Lake Como + Bernina Express

Most Lake Como and Bernina Express tours give you under an hour on the lake and about two hours on the train, and spend the rest of a 12- to 13-hour day on the road. The most-reviewed tour on this site, Autostradale’s Lake Como cruise and Bernina red train day from Milan with 6,300+ reviews, puts you on a private boat for about 45 minutes and on the regional red train in 2nd class for about 2 hours. Of the lake combos on this site, only the Frigerio trip from Como sells a seat in a panoramic Bernina Express coach. The others ride the red train, whose windows open.

How the day really splits

Here is the featured tour’s day, using the times its own itinerary gives.

That is not a complaint. Lake Como and the Bernina line are both a long way from Milan, and a coach is what makes both fit into one day of daylight. Know what you are buying: a taste of each, and a long day sitting down.

The featured tour: boat first, train second

The Lake Como cruise, St. Moritz and Bernina red train day (our breakdown) from Autostradale Viaggi costs from $194 per person and is rated 4.6 from 6,300+ reviews. The cruise is on a private boat just after sunrise, with views of Bellagio and lakeside villas. The coach then crosses the Maloja Pass to St. Moritz for a walking tour and free time before the train.

The listing is clear about the train. You ride in 2nd class with windows you can open, not a 1st-class panoramic coach. The ride may run Tirano to St. Moritz, or St. Moritz to Thusis on the Albula line instead of Tirano, and you do not choose. A passport or European ID card is required. Meals are not included, and the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users. Lose the radio headset and the operator charges €50.

Four more ways to combine the lake and the train

The Bernina panoramic express and St. Moritz day from Como (our breakdown) from Frigerio Viaggi starts in Como itself, at Viale Innocenzo XI. There is no boat; you see the lake from the coach. You get about 2.5 hours in St. Moritz, then the panoramic Bernina Express to Tirano with a seat in a panoramic coach on the panoramic option, confirmed at booking but not assigned in advance. It costs from $220, runs 12.5 hours and is rated 4.6 from 580+ reviews. A Diavolezza lunch option replaces your free time in St. Moritz.

The Bernina train and Diavolezza glacier lunch from Como, also from Frigerio, trades St. Moritz for altitude. A cable car takes you to 2,978 m for a fixed lunch at Berghaus Diavolezza (antipasto, pizzoccheri and dessert), then the train runs in a standard carriage from Bernina Diavolezza to Tirano. It is limited to 10 participants, listed from $223 and rated 4.8 from only 23 reviews.

The Bernina red train and St. Moritz tour (our breakdown) from Vaxvi picks up in Bergamo at 6:40, Milan at 7:30 and Lecco at 8:20, so you can board at the southern end of the lake’s eastern arm. It rides the red train from Tirano to St. Moritz in a carriage reserved for the group, with a seat for everyone. It costs from $128, lasts 13 hours and is rated 4.7 from 460+ reviews. There is no time on the water.

The small-group Alps day trip with the Bernina train (our breakdown) from LUCAfromITALY takes a regional train or minibus from Milan Centrale to Lake Como for a short walk in a lakeside town, if time allows, then a minibus up the Valtellina to Tirano. The group tops out at 18 people. It costs from $195, is rated 4.9 from 120+ reviews and is not suitable for children under 12. Our private and small-group page covers it in detail.

Staying on Lake Como and doing it yourself

If you are staying on the lake, you may not need a tour at all. Trenord’s direct regional trains from Milan Centrale to Tirano run up the eastern shore through Lecco and along the Valtellina. One sample timetable leaves Lecco at 11:02 and reaches Tirano at 12:52, and the full trip from Milan takes about 2 hours 30 minutes for about EUR 12.50 in 2nd class. If you are in Varenna or another eastern-shore village, check Trenord for the nearest station on that line. From Como town, the tours that start there save you the connection.

In Tirano, walk across the square to the RhB station. A red train return day ticket from Tirano costs from $123 in 2nd class and lets you hop off on the way, while the panoramic Bernina Express needs a ticket plus a seat reservation of about CHF 32, booked on rhb.ch. Spending a night in Tirano makes the day far less rushed. Our Tirano page has a full day plan.

Which lake combo fits you

• You want time on the water: the Autostradale cruise day, with its private boat.
• You want the panoramic coach: the Frigerio day from Como, on its panoramic option.
• You are staying in Como town: the two Frigerio departures from Viale Innocenzo XI.
• You want a smaller group: the LUCAfromITALY day, or the Diavolezza lunch day at 10 people.
• You are staying near Lecco or Varenna: the Vaxvi Lecco pickup, or the Trenord train yourself.

Before you choose, read Bernina Express vs regional train and, for the full field, our Bernina Express tours comparison.

For the lake and the train in one booking, check availability for the Autostradale Lake Como cruise and Bernina red train day.