Day Trip on the Rhaetian Railway, over the Bernina Pass

August 26, 2016 – When my sister was visiting us last summer (can't believe this was 5 months ago at the time I am putting together this album!) with her two youngest boys (16 and 18) we took them all on a couple of nice hikes like the ones we often do...

But the boys, not really seeing the point of hiking or mountains in general, soon got tired of this, so on this hot hot Friday we decided to leave them alone at home to build with Lego, and we procured a day pass for the train for Andrea, whose last train trip in Switzerland was about 25 years ago, and we mapped out a trip that would take us through as much of our gorgeous country with a variety of landscapes and languages and architecture somewhere where she had not yet been before.

Our trip started at 5:45 in the morning, and took us South to Canton Grisons to travel with the Rhaetian Railway through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Albula Valley with its myriad of bridges and tunnels and railway loops, then through the Engadine (St.Moritz area) over the Bernina Pass and into the Poschiavo Valley and across the border into Italy. Altogether we traveled over 500 km, spent 13 hours on the train and made three stops of one hour each: For a cup of coffee at a village high above the Poschiavo Valley – to get there we did a side trip with the bus along hairpin turns; for a gelato in the Italian city of Tirano just South of the border; and at Lago Bianco (White Lake) near the Bernina Pass on the way back home....

It was a wonderful day, lots of sunshine and comfortable temperatures compared to the excessive heat in the North because we were at higher elevations. Only once on our approach to the Poschiavo Valley it looked like we might hit the “fog”, but that dissipated once we got there. The driver of the bus/van to the village of Viano was a friend of ours, so Andrea got to ride in the passenger seat for a frontseat view. When we boarded the Panorama Wagon in Brusio, we had it all to ourselves, what a treat! And on the way back we upgraded to 1^st Class for a stretch and got to ride in front near the locomotive driver. All in all, a super cool day!

And the apartment was still intact when we returned... and the boys had even cooked their own lunch!

We traveled over 500 km and spent 13 hours on the train.

Near Landquart before the Albula Valley

Landwasser Viaduct, always exhilirating!

Village of Bergün in the Albula Valley

After the Albula Tunnel, the train goes over the Bernina Pass

On the way to the Bernina Pass, we pass the Morteratsch Glacier and the Bernina Ridge

Crossing the Bernina Plain

Across the Bernina Pass

Lake Bianco at the Bernina Pass drains on both sides: One side into the Adriatic, one into the Black Sea.

Crossing the pass we zigzag down into the Poschiavo Valley: It looks like fog!

Those open air Panorama Wagons look like fun. Hope we get to ride in one later.

Down in the Poschiavo Valley, the clouds are gone and the sun is shining.

Along Lake Poschiavo in the Poschiavo Valley

This is the village of Brusio. We took a break here to catch a Post Bus (or van, in this case) to experience narrow roads with hairpin turns up to a small typically Swiss-Italian village called Viano, perched on the steep mountainside high above the valley. There are many such villages up in the hills and the drive is always an adventure.

Waiting in Brusio for the bus to Viano

Waiting in Brusio for the bus to Viano. This was our cool conductor in the train, we called him Massimiliano. That was not his name though.

The real Massimiliano, a friend of ours, drives the Post Bus here, and Andrea got to ride up front.

The village of Viano is perched high above the valley.

To get to the village of Viano we have to drive a road with many hairpin turns.

In the village of Viano in the Poschiavo Valley.

This is the view North into the Poschiavo Valley: We came down from the Bernina Pass back there somewhere.

We had an hour in the village of Viano before the next bus back down, so we had a cup of coffee at a quasi-restaurant, well it was more like a private residence where the owners provided coffee and light meals out of their own kitchen!

Coffee Break in Viano, Switzerland

After an hour, Massimiliano picked us up again to head back down to the train station in Brusio.

This is the Brusio Viaduct, the next exciting part of our trip

Waiting for our train in Brusio: It has an open panorama wagon. YAY!

Not only did our train have an open wagon, it was pretty empty so no competition for window seats!

On the Brusio Viaduct, a 360 deg railway loop to get the descent required to continue on Southward.

Looping back on the Brusio viaduct, this is the town of Brusio.

Heading across the border to Tirano in Italy, here the train and automobiles use the same road...

Madonna di Tirano, the cathedral in Tirano, Italy, just South of the border.

In Tirano (ITALY!) we had an hour to walk around a bit and enjoy the popular Gelato.

And now it's time to head back home to Zug! By now we've been on the road 9 hours already, and have another 7 hours ahead of us

Heading back northward up the Poschiavo Valley, we pass over the Brusio viaduct a second time (no open wagons this time)

As we head back up toward the Bernina Pass, there are views South along the Poschiavo Valley, to Italy at the back.

Just before Lake Bianco, this side valley is one we've hiked twice before. Below the glacier at the back (Palü Glacier) is a beautiful little glacier lake.

The train winds North along Lago Bianco toward the Bernina Pass. The train station here is the highest train station (altitude) on the Rheatian Railway line (2250m / 7380 ft)

We have another hour to take a break, so we are going to look for a good place to sit at the lake.

The Bernina Express (popular with foreign tourists) is just making its way past.

Our final one-hour break at Lago Bianco, near the Bernina Pass, altitude 2250m (7380 ft)

The water in Lago Bianco is very cold!

On the way back we have upgraded to 1st Class for a Driver's view (for about 1/2-hour)

Heading back past the Morteratsch Glacier. (There are ALWAYS people at this corner taking photos of the Red Train, because the cars have to stop at the crossing. Everyone loves the red Rhaetian trains).