Although the standard sticker price is listed as €56, the Man In Seat 61 (the go-to resource for train-travel world-wide) has a method for getting tickets for as low as €29.90. Because of the demand for tickets on this route, it’s important to monitor when the tickets go on sale.

We missed the 2nd class tickets because we checked a couple of days after the batch went on sale, and because we were limited to only one date that we could travel. Which meant we either moved our plans to a different weekend or else splurged for slightly more expensive tickets. 1st class it was!

Our itinerary

We would fly into Zurich, stay overnight (at the wonderful 25hours Langstrasse, right beside the station) and then take an early morning train from Zurich to Chur, the starting point of the Bernina Express. We also decided to stay overnight in Tirano and then train to Milan the following day, instead of the other two options of taking an ongoing bus to Milan or going back to Chur on the returning train after a nice lunch, both of which could be booked at the same time as the train ticket.

Zurich to Chur

We were lucky with the weather with blue skies grazed with orange clouds from the dawn sun making the brief trip from Zurich to Chur along the banks of the Zurichsee a pretty journey.

We breakfasted on the packed meal that the 25hours had given us, surrounded by skiers in helmets and boots on their way to one or other of the many ski fields around.

As the trip continued we found ourselves getting further and further behind schedule until we realised that we would not be able to make it to Chur in time for to catch the Bernina Express. At each station, announcements were made in Swiss German about which platform the connecting train was leaving from which gave us hope that the connections were waiting for us to arrive before leaving.

But with the language difference we couldn’t tell for sure, until a few minutes before we arrived in Chur. The usual non-English announcements were made but this time followed by the English translation confirming that the Bernina Express, leaving from the same platform but different line would leave as soon as all were aboard.

Bernina Express: Chur to Tirano

It was with great relief that we hopped out of the Zurich train, and found the Bernina Express waiting for us on the other side of the platform. As we settled in, the train began its journey, lurching out of the station to a little impatience from the passengers who had managed to make it onboard on time.

We settled in: the first class carriages have four seats one side, two facing two, while across the aisle another couple face one another. When you select your seats you get to choose which ones you want but there’s no guarantee on which way the train will be travelling so you don’t know if you’ll be on the left or the right.

Our conductor was multilingual, giving us the same spiel each time he came through in Swiss German, then in Italian and finally in English. Once we got going and everyone was settled in he came through and checked tickets. And then a number of minutes later he came and let us know that a small bridge over a deep gorge would be coming up on the right.

The train practically went up on two wheels as everyone went over to that side of the train and tried to take photos. The reflection of the glass windows made it difficult to get a good shot, and I remarked to Ange as we examined what shots I was able to take that it would have been better to have taken those shots out the window.

On either side of the carriage, just beyond the seating areas was a small area with windows that opened on either side of the carriage. This was the only place you could take photos without risk of reflection or distortion due to the large viewing windows. The area got quite congested though as only one person could really stand there and take photos.

I shuddered to think how close some people got to losing their phone out the window. There was no way the train would wait while you retrieved it!! If I’m giving advice, I’d say stake out your claim early on the right hand side to get a good shot of the chasm and bridge.

But the reflections weren’t all bad though, and made for a nice composition of Ange taking a shot of the Landwasser Viaduct. The train slowed considerably at the most picturesque spots, allowing the passengers to get the best shots possible which was much appreciated. Brochures noted the best spots and announcements ensured that there were no surprises.

And even when one of the highlights wasn’t coming up the scenery was photo worthy, our climb into the mountains marked by the greenery of lakelevel transforming into the brown of the tussock and then into the white of the snow.

It wasn’t long before the rail line was crisscrossing a toboggan run, the first sign of the extensiveness of arctic sports visible from the train. Occasionally the toboggan run would be elevated above the rail line, leading to humorous views of disembodied helmeted heads zooming behind waist high walls, until the relative elevations righted themselves and the run crossed beneath the railway showing the tobogganer in full.

After the tobogganers were the cross country and Nordic skiers. The villages were spaced out without roads between them and the skiers made short work of the distances. We saw some obviously taking lessons, a circle of them making donuts in the snow.

As we got higher and closer to the top of the mountain pass, the forests began to give way to barer slopes, and the railway was joined by the road. Occassionally the road and rail would cross, the first we noticed would be a line of cars parked on the road and then the crossing with bells ringing and lights flashing and then off we’d go, branching off before eventually recrossing the road again.

We pulled into a few stations on the way up, one at the head of the toboggan run, another engulfed in some sort of machinery that looked like conveyor belts, and one which serviced a ski run. It was funny watching the skiers practically end their runs on the train.

At the top of the pass, Alp Grum, we had a twenty minute stop to enjoy the sights. The concessionaire waited outside the carriage, selling shots of grappa instead of pushing his trolley through the aisles inside. A stone building turned out to be a cafe/restaurant and I wondered what they did between trains as there didn’t seem to be road access.

Most people elected to look out over the valley on the deck of the cafe instead of going inside, and we followed the crowd towards the edge of the flat area beside the railway but the going was ice and we only had sports shoes, so we headed back to the deeper drifts away from the long drop to the valley floor below.

It was a relief to get out of the carriage: three hours in a train is not the worst use of time especially when the scenery is so good, but the fresh air and exercise was a welcome change.

We started our descent down the other side of the valley, the railway line protected by buttresses giving a strobe effect as the train went through.

