10 friends took me on one of Europe’s most beautiful train rides
Anna Björnson
31 July 2025
The Bernina route can be experienced either by taking the Bernina Express train or by taking reservation-free regional trains.
In the spring of 2022, my then-18-year-old daughter asked: ”Mum, do you want to go Interrailing with me this summer?”
I, who have always loved travelling, especially by train, quickly answered “yes.”
Looking back, I could never have imagined what a fantastic impact that answer would have on my life.
While searching for information, I found the Eurail Community website, which helped my daughter and me to plan a nice two-week trip to the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Germany. During my first time in the Community, I mostly read comments from other travellers, but soon I started to reply to messages, answering questions myself. I learned more and more.
Moving forward to the beginning of 2024, when the number of experienced travellers helping out in the Community reached about 10, Eurail invited all of us to the company’s first-ever Customer Impact Day in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Little did I know that this group of 10 Interrail-expert travellers were about to become my new friends — and soon-to-be adventure companions.
Anna Björnson at Chur train station, where the Bernina route begins (credit: Anna Björnson)
During a group discussion about Europe’s most scenic train rides, we realized that I, although being half-Swiss, was the only one in the group who had never travelled the Bernina route between Chur in Switzerland and Tirano in Italy, considered to be one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. After the gathering in Utrecht, we all kept in touch and agreed to meet soon again. To my surprise, my new friends suggested we travel on the Bernina route for our first trip together.
On 22 March 2025, the time for my maiden voyage on the Bernina route had come. I travelled south from my home in Sweden to Konstanz, Germany, where I was joined by Martin from Austria, Brendan and Rian from Belgium, Matthieu from France, Sebastian from Germany, Damian from Ireland, Angelo from Italy, Benjamin and Thibaut from Switzerland, and Rich from Great Britain. All people whom I almost certainly would have never met, if it hadn’t been for the Community.
Even though we hadn’t been together in person for almost a year, it felt as if no time had passed when we sat chatting at the dinner table of a restaurant in downtown Konstanz.
After an early start from Konstanz and a stop in Chur to get some bread and nice Swiss cheese from the supermarket, we headed for the regional train to St. Moritz. Seeing the Swiss Alps always makes me feel at home, and there was no difference this time.
The two-hour train ride on the Albula line, with 55 bridges and 39 tunnels, started promisingly in sunshine, but soon the fog took over.
Anna and her friends encountered foggy views for much of their journey on the Bernina route (credit: Anna Björnson)
Anna's group picked up snacks from a local market to enjoy during their stop in St. Moritz, Switzerland (credit: Anna Björnson)
In St. Moritz, the groceries bought in Chur became a welcome picnic before we continued on the Bernina line with a regional train to Tirano. During almost the whole 2.5-hour train ride, passing over another 100+ bridges and through 16 tunnels, we were surrounded by fog, fog, and more fog. Benjamin, who has travelled between Chur and Tirano more than 20 times, said he had never experienced such a bad — or rather non-existent — view of the mountains.
The first nice view from the train? We were able to catch sight of the the Brusio spiral viaduct, just six kilometers from Tirano, the final stop of our journey.
However, the bad weather didn’t really matter. It only gave me a reason to travel the Bernina route another time. Rather, the time spent with my friends became even more intense and special. If we could have seen the spectacular views, we would probably have been looking out the windows instead of talking to each other.
Over the course of the journey, the languages spoken switched between German and English, with some French and Italian sprinkled in. One of the things that I appreciate the most while meeting up with my Community friends is that we come from so many countries — we speak different languages and have different backgrounds, but we all share the love of travelling by train.
Anna took this photo of her 10 travelling companions at the end of their journey in Tirano, Italy (Back row from the left: Rich, Rian, Benjamin, Martin and Sebastian; front row from the left: Damian, Brendan, Thibaut, Angelo and Matthieu) (credit: Anna Björnson)
It is funny to think that if I hadn't answered “yes” to my daughter's question about Interrailing, I would never have gotten to know these nice people from all over Europe. I am very grateful for the friendship that the Community has given me.
After arriving in Tirano, I rested for a while on the bed at my hotel before meeting up with the rest of our group at a nearby pizzeria. Lying on the bed, I could smell the smoke from coal-heated houses through the open balcony door. I heard the sound from the nearby railway crossing and creaks from passing trains on the Bernina route.
I remember thinking: “This is life.”
Anna stands alongside the train (credit: Brendan De Baets)
Meet the writer
Anna Björnson has been an active member of the Interrail Community since 2022. She lives in Sweden.
Anna's number-one tip for a great Interrail trip
Always bring something to eat and drink with you on the train so that you can hop off and have a picnic at a station with a nice view (bringing some food on the train is also good if the train gets stuck).
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