# Three nights in the Engadine by train from Zurich: the Albula, the Bernina, Morteratsch Glacier and Muottas Muragl, no car

Arrive on the Albula line, take the Bernina to Tirano, visit the Morteratsch Glacier and the Diavolezza, dine at Muottas Muragl and sleep in Pontresina, all without a car.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/switzerland/graubunden/engadine/itineraries/three-nights-by-train-no-car · Revisado: 2026-11-13

Dónde: Engadine

The Upper Engadine is the valley of Switzerland's most beautiful trains, and you can see all of it without a car. With three nights you have time to arrive on the Albula line, the one with the Landwasser Viaduct, give one day to the Bernina as far as Tirano and another to the Morteratsch Glacier and the Diavolezza, and dine one night at 2,456 m at Muottas Muragl. You sleep in Pontresina, next to the station, and everything else is one or two train stops away.

## How do you get there?

By plane to Zurich (ZRH), which has direct flights from several Spanish cities, and by train from the station beneath the terminal to Zurich HB. From there, there are two ways to St. Moritz: via Chur and the Albula line, about 3 h 15, which is the one we recommend on the way out because the journey is already an excursion, or via Landquart and the Vereina tunnel, about 3 h 05. To Pontresina you carry on by train or bus in a few minutes. With the Swiss Travel Pass, the whole journey is included. The other way in is Milan: train to Tirano and up the Bernina. See the "By plane" panel on the Engadine page.

## Where to sleep

AccommodationAreaWho for

Hotel SaratzPontresina, next to the stationFamilies and anyone wanting a pool and spa; free pick-up at the station

Pontresina Youth HostelPontresina, opposite the stationFor spending little, with doubles, family rooms and breakfast included

Hotel WaldhausSils Maria, above the lakeThe grand hotel of 1908, for a treat; chauffeur from St. Moritz

In summer, from the second night, the Saratz and the hostel include the lifts; the Saratz also includes Upper Engadine public transport.

## What it costs

Not counting the flight or the hotel, allow about CHF 35 one way and CHF 70 return for the Bernina in second class, CHF 42.50 for the Muottas Muragl funicular by day or CHF 18 in the afternoon, CHF 44 for the Diavolezza and CHF 25 to 90 per meal. With the Swiss Travel Pass, the trains are included; the Diavolezza and Muottas Muragl are paid separately.

## El plan

### Thursday · 08:38 · Train to St. Moritz on the Albula line
From Zurich HB, change at Chur and take the Albula section: Landwasser Viaduct, spiral tunnels and Bergün. You arrive around 11:55.

### Thursday · 12:30 · Hanselmann and a stroll around St. Moritz
Coffee and walnut tart in the 1894 tea room on the Via Maistra. Then a train or bus to Pontresina and check-in at the hotel.

### Friday · 10:48 · The Bernina by regional train to Tirano
From St. Moritz to Tirano via the Ospizio Bernina, Lago Bianco, Alp Grüm and the Brusio viaduct, 2 h 12. Lunch in Tirano.

### Friday · 17:09 · Muottas Muragl funicular
Train back to Punt Muragl and a 10-minute ride up. A short walk at the top with the view of the lakes.

### Friday · 18:30 · Dinner at the Panoramarestaurant Muottas Muragl
Pizzoccheri, rösti or Arctic char by the window. You come down by funicular; it runs every half hour until 23:00.

### Saturday · 10:30 · Morteratsch Glacier trail
Two train stops from Pontresina. 2.9 almost flat kilometres to the snout of the glacier, with panels on its retreat.

### Saturday · 13:15 · Lunch at the Restaurant Morteratsch
On the station terrace: capuns, pizzoccheri or fondue. Kitchen until 16:00.

### Saturday · 15:13 · Diavolezza cable car
One train stop and a cable car to almost 3,000 m, facing the Piz Palü. CHF 44 return; the Swiss Travel Pass is not accepted.

### Sunday · 10:00 · Free morning and return to Zurich
A stroll around Pontresina or to the entrance of the Val Roseg, and a train to Zurich HB via Landquart or Chur, a little over three hours.

## Consejos

### Out via the Albula, back via the Vereina
That way you see the Landwasser Viaduct on the way out and gain a few minutes on the way back.

### Book the Muottas Muragl dinner before you leave
Window tables at sunset get booked early.

### Check the seasons
From late October to mid-December and in May many hotels, restaurants and lifts close.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do I need a car?
No. All the places on the getaway are next to a station or reached by funicular and cable car.

