The ultimate guide to the Bernina Express: One of Europe’s most beautiful train rides
Riding the Bernina Express is one of the most leisurely, scenic ways to travel through the Swiss Alps—and to get front-row seats to some of Europe’s most spectacular views along the way.
If chugging past glacier views, over soaring viaducts, and through UNESCO-listed landscapes is up your alley, then you can’t miss a ride on the famed Bernina Express. This is one of Europe’s most beautiful rail journeys, where panoramic windows frame stunning scenery in the heart of the Alps. Here’s what to know about this iconic train, and which Go Ahead Train Tours give you the chance to climb aboard.
What is the Bernina Express and why is it famous?
An iconic train that offers Alpine views in spades
Think of the Bernina Express train ride as a moving window in the Alps. This red locomotive travels 92 miles along the historic, UNESCO-recognized Rhaetian Railway between Chur, Switzerland, and Tirano, Italy, chugging through the Albula and Bernina passes as it goes. It’s a leisurely ride that slow travel-lovers should definitely have on their bucket list, and offers magical moments at every stretch. When you get the chance to climb aboard on Go Ahead’s Train Tours, you’ll glide over the Brusio Spiral Viaduct, pass glacial lakes, and watch the scenery change as the elevation shifts between Switzerland and Italy.
What riding the Bernina Express is like: A first‑timer’s guide
Panoramic windows and Alpine views
If you’ve ever seen photos of bright red carriages winding through the Swiss mountains, it might just be the Bernina Express. Once you step inside the train on tour, the windows are the real star—they stretch to the ceiling and curve up into the roofline, so you’re not just looking out at the Alps, you’re surrounded by them. The large, panoramic windows bring all the best scenery into view, giving you a prime look at everything from summer’s wildflower-filled Alpine meadows to winter’s frozen lakes and snowy summits.
Bernina Express route highlights
On the Bernina Express route, Switzerland is one of the most unforgettable parts of the journey. Hop aboard in St. Moritz on our Switzerland by Train: Lucerne to Zurich tour to spot major landmarks like these along the Bernina railway.
- Morteratsch Glacier. Sit on the right-hand side of the train as you trace the Bernina Express’ Switzerland-to-Italy route to get a memorable glimpse of this snowcapped glacier.
- Bernina Pass. This sits more than 7,000 feet above sea level and is where you’ll chug past everything from glacial lakes to grazing cows. You’ll also pass the Ospizio Bernina station, which is the highest point on the entire Bernina Express route.
- Lago Bianco. This glacier-fed body of water in the Bernina Pass looks milky due to the silt in the “glacial flour.” Seating tip: Get the best view of this lake by sitting on the right-hand side of the Bernina Express when traveling from Switzerland to Italy. (Plus, keep your eyes open for the other two lakes in this area, Lej Pitschen and Lej Nair.)
- Alp Grum. This mountain station serves as one of the best Bernina Express stops. It offers a dramatic viewpoint, where you can get photo-worthy panoramas of the Palu Glacier and a scenic valley called Val Poschiavo below.
- Brusio Spiral Viaduct. This landmark’s nine stone arches soar more than 32 feet above the ground in Graubunden, Switzerland. As you ride the rails over this engineering marvel, the Bernina Express will complete a 360-degree loop.
- Landwasser Viaduct. While you won’t see this famous curved bridge while taking the Bernina Express on our Switzerland by Train: Lucerne to Zurich itinerary (where the Bernina route that travelers ride only goes as far as St. Moritz), it is a highlight—and you will spot it while riding the Glacier Express on the same tour!
Practical tips for riding the Bernina Express
Keep your eyes glued to the ever-changing, always-stunning scenery aboard this iconic train—and keep these other top tips in mind on both our Switzerland by Train: Lucerne to Zurich tour and our Jewels of Alpine Europe tour.
- Pack your passport. You’ll need it as you cross the border when you travel between St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Tirano, Italy.
- Settle in for about 2.5 hours for the St. Moritz–Tirano stretch. While the full Bernina Express journey between Chur and Tirano takes around four hours, Go Ahead travelers ride the shorter portion in about half that time.
