Illustration.
Bernina Red Train · Tirano to St. Moritz
Swiss Alps Train Tour from Milan, in One Day
Milano Art Discovery's guided day from Milan Centrale: the coach to Tirano, the Bernina red train over the Bernina Pass to St. Moritz, an hour and a half in St. Moritz, and the coach back by the Maloja Pass. 11 hours; meals not included.
- 4.8 / 5 5111+ Reviews
- about 166 km By road from Milan Centrale to Tirano, where the day boards the train (routed)
- 2008 The year the Albula and Bernina lines of the Rhaetian Railway became a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Swiss Alps Train Tour Includes
The round-trip coach from Milan, the Bernina train ticket, a live guide in English and an audio guide. Meals, drinks and hotel pickup are not included, and you need a passport or ID card for Switzerland.
Milano Art Discovery's own highlights, inclusions and notes, as listed on GetYourGuide in November 2026.
Highlights
- Take a ride on the Bernina Train, a UNESCO World Heritage journey
- Witness the Palü Glacier and Alp Grüm
- Explore the elegant streets of St. Moritz and enjoy a coffee by the lake
What's Included
- Guided tour through the Bernina Range
- Bernina Train ticket
- Passage through Alp Grüm and the Palü Glacier
- Leisurely walk along well-marked trails
- Round-trip transportation from Milan on coach
Good to know: The tour includes the Bernina Regional Red Train, featuring windows that can be opened for unobstructed views and photos; · Wear comfortable walking shoes and warm clothing; · Bring a camera to capture the stunning views; · Check weather conditions before your visit; · Be prepared for a moderate amount of walking; · To ensure the best possible experience, the itinerary may occasionally be operated in reverse or adjusted due to weather, traffic, or operational considerations · Not suitable for: Children under 6 years, Pregnant women, People with mobility impairments, Wheelchair users · Not Included: Meals and drinks, Hotel pickup and drop-off
The Day from Milan, Step by Step
From Milan Centrale to St. Moritz and back in 11 hours. The starting time shows when you pick a date.
Milan Centrale to Tirano by Coach
The group meets at Centrale Fs, Piazza Duca d'Aosta. The coach runs an hour and a half to a 15-minute break at Colico Piano, then another hour and a half to Tirano. Bring a passport or ID card: the day crosses into Switzerland.
45 Minutes in Tirano
Free time and a short walk in Tirano, the Italian town where the Bernina line ends, before boarding the train.
The Bernina Red Train to St. Moritz
Two and a half hours on the regional red train over the Bernina Pass, past Alp Grüm and the Palü Glacier. Its windows open, so photos need no glass; it is not the panoramic train.
St. Moritz, Then Back by the Maloja Pass
An hour and a half in St. Moritz with the guide and free time, then three hours by coach back to Milan Centrale over the Maloja Pass. The order can run in reverse, set by weather and traffic.
Photo Gallery
The Bernina Line and St. Moritz
Glaciers above the line, the train in the snow, and the lake at St. Moritz.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Pick a date to see the starting time and the live price. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Plan the Ride
Swiss Alps by Train, One Question per Page
One day or a week, the day hour by hour, whether it is worth it, the scenic and panoramic options, the Swiss Travel Pass, the Grand Train Tour and where to stay on the line.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Prices are for one adult, in US dollars.
Four Swiss Alps Train Tours from Milan, Side by Side
The same railway, four different days: hours out, which way the train runs and for how long, the train you ride, time in St. Moritz, seats and food. Prices with the month they were checked.
