Bernina Express from Milan to St Moritz: the train to Tirano, the red train over the pass, the fares in francs and tours from €89

💡 The Short Version: Take Trenord from Milano Centrale to Tirano: 2 hours 32 minutes direct, €13.00 each way, a train at :20 past each hour. From Tirano the Rhaetian Railway runs to St Moritz in 2 hours 11 minutes by Bernina Express or 2 hours 30 by regional train. The Swiss fare is CHF 33.00 each way (CHF 66.00 return); the Bernina Express adds a compulsory CHF 32 seat reservation each way. The last Trenord train back leaves Tirano at 20:08. A day on your own is €26.00 plus CHF 66.00; tours cost €89 to about €174 and fix the day. Carry a passport: Switzerland is in Schengen but outside the EU. Or book now: the St Moritz and Alps day trip with the Bernina Red Trainad is from €89, and the Bernina Red Train & St Moritz tourad from €108.99 (GetYourGuide).

The day on your own

Milano Centrale to Tirano 2 hours 32 minutes · Tirano to St Moritz 2 hours 11 minutes · 14 hours door to door

A day that works on the October timetable:

• The change at Tirano is 8 minutes if you take the 11:00 Bernina Express. The next trains up the line leave at 11:41 (a regional, 2 hours 30), 13:00 (Bernina Express, 2 hours 11) and 13:41 (regional).
• Coming down from St Moritz, trains leave at 14:48 (2 hours 12), 15:30 (2 hours 30), 15:48 (2 hours 35) and 16:48 (2 hours 14).
• Trenord runs Tirano to Milano Centrale every hour at :08, the last at 20:08. Miss it and the day ends in Tirano.
• Timetable: the Swiss times above are the timetable valid until 12 December 2026.
• Strikes: a national rail strike runs from 21:00 on 29 October to 20:59 on 30 October 2026, and Milan public transport lists later dates.

Tours

A tour drives you from Milan to one end of the line, puts you on the Rhaetian Railway for the run between Tirano and St Moritz in one direction, and drives you back from the other end, with a guide. The Swiss train ticket for that run is included. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult; all cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.

The listings use “Bernina Express” and “Bernina Red Train” loosely. One says its carriage is the regional red train with windows that open; another sells a guaranteed seat in a panoramic car. Check which train your booking names, and check the listing for the pick-up point, which differs by tour.

The Swiss fares

The Rhaetian Railway prints its prices in Swiss francs (CHF). The fares for St Moritz to Tirano, either way:

• The Bernina Express has panoramic cars and a compulsory seat reservation, and a seat reservation refers to the selected train. Payment on board the Bernina Express is cashless only.
• A regional train runs the same line in 2 hours 30 minutes with no compulsory reservation, so the fare is CHF 33.00 against CHF 65.00 on the Express.
• The Albula and Bernina lines have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since July 2008, and the operator counts 196 bridges and 55 tunnels between Chur and Tirano.
• The Bernina Express Bus runs between Tirano and Lugano, CHF 41.00 single and CHF 82.00 return in second class, with a reservation of CHF 16 or CHF 18: see Lugano in the day trips guide.

What to see

The short route runs from Tirano, on the Italian side, up through Poschiavo and over the Bernina Pass to the Engadin and St Moritz.

A Rhaetian Railway train on the Brusio Circular Viaduct in the Val Poschiavo. Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Tirano

Where the Swiss train starts · the Sanctuary of the Madonna and the old centre

The Italian terminus of the Rhaetian Railway, 2 hours 32 minutes from Milan. The tour listings stop here for 10 to 45 minutes, enough for the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Tirano and the historic centre.

The line

2 hours 11 minutes by Bernina Express · 2 hours 30 by regional

The train climbs through the Val Poschiavo to Alp Grüm, where the tours point out the Palü Glacier, then runs past Lago Bianco, the Bernina Pass, Diavolezza and the Morteratsch Glacier to St Moritz. The Brusio Circular Viaduct, in the Val Poschiavo, is among the highlights the railway’s own page lists.

The Bernina Express beside Lago Bianco on the Bernina Pass. Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

St Moritz

1,856 m · allow 1.5 to 3.5 hours

A resort town on its lake. The tours give 1.5 to 2.5 hours there; on your own the 11:00 train from Tirano leaves about 3.5 hours before the 16:48 back. A walk by the lake and lunch fill it.

Lake St Moritz, with the town on the far shore. Photo: JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What a day costs

Prices are shown in the currency of the operator, so compare in your own currency. A tour buys the Swiss ticket, the Milan leg and a fixed timetable; the day on your own buys a free choice of train and a longer stay in St Moritz.

Before you go

• Passport: carry one. Switzerland is in the Schengen area, outside the EU, with the same entry rules as Italy; border officers may ask for proof of accommodation, insurance, a return ticket and about 100 Swiss francs a day (FCDO). Goods are controlled at the Swiss border: declare anything dutiable.
• The thing that ruins the day: the last Trenord train, 20:08 from Tirano. Plan to be on the 16:48 from St Moritz.
• Reserve ahead: a Bernina Express seat needs a reservation of CHF 32 each way on the short route.
• Which to take: a tour for a first visit; the Trenord-and-Swiss-regional day to choose your own hours; the Express if the panoramic car matters more than the CHF 64 for both reservations.

Day trips from Milan compares every trip, and Lake Como is on the way to Tirano. Milan public transport covers the way to Centrale, 3 days in Milan fits a long day into the week, and where to stay in Milan compares the areas. What to book before you go to Milan lists the closed days in the city.