- Sit on the right side as you travel from St. Moritz to Tirano. This will give you the best views of Morteratsch Glacier and Lago Bianco in the Bernina Pass on our Switzerland by Train: Lucerne to Zurich tour.
- Keep your camera handy. You never know what you might want to snap a photo of as you follow the Bernina Express route map. Think: grazing cows, snowy glaciers, and even palm trees near Tirano.
See 10 advantages of train travel and why you’ll love taking the train →
How Go Ahead travelers may experience the Bernina Express on tour
The easiest way to hop aboard this legendary train? On our specially designed Train Tours, where our experts will have your Bernina Express tickets and seat reservation ready! Just be sure to plan your trip for the right time—the Bernina Express only runs seasonally between late May and early October, and is sometimes replaced with a local train when availability is limited.
Switzerland by Train: Lucerne to Zurich
Explore the tour →
This 12-day journey threads through show-stopping scenery as you travel from Lucerne to Zurich aboard four Swiss locomotives: the Interlaken Express, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn Zermatt Shuttle, the Glacier Express, and, of course, the Bernina Express (when it’s running in season). Along the way, glacial lakes and grazing cows make the vistas even more memorable.
Jewels of Alpine Europe
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This 13-day trip strings together five countries’ worth of Alpine magic, from Lucerne’s cobbled lanes to Munich’s beer halls. The route overlaps with Bernina territory on day eight when you hop aboard in Tirano, Italy, and ride the Bernina Express to Switzerland. From there, ride past all the views that train enthusiasts have come to love along this iconic rail route.
Oktoberfest: Jewels of Alpine Europe
Explore the itinerary →
Beer steins and mountain peaks share the spotlight on this 14-day trip through five countries, ending at Munich’s Oktoberfest. Before the festivities, you’ll get a little train time starting in Tirano, where you’ll climb aboard and ride the Bernina Express route to Switzerland—passing by mountain scenery that’s almost too pretty to be real.
Scenic train alternatives in Switzerland
Many of our Switzerland Train Tours highlight the beauty of the Bernina Express—but also give you the chance to ride other iconic trains, too. Here are some other scenic locomotives to add to your list.
Glacier Express
Known as the world’s slowest express train, the Glacier Express follows a legendary route that links Zermatt and St. Moritz over eight unhurried hours. Glaciers, towering viaducts, and high-Alpine passes make it every bit Bernina’s match—just at a gentler pace. So, in the Glacier Express vs. Bernina Express matchup, you can’t go wrong either way (and you can ride both on our Switzerland by Train: Lucerne to Zurich tour).
Gotthard Panorama Express
Linking Switzerland’s Germanic heartland to the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, this panoramic train passes by (or through) some of the country’s most famous landmarks: the Baroque Wassen Church, the UNESCO-listed Castles of Bellinzona, and the original Gotthard Tunnel. Hop aboard on our new Alps by Train: Germany, Austria, Switzerland & Italy tour.
Lotschberg Mountain Railway train
Hop aboard a regional train to ride over the Lotschberg Pass on our new A Week in Switzerland by Train: St. Moritz, Zermatt & Interlaken tour. Cross the soaring Luogelkin Viaduct, plunge through the nine-mile Lotschberg Tunnel, then emerge at Kandersteg, where the Kander Valley opens to dramatic Bernese Oberland peaks.
Interlaken Express
Riding the Interlaken Express feels like a two-hour love letter to Switzerland, where five sparkling lakes, waterfalls, and the dramatic Brunig Pass roll by your window. It’s a more relaxed alternative to the Bernina Express since it doesn’t require specific seat reservations and runs hourly—while delivering the same jaw-dropping Alpine views. Chug along on our new Swiss & French Alps by Train: Lucerne to Chamonix tour.
Discover five of the most scenic train rides with the best views →
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It was Jamie’s homestay in Germany that made her fall in love with travel (and her studies in Florence that really sealed the deal). When she’s not writing and sharing the magic of seeing the world with others, she’s usually on the lookout for her new favorite memoir, testing out recipes at home, or visiting her family on Cape Cod.
