Blog: St Moritz and the Bernina Express

Blog: St Moritz and the Bernina Express

After a few days in Zurich it was time to move on and see more of Switzerland. I was joining Trafalgar's "Best of Switzerland Tour" which would take me to a number of Swiss towns I hadn't visited before and so I headed to the hotel in Zurich where all the tour participants were to meet.

Those who arrived early in the afternoon were able to enjoy a sightseeing tour of Zurich with our Tour Director, Monika, however, as I had already seen the sights the week before, I chose to wander around by myself for an hour or two. After an ice cream by the lake and a stroll through the Saturday flea market, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner where I'd meet my fellow tour passengers.

Our dinner venue was a popular suburban-Zurich restaurant. The food was delicious - three courses and wine or beer included - and introductions were made to the other passengers who came from Australia, United States and United Arab Emirates. Monika gave us a brief run-down of proceedings and we were back at the hotel by about 9.30pm.

A 6am wake-up call isn't really my idea of a 'holiday' but with plenty of things to see in a short space of time, it was necessary to ensure we all got the most out of our tour. After departing the hotel at 7.30am, our first stop was Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, for a quick look around and a coffee . We were then back on the bus heading towards St Moritz, our overnight halt.

After crossing the Fluelapass with its many hairpin bends and spectacular scenery, we arrived at St Moritz around midday. There was time to check in to our rooms and have a bite to eat before those who had elected to take today's optional excursion set off. I was amongst those who'd chosen to enjoy a ride on the Bernina Express, one of Switzerland's most scenic train rides.

Our journey, from Pontresino (about 10 minutes from St Moritz) to Le Prese took about an hour and a half and provided plenty of ooohs and aaahs at we marvelled at the scenery, including, ancient glaciers, snow covered peaks and the 'White Lake'. Reaching a height of 2253 metres at Ospizio Bernina, the panoramic windows provided the best possible views and the sound of camera shutters snapping was a constant throughout the trip. After disembarking in Le Prese, we enjoyed an afternoon snack and local wines at a restaurant before our coach returned us to St Moritz.

As our hotel was in the lower part of St Moritz (the main township is in St Moritz Dorf which is situated up on a hillside), I didn't visit the township itself but took the opportunity to walk by the lake which was close to our hotel in St Moritz Bad. The temperature had dropped considerably so I didn't stay outside too long, instead returning to the hotel in time for the evening's buffet dinner and the chance to swap stories with my fellow passengers.

Tomorrow's destination: Stresa on Lake Maggiore

See more photos of St Moritz and the Bernina Express train ride on our Facebook page.