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The narrow-gauge Bernina Express offers a spectacular means of crossing the Alps. The route runs through the ancient landscape of Switzerland's beautiful Grisons/Graubünden region and provides essential links to the Italian-speaking population in the south of the country.
Beginning in Chur, the oldest town in Switzerland, the route travels south along 76 miles of track, through 55 tunnels and 196 bridges including the spectacular Landwasser Viaduct. The railway meanders past glaciers, an alpine garden and rushing mountain streams, passes through the 5,955 foot long Albula Tunnel and climbs over the Bernina Pass at 6,669 feet (2,134m) before crossing the Italian border to arrive in the village of Tirano.
Having first run trains in 1910, it took just four years to build the Bernina Line and even in today's hi-tech age it is regarded as a shining example of the civil engineer's art. The line was classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2008 in recognition of the incredible engineering and the stunning beauty the line offers.
