20 February 2024 , 06:00
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A Swiss train line with protected status is widely considered to be the most beautiful train journey in the world.
The Bernina Express is a magnificently scenic train route operated by the Rhaetian Railway which offers breath-taking views of the Swiss Alps. It runs between Chur or Davos/St. Moritz in Switzerland and Tirano in Italy, traversing the Bernina Pass.
Over the course of four hours passengers are taken 155km (90 miles) through icy landscapes, past dramatic peaks and down into sunny Italy. Along the way the train passes through 55 tunnels, across 196 bridges and up and down slopes with gradients as steep as 1 in 7.
The train operates year-round, with daily departures from both Chur and Tirano and additional services during the peak summer season, with exact times posted online. What sets the line - now 120-years-old - apart from many others that wind through the Alps is that the Rhaetian Railway line of which the Bernina Express is a part has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, in recognition of the engineering genius required to cut the path across the mountains that it does.
The train runs several times a day in the summer (Switzerland Tourism)In fact, it's been revealed as the world's most scenic train journey in research conducted by travel experts at JR Pass. One of the particularly eye-catching parts of this is the Landwasser Viaduct, a 65-meter-high bridge that spans a deep gorge. Those who struggle with vertigo may find their legs shaking a little as the train rolls over the towering pass and into a tunnel on the other side.
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When viewed from above the track appears as if it is coiling and winding its way across the mountainous landscape like a snake - at points wrapping itself around lakes of deep green and blue, at others slithering down the side of sheer hills towards the small Alpine villages on its route.
Some of these include St. Moritz, Pontresina, and Poschiavo, where passengers can disembark and explore the local attractions. On the ascent to the summit of the namesake Bernina Pass, which reaches an altitude of 2,253 meters (7,391 feet) above sea level, the views of the mountains are quite magnificent.
One potential catch with the train is its cost. The cheapest ticket for the long route is just shy of £60, with passengers having to pay an extra £40 to sit in the large, glass sided panorama carriages. The train does have air conditioning, comfortable seats, and on-board catering however.
According to Finding Alexx, the "best views are on the right side of the train if travelling south from Switzerland to Italy, and the left-hand side views of the train if travelling north from Italy into Switzerland".
The railway has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Shutterstock / CHEN MIN CHUN)"You’d expect the highest rail crossing in the Alps to be special, and it doesn’t disappoint. The 90-mile ride from Chur to Tirano aboard the Bernina Express is a rail journey you’ll never forget: four hours of cloud-grazing glaciers, deep gorges, startlingly turquoise rivers, stark, wind-battered plateaus and peaks reaching the 10,000ft mark. Sit back and relax in one of the comfortable panoramic carriages, which frame the views like a postcard," writes National Geographic.
"Sip a coffee or prosecco as the cinematic scenery rolls on by. Highlights are many, but crossing the single-track, six-arch Landwasser Viaduct, swinging around the Montebello curve as the Morteratsch Glacier glints above, seeing the shimmer of Lago Bianco as the train climbs to Ospizio Bernina, on a wild pass 7,390ft above sea level, are moments you’ll cherish forever."
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