The Bernina Express runs from St. Moritz south over the Bernina Pass to Tirano in northern Italy, crossing some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Europe in under four hours. The route climbs from 1,775 metres at St. Moritz to 2,253 metres at the Ospizio Bernina station — the highest point on the mainline railway network in Switzerland — before descending through the Italian-speaking canton of Graubünden and into the Valtellina.
The train runs year-round, and both directions offer spectacular views. Northbound, you pass from the Mediterranean-influenced palms of Tirano into icy high-Alpine scenery within an hour. Southbound, the glaciers of the Bernina massif dominate the first half before the landscape opens into Italian warmth. The panoramic wagons have large curved windows designed for photography. Book a seat on the right side of the train traveling south from St. Moritz for the better glacier views.