Traveling between Chur in Switzerland and Tirano in Italy, the 156km trip takes over 4 hours to complete. The reason why buses can run this route faster than the train is that the Bernina Express is the only train route to traverse over the alps and not under it. There are a lot of curves to make the climbing angle shallower for the train to be able to go up and down the mountain. At its tallest point, the train reaches 2,253 meters above sea level.
A glacier 
Another glacier (behind the trees) 
Along the way, passengers are treated to the view of two glaciers and the 4,049 meter high Piz Bernina – the tallest mountain in the eastern Alps. There are two main lakes along the way, the Lago di Poschiavo mirrors the mountains in calm weather and a walk along the lake between the stations Miralago and La Prese is highly recommended. The other lake is Lago Bianco, known during winter to be completely frozen with a thick blanket of snow over it.
Lago Bianco 
Lago Bianco 
Lago Bianco 
Lago Bianco 
Lago Bianco
Engineers took advantage of the train’s small 45 meter turning radius at the loop on the Brusio Circular Viaduct. It is a hotspot for photography fans and many open the windows even in the winter just to get a clear shot. For me, there’s no real need to take professional shots myself, I can always find a drone shot at a better angle on the internet.
Brusio Circular Viaduct 
Inside first class 
Landwasser Viaduct 
Descent to Tirano
It makes you feel special to be all warm and cozy inside the train while it’s snowing outside.
