Bernina Express · cars, classes, seatsSeats & panoramic cars

The panoramic car on the Bernina Express

You can recognise the Bernina Express at the platform by two things: the viewing windows that curve up into the roof and the white “Bernina Express” lettering on the red side of the car. That matters because panoramic cars and regional carriages sometimes run in the same train – the regional carriages carry the usual RhB lettering and have normal windows.

RhB lists the same facilities for all panoramic cars:

• panoramic windows up to the roof edge
• air conditioning
• sockets at each row of seats
• free Wi-Fi, plus “InfoT(r)ainment” with a live map on your own smartphone
• catering service at your seat – payment cashless only
• luggage racks, though with limited storage space

RhB links to a virtual tour of both classes on its Bernina Express page. There you can see the cars from the inside before you book.

1st or 2nd class – what you get for the extra money

The view is the same in both classes – the windows are identical. The extra CHF 47 from Chur buys space and quiet, not a better view.

Rule of thumb: If you are travelling alone, the single seat in 1st class is the only place on the train where you have window and aisle to yourself. For two people or a family, 2nd class is enough – the money saved already covers the reservations.

There is also the Pullman Class: nostalgic carriages in 1930s style with personal service and fine food, limited to 32 guests per journey. That is a separate offer between St. Moritz and Tirano, not a panoramic car.

Seat reservation: compulsory, and tied to the train

No reservation, no Bernina Express. The supplement applies per person each way, for children just as for holders of a GA, Swiss Travel Pass or Interrail. The reservation relates to the train chosen – if you get off along the way and continue later, you need a new one for the next Bernina Express or you take the regional train. Ways to book and lead times are under tickets and reservation.

At the platform you go first by the car number, then by the seat number – that is how RhB describes it for its reserved seats on the Bernina line.

Seat map: what exists and what does not

We did not find a seat map or seating plan of the Bernina Express as a document on the RhB pages. You choose your seat in the booking dialogue. Only the layout is documented: double seats on both sides in 2nd class, double and single seats in 1st class. Wheelchair-accessible seats exist, but can only be booked through the Railservice (tel. +41 81 288 65 65), not online.

Plans circulating on travel blogs do not come from the operator – do not rely on them.

Which side is the better one?

The honest answer: it cannot be documented. RhB recommends no side, neither on the Bernina Express page nor in its travel tips for the Bernina line. So we do not name one – any “sit on the right” rule would be copied, not checked.

What can be said from the course of the route puts the question into perspective anyway:

• The route changes direction constantly. On the Brusio Spiral Viaduct the train turns through a full 360 degrees; on the Albula line it runs through spiral tunnels. What was on the left a moment ago is on the right afterwards.
• The Landwasser Viaduct lies on a curve and leads straight into a tunnel. Because the bridge is curved, you see it from the moving train only from the inside of the curve, and only briefly.
• The windows reach up to the roof edge. You see the mountains and glaciers above you from both sides.
• In 2nd class you are at most one seat away from the window, whichever side you are on.

Which high points come in which order is shown on the page about the Bernina Express route. If a particular side matters to you, ask RhB’s Railservice before you book.

Taking photographs: the problem with the panoramic window

Honestly: The big panes are built for looking, not for photography. They do not open, and glass reflects. According to RhB, the regional trains on the same route have “classic windows that open” – if pictures are your main aim, you are better off there and save the supplement. Between St. Moritz and Tirano you can reserve a seat on the regional train too, for CHF 5.

With luggage, a dog, a pushchair or a bike

Luggage

racks limited

Small dog

free in a carrier, up to 30 cm

Large dog

dog ticket

Bike

no regional train only

For large suitcases RhB refers to its luggage transport service. Dogs need the necessary papers for crossing the border into Italy, such as the EU pet passport. RhB gives no information about pushchairs on the pages we checked – ask when booking if you need a space for one. Boarding and alighting assistance is handled by the SBB Call Center Handicap (0800 007 102); it must be ordered in advance.

All prices with worked examples are under Bernina Express prices; back to the overview is here.