Lead-in price per person, based on two sharing. Tap any month and we’ll confirm live availability and the best price for your dates.
From prices are per person, based on two people sharing. What you pay depends on your travel dates, how many nights you want, your departure airport and anything you add — tell us what you need and a UK specialist will confirm your price. ATOL 10713 protected.
A holiday to Italy costs from £459 per person, based on two people sharing. That covers 4 nights and return flights from London. November 2026 is the cheapest departure currently on sale. Secure it with £99pp and pay the balance nearer the time. Every holiday we sell is ATOL 10713 protected.
Four nights with return flights from the UK and two nights in Milan at a 4★ hotel. The package is titled as including the Bernina Express scenic journey. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. November is the cheapest month and July the dearest — the holiday runs May to November 2026 only, with no winter dates. The Swiss half of the itinerary, the rail arrangements and the board are confirmed in writing before you pay. What you pay depends on your travel dates, how many nights you want and which UK airport you fly from.
This is a short, two-country itinerary built around one railway journey, and the details are settled with you rather than fixed in advance.
The fixed points are return flights from the UK and two nights in Milan at a 4★ hotel.
What we set with you is the Swiss half — where your two remaining nights are spent in Graubünden — and the Bernina Express itself: which class you travel in, and in which direction you take the line.
Ask us to confirm all of it in writing before you pay anything beyond the deposit, the rail ticket above all. It is the reason for the trip, and it is worth having settled in black and white rather than assumed.
One of the great railway journeys in Europe, and the reason this itinerary exists.
It runs between Tirano, just over the Italian border north of Milan, and the Swiss canton of Graubünden — climbing from Italian valley country into high Alpine terrain, over the Brusio spiral viaduct and past glaciers, without using a rack railway anywhere on the route.
The Rhaetian Railway lines it uses through the Albula and Bernina passes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for the engineering rather than the scenery. The panoramic carriages have curved windows built for looking upward at mountains.
It runs year-round, and the winter journey through snow is spectacular in a different way from the summer one — though the holiday offers no winter dates, so that is academic here.
It runs as a seasonal product, and the window is narrower than most of our European range — worth knowing before you set your dates.
The holiday runs May to November 2026 and no further. Seven months, no December, no 2027 dates at all. Every other European holiday in our range runs into 2027, most of them through to February or March.
| Month | Worth knowing |
|---|---|
| November | Cheapest, and the last month available |
| May | Alpine spring; snow still high up |
| October | Autumn colour in the valleys |
| June | Long days, everything open |
| September | Clear air, arguably the best month |
| August | Warm, busiest on the trains |
| July | Dearest and hottest in Milan |
September is the month we would pick — clear Alpine air, the best visibility of the year for a journey whose entire point is the view, and Milan pleasant rather than hot.
November is the value option with a caveat. It is the cheapest month and the last one bookable, but Alpine daylight in November is short and the weather less reliable. On a trip built around a scenic railway, a grey day costs you more than it would elsewhere.
Milan gets two of the four nights, confirmed in the package. The Duomo and its roof terraces, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Leonardo’s Last Supper — which must be booked months ahead and is not included. Milan’s aperitivo culture is the cheapest good eating in an expensive city.
The journey north takes you from Milan through Lombardy to Tirano, where the Bernina line begins. The change from Italian lake and valley country to high Alpine terrain happens over a few hours and is the point of the trip.
The Swiss side is Graubünden — Alpine valleys, mountain villages, and the Rhaetian Railway network. Exactly where you stay is part of what we confirm at enquiry.
Two countries in four nights makes this the shortest multi-country itinerary we sell, and the train is what makes it feasible rather than frantic.
Tirano itself is worth the half hour before your train. It is a small Italian border town with a pilgrimage basilica, and the Bernina line famously runs through its streets at road level rather than on its own track — trains and cars share the tarmac.
The Brusio spiral viaduct, a few minutes into the Swiss side, is the image most associated with the line: a circular stone viaduct that lets the train gain height in open country. It is on the right-hand side heading north.
Book a window seat and know which side to sit on. The best of the Bernina line favours one side depending on your direction of travel, and on a journey whose entire purpose is the view that is not a small detail. Ask us when you book and we will tell you.
The altitude is real. The line climbs past 2,000 metres at the Bernina pass, and some people feel it mildly — a little breathlessness, occasionally a headache. It passes quickly and needs nothing more than taking it slowly for an hour.
Milan is a city that rewards knowing where to look. Its centre is small and the Duomo does the heavy lifting, but the Navigli canals in the evening and the Brera quarter are where it stops feeling like a business city and starts feeling like an Italian one.
All quoted at enquiry against your dates.
Flights are from the UK, around two hours to Milan. Any supplement for a regional departure is confirmed at enquiry rather than promised here. Italy and Switzerland are both one hour ahead of the UK, so there is no time change inside the trip.
Milan to Tirano is a regional rail journey of around two and a half hours, and Tirano is where the Bernina line begins. Which of these sectors sit inside your package is confirmed at enquiry.
