Switzerland’s Panoramic Train, The Bernina Express

When you look at advertisements for Swiss trains, you often see pictures of a train crossing an imposing stone viaduct through the mountain wilderness. This photo is on the Bernina-Express, the Rhaetian Railway, from Graubünden to Veltlin. The portion between Thusis and Tirano is a UNESCO world heritage site, the third train to receive such an honor. It received the distinction for its combination of engineering and impressive scenery.

Completed in 1910, you can take it from Chur (on the Albula Railway), St. Moritz or Davos, to Tirano, Italy. On the way, It passes through 55 tunnels, crosses 196 bridges and overcomes gradients of up to 7%. Incredibly, it does it all without the benefit of a cogwheel drive (rack and pinion).

The Bernina Express, which is one of Switzerland’s special panoramic train journeys. The cars have larger windows to for a better view of the amazing scenery. I hear that in the summer there are open air trains. They would be great to avoid the glare.

The best part about the Bernina Express is the dramatic change in scenery during the four-hour ride. It starts in near Heidiland in Chur. You pass farms, cows and even vineyards. Not long after, the train hits the Domleschg Valley (famous for Turner’s romantic paintings of it). The valley is strategically positioned on the route to three main Alpine passes (the Splügen Pass, the San Bernardino Pass and the Julier Pass) and is rich with castles that were built to control these trade routes.

For at least 20 minutes, there is always a castle in view. We oohed and aahed over the castles, having no idea just how much cooler it was about to get.

Landwasser Viaduct (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rhaetian Railway Glacier Express on the Landwasser Viaduct entering the Landwasser tunnel Français : Un train franchissant le viaduc de Landwasser et entrant dans le tunnel du même nom, sur la ligne Glacier Express des Chemins de fer rhétiques. Español: El tren suizo Glacier Express cruzando el puente Landwasser y entrando al viaducto del mismo nombre. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From the Domleschg Valley, the train climbs to the famous Landwasser Viaduct shown above. Constructed from stone, it is one of the world’s most famous railway viaducts and in most Swiss tourism brochures. Built in 1902, it necessitated the development of new construction methods. They didn’t use scaffolding. Instead, they built steel towers and covered them in stone. Notice the sheer drop exiting the tunnel? Construction started there!

Unfortunately, these were the best shots I could get. I love to take pictures and hate to sit still, but was worried about being rude leaning over people. The guys above had no problem leaning over groups of four to film or get their shot. After seeing everyone else out of their seats snapping away, I decided to get up and stand in an empty area. My pictures improved dramatically. I’ll post more about the journey tomorrow.

Take a Train Ride Through the Swiss Alps Without Even Getting Off Your Arse (gizmodo.co.uk)
Google Street View now takes users on a virtual train ride through the Swiss Alps (theverge.com)
All aboard! Street View takes to the tracks to capture the Swiss Alps (digitaltrends.com)
Google Street View reaches trains, rides the Swiss Alps (electronista.com)
Journey through the Swiss Alps with Google Street View (sociable.co)

18 thoughts on “Switzerland’s Panoramic Train, The Bernina Express”

Looks beautiful and like you got a fantastic day for it!
Was it particularly expensive? Considering a visit during summer 🙂

Reply ↓

Schwingen In Switzerland on May 7, 2012 at 20:18 said:

If you are in Switzerland, I would visit a railway office in one of the larger cities. They planned our journey for us and found ways (like a 2 for 1 sale to make it more affordable. I can’t speak highly enough of them. They made me look like a travel genius with the in-laws. If you are outside Switzerland and coming on vacation, I would look at the Swiss Pass or purchasing a 1/2 price card. If you are going to be in Switzerland for a week or so, it may be worth it. Rick Steves’ Switzerland does a great job laying out the various rail journeys and ways to save on them. Some people did the same journey in reverse. I always like to head back a different way if possible to see more. I’ll post about the rest of the trip in the next week or so.

Reply ↓
Schwingen In Switzerland on May 7, 2012 at 20:18 said:

By the way, it was the visitor’s favorite thing of all the amazing things they saw.

Reply ↓
- ComplexSymmetry on May 7, 2012 at 20:29 said:
  
  Fantastic, I’ll probably only get to travel at weekends in Germany, but this sounds worth it! Will find some poor soul to drag along for financial advantages too, they’ll thank me later! Thanks, I’ll eagerly await the next installment, like one of Pavlov’s dogs.
- Schwingen In Switzerland on May 7, 2012 at 20:34 said:
  
  The 2 for 1 was a temporary sale. I am not sure when it ends. Here is a link where you can check on tickets: http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
  It should be useful to price things out, but the only reason to buy before coming to Switzerland is if you want the reservation well in advance (because you are afraid the train will fill up).
- ComplexSymmetry on May 7, 2012 at 20:36 said:
  
  Which language is predominant where you were?
  My German’s alright, but my French has been lost in some of the darker recesses and abysses of my mind.
- Schwingen In Switzerland on May 7, 2012 at 20:53 said:
  
  German, then Italian on the train ride. French in Geneva. You will be able to get by with English everywhere in Switzerland if you are willing to occasionally resort to gestures.
- ComplexSymmetry on May 7, 2012 at 21:03 said:
  
  Danke schön!
- Schwingen In Switzerland on May 7, 2012 at 21:08 said:
  
  Ihr Willkommensgeschenk