There are train journeys that get you from A to B, and then there is the Bernina Express — a voyage that feels like a narrative of the Alps told through glass windows. Running between Chur and Tirano, this UNESCO-listed Rhaetian Railway route transforms a four-ish hour transfer into one of Europe’s most cinematic travel experiences. It is a slow, elegant unfurling of contrasts: glacier-scraped highlands, hairpin curves, steep stone viaducts, alpine lakes that mirror the sky, and, improbably, palm trees greeting you at the Italian terminus.
From the moment the train glides out of Chur, Switzerland’s oldest city, the landscape begins to change. Pastured valleys give way to tighter gorges and climbing grades that feel audacious for a railway — engineering that leans into the contours of the mountains rather than carving straight through them. Large panoramic windows are standard on Bernina Express services, and you will want every one: the views are designed for slow, attentive watching.
High above, the route conquers the Bernina Pass, where the terrain is dramatic and elemental. Here the rails run close to glaciated slopes and ragged peaks, the colours pared down to stony greys, brilliant whites, and the occasional cobalt of a mountain lake. The air seems thinner, the light sharper; photographers and daydreamers alike will find themselves silent in the face of this cinematic altitude.
One of the line’s architectural signatures, visible from the carriage, is a succession of elegant stone viaducts and engineered spirals that solve impossible changes in elevation with quiet ingenuity. The Brusio spiral viaduct, a graceful circular ramp of stone, is a highlight: watching the train negotiate that curve is a small theatrical moment of applause-worthy engineering meeting landscape.
Beyond the high pass the atmosphere shifts. The train descends through southern valleys, and the vegetation softens: larch and pine yield to chestnut and plane. By the time the line reaches Tirano, the air feels warmer; palms and sun-drenched facades signal a different climate and culture. The arrival in Tirano — historic, compact, and serenely Italian — provides a perfect counterpoint to the Alpine severity of the high route.
Practicalities for the discerning traveller: seats with panoramic windows transform a practical transfer into a leisurely excursion; bring layers for the altitude,