Bernina Train & Diavolezza Glacier Lunch from Milan

About This Experience

The coach leaves Piazza della Repubblica in the morning and drives north, about three hours in all, past St. Moritz without stopping and on to the Diavolezza valley station. A cable car ride of about 12 minutes lifts you to 2,978 m, where the Berghaus Diavolezza looks across the Bernina glaciers. A multilingual assistant on the coach speaks Italian and English.

Lunch at the Berghaus is a fixed menu: an antipasto, pizzoccheri, the buckwheat pasta of the Alps with cheese, potatoes and cabbage, and a dessert. The itinerary gives about 1.5 hours at the top. Drinks or dishes beyond the set menu are paid on the spot. The summit is far colder than the valley in every season, so bring a warm layer even in summer.

After the cable car down, you board the train at the Bernina Diavolezza stop for about two hours to Tirano. The ticket is for a standard carriage on the regional train, not the panoramic Bernina Express, so you ride the lower half of the line: past Alp Grüm, through Val Poschiavo and around the Brusio circular viaduct. A 10-minute break in Tirano follows, and the coach takes about 2.5 hours back to Milan.

This tour suits travelers who want a glacier view and a proper mountain lunch more than time in St. Moritz, which you only pass. It is not suitable for people with mobility impairments, and pets are not allowed. The cable car runs year-round but can close for maintenance; the operator then arranges an alternative program. From late October to late February the afternoon train runs into early dusk.

Highlights

• Ride the cable car to Diavolezza at 2,978 m for a glacier panorama
• Eat a set Alpine lunch with pizzoccheri at the Berghaus Diavolezza
• Board the train at the Bernina Diavolezza stop for the ride down to Italy
• Circle the Brusio circular viaduct on the descent
• Pass through St. Moritz on the drive in

What's Included

• ✓ Round-trip air-conditioned coach from Piazza della Repubblica, Milan
• ✓ Diavolezza cable car up to 2,978 m and back down
• ✓ Fixed lunch menu at Berghaus Diavolezza: antipasto, pizzoccheri and dessert
• ✓ Bernina train ticket from Bernina Diavolezza to Tirano (standard carriage)
• ✓ Multilingual assistant on the coach (Italian and English)

Not Included

• Extra drinks or food beyond the set menu
• A seat on the panoramic Bernina Express
• Entrance fees in St. Moritz
• Hotel pickup (central meeting point only)

What to Bring

• Passport or national ID card
• Warm layer for 2,978 m
• Sunglasses
• Camera

Good to Know & Caveats

• Carry a passport or national ID card: the day crosses the Swiss–Italian border twice, and the operator requires the document.
• The train ticket is for a standard carriage on the regional train, from Bernina Diavolezza to Tirano only.
• Diavolezza is at 2,978 m and much colder than the valley; bring a warm layer in every season.
• If the cable car is closed for maintenance, the operator arranges an alternative program.
• 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.
• From late October to late February, early sunsets can cut afternoon visibility from the train.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.

Meeting Point

Piazza della Repubblica 5 in central Milan, on the corner with Via Turati (metro M3, Repubblica stop); arrive 15 minutes before departure.