INNSBRUCK-CHUR 1 night
9:47-12:48
CHUR-POSCHIAVO 3 nights
BE 8:32-12:49 to Tirano, lunch then a 40 min. train back to Poschiavo in the afternoon
POSCHIAVO-LOCARNO 4 nights
10:23-15:35
LOCARNO-ZURICH 1 night
Fly home from Zurich

Appreciate your thoughts...

neckervd

Poschiavo is located at 1000 metres above sea level and Scuol at 1200 metres. These difference isn't that big.
But the climate, the architecture of these two small towns and the language spoken by their inhabitants is completely different. Both count about 3000 inhabitants.
Poschiavo looks like a small North Italian mountain town whereas Scuol is the heart of the Lower Engadin Valley.
Although I like Poschiavo, I think that Scuol offers more possibilities to tourists (thermal spa, easy hiking trails to surrounding villages, among them the gem of Guarda.....).
Scuol is typically Engadin, Poschiavo is italianità.

Jenny755

I appreciate your comments and it sounds that both itineraries are doable now. I will take into consideration your observation of these areas and make a final decision.
One last request from you Neckervd or anyone else- any hotel recommendations for Scuol, Poschiavo, St. Mortitz or Locarno?
Once again, I cant thank you all enough for your time and expertise- as I travel I will think of this forum and your input !
Jenny

Hambagahle

Sorry Jenny - but I don't see the logic in your first option - Innsbruck to Scuol and stay there is OK but then Scoul/Chur/St Moritz ? No sense in that. To get from Scuol to Chur you have to go up to the Upper Engadin (and almost to St Moritz) OR take the Vereina tunnel line to Landquart and then go to Chur. There is a long mountain between the Engadin and Chur. Either you go over it or under it or around it! Plus the segment of the GE Chur/St Moritz is one of the least interesting ones of the entire ride. You do go over the Landwasser viaduct on this segment but you only see it fleetingly from the train...

Second option isn't sensible either IMO. You plan almost a day in Tirano - a town without much to see at the best of times. And then how do you plan to get from Poschiavo to Locarno? If via Italy the easiest way is Poschiavo/Tirano/Milano C/Lugano/Locarno. If via Switzerland Poschiavo/St Moritz/Thusis/Bellinzona/Locarno.

I also differ with NeckerVD on the weather - Poschiavo is on the southern flank of the Alps. Scuol is tucked into the northern side of that southern flank. The altitude in late April will make a huge difference and the lower, and more southerly you are the better for weather.

In your place I think I would try this: Innsbruck/Scuol/Chiavenna (via St Moritz and
bus 4)/Milano/Locarno. At the end of April by the time you get down the Maloja pass (or by the time you get to Poschiavo) you are in spring. You will have some uncertainty when in Scuol (and many things will be closed around there too) but you might get lucky.

IF on the other hand riding both the GE and the BE is important - go Innsbruck/Chur and on to St Moritz on the GE from Chur. Spend the night. Then take the BE to Poschiavo. Spend a few days. Then Tirano/Milano C/Locarno for the rest. That does seem to tick all your boxes ?

neckervd

I agree with the first paragraphe of Hambagahle.
As to the other points:
Yes, Tirano is a good base for day trips to Poschiavo - Bernina - Engadin, Bormio - Stelvio, Santa Caterina, the prehistoric rock dwellings of Capo di Ponte and Lake Iseo, the lakes and glaciers of Val Malenco or Lake Como. But it's not a place really worth to visit.
Tirano - Lugano:the easiest and most scenic way is by bus. If it must be a train, go up to Monza (but NEVER Milan!) and change there to a Lugano bound train. It's also possible to leave the train at Bellano or Varenna and to go on from there by boat to Como where you can board Lugano - Locarno bound trains (may be not the best solution with much luggage).
Weather: always unpredictable in these areas. Poschiavo/Valtellina can get very rainy in April when the Engadin remains dry. But the contrary may occur with the same probability. We just don't know. But Poschiavo will be a bit warmer for sure (some 2 to 5 degrees centigrade).
The Maloja itinerary is feasible, but less scenic and much more complicated than the travel via Bernina: bus from St. Moritz to Chiavenna, train to Colico, then change to the Monza bound train (see above) or to the Menaggio bound bus. At Monza you can change to a Lugano bound train whereas at Menaggio you will find a Lugano bound bus.
There exists a direct St. Moritz - Sils Maria - Maloja - Menaggio - Lugano bus, however, but it runs only on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday): St. Moritz dp 10.25 - Lugano ar 14.16.
Between Chur and the Engadin Valley, the itinerary of Glacier Express (Brig - CHUR - SAMEDAN - St. Moritz) and Bernina Express (CHUR - SAMEDAN - Pontresina - Poschiavo - Tirano) is exactly the same.
Locarno versus Lugano: may be you will check Lugano and surroundings too. Both places are small transport hubs along the shore of their lake, with tons of possibilities for day trips by boat, cog wheel train, rope railways, cableways (big, small and tiny gondolas), train or bus.
Lugano - Zurich: all direct trains cross the Alps through the longest railway tunnel of Europe (36 miles long). There are also more scenic trains coming from Locarno and running more or less OVER the Alps. Both trains run every hr and connect with each other at Bellinzona. There exists furthermore a panoramic train running from Lugano (dp 9.18am) up to Fluelen boat's pier (ar 11.40) where you can change to a more than 100 years old historic paddle steamboat (with board restaurant) going down the whole Lake Lucerne up to Lucerne ar 14.47 (daily except Monday). Connecting trains from Lucerne to Zurich airport every hr, up to Zurich main station every 30 min.

