Rhätische Bahn

The railway of Graubünden, based in Chur. It operates the Albula and Bernina lines, a World Heritage Site since 2008, the Bernina Express and, with the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, the Glacier Express.

Who they are

The Rhätische Bahn, RhB to the Swiss, is the narrow-gauge railway company of the canton of Graubünden, in south-eastern Switzerland. Its first line, from Landquart to Klosters, opened on 29 September 1889, and since then the network has grown to 385 km reaching Davos, St. Moritz, the Engadine, the Rhine valley and, over the Bernina Pass, Tirano, already in Italy. It is a private-law public limited company, but the canton and the Confederation hold more than 90% of the shares. It employs about 1,800 people, carries more than 17 million passengers a year and its trains run on electricity from hydropower.

For travellers, the RhB is both the public transport of the valleys and one of the great railway experiences of Europe. The Albula and Bernina lines, with the Landwasser Viaduct and the spiral tunnels, have formed since 2008 the cultural landscape declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bernina Express or regional train

The Bernina Express links Chur with Tirano in about four hours, and St. Moritz with Tirano in about two and a quarter hours, on a route with 196 bridges and 55 tunnels. It has panoramic carriages and a free information app for your phone. On it all passengers, children included, pay a seat reservation supplement. From Tirano a Bernina Express bus continues to Lugano, which does not accept bicycles.

On the same track run regional trains without panoramic carriages or a compulsory supplement. On the Bernina section you can reserve a seat for CHF 5 per person, and the company recommends it in high season; if reservations sell out you can still board, although you may have to wait longer. It is the option for those who prefer to get off at Alp Grüm or at the Ospizio Bernina and continue on the next train. The company warns that in April 2027 individual seats will not be reservable on regional trains because of technical changes.

Bikes, dogs and luggage

A bike travels with a day pass of CHF 15. Space is limited on the busiest lines, and groups of ten or more cyclists must book 48 hours ahead. Dogs pay a half-fare ticket in second class, or a day pass of CHF 25; those under 30 cm at the withers travel free in a box or basket. They are admitted on the Bernina Express, but not on the Glacier Express, except assistance dogs. For large suitcases there is a luggage dispatch service.

Tickets and languages

Tickets and reservations are bought on the RhB website; the conditions for changes and cancellation depend on the type of ticket, so read them when you buy; the Glacier Express is booked on its own website, glacierexpress.ch. The RhB website has an English version, as well as the German one, and in Graubünden German, Romansh and Italian live side by side: on the Bernina line, beyond the pass, you already hear mostly Italian.