Tirano to CHUR Round Trip
 

Hello I am travelling to Milan and I have one and half days to spend in Milan. I reach Milan at 15.30 in the afternoon on a Friday and have until Sunday morning then I have to take a flight back at 10.00 AM. On Friday afternoon, I plan to go around Milan, on Saturday I would like to take the scenic route from Tirano to Chur and back. Can I do this one day. It is OK, if I do not take the Bernia express. I am wondering if I take a normal train from Tirano to Chur and back, can I make it in a day. To save time, I can go late evening to Tirano and stay over there and take the early morning train to Chur and back. Can this be done. Please advice.

Well you do not have to go all the way to Chur as the dramatically scenic part of the trip - the Albula Pass where train incredibly loops into and out of the mountain is well before you get to Chur - so you can turn around before Chur - like at Filisur - saving a few hours all told.

The most dramatically scenic part of the trip is the Bernina Pass rail route over which both the official posh with fancy doilies on the seats Bernina Express and local trains roll - exact same scenery as the roll over the exact same tracks. The Bernina Express is marginally faster because it does not stop as much but over all by a few minutes so take whatever train is leaving Tirano when you get there. Ditto on the St Moritz to Filisur/Chur trains - most are local normal trains and a few daily official Bernina Express ones (fewer than on the Tirano to St Moritz route but there are also Glacier Express and Heidi Express trains - similar to the fancy Bernina Express (these trains provide running commentary of sites you pass.

That said the official Bernina Express is often booked up solid with tour groups so to guarantee a spot of that you must book way in advance - but as you cannot even reserve a place on the hourly or so locals you can always get on and IME always find seats.

Anyway for lots of great info on Bernina Express trains and locals check out these IMO superb sites - www.budgeteuropetravel.com (see a special details in their free online European Planning & Rail Guide's Italy chapter - something like "A novel way of going between Italy and Switzerland' - referring to the Bernina Pass route being the only north-south crossing of the Alps by train - unlike all other routes that burrow under the high Alps in tunnels) and www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.

Milan-Tirano trains are regional trains with no seat reservations and a flat fare - no need to buy them ahead of time - just hop on any train with a valid ticket (you may have to cancel the ticket yourself before boarding for it to be valid!)

Oh well I've ridden what I consider to be Europe's most dramatically scenic rail line several times - I'll try to answer any questions.

In a final note the Tirano to St Moritz portion is by far the most dramatically scenic part of the Tirano to Chur line so you may if time is a factor just go to St Moritz and back.

You can check timings on the Swissrail site:

www.sbb.ch/en

the trip from Tirano to St. Moritz (if you take a train with no changes) takes about 2.5 hours EACH way.

The trip from Milan to Tirano takes about 2 hours EACH WAY so that means 8 hours MINIMUM to do this trip.

I am sure it can probably be done with careful planning.

sorry, BAD math...it will take a minimum of NINE hours

I did it once as a day trip from Lugano and the schedules were tight - just a few minutes to catch the train back from St Moritz - I will suggest OP does not even go to St Moritz but abort the Bernina Pass train at the summit stations - take a look at the glacier and hop back on the train to Tirano.

When I checked timetables some years ago, the round trip from Milan to St. Moritz (let alone) Chur was possible only leaving on an extremely early train.

No need to go to Chur - the dramatic scenery peters out way before Chur - turn around way before Chur.

Get off at the Bernina Pass rail line summit - at Bernina Ospiz (?) or whatever the station by the lovely Alpine lake in which is reflected so lovingly the glacier that feeds it - walk to the glacier and then had back south to Tirano - slicing at least two hours off the whole thing.

The highlight of the Tirano to Chur line is at the Bernina Pass summit - by far and going there is more manageable than going any farther.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-lkYa5UAlA

see how the Bernina Pass Railway looks and see where at the summit you could get off and then go back!

In summer you can ride in open-air cars on the Bernina Pass rail route - these were wonderful - in the open-air gliding thru such dramatic scenery. These second-class cars are on some but not all trains. No reservations possible.

I too am planning to do this as a day trip with my family of 10 ugh, we are staying at Lake Como in Varenna. I think I can get regional train first thing in the am to Tirano then just get regional train when we get there to St.Moritz. Seems getting off at summit makes more sense. My 76 year old Mother will be with us. Can she handle walking to the glacier? How hard a walk is it? Would it make sense to pack picnic, is there somewhere to hang out for a bit?
Sorry to snag your thread but thought maybe info would help both of us:)

the walk is fairly flat and lots of older folks do it - Europeans often with walking sticks.

h?q=bernina+pass+rail+route&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source= univ&sa=X&ei=nZKGUfO1OJKCyAHVjYH4DA&ved=0CFUQsAQ&b iw=1600&bih=1099#imgrc=xVoO3MKlHxAXMM%3A%3B9b0rIqW imgPgPM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffoodflurries.com%252F wp-uploads%252F2012%252F12%252FBernina-Express-Route-Map.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ffoodflurries.com%252F travel-2%252Fthe-bernina-express-and-lake-como-italy%3B628%3B471

look on the map given here - blow it up - alp grum is the farthest you want to go and a nice flat walk of a few kms goes back to Ospizio Bernina station which is right by the lake or get off at Ospizio Bernina and walk to Alp Grum or just around the lake - I cannot recall exactly how long a stroll that may be.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bern...=1600&bih=1099

maybe this one will work? - well paste and copy I guess.