November 2017 (by YK)
Shall we, shall we not. I went back and forth on whether to drive to Tirano, a 90 minute trip, or not. In the end, we hopped on a local train(under $20pp, round trip) from Varenna Station to get to Tirano Station. It did not save us much time, but it was more relaxing for sure. When we were there in November, buying the tickets on spot was not a problem.
In Tirano, the Swiss railway station was right next door. It just took a few minutes to get there, then we bought the tickets from the machines. Rhaetian Railway, the company that runs the Bernina Express, has a website that is easy to use. The whole length of the Bernina Express, between Chur and Tirano, takes 4 hours either direction. We did not seem to have enough time to do a return trip in one day, thus, we chose to go to St. Moritz and back, which took about 2.5 hours each way(78 Swiss Franc per person R/T). Most people seemed to say that is the most beautiful part of the trip anyway.
From November to early May, so-called “panoramic cars” are added to the trains. Here’s the write-up about it on their website:
“The Bernina Panorama Winter offer promises great prospects: admire the white winter landscape through the extra-large windows of the observation-car trains – for a surcharge of just five francs. Now you can discover the Engadin, the Bernina range and Valposchiavo with nothing in your way.
Unimpeded views of the Morteratsch Glacier, Lago Bianco or Valposchiavo: the highest railway line through the Alps snakes its way –without the aid of a rack-and-pinion system – up to the top of the RhB, Ospizio Bernina at 2,253 metres above sea level.
The panoramic cars offer unobstructed views out over a fairytale winter landscape with snow-capped peaks, glaciers and frozen brooks. The famous stretch of track between St. Moritz and Tirano has UNESCO World Heritage status. Alp Grüm, a unique restaurant that can only be reached by railway, is the perfect place for a midday break.
In winter from 30.10.2017 to 09.05.2018, the panoramic cars operate hourly in combination with the regional trains from St. Moritz and Tirano. The RhB advises you to book well in advance. Those traveling spontaneously can pay on board the train – providing there are seats available.”
The Bernina Express is supposed to be THE best of the best railway rides, and UNESCO certifies it. How beautiful was it, one might ask. Beautiful, I would respond. Really, really beautiful? Well, it was quite beautiful. But I’d seen enough gorgeous sceneries around the world… Honestly, the more snow there is, it may be more stunning. In early November, I longed for some more white stuff all over the mountains.
St. Moritz Station was modern and relatively easy to navigate through. Being right by the St. Moritz Lake, one can opt to enjoy the view & have some snacks there, then get on the next train back to Tirano. We decided to spend a bit more time there and explore the town, the playground for the rich and famous in the skiing season.
You either walk or take the bus #3 to get up to the town from the station, I had read. We first looked for the parking garage that was supposed to have the elevator that took you to the top, but it was not obvious to us. The bus was easier to find since the stops were right outside the station building. The ticket(5 CHF) machines were by the exit door inside the building.
St. Moritz in the off-season was extremely quiet and empty. Some of the restaurants and hotels were not open. We could kind of picture the charm of the city when it’s all white, but there are many other wonderful places in Switzerland, right?
We had a lunch at Houser Restaurant, and the price was not too unreasonable for a restaurant in Switzerland. On the way back, we had some time to kill before getting on our train back to Varenna. The Italian town of Torino didn’t seem that exciting, but there were places to eat/drink around the station area. We walked into a cafe & had a satisfying drink/snack time, and the price tag was very friendly & that suited us just fine.
Small Wide World 