Train stations in Tirano

Tirano has two station buildings on one square. Trenord trains from Milan use the Italian one; the Bernina trains to Switzerland leave from the RhB station beside it.

Which station you need

Coming from Milan, Lecco or Sondrio, you arrive at the Italian station. It has three platforms, toilets, a bar, a newsstand and a tourist information point, and its lifts run from 04:30 to 01:30. Trenord's RE8 trains stop at a short platform here, so avoid the last carriages when getting on or off.

For anything heading into Switzerland, walk across to the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) station on Piazza delle Stazioni. It is staffed from 07:00 to 19:00 every day and has ticket machines, a luggage counter (CHF 8 per item) and a customs office. Trenord and RhB are different railways.

Trains from Milan and Lombardy

Trenord's RE8 runs between Milano Centrale and Tirano through Monza, Lecco, Colico and Sondrio. The journey takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. Trains leave about once an hour, around 15 a day, and a second-class ticket from Milan is €12.50. The first train leaves Milano Centrale at 06:20 and the last at 21:20. In the other direction, the last Milan train leaves Tirano at 20:08 on the timetable running to 12 December 2026.

Sondrio, the main town of the Valtellina, is on the same line and about half an hour from Tirano. Every Italian train leaving Tirano is a Trenord train; for Switzerland you switch to RhB.

The Bernina line into Switzerland

Two kinds of train cover the same scenic route.

The Bernina Express has panoramic cars, runs on selected connections and needs a ticket plus a compulsory seat reservation. St. Moritz to Tirano takes about 2 hours 15 minutes, and Chur to Tirano about 4 hours. Until 25 October the Bernina Express reaches Tirano from St. Moritz at 11:32, 15:31 and 18:39, and from Chur at 12:49 and 18:00; a different winter timetable starts on 26 October. Only cashless payment works on board.

RhB regional trains use the same track on the regular timetable, with ordinary windows and more connections through the day. They need only a ticket. A seat reservation is optional between St. Moritz and Tirano and costs CHF 5 per person in either class. An adult one-way second-class ticket from St. Moritz to Tirano is CHF 33 (CHF 57 in first class).

Some resellers label regional trains as the Bernina Express, and "Bernina Red Train" or "Trenino Rosso" means the regional service. If you want the panoramic car, make sure your booking says Bernina Express and shows a seat.

Rail passes and reservations

An Interrail pass covers the Trenord regional trains from Milan, which need no reservation, and the RhB trains, which need a pass valid for Switzerland. As of October 2026, the Bernina Express panoramic cars still need a paid reservation on top: CHF 32 from St. Moritz, and from Chur CHF 44 until 25 October 2026, then CHF 40 until 12 December. Regional trains on the Bernina line need none, although an optional CHF 5 seat reservation is available.

Border, works and the bus to Lugano

Bring a passport or national ID card. The Bernina line runs between Switzerland and Italy, and the RhB station has its own customs office.

From 29 October to 13 November 2026, Bernina Express trains 951 and 952 between Chur and Pontresina are diverted via Klosters and the Vereina Tunnel because of engineering works.

The Bernina Express Bus runs on to Lugano, daily until 25 October 2026 and Thursday to Sunday from 29 October to 22 November. A single ticket is CHF 41 in second class, plus a compulsory seat reservation of CHF 18 until 25 October or CHF 16 from 29 October. Interrail passes are valid for the ticket, so pass holders pay only the reservation. Bus 5951 leaves Tirano at 14:20 and reaches Lugano Stazione Nord at 17:30.

After the train

Tirano's main sight is the Basilica della Madonna di Tirano, a Renaissance sanctuary and the only basilica in the province of Sondrio. From 1 October 2026 it is open daily from 07:00 to 11:45 and from 14:30 to 18:45.