The Bernina Express between Chur, Poschiavo and Tirano 

The narrow-gauge Bernina Express connects northern and southern Europe and 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.

Beginning in Chur, the oldest town in Switzerland, the route travels south along 76 miles (122km) of track, through 55 tunnels and 196 bridges including the spectacular Landwasser Viaduct. The route meanders past glaciers, an alpine garden and rushing mountain streams, passes through the 5,955 foot (1,815m) long Albula Tunnel and climbs over the Bernina Pass to more than 7,000 feet (2,134m) before crossing the Italian border to arrive in the village of Tirano.

The journey from Chur to Tirano takes four hours, Chur to Poschiavo takes three-and-a-half hours and St Moritz to Tirano takes just two-and-a-half hours.

100 years on the Bernina Line

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 first trains operated between St Moritz and Zermatt on 8 July 1910 so there is much to celebrate through the summer of 2010

UNESCO World Heritage status

The route of the Bernina Express on the Albula/Bernina Line between St Moritz and Tirano was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2008, in recognition of the stunning beauty, incredible engineering and the impact this line has had on mountain life in the Swiss canton of Graubuenden and Northern Italy. The Albula/Bernina Line constitutes an outstanding technical and architectural feat and complements the aesthetic harmony through which it passes.

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