Bernina Express first class – Tirano to St. Moritz and why the regional train is the open secret

The Bernina Express has been a UNESCO World Heritage railway since 2008 and the route it runs — from the palm trees of northern Italy up to the glaciers of the Swiss Alps and back down — is genuinely one of the most extraordinary train journeys in the world. Not “one of the best in Europe.” One of the best on earth. The vlog covers this route in both directions: the Bernina Express panoramic first class from Tirano to St. Moritz at 89 CHF, and then the return on the regional Bernina train in first class from St. Moritz to Tirano at 62 CHF. The final section does a direct comparison of the two experiences. That comparison is the genuinely useful part because it answers a question most people are quietly asking once they see the price difference: is the Bernina Express surcharge actually worth it, or does the regional train deliver the same route for less? The answer is more nuanced than most articles admit. Let me cover everything.

The route — what the UNESCO designation actually means

The Rhaetian Railway’s Albula and Bernina lines were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 in a joint nomination with the Albula line — the first cross-border World Heritage railway in the world. The Bernina line specifically connects Tirano in Italy’s Lombardy region to St. Moritz in Switzerland’s Graubünden canton, crossing the Alps at the Bernina Pass — the highest transalpine railway crossing in the world at 2,253 metres above sea level, reached without a single rack-and-pinion section. The entire line is adhesion railway only, meaning the train climbs purely through friction with the rails on gradients up to 7%. Engineering and scenery in genuinely equal measure.

The full route statistics:

• 📏 61 km from Tirano to St. Moritz (2 hours 29 minutes on the Bernina Express)
• 🏔️ 2,253 metres altitude at Ospizio Bernina — the highest point on the route and the highest open railway line in the Alps
• 🌡️ 1,700 metre altitude difference between Tirano (429m) and Ospizio Bernina — all without rack and pinion
• 🌉 196 bridges and 55 tunnels on the full Chur-Tirano route (including the Albula section)
• 🌀 The famous Brusio spiral viaduct — where the train loops in a complete circle to manage the steep gradient, one of only a handful of similar structures in the world

The Bernina Express — panoramic first class from Tirano

The vlog’s outbound journey starts at Tirano Station at the 00:24 mark and the carriage and seat section runs from 01:47 to around 05:45. The Bernina Express is Rhaetian Railway’s branded scenic service on this route — the “Express” in the name is slightly ironic since it stops less than the regional trains but isn’t faster. What it actually means is panoramic carriages with reserved seats, a formal tourist product with audio commentary in multiple languages, an onboard app with route information, and the comfort of knowing exactly where you’ll be sitting. For visitors doing this route once who want the curated experience, the Express positioning delivers.

First class on the Bernina Express:

• 🪟 Large panoramic windows — the key differentiator from standard carriages. The windows extend up into the roof area for a wider viewing angle, which on a route with steep Alpine passes above you matters significantly for actually seeing what you’re climbing through
• 💺 Reserved seat in a bay of 4 (2×2 seats adjacent to the corridor) — seats 1-2 face forward, seats 3-4 face backward in each bay
• 📻 Audio commentary in multiple languages via loudspeaker covering the key sights as you pass them
• 📱 Onboard Wi-Fi and infotainment app with route maps, altitude profiles, and sight information
• 🔌 USB charging at seats
• 🍽️ Mini-bar service on some services — snack bags with antipasti and drinks can be pre-ordered for groups of 10+, but individual refreshment service has been limited on some Bernina sections. The vlog’s menu section at the 09:07 mark covers what was available on this departure

The ticket structure: you pay a basic ticket (57 CHF from Tirano to St. Moritz) which covers the journey on Rhaetian Railway, plus a Bernina Express surcharge of 32 CHF in first class (or 18 CHF in second class for the shorter St. Moritz-Tirano journey). Total for first class Bernina Express Tirano to St. Moritz: 89 CHF. If you hold a Swiss Travel Pass, the basic ticket is covered and you pay only the reservation surcharge.

One practical note the vlog covers: the panoramic carriages have large fixed windows optimised for the view. For photographers wanting to shoot without glass reflections, there’s a small opening window in the luggage vestibule at the opposite end of each car from the entrance door — a somewhat obscure tip that train photography specialists specifically seek out. The regional train’s opening windows (covered later) are the reason some photographers actually prefer it.

