Your 90 minutes in St. Moritz on a Bernina tour from Milan
Every coach day from Milan to the Bernina line stops in St. Moritz, and none of them stops for long. The listings promise between 90 minutes and about two hours, and travelers on all five ask for more. Below, what fits into that window and which tour gives you the most of it.
The minutes each tour gives you
The free time in St. Moritz is the shortest part of a twelve-hour day, and the listings are fairly precise about it. TaoTravel gives 100 minutes. Autostradale and Milano Art Discovery both say about 1.5 hours.
Frigerio Viaggi is vaguer. Its itinerary says about 1.5 hours and its list of inclusions says about 2.5, so plan on around two hours. If you pick its Diavolezza lunch option, that meal replaces the free time in town.
LUCAfromITALY puts the long stop somewhere else. Its group has about an hour for lunch in Tirano before the train climbs to St. Moritz, and the listing gives no set free time at the top before the drive home.
| Tour | Time in St. Moritz | Before or after the train | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| TaoTravel | 100 minutes | Before, then the red train down to Tirano | ~$155 |
| Frigerio Viaggi | Around two hours | Before, then the panoramic train to Tirano | ~$154 |
| Autostradale | About 1.5 hours | Before, after the Lake Como boat | ~$211 |
| LUCAfromITALY | No set free time listed | After the train, lunch is in Tirano | ~$195 |
| Milano Art Discovery | About 1.5 hours, partly guided | After the train from Tirano | ~$166 |
Several operators say the day can run in reverse, so the stop may come early or late on your date. The order matters more than the minutes, since a stop before the train has to end on time. Our guide to route changes and reversed days explains how to check.
St. Moritz in a few lines
St. Moritz sits at about 1,856 m (6,089 ft) on its own lake in the Engadin valley of eastern Switzerland. The air is thinner and cooler than in Milan, and the light on the water changes fast when clouds move over the peaks.
It is a resort town first. The main streets hold hotels and expensive shops rather than sights with a ticket desk, which suits a short stop because nothing needs queuing or booking.
The coach usually drops the group near the center and gives a meeting point and a time. Write both down or take a photo of the spot, because the streets curve around the slope and look alike in a hurry.
Ways to spend 90 minutes
Ninety minutes go quickly once you have found a toilet and a coffee. Pick one main thing and let the rest be a bonus, rather than trying to see the whole town.
- The lake path. A flat walk along the shore gives the classic view back toward the town. Benches and trees frame the photos
- Coffee and a pastry. A café on the main street takes 20 minutes and leaves time for a stroll afterward
- Window shopping. The luxury boutiques are part of the town's character, even if you buy nothing
- A bench and a sandwich. Bring food from Milan and eat by the water to save both time and Swiss prices
Milano Art Discovery uses part of its 1.5 hours for a guided walk before the free time starts. That helps first-time visitors find their bearings, though it leaves fewer minutes to wander alone.
Lunch on a short clock
No tour on this site includes food, so lunch comes out of your own pocket and your own minutes. A sit-down meal with table service can eat most of a 90-minute stop, especially at busy times.
The quicker route is a bakery or a supermarket counter, then a bench by the lake. Some travelers eat a large breakfast in Milan and snack through the afternoon instead, which frees the whole stop for walking.
On Frigerio's day you can swap the free time for lunch at Diavolezza, where the dish is pizzoccheri, the buckwheat pasta of the Valtellina. You then see St. Moritz mainly from the coach and the station.
Our pick for a full day with a stop in St. Moritz
TaoTravel gives 100 minutes in town before the red train with windows that open, and scores 4.8 from 3,800+ reviews on Viator. Compare the final price on both partners before you book.
Paying in Swiss francs
Switzerland uses Swiss francs, not euros. Cards work in most shops and cafés, so a few francs in cash are enough for a toilet coin or a small kiosk.
Some places may accept euros at their own exchange rate, and change usually comes back in francs. Our packing guide for the border crossing covers money and passports together.
Why every listing hears "more time, please"
The review summaries on all five listings say the same thing. Travelers loved St. Moritz and wanted longer there, which follows from the shape of the day rather than from any one operator.
A twelve-hour trip from Milan spends most of its time on the coach, with the train ride as the main event. What is left for the town is the margin, and on a big coach it shrinks further when 50 people need to gather again.
A smaller group moves faster, which is one argument for LUCAfromITALY's group of up to 16 at ~$195. Our page on small groups against big coaches weighs that against the higher price.
The town looks different from the train. On days that ride down from St. Moritz to Tirano, the station is where the climb begins, so the view from the window makes up for some of the minutes you lose in the streets.
Staying on in St. Moritz
If 90 minutes sounds too short, you can leave the tour there. TaoTravel asks you to contact them before the day, and you then make your own way back to Milan or onward.
That only works with a plan for the return, since the coach will not wait. Our comparison of riding the train on your own or with a tour sets out what changes when you travel alone.
For a longer look at what the train passes between the town and Tirano, read what you see from the Bernina train. The price comparison of all five tours shows what the extra minutes cost on each.
The light changes the town as well. In winter the lake can freeze and the afternoon ends early, while summer leaves you more daylight for the walk. Our page on the best season to go covers both.