geocalia
Day itinerary · 46.50° N · 9.84° E
A flat walk to the Morteratsch Glacier, capuns on the station terrace and a cable car up to the Diavolezza, facing the Piz Palü, all by regional train.
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
from Zurich HB, changing at Landquart, Sagliains and Pontresina; if you sleep in Pontresina, it is two stops
free; 2.9 km and about 50 minutes to the glacier tongue, with information panels along the way
kitchen from 11:30 to 16:00; capuns or pizzoccheri on the terrace
Via Morteratsch 70, 7504 Pontresina · +41 81 842 63 13
regional train to Bernina Diavolezza and cable car; CHF 44 return
+41 81 839 39 00
to Zurich HB via Samedan and Chur; or back to Pontresina in 10 minutes
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
This is the easiest day in the Upper Engadine without a car: everything is on the Bernina line, one or two stops from Pontresina. In the morning you walk up the Morteratsch valley to the snout of the glacier, on a wide, almost flat path with panels marking where the ice reached each year. You come back for lunch on the terrace of the Restaurant Morteratsch, which has the station right in front of it, and in the afternoon you take the cable car up to the Diavolezza, at almost 3,000 m, facing the Piz Palü, the Piz Bernina and the very glacier you saw from below.
From Zurich it can be done in a day, but it is more than three and a half hours by train each way: the sensible thing is to sleep in Pontresina the night before.
Fly to Zurich, which has direct flights from several Spanish cities, and continue by train from the station beneath the terminal to Zurich HB and the Engadine. The other way in is Milan: train to Tirano and up the Bernina line, which stops at Morteratsch. Either way, arrive the evening before and sleep in Pontresina.
7:38 · Train from Zurich. Via Landquart and the Vereina tunnel, with changes at Sagliains and Pontresina, to the Morteratsch stop. If you sleep in Pontresina, leave around 10:30.
11:15 · Morteratsch Glacier trail. It starts from the same station. It is 2.9 km and about 50 minutes to the snout of the glacier, with 16 panels on its retreat. You can do almost all of it with a pushchair.
13:15 · Lunch at the Restaurant Morteratsch. Back at the station. Order the baked capuns or pizzoccheri, or the Graubünden dried meat and cheese platter to share. The kitchen serves until 16:00.
15:13 · Train to Bernina Diavolezza and cable car. Nine minutes by regional train. The cable car climbs to almost 3,000 m; at the top there is a terrace and the Berghaus restaurant. Return ticket CHF 44; dogs free.
18:34 · Return. Train to Zurich HB via Samedan and Chur, arriving around 22:20. To Pontresina, ten minutes.
The trail is free. The Diavolezza costs CHF 44 return for adults, CHF 29.50 for young people and CHF 14.50 for children, and accepts the Half Fare card and the GA, but not the Swiss Travel Pass. Lunch at the Morteratsch is CHF 25 to 45 per person. In summer, if you stay two nights or more at a participating Upper Engadine accommodation, the cable car is free.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
What to order: at lunchtime, the gratinéed capuns or the pizzoccheri; if there are several of you, the Graubünden platter of cured meats and cheese to share, and a slice of the house walnut tart with coffee.
What to order: a coffee with a slice of Engadiner Nusstorte, the house walnut and caramel tart; for the road, Birnbrot, the pear bread of Graubünden.
What to order: at lunchtime, the Valtellina pizzoccheri or the rösti with egg and bacon, and the Engadiner Nusstorte for dessert; for dinner, book a window table at sunset.
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
From June to October for a snow-free trail and a terrace in the sun; in winter the path to the glacier is done on foot or on cross-country skis and the Diavolezza is a ski area. Between late October and early December the Restaurant Morteratsch is closed, and the Diavolezza has maintenance stoppages.
Tips
The peaks are usually clearer in the morning: go up the Diavolezza first and leave the glacier for the afternoon.
At almost 3,000 m it is cold even in August.
Between seasons the Diavolezza stops for a few weeks; check its website before you go.
Questions
Yes. The trail is almost flat and the cable car has a children's fare.
For the trains, yes; for the Diavolezza cable car, no.
The path to the glacier is done on foot or on cross-country skis, and the Diavolezza is a ski area. The Restaurant Morteratsch opens from 4 December 2026.
About 3 h 35 to Morteratsch, with several changes. Better to sleep in Pontresina.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/switzerland/graubunden/engadine/itineraries/morteratsch-glacier-and-diavolezza
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/switzerland/graubunden/engadine/itineraries/morteratsch-glacier-and-diavolezza