### Does the Swiss Travel Pass work?
For the trains, yes. The Diavolezza does not accept it and Muottas Muragl does not allow Swiss discounts.

### When is the best time to go?
From June to September for walking and from January to March for snow. November is the dead season.

### What if the weather is bad?
Do the Bernina that day: from the train you see the scenery even if the peaks are hidden.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Saratz Pontresina**: A hotel from 1865 made for families
The Saratz is one of the hotels with the most history in Pontresina: it opened in 1865 as a guesthouse and by 1875 was already a hotel. The Saratz family, who give it its name, are considered the founders of the village as a summer resort. Today it is four-star superior, with 92 rooms and 184 beds, and mixes an Art Nouveau wing, the Chesa Nouva, with renovated areas. It is at the entrance to the village, on the Via da la Staziun, facing the Val Roseg and its glacier.
What sets it apart is that it is designed for travelling with children. It is a member of Swiss Family Hotels, has a supervised children's club from age 3, a corner for over-9s, and a cot, bath, bottle warmer and children's bathrobe in the room, and a paid babysitter at CHF 35 an hour. In winter 2026-27, from 18 December to 14 March, there is supervised play from 15:00 to 20:00, and dinner with the instructors for CHF 30 per child if you ask a day in advance.
Rooms, pools and park
There are nine categories, from simple rooms to junior suites with parquet in the historic wing, with views of the Val Roseg or the village. The family rooms in the Chesa Nouva measure 42 m², with a sitting area, bedroom and two entrances. All have a bath or shower, wifi, Nespresso and minibar included. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out by 11:00.
The hotel has an indoor pool at 30 °C with a jacuzzi, a hammam in the vaulted cellar, a Finnish sauna, a steam bath and a gym. Outside, a 35,000 m² park with the outdoor Bagnera pool, 10 × 20 m and at 27 °C, the highest and largest in the Upper Engadine according to the house, open from late June to September if the weather allows; there are also tennis, minigolf, a trampoline, a tipi and a playground. For dinner there is the Art Nouveau Jugendstil dining room, with half board of three or five courses, and the more informal Pitschna Scena, with a terrace.
Arriving without a car and what is included
The hotel picks you up free at Pontresina station from 8:00 to 21:00 if you let them know. In summer, from the second night, Engadine public transport (train from Maloja to Cinuos-chel and as far as Alp Grüm, bus and PostAuto) and the summer lifts are included. In winter it offers a lift pass at CHF 55 per person per day. If you arrive by car, outdoor or garage parking costs CHF 18 a night and there are paid electric chargers. From here Morteratsch station and the glacier trail are two stops away.
- **Pontresina Youth Hostel (Jugendherberge Pontresina)**: The hostel
Pontresina Youth Hostel belongs to the Swiss Youth Hostels network and is run by its own association. It is on the Via da la Staziun, right opposite Pontresina station, at 1,800 m: you step off the train and cross the road. Instead of stars it carries the "Hostel" label from HotellerieSuisse, and has the ibex fairstay sustainability label at its platinum level. It is the place in the Upper Engadine to spend little without giving up sleeping by the train.
It runs seasonally. In 2026 it is closed until 27 November; it opens in winter until 4 April 2027 and in summer from 29 May to 24 October 2027.
Rooms and meals
It has 29 rooms and 119 beds: 4-bed single-sex rooms and mixed 6-bed rooms, family rooms with a double bed and a bunk, and doubles or twins, also for single use. All have a washbasin and bed linen is included. Three of the family rooms are barrier-free accessible, although not all their beds are. A towel costs CHF 3 in the dormitories and is included in the doubles and family rooms.
The buffet breakfast, from 7:00 to 9:30, is included. Dinner is served from 18:00 to 19:30, with salad or soup, a main course and dessert, and you must sign up before 10:00: CHF 19.50 for adults, CHF 14.50 for ages 6 to 12 and CHF 8.50 for ages 2 to 5. You can order a picnic bag from CHF 10 for your day out. There is a bar with coffee and cake from 11:30 to 16:30, a kiosk, a fireplace, a sunny terrace and, in winter, a Stübli with a menu.
For families, cyclists and cross-country skiers
In front of the house there is a pump track, a football pitch, beach volleyball and table tennis, and inside, a play corner, cot, high chair and changing table. In summer, bike trails lead off in all directions and there is a lockable bike room; in winter, the cross-country track passes the door and there is a ski room, a waxing room and a cross-country shop and school in the same house. In summer, from two nights, the lifts are included; in winter, Sleep & Ski gets you the pass at CHF 47 per day. On foot you have the entrance to the Val Roseg and a supermarket about ten minutes away. If you arrive by car, outdoor parking costs CHF 10 and has to be requested.