The highlights along the route — what you’re actually looking at

The vlog gives each major stop and highlight its own section and this breakdown is worth following on your own journey. In order from Tirano northward:

🌀 Brusio Spiral Viaduct — 07:05

The main engineering spectacle of the southern section. About 10 minutes after leaving Tirano, the train enters a complete 360-degree loop — a full circle on a stone viaduct built in 1908 to manage a 7% gradient in a stretch where there wasn’t room for switchbacks or rack and pinion. The train curves around until you can see the track you were just on above or below you depending on direction. It’s genuinely unusual and the vlog gives it two full minutes of coverage at the 07:05 mark. Window position matters here: right-side windows in the direction toward Tirano have the better view of the full viaduct structure as you loop around it. If you’re heading north from Tirano, the left side shows the inner loop and the valley, the right side shows the external arc. The audio commentary on the Bernina Express flags this section specifically.

🏘️ Poschiavo — 09:07

The main town in the Valposchiavo valley, sitting at 1,014 metres. The vlog’s Poschiavo section covers the village and the beautiful lake (Lago di Poschiavo) adjacent to the line, and it’s here the menu coverage happens at the 09:07 mark. Poschiavo is where the landscape transitions — you’ve passed the Brusio viaduct and the Italian section and are now definitively in the Swiss Alpine world, though the vegetation is still Mediterranean at this altitude. The train stops here and passengers can step off, but Poschiavo is a destination in itself for those who want to linger — return trains run regularly enough that you can break the journey.

⛰️ Alp Grüm — 19:46

At 2,091 metres, Alp Grüm is where the route starts feeling genuinely high-alpine. The station has a restaurant with panoramic terrace views back over Lago di Poschiavo thousands of metres below and ahead toward the glaciers. The vlog spends several minutes here including the souvenir shop at the station — one of the more dramatically positioned train station gift shops you’ll encounter anywhere. In summer the views of the Palü Glacier from Alp Grüm are extraordinary. The station café serves the only hot meal available on the route itself for independent travellers (as opposed to the onboard mini-bar).

🏔️ Ospizio Bernina — the highest point at 2,253 metres

The vlog covers the highest point at 19:46 to 24:20. Ospizio Bernina is the summit of the route — 2,253 metres, the highest altitude reached by an adhesion railway in the Alps. The landscape here shifts completely: glaciers on both sides, Lago Bianco (the white lake, named for the milky appearance from glacial meltwater) filling the plateau between the mountains, the sky feeling genuinely closer. The vlog captures this landscape in proper detail and it’s the visual centrepiece of the journey. In winter the whole plateau is frozen and snow-covered; in summer the lake is visible and the glaciers in recession are a specific and somewhat sobering sight.

🏘️ Pontresina and St. Moritz — descent to the Engadin

After Ospizio Bernina the train descends into the Engadin valley — a different world from the Italian foothills you left two hours earlier. Pontresina is the village adjacent to St. Moritz, effectively a quieter and slightly more affordable alternative base for the same area. The vlog covers St. Moritz itself at the 26:16 mark, including a mention of also riding the Glacier Express (St. Moritz to Zermatt) — the other Swiss panoramic train that departs from the same station. St. Moritz as a destination is the luxury resort town it has been for 150 years — expensive in a matter-of-fact way, beautiful in a take-it-or-leave-it way, and one of the few places in the Alps where seeing a Bentley in the ski station car park is not particularly remarkable.

The regional Bernina train — the open secret

The vlog’s return journey at the 31:54 mark covers the regional Bernina train, and the section from 33:38 onward compares the view directly. This is the information most Bernina route articles skip over and it’s genuinely valuable for people who want to think about this properly.

The regional Bernina trains run the same route roughly hourly (or more frequently) on the same tracks as the Bernina Express, operated by the same Rhaetian Railway company. They use the Allegra electric multiple unit (a red articulated train rather than the classic-looking panoramic coaches), and they stop at every station rather than the selected stops of the Express. The first class on the regional train is 62 CHF total (57 CHF basic ticket + 5 CHF reservation) versus 89 CHF for the Express. A 27 CHF difference for the same journey.

What the regional train has that the Express doesn’t:

• 🪟 Opening windows — this is the key difference for photographers and for people who want to feel the Alpine air rather than see it through glass. The Allegra units have large opening windows that the panoramic Express coaches don’t. Photographers specifically seek out the regional train for this reason
• 🎫 No mandatory reservation (though optional at 5 CHF) — first-come, first-served on seat choice. Early boarding at the origin station means your pick of the best positions
• 💰 Lower surcharge on the basic ticket
• 🕐 More flexibility — regional trains run more frequently, allowing hop-on-hop-off along the route if you want to stop at Poschiavo or Alp Grüm and continue on a later service

What the Bernina Express has that the regional train doesn’t:

• 🪟 Panoramic windows — significantly wider and taller than the regional train’s windows, with the ceiling-mounted angle giving views of rockfaces and mountain peaks above the normal window line. In non-photography use, the panoramic windows are genuinely better for the viewing experience
• 📻 Audio commentary explaining the highlights as you pass them
• 📱 Infotainment app with route information and altitude profiles
• 🛋️ Guaranteed reserved seat — particularly important in peak summer season when regional trains can be crowded

The vlog’s comparison section at the 59:27 mark addresses this directly: the verdict is that both trains offer the same stunning scenery, but the Bernina Express panoramic windows do genuinely provide a wider, more immersive viewing experience at the cost of the surcharge and the lack of opening windows. For most first-time visitors doing this journey once, the Bernina Express is the recommendation. For photographers, return visitors, or anyone who values opening windows over panoramic glass, the regional train is the smarter booking.

