It had been a very last minute decision.
After all, must people plan their Bernina Express journey months in advance.
And sensibly so, because as soon as tickets are released for this world-famous scenic train ride, they sell out, and fast!
But luck of the travel blogger must have been with me, as much to my delight, I managed to bag the last 2 first class tickets… only 10 days before I was due to travel!
In my defence, there had been little time to hang around.
Keen to tick the Bernina Express off my bucket list before the Alps’ snow melted for the season, I had to move fast once I managed to find a free date in early March.
Sometimes those bucket list trips really do require a turbo boost effort to tick them off!
Thankfully, my time onboard the Bernina Express was much more relaxed than my turbo boost planning mode!
After all, isn’t train travel about the relaxing nature of slow adventuring – the sort of experience where the journey sits at the core of the trip, and where the romanticism of train travel whisks you away to another world.
And being whisked through the stunningly, snowy Swiss Alps by the Bernina Express was just that.
The journey began in Chur – Switzerland’s oldest city.
Just a 2 hour train ride from Zurich airport, stepping off into the pedestrianised small centre of this quintessential Alp-backed spot, it already felt like the picture-book pages were turning.
The story continued with a refreshing walk along the River Rhine tributaries that feed this city, before checking out the iconic street art pieces, most by homegrown artist Bane, that adorn Chur – a collection that includes the largest mural in Switzerland.
Wandering the Old Town of this Medieval settlement, in the late afternoon, was the perfect time to explore the cobbled streets, cute cafés, traditional chocolate shops and hidden courtyards of this ancient spot.
Before, golden hour descending, I climbed up the Haldenhüttli lookout for some stunning sunset snaps.
Dinner at independent Kostbar, with its quirky boho décor, and delicious local flavours then gave me the chance to try the local speciality dish capun (a hearty, stuffed chard leaf dish) and sip on a glass of Swiss white, before sliding back to slumber soundlessly at the historic Hotel Stern.
The blue sky morning that greeted me the next day could not have been better news!
When you’ve waited years to tick an adventure off your bucket list, and the weather plays ball, providing the perfect day, you can’t help but feel lucky.
Even more so, thanks to my early morning departure, a first class ticket in hand, and a seat on the right hand seat train, all of which signalled my chance of getting the best Bernina snaps.
And as this world-famous panoramic Express pulled out of Chur, and began to glide silently and slowly through the white-crested fairytale landscape of the Swiss Alps, this is exactly what I got.
Taking just over 4 hours to travel the 144km distance from Chur in the Graubünden canton of Switzerland, through to Tirano in Lombardy, Italy, the Bernina Express takes its time – winding you through the Alps in comfort and style, as you unwind in turn.
And wonderfully so – after all, this is not a journey to be rushed.
From the soaring Bernina Pass through to the Morteratsch Glacier, the insta-famous Landwasser Viaduct through to the Brusio Circular, taking your time is exactly what you want as you pass these beautiful scenic icons.
Taking full advantage of the huge panoramic windows – the thing that really makes this train ride special – the Bernina Express was the perfect bucket list adventure for both my eyes and my camera.
Needless to say, I stare and snapped to my travel heart’s content!
Pulling into Tirano at lunchtime, it was hard to believe only a morning’s worth of scenery had passed by.
Time does funny things when a journey is simultaneously slower and more jam-packed than your average day.
From over 2500m, we’d descended down to 400m, and could feel that Mediterranean spring breeze blowing in across the Italian vineyards.
Sliding seamlessly into another country, thanks to the permeable wonders of EU borders, it was hard to compute we’d been in snowy Switzerland just a few hours ago.
With the sun shining and the snow sparkling, March seemed the ideal season for it too – sandwiched between the summer high season, with its favourable temperatures, and the drama of the white winter in this breathtaking mountain region.
Indeed, it’s hard to imagine how travel adventures get more bucket-list worthy and more strikingly alpine-awesome than the Bernina Express… and all without really lifting a finger.
Expect booking the tickets of course!
My advice? Don’t leave it till the last minute!
My Bernina Express journey was sponsored by Rhaetian Railways but, as always, all views are my own.
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