Crossing the Landwasser Viaduct

Bern to St. Moritz by train

How to take the stunning rail journey from Bern to beautiful St Moritz

Now that there are direct trains from Bern to Chur, it has become easier to reach St Moritz by train, so making a return journey as a stunning day trip, is entirely feasible.

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Routes

From Bern to St. Moritz

Journey Summary

Travel Time
5hr 22min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Don't be put off by the length of the journey and the need to change trains, this is a fantastic ride particularly once you have passed through Zurich.

The connection in Chur:

The train from Bern will typically arrive in Chur 15 mins before the train on to St. Moritz will depart.

Though if you will be travelling with a 2nd class ticket/rail pass, time is on your side AND you want to experience the best of the journey between Chur and St. Moritz, not rushing to make the connection between trains can be worth considering.
The RhB trains to St.Moritz can be busy, but to make the most of the journey, you'll want to be in a window seat on the right-hand side of the train

On arrival at Chur you may see a Glacier Express that's about to depart for St Moritz; and your tickets or pass won't be valid on The Glacier Express.
But ordinary coaches, in which your tickets or pass will be valid are usually attached to the Glacier Express trains as it travels between Chur and St. Moritz, so you may need to walk along the platform/track that the train to St Moritz will be departing from, to find these coaches.

1 x connection per hour

If you are willing to make an additional connection, in many hours it's possible to be in Chur around 4hr 45min after departing Bern by taking this combination of trains

  • IC train to Zurich
  • IC train from Zurich to Chur
  • the train on from Zurich to St Moritz
Tickets

Booking Tickets:

SBB and Trainline will sell tickets for this end-to-end journeys which involve taking a SBB train + the train(s) on to St Moritz which are operated by RhB
‘Point-to-Point’ tickets can be used on any train(s) on your travel date, but they tend to be comparatively expensive.

Supersaver tickets are cheaper, the portion of the journey by the SBB train can be discounted by up to 50%, but these tickets are train departure specific.

Hence it’s worth comparing the ticket price of a journey with the price(s) e of Saver Day Passes (see below); they might save you money and can also allow for a less stressful journey.

Using Saver Day Passes:

Now that the Swiss Transfer tickets have been discontinued a Saver Day Pass is likely to save you money.

They can be cheaper than tickets for the end-to-end journey, particularly when the discounted Supersaver tickets aren't available; and are often cheaper if you will be making a day return trip between Bern and St Moritz, even if you can book in advance.

They can be used on;

  • the trains between Bern and Chur
  • the trains between Chur and St Moritz (though not The Glacier Express)

They are not train specific, so can still be used in the event of a journey to Switzerland being delayed.

However, they need to be booked at least a day ahead of your travel date, so won't be an option if you book tickets at the station on arrival in Switzerland.
They're also cheaper the further ahead that you book.

Additional Information:

More general info is available on our GUIDE to taking the train to Swiss Ski Resorts.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SBB *

SBB Guide

SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.

SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.

Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.

Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Journey Features

Scenic - YesLake viewsLandscape (Hills / Mountains)

Good to Know

Final Destination: Chur

The train will reverse direction on departure from Zurich HB station and between Zurich and Chur the best of the views will be on the left when facing the direction of travel.

Journey description:

This a journey of three distinct phases.

  1. The first phase is the journey through a pleasant rolling landscape between Bern and Olten, these trains take the more picturesque route now bypassed by the express trains, as they take the newer and straighter railway.
  2. The second part of the ride from Olten on to Zurich is the least scenic.
  3. This is the journey which saves the best 'til last, as once the trains emerge from the long tunnel , which they will travel through shortly after departure from Zurich, the remainder of the route on Chur is wonderful.

From the left of the train (when facing the direction) of travel, there are fabulous views over Lake Zurich...

and then over the Walensee...

...before the train calls in Sargans.

Then between Sargans and Chur there are very pleasant views of distant mountain ranges from both sides of the train.

Though as the will reverse direction on departure from Zurich take seats on the right-hand side when boarding in Bern in order to make the most of these views.

Journey Features

Scenic - YesLandscape (Hills / Mountains)River views

Good to Know

Final Destination: St. Moritz

All trains also call at: Filisur (connections to Davos); Samedan (connections to Scuol-Tarasp and Pontresina for Tirano)

Step on board for a journey on the incredible Albula Railway!

Sit on the right (when facing the direction of travel) when joining the train at Chur and face forwards for the best views of the Landwasser Viaduct and tunnel.

Overall the best of the views are from the right of the train, but you'll still experience an incredible journey if youe seats are on the left hand side.

Heading south towards Filisur Heading south towards Filisur
Crossing the Landwasser Viaduct Crossing the Landwasser Viaduct
On the other side of the Landwasser Tunnel On the other side of the Landwasser Tunnel
After Filisur station After Filisur station
Ascending from Filisur towards Bergrun Ascending from Filisur towards Bergrun
Near Bergrun station Near Bergrun station
From the spirals the train uses to descend to Samedan From the spirals the train uses to descend to Samedan
Another view from the spirals Another view from the spirals

Step on board for a journey on the incredible Albula Railway!

Sit on the right (when facing the direction of travel) when joining the train at Chur and face forwards for the best views of the Landwasser Viaduct and tunnel.
The videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction.

Overall the best of the views are from the right of the train when heading south...

..but you'll still experience an incredible journey if your seats are on the left hand side.

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