The Little Red Train: Great Big Train: Great Big Train, The: Book and CD

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I used the Rhaetian Railway’s normal, scheduled regional trains for my trip from Chur to St Moritz and then from St Moritz to Tirano in May 2023. Here are my tips if you want to use the regular train rather than travelling on the Bernina Express. You can use your rail pass I sat in second class in one of the newer coaches between Chur and St Moritz. The train did have the older style of carriages as well, but we thought that the newer ones with their bigger windows would give us a better view. Second class seats in one of the older coaches. The window is open as far as it will go – it’s enough though. First class seats are wider and more comfortable than second class, but there’s no real difference in service. Second class – newer coaches

Get information on IRCTC train fares of popular Indian trains such as the Duronto, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Garib Rath, Sampark Kranti, Humsafar, Vande Bharat, Jan Shatabdi, AC Express, and Intercity Express. If your train is being pulled by a multiple unit (like the one in the photo below) rather than a locomotive, and you’re travelling in first class, see if you can get seats right at the front. The first set of seats have a window into the driver’s cab; sometimes the driver pulls down the window blind but sometimes they leave it open, giving the passengers behind a thrilling forward view down the line. The train we took from St Moritz to Tirano was arranged like this and sure enough, when we got off at Tirano we saw that the driver had had the blind open. Our Bernina red train at the end of our journey in Tirano, Italy First class – older coaches Pontresina, a picturesque Alpine village with historic houses, elegant Belle Epoque hotels and a family-friendly spaThe church was built after an apparition of the Virgin Mary took place here in 1504. The Virgin told a local girl, Mario Omodei, that she would end the plague in the town if in return Tirano would build a shrine dedicated to her. It appears that she kept her promise and the town duly built the imposing sanctuary starting in 1505. If you have a pass like the Eurail or Interrail pass, or a Swiss Travel Pass or Saver Day Pass, you can hop on and off as much as you like – you could even spread the journey over a few days by staying overnight in one of the towns and villages along the Albula or Bernina Line. The trains I travelled on from Chur to St Moritz had a special photography compartment. This second class area was in one of the newer coaches, but unlike normal second class, the windows opened. The photography compartment with its huge, opening windows, ready for departure at Chur station

This morning we have an included excursion by coach to the nearby town of Figueres. Figueres, capital of the area and famous for being the town where Salvador Dali was born and spent his childhood. The Dali museum, which is in a former theatre refurbished by Dali himself, is an unmissable experience. Apart from three floors full of the artist's extravagant creations, the building itself is well worth seeing. We return to Roses in the early afternoon, with the rest of the day at leisure. Travelling along the route of the Bernina Express is absolutely worth it, but which type of train you should take will depend on what you want to get out of it. On arrival at Barcelona or Girona Airport you will be met and transfer to our hotel in Roses, where we stay for seven nights. Seven buffet breakfasts and dinners are included in the hotel. Day 2 - Roses Express and Cap de Creus nature Park The 1st class seats are a bigger and more comfortable, and they also have pairs of two single seats facing each other available rather than just a group of four seats, so the carriage has more space overall.The centre of Tirano is dominated by the substantial Sanctuary of Madonna di Tirano, the principal monument in the town. Children under the age of 6 travel free of charge. Children aged 6 to 16 pay half the fare. The seat reservation supplement must be paid in full for everyone. Rather than seats, this section has a central, padded ledge that travellers can rest against. It didn’t look all that comfortable for the full 4+ hour journey. It was also positioned right behind the locomotive pulling our train, so you wouldn’t get a good view of the train itself along the line. Accessibility coach The Bernina Express route travels from Lugano, through northern Italy to Tirano, and up to Chur past the famous Landwasser Viaduct in northern Switzerland. The most popular segment of this route is Tirano to St. Moritz, which is it what I personally traveled.

Names - It is very important that all passenger names are exactly as per your passport although we do not require middle names.Visa - You do not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. The Red Train Tours, operated by Ripley's Believe It or Not, has introduced visitors to historic St. Augustine since 1953. The Bernina Express’s panoramic windows are amazing for experiencing the scenery but they’re not so great for photography. The windows by the seats don’t open (although there may be opening windows elsewhere on the train), and create a lot of reflections. When searching on Trainline, make sure to book the Bernina Express and not just a regional SBB train that travels the same route, or you’ll miss out on those panoramic Bernina Express windows! When you book with Trainline, choose only the express train indicated by the initials ‘D-Zug’. Avoid booking a train journey that requires changes (the Bernina Express is a direct train) or indicated as RE (regional train). Step 2: Book your seat on the Bernina Express Perhaps relax on the beach, spend time shopping, visit the 16th century Citadel or you could take an enjoyable boat trip along the coastline.

Rules may have changed since you last travelled to European Union countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The following are useful guidelines which will help you prepare for your next adventure. You do require government issued passport to travel. This morning we have an included excursion by coach to the nearby town of Figueres. Figueres, capital of the area and famous for being the town where Salvador Dali was born and spent his childhood. The Dali museum, which is in a former theatre refurbished by Dali himself, is an unmissable experience. Apart from three floors full of the artist's extravagant creations, the building itself is well worth seeing. We return to Roses in the early afternoon, with the rest of the day at leisure. Day 8 - Fly home Getting to the station early will mean you’ve got the best chance of being able to follow my seat tips for the Bernina Line local train. In Tirano, the Rhaetian Railway station (on the right) and Italian Trenord railway station (on the left) are right next to each other. We took an Italian regional train on to Lake Como. Sit on the right hand side going south, left hand side going north No – you’ll need to change at least once, unless you catch the local train which pulls the Bernina Express

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Apart from the windows and the tables, there was very little difference between the newer coaches and the older ones. Both types had comfortable seats, ok but not great leg room and power outlets under the seat. Photography coach When the route gets closer to Italy, you’ll pass the other major sight on the left hand side of the train, the lovely Lago di Poschiavo. Our train was quiet enough that I could move from side to side so I didn’t miss anything – another benefit of taking the regional train vs the Bernina Express, which is usually sold out. Approaching Miralago. This section of the line along the shore of Lago Poschiano is one of the few places where it’s better to sit on the left hand train going south. Since the local train doesn’t include the same level of on-board information as the panoramic train, we bought a guidebook from the SBB shop at Chur station. It cost CHF 15 but the information inside and route maps was really interesting and useful – and still less than the cost of a Bernina Express reservation. Upgrade to 1st class if you need to In the newer coaches, there’s a map of the Rhaetian Railways network on the table, labelled with key sights to look out for. There are also announcements made over the train’s PA system when you’re approaching one of the sights, so you don’t miss a thing – for example as we approached the Albula Tunnel there was a short announcement with a little bit of history about the tunnel and some information about the rebuilding project. It’s as close as you can get to the “guided tour” experience of the Bernina Express. Second class – older coaches The Bernina Line runs from St Moritz in Switzerland, over the Bernina Pass, 2,253 metres (7,392ft) up in the Alps. Beautiful Lago Bianco, near the highest point of the Bernina line