kleeblatt

Even I'm getting mixed up with all the possibilities that are often limited to season changes and Covid restrictions. I couldn't find a bus schedule running from Tirano to Lugano at this time. I only found the train connection between Tirano, Monza and Lugano.

1) Get out a map to see where everything is.
2) Innsbruck to Scuol is fine.
2) I personally think the OP should stay a few days in Celerina/Pontresina or Scuol and do day trips from those places.
3) If you want to go to Tessin, remember that you can always take the train from Samedan - Thusis and then take the bus from Thusis - Bellinzona. From there you take the train down to Locarno or Lugano. The trip takes 4 hours and 2 minutes. I personally enjoy Locarno/Ascona far more than Lugano. Use sbb.ch for schedules.

Good luck

Hambagahle

The bus that runs Tirano/Lugano is the Bernina Express Bus which is connected to the arrival of the Bernina Express train from St Moritz. I am pretty sure that only passengers arriving on that train can book this bus (and it is reservation only). You can try on the BE website - www.berninaexpress.ch There is as far as I know, no other bus that runs direct from Tirano station to Lugano.

The trains that run on the "old" Gotthard line still use a tunnel though the run up to the entrance of the tunnel is pretty. Tunnel takes, as far as I can remember (I did it over 10 years ago) about 11 minutes. You can get a train from Lugano with connections in Bellinzona and Erstfeld to do the same route. See the SBB site for information - you need to put Lugano as place of departure, Luzern or Zürich as arrival place and a "VIA" Erstfeld or you will be routed on the new Gotthard line. (if you want to do the boat ride put in a "VIA" Flüelen See as well)

Jenny755

My head is spinning but I do appreciate the level of options LOL
So your comments allowed me to revisit the schedules and routes and here is my takeaway:
I understand about the weather and the chances we will be taking- I think we are ok with this and no matter what, we will either just walk in the rain or relax and enjoy cheese and wine somewhere.
So, eliminating the weather issue, I'm more concerned about the problems you see with transportation logistics.
First option, I'm not sure why Scuol-Chur is a problem ? I see train options with no changes from Scuol to Chur as follows:
Scuol-Tarasp to Chur 11:41-13:35 1hr. 54 min. direction Disentis-Muster (this gives us plenty of time to arrive from Scuol and take the GE at 14:34, the BE leaves at 8:30 a.m. so we could not make it in time from Scuol- thus one of the reasons we are considering doing the GE
Board the Glacier Express - 14:34-16:37 - (as Neckervd said, it's the same route as the BE if we were doing it from Chur- just a different panoramic train for variety)
Glacier Express ends in St. Moritz at 16:37- check in hotel and explore town a bit...overnight
Following day board BE to Tirano at Pontresina 10:22-12:49
Board the BE bus Tirano - Lugano at 14:20-17:30 then a train transfer to Locarno
I got all this information by looking at maps and the sbb.ch schedules (and just saw Hambagahle posted same)

Second option, first leg seems all good ... then as we continue on we arrive in Tirano on BE at 12:49 - will only be there for lunch/snack and then taking a train back to Poschiavo (40 minute ride) - 3 nights Poschiavo
After, we head to Locarno via Tirano - Monza- Lugano- Locarno as Ingo suggested earlier (going back to Samedan/St. Moritz is backtracking) - stay 4 nights ( will use Locarno as our base and just visit Lugano) , then Zurich for an overnight before going home.
(Hambagahle this is the option you pointed out ticks all the boxes)
So, my goal is to make sure all red flags are addressed and clarified and unless I'm missing something, I think either one works- correct?
Thank you again

kleeblatt

there is a direct train from Scuol to St Moritz that takes one hour and 24 minutes. I still don’t understand why you want to go to Chur unless it’s to see the town or just go on a long train ride.

