Chur to Tirano Bernina Express

The Chur to Tirano Bernina Express is the full route, and RhB puts it at about 4 hours. It runs in two halves: the Albula line from Chur through Thusis, Filisur and the Landwasser Viaduct up to the Engadin, then the Bernina line over the pass at Ospizio Bernina and down to Tirano in Italy. RhB counts 196 bridges and 55 tunnels along the way. No GetYourGuide tour in this catalogue rides the whole route. A few Milan day trips ride part of the Albula line from St. Moritz, which is why the featured tour on this page has an Albula option.

The route in two halves

The first half is the Albula line, part of the same UNESCO World Heritage site as the Bernina line since 2008. From Chur the train runs to Thusis, then climbs through Tiefencastel to Filisur. Just before Filisur it crosses the Landwasser Viaduct, the Albula line’s curved stone viaduct, about 65 m high, that ends at a sheer rock face and runs straight into a tunnel. Beyond Filisur and Bergün the line gains height in helical loops and tunnels on its way to Preda, then runs through the Albula Tunnel into the Engadin. The new Albula Tunnel, about 5.9 km long, has been in service since June 2024.

The second half starts in the Engadin. Chur trains join the Bernina line at Pontresina, then climb past the Morteratsch glacier to Ospizio Bernina, at 2,253 m the highest point of the RhB network. From there the line drops past Alp Grüm and Poschiavo, loops round the Brusio circular viaduct and runs into Tirano. In total it covers about 145 km.

Keep the geography straight when you shop. The Landwasser Viaduct is on the Albula line only. Trains between St. Moritz and Tirano never cross it, so most Milan day trips never see it.

Trains 951 and 952, and the timetable

Two Bernina Express trains run the full route in both the winter and the summer timetable, and summer adds a second pair.

RhB’s own times give 4 hours 25 to 4 hours 33 minutes southbound and 4 hours 7 to 4 hours 25 minutes northbound. In midwinter, the northbound PE 952 runs its last hours after sunset, so the Albula section goes by in the dark. Ride PE 951 south in the morning for daylight on both lines. The timetable guide has every departure.

Autumn works can change the route. From 29 October until 13 November 2026, RhB diverted trains 951 and 952 via the Vereina tunnel because of works between Thusis and Preda. Those runs skipped Thusis, Tiefencastel and Filisur, and with them the Albula line’s Landwasser Viaduct. The Bernina line itself was not affected. Similar diversions ran in November 2024 and 2025, so if you plan an early-November trip in a later year, check rhb.ch before you book.

Third-party sellers also report a closure between Cavaglia and Tirano from 4 October to 25 or 26 November 2027, with replacement coaches on that stretch. RhB has not confirmed it on its own pages yet. If it goes ahead, the last stretch into Tirano would be by coach.

What it costs

You pay a normal ticket plus the Bernina Express seat reservation. Book both on rhb.ch.

• Ticket: reported 2027 fares are about CHF 69 one-way in 2nd class and CHF 118 in 1st. Winter 2026 fares are reported a little lower, at CHF 66 and CHF 113.
• Reservation: not published on RhB’s static pages. Sellers agree on CHF 40 in the low season (to 23 April 2027) and CHF 44 in the high season (24 April to 3 October 2027), per person and direction, the same in 1st and 2nd class.
• Passes: a Swiss Travel Pass, GA, Eurail or Interrail pass covers the ticket, but the reservation is paid in full. Children under 6 travel free on the ticket, and the reservation is still paid for everyone.

A one-way in 2nd class in winter therefore comes to roughly CHF 106 to 109 per adult. Tickets go on sale six months ahead, and online reservations cannot be changed or cancelled. RhB also sells a winter offer: a return for two from Chur to Poschiavo, Le Prese or Tirano with lunch for CHF 249, bookable from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 and non-refundable. The ticket prices guide and the Swiss Travel Pass guide go further.

What the Milan day trips can show you

The St. Moritz and Alps day trip with the Bernina or Albula red train (our breakdown) from City Wonders is the closest a tour here comes. You choose the option at booking. On the Bernina option, a coach takes you from Milan to St. Moritz and the red train runs down past Alp Grüm to Tirano, with free time in both towns. On the Albula option, the red train runs from St. Moritz through the spirals to Filisur, and you visit a Landwasser Viaduct viewpoint on the Albula line plus the illusion coach at Filisur station. It costs from $122 per person, lasts 11 to 12.5 hours, and is rated 4.6 from 2,370+ reviews. Seats on the train cannot be reserved and 1st class is not included.

The Bernina train, Swiss Alps and St. Moritz day trip (our breakdown) from TaoTravel runs a St. Moritz–Thusis option on certain dates, which rides most of the Albula line, Landwasser Viaduct included. It costs from $110 and is rated 4.8 from 1,650+ reviews. Three Autostradale and Z V day trips may also switch to St. Moritz–Thusis, but you do not choose: the operator decides.

All of these ride the regional train in 2nd class. None of them rides the Albula and the Bernina lines on the same day. If you want both, do the route yourself.

Getting to Chur, or doing it from Milan

From Zurich, intercity trains reach Chur about every half hour, so you can arrive the evening before PE 951. From Milan, turn the trip around: take a morning Trenord train to Tirano, about 2 hours 30 minutes, and board PE 952 at 14:24 for Chur, where it arrives at 18:31. In summer, PE 950 at 08:06 needs a night in Tirano first. Our Tirano page covers that end, and Bernina Express vs Glacier Express helps if you are weighing the two.

To ride part of the Albula line on a day from Milan instead, check availability for the City Wonders day trip and pick its Albula option.