Which Bernina Train Tour Should You Book?
Only 2 of 14 Bernina train tours guarantee a panoramic coach. All 14 tours and tickets compared on price, train type, start point and day length.
If you want the real panoramic Bernina Express from Milan, book the Milan: St. Moritz and panoramic Bernina Express tour (our breakdown) on its panoramic-carriage option, from $186 per person and rated 4.6 from 4,090+ reviews. If open windows and a lower price matter more, the Milan Bernina red train and St. Moritz day trip rides the regional train from $144, rated 4.8 from 5,110+ reviews.
Two of the 14 tours and tickets below guarantee a panoramic coach. The other 12 use the regional red train or do not promise a panoramic seat, so the first thing to decide is which train you want.
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All 14 Bernina train tours side by side
Prices are the lowest “from” price per person on GetYourGuide, checked on a real travel date on 11 November 2026. Ratings and review counts come from the same listings.
| Tour | Price from | Rating (reviews) | Train | Start | Length | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Como cruise, St. Moritz and Bernina red train | $194 | 4.6 (6,300+) | Red train, 2nd class | Milan | 13 h | Lake Como and the Alps in one day |
| Milan Bernina red train and St. Moritz day trip | $144 | 4.8 (5,110+) | Red train, opening windows | Milan Centrale | 11 h | High rating, shorter day |
| Milan Bernina train and St. Moritz day trip | $160 | 4.5 (5,070+) | Red train, 2nd class | Milan | 12–13 h | Classic coach-and-train day |
| Milan St. Moritz and panoramic Bernina Express tour | $186 | 4.6 (4,090+) | Panoramic Bernina Express (panoramic option) | Milan, Piazza della Repubblica | 12.5 h | The real panoramic train |
| St. Moritz day trip with Bernina or Albula red train | $122 | 4.6 (2,370+) | Bernina or Albula red train | Milan, Porta Garibaldi | 11–12.5 h | Landwasser viewpoint (Albula option) |
| Milan to St. Moritz Bernina train tour with guide | $166 | 4.5 (2,360+) | Regional, 2nd class, opening windows | Milan, 2 meeting points | 12.5 h | Audio guide in many languages |
| Bernina train, Swiss Alps and St. Moritz day trip | $110 | 4.8 (1,650+) | Regional, 2nd class | Milan Centrale | 12 h | Lowest price with transport |
| Tirano–St. Moritz red train return day ticket | $123 | 4.5 (1,140+) | Red train, return | Tirano | Your pace | Hopping off along the line |
| Como: Bernina panoramic express and St. Moritz | $220 | 4.6 (580+) | Panoramic Bernina Express (panoramic option) | Como | 12.5 h | Panoramic train from Lake Como |
| Milan Bernina red train with reserved carriage | $128 | 4.7 (460+) | Red train, reserved carriage | Milan, Bergamo or Lecco | 13 h | Reserved seats for the whole group |
| Tirano to St. Moritz red train ticket | $75 | 4.4 (390+) | Red train, 1st or 2nd, not panoramic | Tirano | Ticket only | Cheapest one-way ride |
| St. Moritz to Tirano red train ticket | $75 | 4.5 (130+) | Red train, not panoramic | St. Moritz | Ticket only | Starting on the Swiss side |
| Small-group Alps day trip with Bernina train | $195 | 4.9 (120+) | Bernina train Tirano to the pass, then van | Milan Centrale | 12.5 h | Small group, max 18 |
| Bernina train and Diavolezza glacier lunch | $223 | 4.6 (61) | Regional, standard carriage | Milan, Piazza della Repubblica | 12 h | Glacier summit and a set lunch |
A few patterns stand out. The day trips with transport from Milan cost between $110 and $223, and the gap has more to do with extras (a lake cruise, a glacier lunch, a panoramic seat, a small group) than with the train ride itself, which lasts about 2 hours on almost every tour. The three ticket-only listings are the cheapest way onto the line but leave the Milan–Tirano leg to you. And the highest rating, 4.9, belongs to the small-group tour, on only 120+ reviews.
