Milan to St. Moritz by Train

To get from Milan to St. Moritz on the Bernina line, take a Trenord regional train from Milano Centrale to Tirano, about 2 hours 30 minutes, then walk across the square to the RhB station and ride the Bernina train up to St. Moritz, about 2 hours 15 minutes to 2.5 hours. With the change, plan on roughly five to five and a half hours. If you would rather not plan any of it, the Milan: Bernina train, Swiss Alps and St. Moritz day trip (our breakdown) does the round trip in 12 hours by coach and red train, from $110 per person with a 4.8 rating from 1,650+ reviews.

The train route, leg by leg

There is no single train from Milan to St. Moritz on this route. You change once, in Tirano, from the Italian network to the Swiss narrow-gauge line.

Trenord trains run roughly every one to two hours and follow the eastern shore of Lake Como past Lecco before climbing the Valtellina. You do not reserve them. In Tirano the two stations sit a few metres apart, so the change is easy even with a suitcase.

For the panoramic train, the RhB timetable for this winter shows a daily departure from Tirano at 10:06, arriving in St. Moritz at 12:35. The summer 2027 timetable, from 24 April, adds afternoon departures at 13:17 and 16:06. Check rhb.ch for your exact date, because extra winter trains run only on some days. The timetable guide lists every departure.

By coach: the Valtellina or the Maloja

Day tours do not use Trenord. They drive, and there are two roads into the mountains, both starting up the eastern side of Lake Como to Colico.

• The Valtellina road heads east up the valley to Tirano, where tours board the train for St. Moritz.
• The Maloja road turns north to Chiavenna, climbs the Maloja Pass and follows the Engadin lakes to St. Moritz.

By road, Milan to St. Moritz is roughly 170 to 180 km and about 3 hours in good conditions. Most tours drive one road and come back the other, so the train covers the gap between St. Moritz and Tirano. TaoTravel goes up over the Maloja and comes home through the Valtellina. The Milano Art Discovery red-train day (our breakdown) does the opposite, taking the train uphill from Tirano and returning over the Maloja. The route map shows both loops.

Day tour, do it yourself, or stay the night

There are three sensible ways to make this trip, and they suit different travelers.

A same-day DIY return is possible but long: about five hours on Trenord and four to five on the Bernina line, before any time in St. Moritz. The Tirano–St. Moritz return day ticket (our breakdown) lets you hop off along the way, but you still need to catch a Trenord train home from Tirano.

Staying the night changes the trip completely. Ride up in the afternoon, sleep in St. Moritz, and the next morning you can carry on north over the Albula line toward Chur, past the Landwasser Viaduct, or come back down with the St. Moritz to Tirano red train ticket (our breakdown) from $75. The Chur to Tirano page covers the full route, and the where to stay page covers bases along the line.

Can you stay in St. Moritz after a day tour?

Sometimes. The TaoTravel listing says travelers who want to stay in St. Moritz should contact the operator before departure to check whether that day’s train runs allow it. If it does not, you have to make your own way back to St. Moritz from wherever the train ends. Luggage space on the coach is not guaranteed either, since it depends on the route and whether the return coach is the same vehicle. If you plan to stay over, the one-way rail route is simpler.

The panoramic option and the road you skip

If you want the Bernina Express itself between St. Moritz and Tirano, the Frigerio panoramic Bernina Express tour (our breakdown) is the Milan tour that sells a panoramic-coach seat, on its panoramic option, from $186. The Z V Bernina train tour with guide (our breakdown) gives you about two hours in St. Moritz and leaves from two points in Milan. The Milan day-trip page compares meeting points and times for every operator.

Seasons, closures and paperwork

The Bernina line runs all year, but winter days are short. In late December St. Moritz gets only about eight and a half hours between sunrise and sunset, so an afternoon train can end in the dark. There are also reports of a planned closure between Cavaglia and Tirano from 4 October to late November 2027, with replacement coaches. RhB has not confirmed it on its own pages yet, so check rhb.ch before you book autumn 2027. The winter guide covers snow and light.

Whatever way you go, you cross the Swiss–Italian border, so carry a passport or ID card. For the easiest version of the trip, check availability for the TaoTravel day from Milan.