The Tour of the Bernina. Gillian Price

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      A train threads its way between houses at Tirano

      The northern Italian town of Tirano lies at 429m above sea level, while St Moritz in southeastern Switzerland is located at 1856m. In between them stands the Bernina Pass at 2329m. Remarkably, they are linked by the Bernina Express railway, which takes two and a half hours to cover the 60km and operates year-round. With spectacular switchbacks, 13 tunnels and cuttings, 52 bridges and viaducts, long ramps and astonishingly steep gradients (the maximum incline is 7%), and no help at all from a rack and pinion system, the trains climb steadily on a narrow gauge track. Constructed between 1906 and 1910 with the purpose of encouraging tourism, it is one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world – not to mention the highest-altitude transalpine railway of all. En route, picturesque villages, forests, lakes and glaciers can be admired. In combination with the northern stretch from St Moritz to Thusis, the Bernina Express was in 2008 assigned World Heritage status by UNESCO.

      It is run as a normal service and advance booking is not necessary (unless you hanker after an open-sided observation car). Tickets are sold on the spot and unmanned stations have automatic ticketing machines that accept both cash and credit cards. Timetables at www.sbb.ch.

Tourist information

      The Italian Tourist Board has offices all over the world and can help intending travellers with general information (www.enit.it). Switzerland’s main info service is www.myswitzerland.com. All local tourist offices can provide help with accommodation and transport enquiries.

      When calling from overseas, preface Italian numbers with +39 and Swiss numbers with +41. Also, to call an Italian landline phone number locally or from overseas, always include the initial zero of the area code; the exceptions being mobile numbers (which begin with ‘3’) and emergency services (which begin ‘1’). Conversely, to call a Swiss phone number from overseas, always remove the initial zero – but include it if calling locally.

When to go

      These are alpine routes, so there are restrictions due to snow cover and the opening period of the high-altitude refuges. The answer is to go from late June through to late September but always check individual refuge openings at the beginning and end of that period. Up until mid-July there may still be extensive late-lying snow, although this will of course depend on the extent of snowfall over the previous winter. Early summer walkers may need to verify the condition of access paths to north-facing locations such as Diavolezza – ask locally. August to early September is probably the optimum time; later on, October can be a magical month with crisp conditions and autumn colours – although, alas, the majority of huts will be closed, with a handful open only on weekends.

Accommodation

      The marvellously positioned Rifugio Cometti Grandi (AVV, Stage 1)

      Walkers on these treks will enjoy overnight stays in a string of comfortable hotels and guesthouses, as well as in mountain huts that are only accessible on foot.

      Hotels and guesthouses naturally have separate rooms, sometimes with an en suite bathroom. Always ask what choice is offered.

      The alpine refuge is a life-saving establishment for walkers across the Alps. It is known as a rifugio in Italy, a Berghaus or Berghütte in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, and chamanna in the Romansch-speaking part. Old, modern, rambling, tiny, cosy, spartan, cramped, family-run, miles from anywhere… whatever the description, the huts all have the same mission: to provide beds and meals for walkers and mountaineers during the summer months. They also act as café-restaurants and can be relied on for a drink and meal if you’re passing through.

      The majority are owned by alpine clubs – either CAS (Club Alpin Suisse) or CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) – but anyone is welcome to stay, members and non-members alike. The manager (gestore/Wirt) and their hardworking, versatile, multilingual staff welcome guests and deal with the day-to-day chores, which range from baking cakes to chopping wood, backpacking in supplies and handling emergencies. They can also be consulted for information about the condition of local paths.

      The refuge routine

      Inside Chamanna Coaz, on the extension to TB Stage 1

      So what’s the procedure at a refuge? When you arrive at a hut, the first thing to do is announce yourself to a staff member, who will check your reservation and tell you which bed and room to occupy. This is a good opportunity to ask what time dinner’s served.

      Walking boots are never worn into the bedrooms, but are left on shelves or racks in the hut entrance. Here you change into your own sandals or use hut slippers if available. Sleeping quarters range from 2–4 beds or bunkrooms up to cavernous dormitories (dormitorio/Lager) with mattresses lined up along the walls. Duvets or blankets and a pillow are always provided, to be used in combination with your personal sheet sleeping bag, and a lightweight pillowcase. Space restrictions mean there is not usually much privacy.

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