| Feature | Most reviewed of these THIS PAGE Milano Art Discovery | TAOTRAVEL | FRIGERIO VIAGGI | Z V SRL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From US$166 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$155 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$154 per person (checked November 2026) | From US$166 per person (checked November 2026) |
| Time Out | 11 hours | 12 hours | 12.5 hours | 12.5 hours |
| The Train | Tirano to St. Moritz, 2.5 hours, on the regional red train | St. Moritz to Tirano, about 2 hours 20 minutes; on certain dates St. Moritz to Thusis on the Albula line instead | Tirano to St. Moritz in the standard carriage, or St. Moritz to Tirano in the panoramic carriage, by option | About 2 hours; it may start from St. Moritz, Thusis or Tirano |
| Windows | Windows that open | 2nd class with windows that open | Panoramic windows only with the panoramic carriage option | 2nd class with windows that open |
| Time in St. Moritz | 1.5 hours, with the guide and free time | 100 minutes, before the train | 1 hour (standard) or 2 hours (panoramic); none with the lunch option | 2 hours |
| Seats | Not stated | Not stated | Not assigned in advance; a panoramic seat is guaranteed only with that option | Not stated |
| Food | Not included | Not included | Not included, except the lunch at Diavolezza option | Not included |
| Not Suitable For | Children under 6, pregnant women, people with mobility impairments | Wheelchair users, people with altitude sickness | People with mobility impairments, heart problems or motion sickness | Wheelchair users; no luggage or large bags |
| See dates | See the TAOTRAVEL day | See the carriage options | See the Z V SRL day |
Other Ways onto the Line
Two More Swiss Alps Rail Options
Another day from Milan on a pre-booked 2nd-class ticket, whose train can run to or from St. Moritz, and a return train ticket from Tirano for travellers already near the line. Prices per person.
PRE-BOOKED 2ND-CLASS TRAIN TICKETFrom Milan: Bernina Train and St. Moritz Day Trip
AUTOSTRADALE VIAGGI SRL's day from Milan: coach to Tirano, a pre-booked 2nd-class Bernina red train ticket to or from St. Moritz with windows you can open, a walking tour and free time in St. Moritz, and the coach back by the Maloja Pass.
TRAIN TICKET ONLY, FROM TIRANOTirano to St. Moritz: Bernina Red Train Return Day Ticket
Visit Valtellina's return day ticket on the Bernina red train between Tirano and St. Moritz: board in Tirano at a departure of your choice, get off at any station and take the next train on. Getting to Tirano is not included.
One Day or a Week
Choosing a Swiss Alps Train Tour
Which rail journey fits one day, which train the Milan day rides, how the day runs, buying the train ticket yourself, and when to go.
Most Swiss Alps train tours are holidays of a week or more. If you have one day and you are in Milan, the Swiss Alps train tour that fits is the coach to Tirano, the Bernina red train over the Bernina Pass to St. Moritz, and the coach back. This page leads with Milano Art Discovery’s From Milan to the Swiss Alps: Bernina Red Train & St. Moritz: 11 hours from Milan Centrale, two and a half of them on the train, from US$166 a person, checked November 2026. Meals are not included.
One day or a week: the four ways to ride
Search for a Swiss Alps rail tour and most of what comes back is a package of seven days or more. Those are a different trip. Here is how the four usual answers compare:
| Journey | How long | What it is | How it is booked |
|---|---|---|---|
| The day from Milan on the Bernina line | 11 hours, 2.5 of them on the train | Coach to Tirano, the regional red train to St. Moritz, coach back; a guide all day | This page’s calendar |
| The Glacier Express | About 8 hours from Zermatt to St. Moritz; not running from 11 October to 4 December 2026 | One panoramic train across the Alps, one way | With the railway, or a guided day from Zurich that rides part of it (options) |
| The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland | 7 or 8 days | A round trip of several days on the panoramic trains | Sold by SBB as a multi-day journey (explained) |
| A week with the Swiss Travel Pass | 3 to 15 days | Unlimited trains, buses and boats; seat reservations on panoramic trains extra | Sold by SBB and travel agents, not on this site; what it covers and the seat reservation |
Travel times from glacierexpress.ch and rhb.ch, the Grand Train Tour’s length and the Pass terms from sbb.ch, checked November 2026.
The Glacier Express and the Grand Train Tour start in Switzerland and take more than a day. From Milan, the Bernina line is the one the day tours ride: its southern end, Tirano, is in Italy, a little over three hours from Milan by coach. One day or a week by rail goes through the choice at length.
Check dates for the Bernina day
Three Milan days, for three kinds of rider
From Milan to the Swiss Alps: Bernina Red Train & St. Moritz
Milano Art Discovery: coach from Milan Centrale, 45 minutes in Tirano, 2.5 hours on the red train past Alp Grüm and the Palü Glacier, then 1.5 hours in St. Moritz. Live guide and audio guide in English.