Switzerland is not in the EU but it is in the Schengen area, so there is no border check on the way through. It does have its own currency and its own prices, which are considerably higher than Italy’s.
Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026.
Both Italy and Switzerland are in the Schengen area, so British passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and there is no separate border check between them. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave.
The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, replacing passport stamps with fingerprints and a photograph on your first crossing. It is free, lasts three years and speeds up later trips. ETIAS is not currently required.
Switzerland is expensive. It uses the Swiss franc rather than the euro, and food, drink and transport all cost considerably more than on the Italian side. Budget for the difference rather than being surprised by it.
Seat reservations matter on the Bernina Express. The panoramic carriages are reserved and they sell out in season. This is the single thing most worth sorting early.
Altitude and temperature. The Bernina pass is high Alpine terrain and considerably colder than Milan, with snow possible well outside winter. Take a proper layer regardless of what Lombardy is doing.
Sit on the correct side. The best views on the Bernina line favour one side over the other depending on direction of travel, and it is worth asking when you book rather than working it out on the platform.
Tourist taxes apply in both countries, charged per person per night at the hotel and payable locally.
Your booking is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.
Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. September gives the clearest air for a journey whose entire point is the view. Whichever month you pick, ask us to confirm the Bernina Express, your two Swiss nights and your meal arrangement in writing before you pay. Those three settle what the trip actually is, and none of them should be left to assume.
From £459 per person, reduced from £590, for four nights with return UK flights and two nights in Milan at a 4★ hotel. November is cheapest and July dearest. The deal runs May to November 2026 only.
The scenic journey is what the holiday is built around. Ask us to confirm the ticket, the class and the direction in writing when you enquire, so you know exactly what is booked before you pay.
Return flights from the UK and two nights in Milan at a 4★ hotel with breakfast. That accounts for two of the four nights. The Swiss half of the itinerary and the rail arrangements are confirmed in writing before you pay.
On the Swiss side, in Graubünden. We select the property against your dates and confirm it in writing before you pay — tell us what matters to you and we will build it that way.
One of the great European railway journeys, running between Tirano north of Milan and the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It climbs from Italian valley country into high Alpine terrain over the Brusio spiral viaduct without using a rack railway anywhere on the route.
The Rhaetian Railway lines it uses through the Albula and Bernina passes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for the engineering rather than the scenery. The panoramic carriages have curved windows built for looking up at the mountains.
The holiday runs May to November 2026 — seven months, no December, no 2027. Every other European holiday in our range runs into 2027, most to February or March.
September — clear Alpine air and the best visibility of the year for a journey whose entire point is the view, with Milan pleasant rather than hot. October is close behind with autumn colour in the valleys.
It is the cheapest month and the last one bookable, but Alpine daylight in November is short and the weather less reliable. On a trip built around a scenic railway, a grey day costs you more than it would on a city break.
The panoramic carriages are reserved and they sell out in season, so this is the single thing most worth sorting early. It is also worth asking which side of the train has the better views for your direction of travel.
Your meal arrangement across both the Milan and the Swiss nights is confirmed in writing before you pay. Tell us what you would like when you enquire and we will price it against your dates.
No. Switzerland is not in the EU but it is in the Schengen area, so British passport holders can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period and there is no separate border check from Italy. Checked against GOV.UK on 17 September 2026.
Considerably more than Italy. It uses the Swiss franc rather than the euro, and food, drink and transport all cost noticeably more than on the Italian side of the trip. Budget for the difference rather than being caught out by it.
Much colder than Milan. It is high Alpine terrain with snow possible well outside winter, and the temperature difference between the Lombardy plain and the pass can be substantial. Take a proper layer regardless of what Milan is doing.
The Duomo and its roof terraces, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Leonardo's Last Supper — which sells out months ahead and is not included in the package. Milan's aperitivo culture is the cheapest good eating in an expensive city.
Milan to Tirano is a regional rail journey of around two and a half hours, and Tirano is where the Bernina line begins. Which of these sectors sit inside your package is one of the things confirmed at enquiry.
None inside the trip. Italy and Switzerland are both one hour ahead of the UK, so your watch changes once on the way out and once on the way home. Flights to Milan are around two hours from the UK.
It is the shortest multi-country itinerary we sell, and the train is what makes it feasible rather than frantic. Two nights in Milan and two on the Swiss side is tight but coherent. Extra nights on either side are priced on request.
Yes, in both countries, charged per person per night at the hotel and payable locally rather than in the package price. You pay it on both the Italian and the Swiss side of this itinerary, at different rates.
Three things, and we will put all of them in writing: the Bernina Express ticket and its class, where your two Swiss nights are, and what is covered at mealtimes. Settle those at enquiry and the rest of the trip is straightforward.
Ninety-nine pounds per person, with the balance due before travel. The holiday is ATOL 10713 protected and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. Prices are per person, based on two people sharing.
Early, for two reasons: the panoramic carriages sell out in season, and the holiday has only a seven-month window with no dates beyond November 2026. Get the itinerary confirmed in writing at the same time you fix the dates.
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