- **Hotel Waldhaus Sils**: A family hotel since 1908
The Waldhaus, the "house in the woods", is the grand hotel of Sils Maria, in the Upper Engadine, about 10 km south-west of St. Moritz. It stands on a wooded rise above the village, with Lake Silvaplana to the east, Lake Sils and Maloja to the west and the entrance to the Val Fex to the south. It was opened on 15 June 1908 by Josef Giger and Amalia Giger-Nigg, who had previously managed grand hotels for others, and it has not changed hands since: today it is run by Claudio and Patrick Dietrich, the fifth generation, without partners or outside managers. The family invests in the building every year, but has decided not to extend it.
It belongs to Swiss Historic Hotels and Historic Hotels of Europe. It is not a new design hotel: it is a period hotel with a lobby, lounges, reading room, smoking room and bar, where many guests have returned every summer since childhood, and where music and culture are programmed through its foundation, created in 2015.
Rooms, spa and children
It has 140 rooms and suites, each different, from practical to luxurious, from historic to modern. As a century ago, rooms can be joined together for families.
The spa covers 1,500 m² over three floors: a 20 m indoor pool, a children's pool, an outdoor jacuzzi, saunas, relaxation baths of Swiss stone pine and larch, hot stones, a relaxation room, a Kneipp circuit and six treatment rooms, also for children and teenagers. If you are not staying there, you can book a day ticket for the pool or spa. Guests have a free gym.
For children there is a supervised club for ages 3 to 12, open until 21:00 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a children's cinema every day and a weekly party. In summer, the playground and minigolf are free for guests, and there are two outdoor tennis courts and one indoor. In winter, resident children up to 12 ski free. The main restaurant is called GIGERs, after the founders.
Getting there and when it opens
It opens seasonally: it is closed between seasons and returns on 11 December 2026, until 4 April 2027. Without a car, take the train to St. Moritz: the hotel's chauffeur picks you up free if you tell them the time. From Sils start the flat walks along the lakeshore and the climb to the Val Fex.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Hotel Saratz Pontresina**: A hotel from 1865 made for families
The Saratz is one of the hotels with the most history in Pontresina: it opened in 1865 as a guesthouse and by 1875 was already a hotel. The Saratz family, who give it its name, are considered the founders of the village as a summer resort. Today it is four-star superior, with 92 rooms and 184 beds, and mixes an Art Nouveau wing, the Chesa Nouva, with renovated areas. It is at the entrance to the village, on the Via da la Staziun, facing the Val Roseg and its glacier.
What sets it apart is that it is designed for travelling with children. It is a member of Swiss Family Hotels, has a supervised children's club from age 3, a corner for over-9s, and a cot, bath, bottle warmer and children's bathrobe in the room, and a paid babysitter at CHF 35 an hour. In winter 2026-27, from 18 December to 14 March, there is supervised play from 15:00 to 20:00, and dinner with the instructors for CHF 30 per child if you ask a day in advance.
Rooms, pools and park
There are nine categories, from simple rooms to junior suites with parquet in the historic wing, with views of the Val Roseg or the village. The family rooms in the Chesa Nouva measure 42 m², with a sitting area, bedroom and two entrances. All have a bath or shower, wifi, Nespresso and minibar included. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out by 11:00.
The hotel has an indoor pool at 30 °C with a jacuzzi, a hammam in the vaulted cellar, a Finnish sauna, a steam bath and a gym. Outside, a 35,000 m² park with the outdoor Bagnera pool, 10 × 20 m and at 27 °C, the highest and largest in the Upper Engadine according to the house, open from late June to September if the weather allows; there are also tennis, minigolf, a trampoline, a tipi and a playground. For dinner there is the Art Nouveau Jugendstil dining room, with half board of three or five courses, and the more informal Pitschna Scena, with a terrace.
Arriving without a car and what is included