For a shorter list with our reasoning, see the best Bernina Express tours page.
Panoramic coach or red train: the choice that matters most
The Bernina Express and the red train share the same track between St. Moritz and Tirano. The panoramic train has big windows that curve into the roof and do not open, and it needs a paid seat reservation on top of the ticket. The regional red train runs roughly hourly with ordinary coaches and windows you can open. Same glaciers, same viaducts, different seat.
Most tour listings call their trip a “Bernina Express” day, yet several state plainly that the ride will not be in a 1st-class panoramic carriage but in 2nd class with opening windows. That is true of the two Autostradale tours and the Z V Srl tour, and most of the other Milan day trips sell the regional train under names like “Bernina red train”. Only the two Frigerio Viaggi tours, from Milan and from Como, guarantee a panoramic coach on this site, and only on their panoramic option. Seats are confirmed but not assigned in advance, so a couple may not sit side by side.
The featured Milan tour leaves from Piazza della Repubblica 5, near the Repubblica stop on metro line M3, with a guide on board in Italian and English. The coach drives about 3 hours to St. Moritz, you get about 2.5 hours of free time there, then you ride the Bernina Express south past the Morteratsch glacier, Bernina Diavolezza and Val Poschiavo to Tirano. A short stop in Tirano takes in the Madonna di Tirano sanctuary before the 2.5-hour coach ride back. It lasts about 12.5 hours and cancels free up to 24 hours before.
If glass glare worries you more than legroom, choose the red train. If the panoramic coach is the point of the trip, our Bernina Express vs regional train guide explains what the extra money buys.
Our pick for each kind of traveler
You want the real panoramic Bernina Express
Book the featured Frigerio tour from Milan and select the panoramic-carriage option when you pick a date. If you start in Como, the Como: Bernina panoramic express and St. Moritz (our breakdown) runs the same day from Viale Innocenzo XI, from $220. Our Bernina Express from Milan page covers the alternatives.
Cheapest day trip with transport
The Bernina train, Swiss Alps and St. Moritz day trip (our breakdown) costs from $110 and holds a 4.8 rating from 1,650+ reviews. It rides the regional train in 2nd class with opening windows, gives about 100 minutes in St. Moritz and passes Lake Como on the way out. On certain dates it runs St. Moritz–Thusis on the Albula line, so check the option. Next up is the St. Moritz day trip with Bernina or Albula red train (our breakdown) from $122.
Most reviewed
The Lake Como cruise, St. Moritz and Bernina red train (our breakdown) is the most-reviewed tour on this site, 4.6 from 6,300+ reviews, from $194. Without the cruise, the Milan Bernina red train and St. Moritz day trip (our breakdown) leads with 5,110+ reviews and an 11-hour day that includes 45 minutes in Tirano and about 1.5 hours in St. Moritz.
Small group
The Small-group Alps day trip with Bernina train (our breakdown) caps the group at 18 and travels by minivan or small bus, from $195. You take the train from Milan to Lake Como, ride the Bernina train from Tirano up to the pass, then continue to St. Moritz by van. It is the highest-rated tour here at 4.9, though from only 120+ reviews, and it does not accept children under 12. See small-group and private Bernina tours for more.
From Lake Como
Of the 14 tours here, only the Frigerio panoramic tour actually departs from Como. The cruise tour above starts in Milan and visits the lake by private boat. The Lake Como and Bernina Express page compares every lake combination.
Already in Tirano or St. Moritz
Skip the coach. In Tirano, the Tirano–St. Moritz red train return day ticket (our breakdown) costs from $123 in 2nd class and lets you get off and board a later train. For one way, the Tirano to St. Moritz red train ticket (our breakdown) starts at $75. From the Swiss end, the St. Moritz to Tirano red train ticket (our breakdown) is also from $75. None of these is the panoramic train. Official tickets and reservations are on rhb.ch, and our Bernina Express from Tirano page compares both routes.
