Yes, you can ride the Bernina line from Milan without a tour. Take the direct Trenord train from Milano Centrale to Tirano (about 2 hours 30 minutes, EUR 12.50 each way), walk across the square to the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) station, and ride the red train up to St. Moritz (about 2 hours 15 minutes). For one person in second class that comes to EUR 25 plus about CHF 66–70 for the return train ticket. The lowest-priced guided day trip with a review on this site starts at $121 per person.
The price of doing it yourself is time: at least nine and a half hours sitting on trains, starting with the 06:20 from Milan. The Trenord times below come from the 2025/26 timetable, so check trenord.it for your date.
Tirano–St. Moritz Red Train Return Pass
The tickets you need for each leg, and where to buy them
A DIY day uses four train rides on two railways. You buy the Italian and Swiss legs separately.
| Leg | Train | Second class | First class | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milano Centrale to Tirano | Trenord Regio Express | EUR 12.50 | EUR 19.00 | trenord.it, Trenitalia, Trainline, station machines |
| Tirano to St. Moritz | RhB regional red train | about CHF 33–35 | about CHF 57–60 | rhb.ch shop, SBB app, Tirano RhB station |
| St. Moritz to Tirano | RhB regional red train | about CHF 33–35 | about CHF 57–60 | as above |
| Tirano to Milano Centrale | Trenord Regio Express | EUR 12.50 | EUR 19.00 | as for the outbound leg |
The Trenord fare is fixed, and these trains take no seat reservations: you sit anywhere. Buy both Trenord legs before you leave Milan. The Italian ticket office in Tirano is reported to close in the afternoon, and then your fallbacks are the machines, the station café-bar (cash) or the RhB ticket window across the square.
The Swiss fare depends on the tariff year. Second-class singles show as CHF 33 on 2026 prices and CHF 35 on fares labelled for 2027, so expect CHF 33–35 one way and confirm in the rhb.ch shop. RhB sells tickets up to six months ahead. A seat reservation on the red train is optional at CHF 5 per person and route; RhB cannot take these reservations for trains in April 2027.
The simplest Swiss option is a single dated ticket. The Tirano to St. Moritz red train return day ticket (our review) covers both RhB legs from $121 per person, is valid all day on your date and lets you hop off at any station and continue on a later train. It does not include the Milan to Tirano train, a seat reservation or a seat on the panoramic Bernina Express. You can cancel it free up to 5 days before.
Two more things to pack: a passport or ID card, because you cross the Italian–Swiss border twice, and food, because the Trenord trains have no catering.
Bernina Express or red train for a DIY day
Both trains use the same track between Tirano and St. Moritz, and the same ticket. The difference is the coach and the extra charge.
The red train is the regional service: ordinary coaches with windows you can open, roughly one train an hour each way, no reservation needed. If your Trenord train runs late, you take the next one.
The Bernina Express is RhB’s panoramic train, with glass that curves into the roof and windows that do not open. Every passenger pays a mandatory seat reservation on top of the ticket, reported at CHF 32 per person per direction between Tirano and St. Moritz. Swiss Travel Pass, Eurail and Interrail holders and children pay it in full too. In winter it runs once a day each way: Tirano 10:06 to St. Moritz 12:35, and St. Moritz 15:30 to Tirano 18:00. Extra departures (Tirano 09:18, St. Moritz 16:14) run Friday to Sunday from 13 December 2026 to 23 April 2027 and daily from 26 December to 5 January.
For a DIY day the red train is the easier choice. It runs often enough to absorb a late Trenord arrival, and you can open the window for photos. A good compromise is the Bernina Express up and the red train down: from Milan, the 07:20 Trenord gives you 14 minutes in Tirano for the 10:06 departure. An online RhB seat reservation cannot be changed or cancelled, so a missed connection costs you the CHF 32.
The day ticket above is valid on the red train only. For the full comparison of coaches, views and prices, read Bernina Express vs red train.
Other experiences
Other Bernina train trips from Milan
Prefer someone else to handle the connections? These Bernina, St. Moritz and Lake Como day trips from Milan include the train ticket.
The earliest start from Milan in winter
These plans use the winter weekday timetable from 13 December 2026 to about mid-February 2027. The Trenord times are from the 2025/26 timetable, and the combined plans are our own arithmetic, so check both railways for your date.
| Leave Milano Centrale | Tirano | Train from Tirano | Wait | Alp Grüm | St. Moritz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:20 | 08:52 | Red train 08:58 | 6 min | 10:10 | 11:11 |
| 06:20 | 08:52 | Red train 09:41 | 49 min | 11:06 | 12:11 |
| 07:20 | 09:52 | Bernina Express 10:06 | 14 min | 11:26 | 12:35 |
| 08:20 | 10:52 | Red train 11:00 | 8 min | 12:10 | 13:11 |
The 06:20 is the first Milan train that connects. The 08:58 RegioExpress takes about 2 hours 13 minutes to St. Moritz; the 09:41 is a slower Regio at about 2 hours 30 minutes. On Fridays to Sundays from 13 December, and daily from 26 December to 5 January, the extra 09:18 Bernina Express (St. Moritz 11:45) leaves Tirano 26 minutes after the 06:20 arrives.
In summer 2027 the first useful Bernina Express from Tirano is the 10:06, so a panoramic day starts with the 07:20 from Milan. Summer red-train times for 2027 are not out yet.
