From Milan: Lake Como Cruise, St. Moritz & Bernina Red Train

About This Experience

This long day starts early at the Autostradale bus stop by Milano Centrale. The coach drives to Lake Como, where your group boards a private boat for a cruise of about 45 minutes on the morning water, with views of Bellagio and some of the lake’s well-known villas. From the lake the coach climbs over the Maloja Pass into the Engadine and on to St. Moritz.

In St. Moritz a guide leads a short walking tour, then you get free time; the itinerary gives about 1.5 hours for the whole stop. In the afternoon you board the regional Bernina red train in 2nd class. The listing is clear that this is not a first-class panoramic coach: you sit in a standard carriage where the windows open for photos. The ride takes about two hours, past the Morteratsch Glacier, the Diavolezza stop and down through Val Poschiavo.

The train section usually runs from St. Moritz to Tirano, but the operator may change it: on some dates the train runs from Tirano up to St. Moritz, and on others it runs on the Albula line from St. Moritz to Thusis instead. The coach meets you at the end of the ride and drives back to Milan. Count on most of the 13 hours being coach time, with two hours on the train.

Pick this tour if you want Lake Como and the Bernina line in a single day and do not mind a very full schedule. It has the most reviews of any tour on this site. Guiding is in English and Spanish, with a radio headset so you can hear the guide. It is not suitable for wheelchair users. If a glass-roofed panoramic coach matters to you, choose a Frigerio tour instead.

Highlights

• Cruise Lake Como by private boat with views toward Bellagio and lakeside villas
• Drive over the Maloja Pass into the Engadine valley
• Walk the center of St. Moritz with a guide
• Ride the regional red train past the Morteratsch Glacier and down Val Poschiavo
• Lean out of opening windows for photos without glass reflections

What's Included

• ✓ Round-trip transport by coach from Milan
• ✓ Professional guide (English and Spanish)
• ✓ Radio headset to hear the guide
• ✓ Lake Como cruise by private boat
• ✓ Walking tour of St. Moritz
• ✓ Pre-booked Bernina red train ticket from or to St. Moritz (2nd class)

Not Included

• Meals and drinks
• Tips
• First-class or panoramic-coach seats
• Hotel pickup (you meet at the bus stop)

What to Bring

• Passport or national ID card
• Warm clothing
• Rain gear
• Camera

Good to Know & Caveats

• A valid passport or European ID card is required on the day of travel; the tour crosses into Switzerland.
• The train is the regional red train in 2nd class with opening windows, not the first-class panoramic coach.
• The train section may run from Tirano to St. Moritz, or on some dates on the Albula line from St. Moritz to Thusis.
• You cannot choose your seat side on the train. Many travelers suggest the right-hand side going south (St. Moritz to Tirano) and the left going north, but you take what is free.
• Infants travel free but have no seat of their own and sit on a parent's lap.
• If you lose or do not return the radio headset, the operator charges a €50 fee.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.

Meeting Point

The Autostradale bus stop for Lake Como and Bernina tours by Milano Centrale; the coach returns there in the evening.