The hotel picks you up free at Pontresina station from 8:00 to 21:00 if you let them know. In summer, from the second night, Engadine public transport (train from Maloja to Cinuos-chel and as far as Alp Grüm, bus and PostAuto) and the summer lifts are included. In winter it offers a lift pass at CHF 55 per person per day. If you arrive by car, outdoor or garage parking costs CHF 18 a night and there are paid electric chargers. From here Morteratsch station and the glacier trail are two stops away.
- **Pontresina Youth Hostel (Jugendherberge Pontresina)**: The hostel
Pontresina Youth Hostel belongs to the Swiss Youth Hostels network and is run by its own association. It is on the Via da la Staziun, right opposite Pontresina station, at 1,800 m: you step off the train and cross the road. Instead of stars it carries the "Hostel" label from HotellerieSuisse, and has the ibex fairstay sustainability label at its platinum level. It is the place in the Upper Engadine to spend little without giving up sleeping by the train.
It runs seasonally. In 2026 it is closed until 27 November; it opens in winter until 4 April 2027 and in summer from 29 May to 24 October 2027.
Rooms and meals
It has 29 rooms and 119 beds: 4-bed single-sex rooms and mixed 6-bed rooms, family rooms with a double bed and a bunk, and doubles or twins, also for single use. All have a washbasin and bed linen is included. Three of the family rooms are barrier-free accessible, although not all their beds are. A towel costs CHF 3 in the dormitories and is included in the doubles and family rooms.
The buffet breakfast, from 7:00 to 9:30, is included. Dinner is served from 18:00 to 19:30, with salad or soup, a main course and dessert, and you must sign up before 10:00: CHF 19.50 for adults, CHF 14.50 for ages 6 to 12 and CHF 8.50 for ages 2 to 5. You can order a picnic bag from CHF 10 for your day out. There is a bar with coffee and cake from 11:30 to 16:30, a kiosk, a fireplace, a sunny terrace and, in winter, a Stübli with a menu.
For families, cyclists and cross-country skiers
In front of the house there is a pump track, a football pitch, beach volleyball and table tennis, and inside, a play corner, cot, high chair and changing table. In summer, bike trails lead off in all directions and there is a lockable bike room; in winter, the cross-country track passes the door and there is a ski room, a waxing room and a cross-country shop and school in the same house. In summer, from two nights, the lifts are included; in winter, Sleep & Ski gets you the pass at CHF 47 per day. On foot you have the entrance to the Val Roseg and a supermarket about ten minutes away. If you arrive by car, outdoor parking costs CHF 10 and has to be requested.
- **Hotel Waldhaus Sils**: A family hotel since 1908
The Waldhaus, the "house in the woods", is the grand hotel of Sils Maria, in the Upper Engadine, about 10 km south-west of St. Moritz. It stands on a wooded rise above the village, with Lake Silvaplana to the east, Lake Sils and Maloja to the west and the entrance to the Val Fex to the south. It was opened on 15 June 1908 by Josef Giger and Amalia Giger-Nigg, who had previously managed grand hotels for others, and it has not changed hands since: today it is run by Claudio and Patrick Dietrich, the fifth generation, without partners or outside managers. The family invests in the building every year, but has decided not to extend it.
It belongs to Swiss Historic Hotels and Historic Hotels of Europe. It is not a new design hotel: it is a period hotel with a lobby, lounges, reading room, smoking room and bar, where many guests have returned every summer since childhood, and where music and culture are programmed through its foundation, created in 2015.
Rooms, spa and children
It has 140 rooms and suites, each different, from practical to luxurious, from historic to modern. As a century ago, rooms can be joined together for families.
The spa covers 1,500 m² over three floors: a 20 m indoor pool, a children's pool, an outdoor jacuzzi, saunas, relaxation baths of Swiss stone pine and larch, hot stones, a relaxation room, a Kneipp circuit and six treatment rooms, also for children and teenagers. If you are not staying there, you can book a day ticket for the pool or spa. Guests have a free gym.
For children there is a supervised club for ages 3 to 12, open until 21:00 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a children's cinema every day and a weekly party. In summer, the playground and minigolf are free for guests, and there are two outdoor tennis courts and one indoor. In winter, resident children up to 12 ski free. The main restaurant is called GIGERs, after the founders.
Getting there and when it opens
It opens seasonally: it is closed between seasons and returns on 11 December 2026, until 4 April 2027. Without a car, take the train to St. Moritz: the hotel's chauffeur picks you up free if you tell them the time. From Sils start the flat walks along the lakeshore and the climb to the Val Fex.