The latest safe return to Milan
The red train leaves St. Moritz for Tirano at :48 past each hour. The last one that reaches Tirano is the 16:48; later evening trains stop short at Poschiavo. Trenord leaves Tirano for Milan at :08 past each hour, with the last at 20:08.
| Leave St. Moritz | Tirano | Trenord from Tirano | Wait | Milano Centrale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red train 14:48 | 17:00 | 17:08 | 8 min | 19:43 |
| Bernina Express 15:30 | 18:00 | 18:08 | 8 min | 20:43 |
| Red train 15:48 | 18:23 | 19:08 | 45 min | 21:43 |
| Red train 16:48 | 19:02 | 19:08 or 20:08 | 6 or 66 min | 21:43 or 22:43 |
The 15:48 is the safe plan: 45 minutes in Tirano, home by about 21:43. The 16:48 is the latest you can leave St. Moritz and still get back to Milan the same night. If it runs late you miss the 19:08 and take the 20:08 instead. Miss the 16:48 itself and you sleep in the mountains.
In December the late trains run in the dark: sunset in St. Moritz on 21 December is about 16:36. On Fridays to Sundays and over the holidays, the extra 16:14 Bernina Express reaches Tirano at 18:50, 18 minutes before the 19:08.
How tight the Tirano connections are
The Trenord station and the RhB station stand a few metres apart across the same square in Tirano, so the walk takes a couple of minutes. A 6- or 8-minute change works only with your ticket already in hand and a Trenord train on time.
Use this rule. Going up, a tight change costs little: if you miss the 08:58, the 09:41 leaves 43 minutes later. Coming down, plan with at least 45 minutes, or pick a St. Moritz departure that has a later Trenord behind it. RhB itself advises leaving a buffer at St. Moritz and Tirano.
If you want a seat reservation on the red train, book it for the later of your two possible trains. Then a late Trenord arrival does not cost you the seat.
What a DIY day costs against a guided day
Prices per person in second class. The guided prices are real-date prices on GetYourGuide, checked 12 November 2026. Each currency is shown on its own; compare them at your bank’s rate on the day.
| Plan | One person | Two people |
|---|---|---|
| DIY, tickets from Trenord and RhB | EUR 25 + about CHF 66–70 | EUR 50 + about CHF 132–140 |
| DIY, plus red-train seat reservations | add CHF 10 | add CHF 20 |
| DIY, Trenord + the day ticket above | EUR 25 + from $121 | EUR 50 + from $242 |
| DIY, Bernina Express one way | add CHF 32 | add CHF 64 |
| Guided day trip by coach and train | from $121 to $185 | from $242 to $370 |
The guided range runs from the $121 St. Moritz and red train day trip (our review), on the Bernina or Albula line depending on the option, through the $131 red train and St. Moritz day trip (our review) to the panoramic option of the $185 Frigerio Viaggi Bernina Express tour (our review), the one Milan day trip on this site that guarantees a place in a panoramic coach (on that option, without assigned seats). The other two ride the red train in second class.
DIY gives you more time on the line. With the 08:58 up and the 16:48 down, you get about 5 hours 35 minutes between arriving in St. Moritz and leaving it, and you can hop off at Alp Grüm. A guided coach day such as the $131 red train trip gives you about an hour and a half in St. Moritz but drives you home over the Maloja Pass in about 3 hours. You avoid the second long train ride. If you want those trade-offs side by side, see the hour-by-hour itineraries, and for the Trenord leg in detail, the Milan to Tirano train guide.
If you have decided to go on your own, book the red-train day ticket for your date in the availability box above, then buy your Trenord tickets.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do the Bernina train from Milan without a tour?
Yes. Trenord runs direct trains from Milano Centrale to Tirano roughly every hour, and the RhB red train leaves Tirano for St. Moritz about once an hour. With the 06:20 from Milan you reach St. Moritz around 11:11 and can be back in Milan by about 21:43. Check trenord.it and rhb.ch for your date.
How do you book the Bernina Express from Milan?
Buy the Trenord ticket to Tirano separately, then book the Bernina Express in the RhB shop at rhb.ch: a ticket plus the mandatory seat reservation, reported at CHF 32 per person per direction between Tirano and St. Moritz. Reservations open for the whole timetable period and popular dates sell out. An online reservation cannot be changed or cancelled.
Does a Swiss Travel Pass cover the trip from Milan?
It covers the RhB ticket between Tirano and St. Moritz, but you still pay the Bernina Express reservation in full. It does not appear to cover the Italian Trenord leg from Milan, so budget EUR 12.50 each way. Interrail Global passes are reported to cover the Trenord train too.
What happens if my Trenord train is late and I miss the red train?
Take the next red train: they leave Tirano about once an hour, and the GetYourGuide day ticket is valid all day on your date. A missed Bernina Express is costlier, because an online RhB reservation cannot be changed or refunded. On the way back, leave St. Moritz no later than the 16:48, the last train that reaches Tirano.
Is it cheaper to do the Bernina train on your own?
For one person in second class, DIY costs EUR 25 for Trenord plus about CHF 66–70 for the red train return, against guided days from $121 to $185 per person on this site. Compare at the day’s exchange rate. Add CHF 32 each way if you want the panoramic Bernina Express.
Pick your day over the Alps
Most day trips from Milan ride the regional red train; only some sell a guaranteed seat on the panoramic Bernina Express. Check what your date offers.
Check dates and prices
