Bernina Express Tickets and Prices

The cheapest way onto the Bernina line is a regional red train ticket from Tirano, from about $75 here; a day trip from Milan with the train included starts around $100, and the panoramic Bernina Express adds a compulsory reservation to the fare. Which of those is right depends less on price than on where you are starting and which train you want.

The price ladder

GetYourGuide prices per person, checked October 2026.

A day trip costs more than a ticket because it is mostly transport: a coach from Milan or Como and back, a guide, and the train in the middle. If you are already in Tirano, or on Lake Como with time to take the train up, the ticket is the better deal.

Buying direct from the Rhaetian Railway

The Rhaetian Railway (RhB) sells its own tickets and reservations on rhb.ch. A few of its offers are worth knowing:

• Regional seat reservation. Optional on the regional trains between St. Moritz and Tirano, CHF 5 per person, even for part of the route.
• Bernina Express reservation. Compulsory, and charged in full for everyone. Children under six travel free without a ticket; from six until the day before their sixteenth birthday they pay half fare, but the reservation supplement in full.
• Last-minute fare. From CHF 87 online, ticket and reservation together, from six days before departure, on selected second-class trains. It cannot be exchanged or refunded.
• Winter offer for two. A return trip from Chur to Poschiavo, Le Prese or Tirano with lunch, CHF 249 for two people, bookable from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027.
• Groups. Ten or more people get 30% off regular public transport tickets, booked through RhB’s rail service rather than the online shop.

All from rhb.ch, checked October 2026.

The Swiss Travel Pass and other passes

Holders of a GA travelcard or a similar season ticket need only the seat reservation for the Bernina Express (rhb.ch), and the Swiss Travel Pass is treated the same way. On the regional trains a pass holder pays nothing extra unless they want the optional CHF 5 seat. A pass is only worth buying if you are travelling around Switzerland for several days, not for one ride over the Bernina. swisstravelpassunlimited.com works through when it pays for itself.

The cheapest way to do it

From Milan, the cheapest independent route is Trenord’s regional train to Tirano and a red train ticket from there. You save the coach, but you give up the guide and spend the day on connections. From Lake Como the case is stronger still: Varenna is about an hour and a half from Tirano by train.

If you would rather not organise anything, the lowest-priced guided day from Milan is the St. Moritz and Alps day, and the Bernina Express from Milan page compares all of them.

Is first class worth paying for?

On the regional trains first class mostly buys you a quieter carriage. On the Bernina Express it buys a wider seat, two and one across the aisle instead of two and two, and more legroom; the windows are panoramic in both classes. The first-class guide goes into it.