Bernina Express & UNESCO World Heritage in Pontresina

Starting in Chur or St. Moritz, the express and regional trains of the Rhaetian Railway wind their way to Pontresina and through the heart of the Bernina Glaciers adventure region. And while passengers are still marvelling at the 4,049-metre-high Piz Bernina, the train descends steeply into Valposchiavo and towards Tirano. From the glaciers to gelato. Including the Italian palm climate.

From the very outset , the railway line over the Bernina Pass was intended as a tourist attraction. Before around 2,500 construction workers set to work in 1902, engineers had spent much time planning a largely tunnel-free route, so that travellers could marvel at the natural beauty of the Grisons during the journey. And, not only them: Furthermore, the stonework viaducts were fitted with slender pillars and narrow arches for a more elegant effect. Travellers were also spared the torment of steam locomotives, as the line was electrified from the very beginning . The entire length of the line was opened in 1910, and even today the trains whirr quietly past the mountain villages, just as they did over a century ago.