Taking to the tracks on the beautiful Bernina Express

Branch Manager of our Woodbridge shop, Clare, was thrilled to travel with Fred. Holidays on a 3-night break from Switzerland to Italy, sampling the ease of travel and scenic joy of a rail holiday on one of the world’s most scenic train journeys. The Bernina Express is the highest rail crossing in Europe and connects Switzerland’s Alps to Italian Lombardy via a spectacular array of 196 bridges and 55 tunnels. The route encompasses some dizzying gradients, peaking at 2253 metres above sea level through the Bernina Pass, and passing through some of Europe’s most breathtaking scenery. Completed in the early 1900s, the route has UNESCO World Heritage status, encompassing engineering marvels such as the viaducts at Landwasser and Brusio and the stunning White Lake.  

“I was so excited by this trip, I love the idea of travelling by train for a holiday, but had never yet experienced any very long journeys, and for it to be on the Bernina Express was the icing on the cake. We departed the UK at 7am from St Pancras and continued through Paris, onto Zurich and finished in Chur in Switzerland at about 6pm – it was a long day of travel, but surprisingly not tiring.

Chur is the oldest city in Switzerland, and a quaint little town - here we stayed at Hotel Stern, just a short walk from the station - perfect for travelling by train. The rooms were beautifully furnished, the staff very friendly and the evening meal was superb, consisting of braised pointed cabbage on smoked olive oil mashed potato, pickled pears, flower sprouts and aged aceto – delicious! Breakfast was busy, as I suspect everyone staying there was getting up early, ready to catch the 8.15am Bernina Express to Tirano.

This is a four-and-a-half-hour journey, and we were fortunate to be in first class, with such stunning views. We stopped for about 20 minutes at Alp Grum, at a height of 2091m, for photos and a walk around - the snowy Alps and the blue sky made the perfect back drop.

On arrival in Tirano we disembarked the Bernina Express and stopped for lunch before carrying on by train through Milan and onto Dessenzano, Lake Garda. I had always wanted to visit the Italian Lakes, and Lake Garda did not disappoint. We stayed at Park Hotel, located on the water’s edge in a great position. Breakfast was very nice with plenty of options, and the evening meal delicious. There was a small rooftop pool with sunbeds, and it was a great location to wander around Desenzano and people watching with a coffee in the sun.

From Desenzano it’s possible to catch a boat (or bus) to various different towns around the lake – we took a speedboat to Simione. It’s also possible to visit both Verona and Venice by train on day trips if you wanted to, so a great base for a longer holiday.

We flew home from Milan Airport into Stansted with Ryanair, and the whole trip was seamless - the trains ran on time, the weather was perfect and the Ryanair flight was punctual.

The Bernina Express was definitely my highlight, and I am so pleased we were able to travel 1st class. The windows were so much bigger than second class, including some glass overhead, and if you can afford the difference, it would be money well spent. A drink and a small train with chocolates in was included free of charge in first class.

I was really struck by how easy it is to travel through Europe by train - it was fantastic and I would definitely do something similar again for my own holiday. Travelling by train was stress free and being able to move around and enjoy the scenery was very enjoyable. Good walking shoes are a necessity, and I recommend travelling light as there was plenty of lifting of luggage on and off trains and into overhead lockers - you do have to be fairly fit to be able to carry your own luggage onto the trains and change platforms etc. This trip was a stunning stress-free way to experience both the beauty of the Swiss Alps and the serenity of the Italian Lakes, and it would make an amazing holiday at any time of the year."