I was in Locarno two weeks ago and really enjoyed it.

Ingo

Jenny,

your explanations make sense. I understand that you want to travel on the Chur - St. Moritz train line (an UNESCO world heritage site), which is called the Albula railroad. I think it is very scenic. Right after Chur you'll see the confluence of the two sources of the Rhine (different colours!), shortly later see the (probably blooming) orchards of the Domlesch region before arriving at Thusis. Then follows the Albula valley with Landwasser viaduct (sure, seeing it from outside the train is more spectacular, but the look outside the window is nice enough!), the cute village Bergün, the spiral tunnels above ... and after passing the Albula tunnel you'll be happy to finish in the lovely Engadine. So, yes, all good and understandable.

The second option is also fine, and I like it better since I like Poschiavo very much and it is also a more direct route. There is something like too much train travel at once also, you know ;-)

As for hotels - as mentioned earlier, it is shoulder season and a lot of hotels in the Engadine will be closed. So, limited options in Scuol, I am afraid, and also in St. Moritz. In Sils only very few will be open. The village will feel deserted. To give you recommendations it would be helpful at what price range you are looking. Remember that Switzerland is expensive

In Poschiavo I have stayed at Albergo Suisse, central but relatively quiet location. Rooms were rather small, but charming and had all the comfort we needed. They offer the Valposchiavo Guest Card, a great deal that gives you free access to public transportation and museums/attractions.
www.suisse-poschiavo.ch
For a historic hotel look at Albrici - no personal experience, though. Make sure to book a historic room, not a modern designed room.
www.hotelalbrici.ch

Scuol has lots of hotels, but again - quite many will be closed (e.g. one of my favourites, Hotel Traube). Please note that the railway station is a bit uphill, linked by bus. Coming from Innsbruck/Landeck by bus you can get off the bus in town before it terminates at the railway station.
You cannot go wrong with the Belvedere or Guardaval.
https://www.belvedere-hotelfamilie.c...els/belvedere/
Pricey, but excellent. No idea if it is open end of April.

A quick dummy search came up with Hotel Gabriel, charming, in the lower part of the town. Location is quite a distance from the railway station, though, and also from the next regional bus stop (only the local bus runs through the lower part of town, and I am not sure about end of April.)

neckervd

Option 1: the only problem with the itinerary via Chur is the journey time (very long ride!). I would leave Scuol earlier and spend a few hrs in Chur, the oldest city of Switzerland. You can easily spend a few hrs there by visiting. https://www.chur.graubuenden.ch/en
Option 2: IMO it doesnt' make sense to travel up to Tirano and to backtrack immediately to Poschiavo. Leave the train at Poschiavo. For the Tirano - Lugano leg, it's easier to book a direct bus ride Tirano - Lugano, stazione nord than to travel via Monza https://shop.rhb.ch/en/catalog/product/view/id/18
unless you plan to leave Poschiavo at early morning or late afternoon.
Accommodation: end April is low season, there is no need to book long in advance. Tell us whether you prefer small apartments, airbnb, cheap hoels, middle class hotels or first class hotels (not availabel at Poschiavo).
Ask for the Ticino ticket at your check in at Locarno (or Lugano?) https://www.ticino.ch/en/ticket.html
For Scuol, you may also contact Engadin Booking, phone +41 81 864 0202, [email protected]

Jenny755

Ok I'm circling back to you all. After careful consideration our group has decided to do option 2 with a few modifications- the weather did play a part in our decision after all Neckervd, this option will allow us a little time to explore Chur- which you mentioned, and will also take your advise and not travel all the way to Tirano on the BE instead get off at Poschiavo. Also, thank you for mentioning the Ticino ticket- good to know. Ingo, Poschiavo looks so lovely and we are looking into the hotels you described. Kleeblatt, we are so excited to spend 4 nights in Locarno/Ascona area- sounds like you truly love that area! We will now place our attention on hotels and booking train reservations/passes as needed. If someone has any more of their favorite hotels to share our price range is up to $250.00/night.
I want to truly thank everyone, your commitment to reading all the comments and following up with your expertise is such great service to travelers like myself- could not ever have thought of all the concerns you mentioned or the great tips I have received. I do thank you so very much.

We are so looking forward to experience this beautiful part of Switzerland !

neckervd

Trains and buses like Bernina Express (train and bus), Glacier Express and may be Gotthard Express https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holida...a-express.html can be booked up to 2 months ahead only.

Jenny755

Ok thank you