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This was a day trip from St. Mortiz. There are few variation of the line , I took the Bernina line. The train leaves St. Moritz and takes the line to Pontresina (1,774 m) in the Val Bernina (Bernina Valley). It ascends progressively through the valley to the Bernina Pass over the Morteratsch station (1,896 m), where the glacier and the highest summit of the Eastern Alps, Piz Bernina (4,093 m) are visible. Before arriving at the Bernina Pass, the train stops at Bernina Diavolezza (2,093 m) for cable-car connections to Diavolezza (2,921 m). The Bernina Express reaches the summit at the Ospizio Bernina station at 2,253 meters above Lago Bianco.
Alp Grüm (2,091 m) is the first station south of the Alps, situated above Lago Palü and right below Piz Palü (3,900+ m) and its glacier. After many hairpin turns the train reaches Cavaglia (1,693 m) above the Val Poschiavo, then the Swiss Italian-speaking town of Poschiavo (1,014 meters). The train then follows the course of the Poschiavino and stops at Le Prese (964 m) and Miralago (965 m), both on Lake Poschiavo’s shore. After Miralago it continues its descent toward Brusio (780 m), where it passes the spiral Brusio Viaduct. Shortly after the Italian border at Campocologno (553 m), the Bernina Express ends its journey at Tirano station (430 m)
At Tyrano I had to show my passport to enter Italy. From Tyrano I took another train to Lugano. This was a 3.5 hour train journey with a change at Monza. It is largest city outside Italy with an Italian speaking majority.
Finally from Lugano I took scenic Palm express bus from Lugano to St. Mortiz. This was again a 4 hour bus journey trip from the swaying palms of Lugano to the glaciers of Engadine . And with a view to almost tropical beauty; past the deep blue and dreamlike lakes of the Upper Engadine and to Lombardy in northern Italy .