We saw where the side of the mountain faced the sun and so the snow would melt in the heat, but then just as quickly freeze, forming stalactites among the tussock and rock.

We knew we were getting close to the end when the train started to travel in a straight line instead of wending and winding back on itself, losing altitude and hugging the contours of the mountainside. We were rewarded with some spectacular views of Lago di Poschiavo, a mirror lake.

The final highlight was the Brusio Circular Viaduct which takes the railway around 360 degrees. It’s supposed to be the most spectacular construction on the Bernina Express rail line, but after all the other things we’d seen it was nice, but nothing special. Maybe I was just all wowed out?

And that’s pretty much it. We got off at Tirano and made our way to our accommodation instead of grabbing lunch or taking the bus immediately to Milan. We explored the town pretty thoroughly (it has a population of less than 10,000) during the rest of the afternoon and the next morning, before hopping on another train to Milan at around 3pm.

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From the moment we arrived we knew we were in for something special. The walk from the train station had taken ten minutes in the cold and we knew the 25hours Zurich Langstrasse was nearby, but when we rounded a corner among the high rise central city office blocks, we weren’t prepared for a kaleidoscope of colourful neon.

We should have known that the 25hours would stand out after our visits to the sister hotels in Berlin and Vienna, but we were even more surprised by the party going on in the bar area beside the reception.

One eye on the festivities, we checked in and almost missed Nathalie informing us that breakfast would be served the following morning from 7:30 to 10:30. Crestfallen, we explained that we would have to leave before 7am because we were catching a train (and we knew just how good the breakfasts at 25hours were!).

Quick as a flash she indicated that she’d have a takeaway breakfast waiting for us when we checked out – obviously not as good as what would be on offer in the restaurant (my fond memory of the honey comb at both Berlin and Vienna surfacing here) but it should stop us from starving on the way to Chur.

The Room

Satisfied that breakfast was sorted, we headed up to our room, aiming to go straight to bed. The room as usual was a delight. The clean space belied the stylish touches hidden around and, as usual, Ange and I called out the interesting elements as we found them, oohing and ahhing as each became apparent.

A lovely welcome note with a chocolate bar and an interesting Valentine’s Day gift (I checked: they were breath mints not Viagara!) were waiting by the bed, and tucked into the corner was a little table and chair with a colouring in book and coloured pencils.

The bedside area was well appointed with a bunch of reading material pegged to a rail over the bed. A stuffed toy perched on the rail, and the light switches included a USB charging station. There was also a USB speaker system if you wanted to party in the room

Bathroom

Speaking of partying in the room: this is one room you don’t want to share with your boss. The shower was encased in glass allowing an intimate demonstration of your fellow guest’s bathing habits. If you wanted privacy there was also a translucent curtain separating the bathroom from the bedroom.

Also in the open plan bathroom was a very well lit mirror over the basin, and on the opposite wall a full length mirror allowing the reflections to have reflections ad infinitum.

The toiletries were STOP THE WATER WHILE USING ME!, a range of 100% biodegradable natural cosmetics, based on natural essences and oils.

Gym/Sauna

The original plan was to head straight to bed upon arrival, but that’s just not possible with the 25hours – we’d seen the party in reception and when we discovered an old time Polaroid camera we headed off to check out the amenities and the action.

The gym on the top floor had a chill out room overlooking the railway lines next door. Behind the chill out room was the gym, and alongside that was the plunge bucket and shower which supported the sauna. Apparently good sauna process is to periodically leave the sauna and plunge into a tub of cold water or leap into a snow bank.

But we werent here for saunas, and so headed back downstairs where the fun was.

Party

The area around the bar was rammed with the cool, the trendy, the hip… and us. We made our way through the crowds to get a feel for the space. In one corner the DJ was rocking the beats, and tucked into each seating area earnest conversation and seduction was going on. An area was roped off for a private party and one patron had escaped the revelry in her own private nook.

Upstairs was a chill out area with some video games and a pinball machine, and on the wall were a bunch of polaroid photos, obviously we weren’t the only ones wandering around with a Polaroid!

Speaking of which, if you ever want to feel like a hipster, head over to the coolest party you can find with an old school Polaroid camera and take a bunch of selfies. Awesome!

Back to the Room, perchance to sleep

The lifts at 25hours hotels always have something funky going on: a slogan or video or animation or something cool. And the room numbers are also a way to explore their creativity

But my favourite point of differentiation is definitely the Polaroid – a portable photo-booth with old-school charm.

In the Morning

Bright and early the following morning we got up, showered and checked out. We made to go into the dining room only to be told that they were still setting up. We explained that Nathalie had arranged for a couple of breakfast bags to be ready for us and while we waited on the morning staff to check, I raced around and took photos of the bar area in the cold light of day.

The place was no less stylish for the lack of loud music and elegant patrons drinking, just a lot easier to get around!

Breakfast

A great way to start the day!

Would I Go Back?

In an instant. The 25hour chain continues to impress with hotels of style and substance. The Zurich Langstrasse combines a fantastic location with incredibly designed rooms and generous amenities.

While we can’t comment on the buffet breakfast, if it’s anything like the breakfast on offer at the other 25hours we’ve stayed at, it would be divine. As it was the breakfast bag got us well and truly through to lunch the next day.

25hour Hotels supported our trip by providing a complimentary stay. All opinions remain our own.

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