Lake Como & Bernina Express Day Trip: Red Train to 2,253m

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1/28

Duration13h

GroupUp to 35

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Ride the Bernina Express through alpine villages to the 2,253m summit station

You’ll start in Milan and drift into Lake Como’s calm before climbing aboard the Bernina Train—the highest railway in Europe—for wild Alpine views and fresh mountain air. With a local guide leading the way (and sharing stories), you’ll walk lakeside promenades, cross into Switzerland, and catch moments you’ll want to remember long after you’re home.

13h

Step-by-step itinerary

Lake Como and Bernina Train Tour

Meet at Excelsior Hotel Gallia
Depart to Lake Como
Admire Lake Como landscape
Visit Lecco and walk lake promenade
Depart to St Moritz or Tirano
Pass Maloja pass
Board Bernina Red Train
Enjoy train ride to Tirano or St Moritz
Pass Ospizio Bernina and Piz Bernina
Return to Milan in evening

The Experience

I didn’t really expect to feel so small standing by Lake Como that morning—something about the water and those mountains just makes you quiet for a second. Our group met outside Hotel Gallia in Milan (I was half-awake, clutching my coffee), and our guide Marco was already cracking jokes in three languages. The drive north was sort of a blur—bits of green hills, sleepy towns, and then suddenly we were walking along Lecco’s lakefront. You could smell fresh bread from a bakery mixing with that wet-stone scent you only get near big lakes. I tried to ask a local woman for directions in Italian; she smiled and answered in English before I even finished my sentence.

The real highlight for me was the Bernina Train—everyone talks about it like it’s some tourist thing, but honestly? It felt wild watching the landscape change as we climbed higher. The windows actually open (which is rare these days), so you get this sharp cold air on your face while looking out at snowy peaks and tiny villages below. At one point, Marco pointed out Piz Bernina—he said it’s over 4,000 meters but looked gentle from where we sat. There was this little kid waving at us from a farmhouse; everyone on our carriage waved back without thinking.

We stopped in St Moritz (or maybe it was Tirano—I lost track because the route sometimes flips), but there wasn’t much time to wander. Still, I managed to grab a pastry that tasted like almonds and butter—can’t remember the name, but I’d go back just for that. The journey back to Milan felt slower somehow, probably because we were all tired and quietly scrolling through photos. I still think about that view from the train window when the sun hit the snow just right—it didn’t feel real for a second.

What’s included

Your day includes round-trip transfers from Milan’s central station area by air-conditioned coach, guided walks along Lake Como (usually Lecco or another lakeside town), a second-class ticket on the Bernina Train with opening windows between St Moritz and Tirano (or vice versa), plus plenty of stories from your professional tour leader—all with time to explore at your own pace before returning to Milan in the evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by TAOTRAVEL