Marco Crisciotti In 2025 it will be possible to depart aboard the Bernina Express, with a wonderful route connecting the town of Tirano, in the province of Sondrio, to St. Moritz in Switzerland. Here are the autumn 2025 schedules, ticket costs and stops along the UNESCO route.
Table of contents
Autumn transforms the Alps into an impressionist painting. Forests change color, larches take on golden hues, and woods ignite with red and orange. If you love these landscapes, don’t waste time and climb aboard the Bernina Express, one of the most beautiful railway routes in the world, a UNESCO heritage site since 2008.
The starting point of this legendary railway is Tirano, a town of Roman origins in the heart of Valtellina, just 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) from the Swiss border. Always a natural crossroads between Valposchiavo and the Orobie Alps, Tirano is connected to Milan via the Valtellina Railway and is located along State Road 38 dello Stelvio, the gateway to Bormio, Engadine, and the Aprica Pass.
A journey through two nations
The train departs from Tirano, a Lombard town situated at 1,312 feet (400 meters) above sea level, and climbs the mountain until it reaches St. Moritz, the famous Swiss resort. During the journey it crosses four cantons and two nations, ascending to the Bernina Pass.
The journey covers just over 37 miles (60 kilometers), with an impressive elevation gain of 5,984 feet (1,824 meters): from 1,407 feet (429 meters) in Tirano you reach 7,392 feet (2,253 meters) at Ospizio Bernina, tackling a maximum gradient of 70 per thousand. In just over two and a half hours, without stops, the train scales the Alps thanks to a series of record-breaking bridges and curves.
The Rhaetian Railway has operated this line for over a century. In 2008 UNESCO recognized the route as a world heritage site and the reason is clear: few other railway routes offer a comparable variety of landscapes, since in two and a half hours you pass from the Italian Valtellina to Alpine glaciers, from terraced vineyards to high-altitude lakes, from coniferous forests to snow-capped peaks.
Schedules for autumn 2025
During this period the train runs ten daily trips from Tirano to St. Moritz and nine in the opposite direction. The summer timetable remains valid until October 26, then the winter schedule takes over and will remain active until December 13, 2025. The main difference concerns frequency, because in winter the trips undergo a slight reduction.
Each season offers a different experience: autumn has the charm of fall foliage, with woods exploding in a thousand warm shades, winter offers the spectacle of snow covering everything, creating a fairy-tale landscape, spring brings nature’s awakening, while summer shows green pastures and alpine flowers.
The stops along the route
Just after leaving the station, the train runs alongside the Sanctuary of Madonna di Tirano, built on the spot where, according to tradition, a Marian apparition occurred in 1504. It is the main example of Renaissance architecture in Valtellina, with a magnificent seventeenth-century organ and an altar in Nero di Varenna marble. It also represents the final destination of the Marian Way of the Alps, a spiritual itinerary that crosses the valley.
After departing from Tirano, the train stops at Brusio, famous for its circular viaduct, an extraordinary engineering work that allows the train to gain altitude by describing a complete circle. It continues towards Poschiavo, an alpine village that keeps its nineteenth-century charm intact.
In the first miles, the train windows overlook the terraces of Valtellina, where the Nebbiolo grape grows, locally called Chiavennasca, from which renowned wines such as Sforzato di Valtellina and Valtellina Superiore DOCG are born. The vineyards are supported by dry stone walls, a construction technique declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2018.
The ascent continues to Lago Bianco, a turquoise-colored body of water surrounded by glaciers.
Shortly before the border with Switzerland you cross the Piattamala area, a place steeped in history and legend, where Bronze Age artifacts have been found and where a hydroelectric plant from the 1920s once stood. On the opposite side, among the vineyards, you can see the small church of Santa Perpetua, a twelfth-century Romanesque building that for centuries welcomed travelers and pilgrims heading towards the Bernina Pass.
Shortly after you arrive at Alp Grüm, called “the balcony on the glaciers” for the splendid view from the small station. Here many travelers choose to stop for lunch at the panoramic restaurant and photograph the Palü glacier.
The highest point is the Bernina Pass, followed by the descent towards Pontresina and finally St. Moritz, the journey’s final destination. Each intermediate stop can become an opportunity to get off, explore the surroundings and catch a later train: flexibility is one of the strengths of this journey.
Tickets and prices
The cost of the journey depends on the class chosen. In second class a single trip from Tirano to St. Moritz costs 33 euros ($36) per person, so round trip amounts to 66 euros ($72). Those who prefer first class pay 57 euros ($62) for a single trip or 114 euros ($125) for the complete ticket.
Prices are reduced if you travel only part of the route. Those who live in Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto or Emilia Romagna can take advantage of the Trenino Rosso Vip Service, a bus connection that takes you directly to Tirano. Tickets are purchased online indicating departure, arrival, dates and number of passengers, and it is possible to request a refund until the fourth working day before departure, although a small deduction is applied.
Packages and complete experiences
Do you want to transform the trip into a more elaborate experience? No problem, because there are several proposals that can satisfy even the most adventurous. The package “Weekend + Bernina Express + St. Moritz + Traditional Dinner + Thermal Baths” costs 259 euros ($283) and includes accommodation, train journey, a traditional dinner and access to thermal baths. Available dates range from October 2025 to March 2026.
In November the “Livigno Christmas Markets + Bernina Express” option is already bookable at the price of 149 euros ($163), a solution that combines the charm of train travel with a visit to the Christmas markets, perfect for those who want to savor the atmosphere of Alpine festivities.
For information and reservations visit the website treninorosso.it