Check dates →From Milan: Bernina Train, Swiss Alps & St. Moritz Day Trip
TAOTRAVEL: coach by Lake Como and the Maloja Pass, 100 minutes in St. Moritz, then the 2nd-class train with opening windows down to Tirano. On certain dates the train takes the Albula line to Thusis instead.
See this day →Small-Group Bernina Red Train & Swiss Alps Day Trip from Milan
LUCAfromITALY: a small bus with up to 18 people, the Bernina train ticket and an English-speaking guide, 12 hours 45 minutes. Lunch not included.
See on Viator →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide, checked November 2026; Viator, checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Which train the day rides
The Bernina line has two kinds of train, and the Rhaetian Railway, which runs it, keeps them apart. The Bernina Express has panoramic cars and needs a valid ticket plus a mandatory seat reservation, on selected connections. The regional trains run more often, use regular coaches with windows that open, and need only a ticket (rhb.ch, 13 July 2026).
Milano Art Discovery’s day rides the regional red train. Its windows open, which one recent reviewer counted as a plus for photos, and it has no panoramic windows. Several of its recent reviewers had expected the panoramic train, so it is worth knowing before you book. If the panoramic car matters to you, FRIGERIO VIAGGI’s Milan day with a panoramic carriage option guarantees a seat in it, at from US$154 for the standard carriage and more for the panoramic one (checked November 2026). Scenic and panoramic train options sets every choice side by side.
The day from Milan, in short
The group meets at Centrale Fs, Piazza Duca d’Aosta, at 7:30 AM on 27 November, with a 7:00 AM start as well in January and March. The coach takes an hour and a half to Colico Piano for a 15-minute break, then another hour and a half to Tirano, about 166 km by road in all. You get 45 minutes in Tirano, then two and a half hours on the train, up past Alp Grüm and the Palü Glacier and over the Bernina Pass to St. Moritz. There, an hour and a half with the guide and on your own. The coach back over the Maloja Pass takes three hours.
That is about six hours on the coach for two and a half on the train. The order can run in reverse, by weather, traffic or operations. The day hour by hour sets the four Milan days against each other, and is it worth it? weighs the coach hours and the short stop in St. Moritz.
A Swiss Alps train from Milan or from Zurich
From Milan, the day tours ride the Bernina line. From Zurich the choice is wider, and most of it is travel on your own with a ticket or a pass. Guided rail days from Zurich HB that ride the Glacier Express from Chur to Andermatt, then go on to Lucerne, are sold on both networks: Tours of Switzerland’s Glacier Express, Swiss Alps and Lucerne day on GetYourGuide, from US$433 a person (checked November 2026), and TripsSource’s day from Zurich on Viator, from US$560 a person (checked November 2026). Between 11 October and 6 December the Glacier Express does not operate, and both days then take the same route with an additional stop in an alpine village. If you hold a Swiss Travel Pass, the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express still need a seat reservation.
Swiss Alps train tickets on your own
You can ride the Bernina line without a tour. A regional red train needs only a ticket; a seat reservation between St. Moritz and Tirano is optional, CHF 5.00 a person, and limited in number, and when those seats are sold out you can still travel (rhb.ch, checked November 2026). The Rhaetian Railway takes no individual reservations for trains in April 2027.
Starting from Tirano, Visit Valtellina’s Bernina red train return day ticket lets you board at a departure of your choice, get off at any station and take the next train on, from US$123 a person (checked November 2026). Getting to Tirano is not included. The tour makes sense when you would rather not plan the coach, the border and the timings yourself.
When to go
The day runs through the winter. Milano Art Discovery’s price was the same on 27 November 2026, 15 January and 26 March 2027, and the January and March dates had two starting times. Bring a passport or ID card, warm layers and your own food.
If you would rather stay a night on the line, at St. Moritz or Tirano, hotels in St. Moritz and Tirano explains which end suits which plan.
Book the Swiss Alps Train Day from Milan
Milano Art Discovery's day covers the coach from Milan Centrale and back and the Bernina train ticket from Tirano to St. Moritz, with a live guide in English. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Starting from US$166 per person.
See datesSwiss Alps Train Tours: Questions
Which train the day from Milan rides, how long the ride is, what it costs, passports, the Glacier Express, the Swiss Travel Pass, the Grand Train Tour, and buying train tickets yourself.