Tirano — the Italian starting point

The vlog dedicates a substantial section from the 47:46 mark to Tirano itself — the hotel stay, the tourist attractions, dinner, and breakfast. Tirano deserves more than the transit status most Bernina Express guides give it.

The town sits at 429 metres in the Valtellina valley in Lombardy, about 120 km northeast of Milan. The dual-station setup is one of its more unusual features: the Italian Trenitalia station and the Rhaetian Railway station for the Bernina line are immediately adjacent, with the famous red trains of the RhB running literally through the town’s main piazza. The Basilica of Madonna di Tirano is the main attraction — a significant Renaissance pilgrimage church on the main square that dates from 1505, directly across from where the Bernina train departs. The juxtaposition of the basilica and the narrow-gauge mountain railway departing from its doorstep is one of the more photogenic urban encounters in northern Italy.

The vlog covers Tirano’s historic centre, the piazza, local restaurants and the hotel stay. Tirano is a genuine Italian market town with good local food, reasonably priced accommodation, and none of the tourist inflation of St. Moritz — a sensible base for doing the Bernina route as a day trip and returning to Italy for the night.

Practical information — how to book this

• 🎟️ Book the Bernina Express reservation in advance — the surcharge seat reservation is separate from the basic ticket and is mandatory for the Express. The basic ticket (57 CHF Tirano-St. Moritz) is needed regardless. Reservations open approximately 90 days ahead and seats in the direction with the better views sell fast in summer. Book directly at rhb.ch or through SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) or Rail Europe
• 🗓️ Bernina Express timetable: the St. Moritz-Tirano sector runs more frequently in summer. In winter (14 December to 1 May), only one daily service operates each way between St. Moritz and Tirano. Check current timetables at rhb.ch before finalising dates
• 💳 Swiss Travel Pass — if you’re doing multiple Swiss rail journeys, the Swiss Travel Pass covers the basic ticket component on both the Bernina Express and regional trains. You pay only the reservation surcharge (32 CHF first class for the full Chur-Tirano journey, or proportionally less for St. Moritz-Tirano). This makes the Express significantly more accessible for multi-day Switzerland visitors
• 🪑 Seat selection matters: on the journey from Tirano to St. Moritz, the right side of the train generally has better views of the Brusio spiral viaduct loop. Higher altitude sections reward window seats on either side depending on the specific mountain framing. The Bernina Express infotainment app provides real-time guidance on which side to look
• 🌍 Passport required — the route crosses from Italy into Switzerland. Keep your ID or passport accessible
• 🚂 Regional train booking: no reservation required but an optional one at 5 CHF can be made. For peak summer travel, arriving at Tirano or St. Moritz station early enough to board before the crowds is the strategy
• 🌄 Open carriages in summer: from late June to early August, selected regional trains on the Bernina line carry open-air carriages between St. Moritz and Tirano. Dress warmly regardless of the temperature in Tirano — at Ospizio Bernina it will be significantly colder
• 🚌 Bernina Express Bus: a connecting bus service runs between Tirano and Lugano, extending the experience. Reservations required; free for Swiss Travel Pass holders who book in advance

Best time to travel the Bernina route

The route is different in each season and each has its advocates:

• ❄️ Winter (December-March): snow transforms the landscape — the Ospizio Bernina plateau is a frozen white expanse, the Brusio viaduct shows cleanly against the snow. Only one daily Bernina Express service each way in winter, but the train is less crowded and the experience is intimate. The coldest months have the clearest air and often the most dramatic winter light
• 🌱 Spring (April-May): snow still on the high passes, flowers beginning on the lower slopes. The contrast between the Italian spring in Tirano and the alpine winter at Ospizio Bernina is extreme and extraordinary. Fewer tourists than summer
• ☀️ Summer (June-September): peak season with the most daily services, open-air carriage option, Lago Bianco visible and blue, all restaurants open. Most crowded period — reservations are essential and popular services sell out weeks ahead
• 🍂 Autumn (October-November): the larch forests turn gold and copper — arguably the most photogenic season for the lower sections of the route. High passes may see early snow. Quieter than summer with good service frequency until the winter timetable change in December

Frequently asked questions

📹 Video by ST Travel