Bernina Express · Chur – TiranoThe route

Where does the Bernina Express go? The route

The route is made up of two lines of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB): the Albula line from Chur into the Engadine and the Bernina line from there to Tirano. The Thusis – Tirano section, around 122 kilometres, has been UNESCO World Heritage since July 2008 as the “Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes”. Between Chur and Tirano, RhB counts 196 bridges and 55 tunnels.

RhB provides an official route map as a network plan (PDF) and as map extracts for the World Heritage site; both are linked below. The sketch here shows the course schematically – not to scale, but with the documented altitudes.

All stations with altitude and journey time

The table follows the morning train PE 951 from Chur in the 2026 summer timetable. The Bernina Express does not stop everywhere; where no time is given, it runs through or no stop is published.

The afternoon train PE 955 (departs Chur 13:34, arrives Tirano 18:00) additionally stops at Ospizio Bernina, but not at Tiefencastel. St. Moritz lies at 1,775 m; from there separate Bernina Express trains run to Tirano in around 2 hours 15 minutes. All departures and prices are on the Bernina Express overview page.

The best sections – what is documented

RhB itself names the Landwasser Viaduct, the spiral tunnels, Lago Bianco, the Palü Glacier and the Brusio Spiral Viaduct as the high points. Heading south:

Landwasser Viaduct near Filisur

65 metres high, 136 metres long, five piers of dark limestone. The bridge leads on a curve straight into a tunnel in the rock. Around 60 trains cross it every day – so you do not have to be on the Bernina Express for it.

Bergün – Preda and the Albula Tunnel

Between Bergün (1,372 m) and Preda (1,789 m) the railway gains more than 400 metres in height; RhB names the spiral tunnels of the Albula line as one of its high points. Then it is through the Albula Tunnel to Spinas: the new tunnel is 5.86 kilometres long and has been in service since June 2024.

Bernina Pass with Lago Bianco

From Pontresina the line climbs at up to 70 per mille – without a rack rail. RhB describes the Bernina railway as the highest railway crossing of the Alps and one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. At the top the train runs in the open along Lago Bianco; Ospizio Bernina lies at 2,253 m.

Alp Grüm

The station at 2,091 m can only be reached by rail, on foot or by bike. From here the view takes in the Palü Glacier and Val Poschiavo.

Brusio Spiral Viaduct

Shortly before the border the railway turns through a full 360 degrees on nine stone arches and passes under itself. According to RhB, the viaduct was built to overcome the difference in height as elegantly as possible.

Honestly: You see all of this from the regional train too, which runs on the same tracks – with no supplement and with windows that open. The Bernina Express is the more comfortable train, not the more scenic route. RhB gives no information on which side you see what; more on that under seats and panoramic cars.

How long does the journey take?

Chur – Tirano

approx. 4 hrs

per 2026 timetable

4:26 – 4:32 hrs

St. Moritz – Tirano

2:15 hrs

Tirano – Lugano (bus)

3:10 hrs

Rule of thumb: There and back in a day from Chur only works with the morning train – leave at 08:17, leave Tirano at 14:24, back at 18:31. From St. Moritz you have considerably more time in the south.

Onwards from Tirano: the Bernina Express Bus to Lugano

If you do not want to travel the same route back, board RhB’s red bus in Tirano. It runs through Valtellina and along Lake Como to Lugano; from there you return to German-speaking Switzerland through the Gotthard Base Tunnel. In 2026 it runs daily from 26 March to 25 October, and before that (from 26 February) and afterwards (until 22 November) from Thursday to Sunday. Departs Tirano 14:20, arrives Lugano 17:30; in the other direction departs Lugano 10:00, arrives Tirano 13:00. A single costs CHF 41 in 2nd class, plus a CHF 18 reservation in high season (CHF 16 in low season).

Diversion in autumn 2026

From 29 October to 13 November 2026, trains 951 and 952 run via Landquart, Klosters and the Vereina Tunnel to Pontresina because of engineering works. The Albula line with the Landwasser Viaduct is not part of the journey during this period. What the route looks like in the snow, and what runs differently then, is under Bernina Express in winter.