Swiss Alps Bernina Express Rail Tour from Milan
Overview
- Rail tour from Milan aboard the Bernina Express
- Take a scenic coach tour to Tirano, located at the foothills of the Swiss Alps
- Travel by train through the Bernina Pass to elegant St Moritz
- Pass stunning alpine scenery, including glacial lakes
- Enjoy free time to explore Tirano and St Moritz
- Learn about the region from a guide as you travel
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
From $148.94 USD
Lowest Price GuaranteeTravel from Milan to Switzerland in the morning, and relax on your coach journey to Tirano. After some free time in the town, board the Bernina Express and gaze out of your window as the historic train passes through the idyllic stretches of Northern Italy and the Swiss Alps.
Ride over the spiral viaduct of Brusio, and along the Bernina Pass to Engadin. After 2.5 hours on board, watch the scenery change from windswept gorges and snow-clad glaciers to the chic chalets of St Moritz.
Hop off the train to enjoy roughly 1.5 hours of free time in the town. An elegant vacation spot that’s popular for winter sports, St Moritz has a bounty of attractions to keep you busy. Stroll the lake, ogle the snow-specked mountains that ring the town, enjoy lunch or browse the local chocolatiers to sample Swiss chocolate. All food is at your own expense.
In the early evening, return to Milan by coach. Your tour of Northern Italy and Switzerland finishes with a drop-off at the start point.
Reviews
Viator Traveler's Reviews
You take a long bus ride to Tirano. Have option to pay for meal or on own. We did the meal which is just ok. Went to train station and that’s when we were finally told we will only be on train for a few stops “due to possible weather”. Only 3 stops on train and then wait at a small terminal in Poschiavo to wait for the bus that takes you to see “snow” and say you made it to Switzerland. Stopped for a 10min photo opp. No St Moritz, no chocolate. Back on bus and stopped at 2 gas stations. A complete waste of a vacation day and money. Received a small refund. They knew as we boarded bus in the morning but no options offered. Poorly handled and deserve full refund. Buyer beware! They don’t stand by the trip when it doesn’t go as published!
The only reason I didnt give it one more star was due to our tour guide. Thankfully the trip itself acted as a guide, as the views were incredible. Our guides English wasnt very good and she did not communicate very well, she also didnt seem that organized. We also found the initial boarding process very chaotic. On at least two occasions during the tour she started walking before we all were off the bus well out of range of our radios and we had to try and find her to catch up. The information she chose to share throughout the entire trip wasnt very informative and I would say almost half of the people on our tour ended up taking out the earpiece and just let the landscapes be the tour guide. All in all a terrific experience and would highly recommend.
The journey would have been better if there was only one stop To have more time at St Moritz Once there I was not able to really enjoy its beauty nor have a beer because the time allotted was less I felt rushed while there. Even though someOf the shops are closed Sitting and drinking and enjoying the beauty would have been an awesome moment ... Was a little disappointed
I signed up for the English and Spanish version of this tour since the English only was not available. The English guide, Boris, struggled with the language. The Spanish guide, however, was wonderful, giving plenty of information that the English guide did not. Being bilingual, I was able to enjoy the Spanish narration but I felt bad for my husband as he did not understand the Spanish as I did. There should be a script for this kind of tour so that both languages say the same thing! The pick up for this tour is at the Milan Visitor's Center at 7 am so my husband and I were there early and luckily there is a coffee shop across the street that opened at 6 so we were able to enjoy a cappuccino while we waited. At the end of the tour, we were dropped off at about 8:30 pm with vague directions on where to find a taxi. HERE IS THE TRICK TO GET A TAXI AFTER THIS TOUR: if you wait at the taxi stand, it will take forever to get a taxi but if you walk into one of the numerous restaurants and have dinner, you can request that they call a taxi for you after dinner! This worked great for us as we were getting really frustrated waiting at the taxi stand in a country where we don't speak the language. Concerning the tour, you take the bus to Tirano and then the train to St. Moritz, but the way back from St. Moritz is all by bus. Also, there is A LOT of walking in St. Moritz and not a lot of time. We walked at least 20 minutes or more to get into town to search for a coffee shop and we only had a few minutes before we had to begin to walk back. Still, even with all these issues, I would sign up for this trip again as the views of the Alps were AMAZING.
St. Moritz was charming and we saw a lot of cute towns and sites while on the Bernina Train. However, I hope we had more time to spend in St. Moritz. We were only given 45 minutes. Considering how the bus stop was a good 10-minute walk from the city center, we had to choose between exploring the town versus buying souvenirs.
I would not recommend getting the lunch package. It was a set meal with caprese salad and spaghetti with tomato sauce - nothing else - for 16. Another couple from the same tour group told us that they spent the same amount at another restaurant for really good pizza. There are lots of dining options in Torino. Don't buy the one they sell you on the bus.
Our English tour guide didn't make it better, either. She looked exasperated when we asked her to repeat the instructions to the bus stop she walked really fast and wouldn't wait for the people to catch up. The Spanish-speaking tour guide was a lot better.