For one of our days in Europe we decided to train all day from Venice to Zurich. That may not sound like a lot of fun, but we took the scenic Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps. We started early and trained from Venice to Milan and transferred to a train headed for Tirano. We met a friendly married couple from Tennesse and you could tell they were excited to be around someone who spoke English. The husband was in Milan for work and his wife joined him for the past six months. They talked our ear off but luckily they only rode halfway to Varenna.
The scenery from Milan to Tirano was beautiful. For most of the way we were riding along Lake Como and surrounded by mountains. Unfortunately, it was a bit hazy so we didn’t get a great view of the hillsides but you could pick out olive groves and vineyards.
Lake Como
We had a few hours in Tirano so we grabbed lunch at a cafe near the station and watched a tour train chauffeur people around the square.
When we got onto the Bernina Express we didn’t see any seats on our tickets. Apparently, I hadn’t made reservations for the panoramic coaches, which were the whole reason we were taking this train. It was an extra 14 CHR to get seats and I was glad. We were joined on the train by another friendly lady from Chicago who wanted to chat our ear off. Luckily, we pawned her off on another couple from New Zealand so we could enjoy the ride and scenery.
Panoramic coaches
This train ride was one most scenic and beautiful trips I’ve ever been on. At some points I felt like I had been dropped into The Sound of Music. Words don’t do the trip justice so I’ll let the pictures do the talking:
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