Bernina Express

A single panoramic train, two UNESCO railways.

The Bernina Express is operated by the Rhätische Bahn (RhB) and runs on two combined lines: the Albula Line from Chur to St. Moritz, completed in 1904, and the Bernina Line from St. Moritz to Tirano, built between 1908 and 1910. Both were jointly inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 7 July 2008 under the name Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes. The complete route is 144 km (89 miles) long, crosses 196 bridges and 55 tunnels, and takes approximately 4 hours end-to-end.

Geography: Three climate zones in one morning.

From Chur at 585 metres (1,919 ft), the train follows the Posterior Rhine south to Thusis, then climbs the Albula Valley through spiral tunnels and viaducts to Filisur, where it crosses the famous Landwasser Viaduct. After Samedan it reaches St. Moritz at 1,775 metres (5,823 ft), then heads south via Pontresina and Morteratsch to the summit at Ospizio Bernina (2,253 metres / 7,392 ft), the highest adhesion railway point in Europe. From there it drops almost 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) in altitude to Tirano at 429 metres (1,408 ft) — moving through glaciers, high pastures, Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo, and finally the vineyards and palm trees of the Valtellina.

Engineering: a 1,000 mm metre-gauge spectacle.

The line is single-track, metre-gauge (1,000 mm), and electrified at 1,000 V DC on the Bernina section and 11 kV 16⅔ Hz AC on the Albula section — which is why the RhB trainsets used on the Bernina Express are dual-voltage. Because the Bernina climbs unassisted, with gradients of up to 7%, it ranks among the steepest adhesion railways in the world, a record the line has held since 1910.

The panoramic experience.

The Bernina Express uses dedicated coaches with enlarged windows extending into the roof and a multi-language audio guide (English, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese). Seat reservations are mandatory on these coaches. The same infrastructure is served year-round by regular red Rhätische Bahn regional trains, which are slower, make more stops, and do not require reservations — a budget alternative for visitors with a Swiss Travel Pass.

UNESCO-inscribed and record-setting.

The Bernina Express is the only scenic train in the world whose entire infrastructure is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2008 for its exemplary early-20th-century engineering that opened the Central Alps to year-round settlement. No other railway combines such a vertical drop — 1,824 metres (5,984 ft) between Ospizio Bernina and Tirano — with views of a live glacier (Palü), a high-altitude reservoir (Lago Bianco at the pass), palm trees in Tirano, and an Italian-speaking Swiss valley all in a single 4-hour ride.

A bucket-list engineering landmark.

Two structures on the route are recognised civil-engineering icons in their own right. The Landwasser Viaduct, a 136-metre (446 ft) long, 65-metre (213 ft) high six-arched curved limestone bridge built in 1901–1902 by Alexander Acatos, plunges directly into a tunnel carved into a cliff face. The Brusio spiral viaduct, opened on 1 July 1908, is a nine-arched 360° stone spiral that lets the line drop 20 metres (66 ft) in altitude without exceeding its 7% gradient limit.

Panoramic coaches with sealed windows and a minibar trolley.

Bernina Express carriages have large panoramic windows that extend into the roof, providing glare-reduced sightlines in all directions. The windows do not open, but each carriage has a small opening window in the luggage vestibule at the opposite end of the entrance door — this is the go-to spot for reflection-free photographs. There is no restaurant car; instead a movable minibar trolley serves snacks, sandwiches, Graubünden cheese plates, Swiss pastries, wine, beer and hot drinks throughout the journey.

Multi-language audio guide and bilingual crossings.

Each seat has an audio guide available in English, German, French, Italian, Chinese and Japanese that narrates the stations, engineering highlights and landscape as the train moves. Announcements and signage shift from German and Romansh on the Swiss side to Italian as the train enters Val Poschiavo.

Seats, atmosphere and duration.

The full Chur–Tirano run takes around 4 hours with 13 scheduled stops; the shorter St. Moritz–Tirano segment takes approximately 2h 15min. Seats are assigned at booking. The train is almost always full during summer high season, and because the most dramatic viewpoints — Landwasser, Alp Grüm and Brusio — come up quickly, most passengers keep their cameras out for the entire ride.

Two railways, two eras, one World Heritage Site.

The Albula line, from Thusis to St. Moritz, was begun in September 1898 and opened in two stages: the main section to Celerina on 1 July 1903 and the final extension to St. Moritz on 10 July 1904. Its northern extension down to Chur had been built earlier by the Landquart–Davos Railway. The Bernina line, from St. Moritz to Tirano, received its concession in 1906 and was built between 1908 and 1910 by the Bernina-Bahngesellschaft (BB) — financed privately by the hydro-electric firm Kraftwerke Brusio AG without cantonal subsidy. The first sections opened on 1 July 1908 between Pontresina and Morteratsch and between Tirano and Poschiavo; service to the summit at Ospizio Bernina began in 1910.