A one-day coach and train trip: Milan to Tirano by coach, the Bernina line over the Bernina Pass to St. Moritz by train, and back to Milan by coach over the Maloja Pass. On Milano Art Discovery's day the train part is 2.5 hours of an 11-hour day, with 45 minutes in Tirano and an hour and a half in St. Moritz. It is the one Swiss Alps rail tour that fits a single day from Milan; the Glacier Express and the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland are longer journeys, set side by side in one day or a week by rail.
Not on the day this site leads with: it rides the Bernina regional red train, whose windows open, not the panoramic Bernina Express. Both run on the same line between St. Moritz and Tirano. The Rhaetian Railway separates them: the Bernina Express has panoramic cars and needs a valid ticket plus a mandatory seat reservation, while the regional trains use regular coaches with windows that open and run more often (rhb.ch, 13 July 2026). Of the Milan days on this site, FRIGERIO VIAGGI's is the one with a panoramic carriage option.
Two and a half hours from Tirano to St. Moritz on the day from Milan; the whole day takes 11 hours, about 6 of them on the coach. The Rhaetian Railway gives about 2 hours 15 minutes between St. Moritz and Tirano for its Bernina Express, and about 4 hours from Chur to Tirano. The Glacier Express, from Zermatt to St. Moritz, takes about 8 hours (glacierexpress.ch). See the day from Milan, hour by hour.
Milano Art Discovery's day costs US$166 a person on GetYourGuide (checked November 2026), the same on 27 November 2026, 15 January and 26 March 2027. That buys the coach from Milan Centrale and back, the Bernina train ticket and a live guide in English; meals are not included. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Yes: the day crosses from Italy into Switzerland, and the tours ask you to bring a passport or ID card. Milano Art Discovery's day needs a passport or ID card; on TAOTRAVEL's St. Moritz-first day a valid paper passport is required, or an ID card for citizens of the Schengen Area.
Only part of it, and not from Milan: the whole route, Zermatt to St. Moritz, takes about 8 hours, and the train does not run between 11 October and 4 December 2026 (glacierexpress.ch). Guided days from Zurich HB do ride the stretch between Chur and Andermatt and go on to Lucerne, with a Glacier Express seat reservation included: Tours of Switzerland's day on GetYourGuide, 10 hours, from US$433 a person (checked November 2026), and TripsSource's day on Viator, from US$560 a person (checked November 2026). Between 11 October and 6 December the Glacier Express does not operate, and both days then take the same route with an extra stop in an alpine village.
It covers the travel, not the seat reservations: SBB lists unlimited travel on panoramic trains, excluding seat reservation and surcharges. For the Bernina Express, the Rhaetian Railway tells Pass holders to book the seat reservation only. The regional red trains on the Bernina line need no reservation at all. See the Swiss Travel Pass and the seat reservation for what each railway says the reservation costs.
A journey of several days on Switzerland's panoramic trains, which SBB sells in two versions: The Original, eight days, and The Classic, seven days. It is a holiday, not a day trip, and not something a tour from Milan can fit. See the Grand Train Tour explained.
Yes. The regional red trains on the Bernina line need only a ticket, and a seat reservation between St. Moritz and Tirano is optional: CHF 5.00 a person, in limited numbers (rhb.ch, checked November 2026). When the reserved seats are sold out you can still travel, and the Rhaetian Railway says no individual reservations can be made for trains in April 2027. From Tirano, Visit Valtellina's return day ticket to St. Moritz is US$123 a person (checked November 2026); getting to Tirano is up to you.
Yes: guided rail days leave Zurich HB, on GetYourGuide and on Viator, though not on the Bernina line. Tours of Switzerland's Glacier Express day rides from Chur to Andermatt and on to Lucerne, from US$433 a person (checked November 2026). TripsSource's Zurich day to St. Moritz follows the Glacier Express corridor from Chur on the Albula line, past the Landwasser Viaduct, with rail passes and a guide, from US$379 a person (checked November 2026); its schedule starts on 11 April 2027. It does not say it rides the Glacier Express train itself.
Still have questions? Email us at info@swissalpstraintour.com