The Bernina Express Route and Its Key Stops
The Bernina Express runs between Chur or St. Moritz in Switzerland and Tirano in northern Italy, crossing the UNESCO-listed Rhaetian Railway line through some of the highest and most dramatic Alpine scenery in Europe. The full journey from Chur to Tirano takes around four hours, and yes — the train does make stops along the way. It is not a non-stop panoramic experience. Passengers board and alight at multiple stations, which actually works in your favor if you want to break the journey up and spend time in specific spots.
The main stops on the St. Moritz to Tirano segment include Pontresina, Morteratsch, Ospizio Bernina, Alp Grüm, Poschiavo, and Miralago, before arriving in Tirano. If you board in Chur, you will also pass through Thusis, Tiefencastel, Filisur, Bergün, and Preda before reaching St. Moritz. Each station has its own character, and a few are genuinely worth stepping off for.
Ospizio Bernina sits at 2,253 meters above sea level — the highest point on the entire line — and offers views over Lago Bianco. Alp Grüm, just a few minutes further south, is one of the most photographed stops on any European train route, with a terrace restaurant overlooking the Poschiavo Valley dropping away below you. Morteratsch is the stop for glacier walkers: a 45-minute trail leads to the edge of the Morteratsch Glacier, though the ice has retreated significantly in recent years and the walk to the front is longer than it used to be.
How to Plan Around the Stops
The Bernina Express runs on a fixed timetable, typically with two to three departures per day in each direction depending on the season. If you get off at an intermediate stop, you can reboard a later service — but check the timetable carefully before you commit, because gaps between trains can be two hours or more at smaller stations.
Seat reservations on the Bernina Express are separate from your ticket and are mandatory for the panoramic cars. If you plan to hop off and back on, you will need a new reservation for the onward leg. This is easy to do at the station or through the Rhaetian Railway website, but it is something many first-time travelers overlook and end up paying twice for unnecessarily.
The right side of the train heading south from St. Moritz toward Tirano generally offers better views of the valley drops and glaciers, so try to reserve accordingly. Traveling with a Bernina Train private tour from Milan or St. Moritz can give you much more flexibility around stop times and photography without being tied to the public schedule.
If you are approaching from Italy, the Bernina Red Train day trip from Milan is a popular way to cover the route in a single day without the logistics of overnight accommodation in the mountains. And if you are already planning a broader Swiss rail adventure, pairing the Bernina line with the Swiss Alps train tour from Zurich with the Glacier Express gives you an excellent overview of the country’s most iconic routes in one trip.
The stops on the Bernina Express are not just logistical waypoints — several of them are highlights in their own right. Building a little extra time into your itinerary to step off the train, look around, and catch the next service is almost always worth it.