Absorption into the Rhätische Bahn.

The Bernina line was operated independently until 1944, when the Rhätische Bahn absorbed the bankrupt BB and took over operations. The Bernina Express itself, as a branded panoramic service combining both lines end-to-end, has run since 1973.

UNESCO inscription.

The combined Albula and Bernina lines were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on 7 July 2008 as Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes. The citation specifically recognised the 67-km Albula line (with 42 tunnels and 144 viaducts and bridges) and the 61-km Bernina line (with 13 tunnels and 52 viaducts and bridges) as an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble that enabled year-round life in the Central Alps.

Landwasser Viaduct — the signature image.

Completed in 1902 to designs by Alexander Acatos, the Landwasser Viaduct is a six-arched curved limestone bridge 136 metres (446 ft) long and 65 metres (213 ft) high, built on a tight radius so that its southeastern abutment connects directly to the mouth of the Landwasser Tunnel. The stone was quarried locally and the piers were built without cofferdams using an innovative scaffolding system.

Brusio circular viaduct — the workaround for gravity.

Opened on 1 July 1908, the Brusio spiral viaduct is a single-track nine-arched stone bridge 110 metres (361 ft) long that forms a complete 360° loop with a horizontal radius of curvature of only 70 metres (230 ft). Its purpose is purely geometric: it lets the Bernina line descend approximately 20 metres (66 ft) in altitude while keeping the gradient within the 7% design maximum.

Gradient, gauge and altitude.

The Bernina section uses 1,000 mm (metre) gauge and climbs purely by adhesion — no rack, no gears — across gradients that reach 7% (70‰), making it one of the steepest non-cogged public railways in the world. The summit at Ospizio Bernina (2,253 m / 7,392 ft) is the highest point on any adhesion railway crossing in Europe. Electrification on the Bernina section uses an unusual 1,000 V DC overhead system (upgraded from 750 V DC in 1935), while the Albula section runs on standard RhB 11 kV 16⅔ Hz AC — so Bernina Express multiple units are dual-voltage.

Late May through early October: glaciers plus colour.

The most spectacular window is June through September, when the Palü Glacier is fully visible from Alp Grüm, alpine meadows are in bloom, and Italian Valtellina vineyards are green. July and August are peak and panoramic seats can sell out 2–3 weeks ahead; book as early as possible if travelling then.

Shoulder seasons: fewer crowds, sharper light.

Late May and early October give you the summer high-season schedule (two daily Chur–Tirano services), dramatically lower crowds and often crisp, low-angle light that is ideal for photography. Autumn adds yellow larch forests on the Swiss side.

Winter: snow but fewer departures.

From 14 December 2025 to 1 May 2026 and again from 26 October to 12 December 2026, the winter timetable applies with only one daily Chur–Tirano service in each direction. Snow-covered Landwasser, Lago Bianco and Alp Grüm are breathtaking but daylight is short and the connecting Tirano–Lugano bus does not run (the bus operates daily 23 March–25 October 2026).

Book the window seat, and book early.

Seat reservations are mandatory on Bernina Express panoramic coaches; they are not optional even with a rail pass. Reserve 2–8 weeks ahead for summer, further if your dates are fixed. When booking, request a window seat; the route is bidirectional and the dramatic views alternate sides, so any window works. Regular RhB red trains on the same line do not require reservations and are a cheaper fallback if panoramic seats are sold out.

Bring hand luggage only, or plan for the rack.

Large suitcases go on dedicated end-of-car racks and may be several rows from your seat; bring a small cabin bag with valuables, water, snacks, and a lens cloth. There is a minibar trolley on board but no restaurant car.

Photography: aim for the open window in the vestibule.

Panoramic windows are sealed. Each carriage has one small opening window in the luggage vestibule at the far end from the entrance door — this is the only place to shoot without reflections. Key photo moments come up quickly: the Landwasser Viaduct is a single turn of the camera; Alp Grüm's Palü Glacier view lasts only a minute or two; the Brusio circular viaduct is best shot from the tail of the train as it loops.

Passports.

The train crosses the Swiss–Italian border between Campocologno and Tirano with only occasional checks, but always carry your passport or EU ID. Swiss francs are accepted on the trolley; euros are accepted from Poschiavo southward.