You want a glacier and lunch
The Bernina train and Diavolezza glacier lunch (our breakdown) takes the cable car up to Diavolezza at 2,978 m for a set three-course lunch at Berghaus Diavolezza, then rides the regional train in a standard carriage from Bernina Diavolezza down to Tirano, from $223. Prefer the panoramic coach? The featured tour has a Diavolezza lunch option from $221, though that option drops the free time in St. Moritz.
Three questions that settle it
- Does the panoramic coach matter to you? If yes, there are two choices: the Frigerio tours from Milan or Como. If no, keep going.
- Where are you staying? Already in Tirano or St. Moritz, buy a ticket. In Milan, a tour or the Trenord train to Tirano, about 2.5 hours, both work.
- How much day can you give it? The tours run 11 to 13 hours. The 11-hour red-train trip is the shortest; the cruise and reserved-carriage tours are the longest at 13.
Those answers narrow 14 options to two or three. Then choose on price and reviews.
Know before you book
Bring a passport or ID card
Every Milan and Como day trip crosses the Swiss–Italian border twice. Switzerland and Italy are both in the Schengen area, but the operators require a valid passport or national ID card, and some ask non-EU travelers for a passport specifically.
The train is a small part of the day
Expect about 2 to 2.5 hours on the train inside a day of 11 to 13 hours. The coach takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours each way. Several tours may run the day in reverse, and the Autostradale, Z V Srl and TaoTravel tours can swap the Bernina line for the Albula line (St. Moritz–Thusis) on some dates.
The Landwasser Viaduct is not on the Bernina line
The famous curved viaduct is on the Albula line between Chur and St. Moritz, near Filisur. Day trips on the St. Moritz–Tirano section do not cross it; the Albula option of the City Wonders tour visits a viewpoint instead. To ride over it, take the Bernina Express from Chur, covered on our Chur to Tirano page.
You cannot choose a side
RhB says seat side and direction cannot be booked. Most guides suggest the right-hand side heading south to Tirano and the left heading north. Our best side to sit guide has the details.
Cancellation windows differ
The day trips cancel free up to 24 hours before. The return day ticket needs 5 days’ notice, and the two Rigamonti one-way tickets need 7.
Families: check the age rules
The Milano Art Discovery red-train trip excludes children under 6, and the small-group tour excludes children under 12. The other listings set no age limit in their data, so confirm with the operator before you book a long day for young children.
2027 works on the line
Third parties report a closure between Cavaglia and Tirano from 4 October to late November 2027, with replacement buses. RhB has not confirmed it on its site, so check rhb.ch before booking autumn 2027 dates.
Frequently asked questions
Which Bernina train tour from Milan uses the panoramic train?
On this site, only the Milan: St. Moritz and panoramic Bernina Express tour from Frigerio Viaggi, and only on its panoramic-carriage option, from $186. Its sister tour does the same from Como. The other Milan day trips ride the regional red train.
What is the cheapest Bernina train tour?
With transport from Milan, the TaoTravel day trip from $110. Without transport, the Rigamonti one-way red-train tickets from Tirano or St. Moritz start at $75. Our ticket prices guide adds the official fares.
Is the red train worse than the Bernina Express?
No, only different. The scenery is the same, the windows open for photos, and tours using it cost less. You give up the curved panoramic glass and a reserved seat.
How long is the train part of a Bernina day trip?
About 2 to 2.5 hours. RhB times the Bernina Express between St. Moritz and Tirano at about 2 hours 15 minutes; tour itineraries list 2 to 2.5 hours for the ride.
Can I do the Bernina train from Milan without a tour?
Yes. Take the Trenord train from Milano Centrale to Tirano, about 2.5 hours for about EUR 12.50 in 2nd class, and walk across the square to the RhB station. Our Milan to St. Moritz by Bernina train page compares that with a tour.
Check Which Train Your Tour Actually Uses
Most day trips from Milan ride the regional red train in 2nd class. Only some options guarantee a seat in the panoramic Bernina Express coaches.
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