Coach Hire Across Switzerland

St. Moritz and the Engadin by Coach

Day-trip coaches do not drive into St. Moritz Dorf. They use one of two terminals, stop for ten minutes and then wait at the Signalbahn car park. Build the day around those three points.

Two terminals, ten minutes

One terminal serves St. Moritz Bad from the Via Rosatsch; the other is by the lake at the railway station. The coach must leave after ten minutes, and the engine stays off while people get on and off. Once empty, the coach goes to wait at the Signalbahn car park, in the part signed for coaches.

The core of the Dorf around the Via Maistra is a pedestrian zone. Tell the group where the terminal is before they walk off, and agree a firm pick-up time.

Setra high-capacity coach, exterior
Setra high-capacity coach, exterior

When a permit lets the coach in

The commune police can issue a permit to drive a coach into the centre. Typical cases are overnight hotel guests, hotel lunch or dinner groups that are registered, and sightseeing tours registered with the tourist office. Coaches carrying overnight guests on a Glacier or Bernina Express tour need none. Apply well ahead.

Airports for a group arriving in St. Moritz

Stadiums and arenas a coach can reach

  • Olympia Bob Run St. Moritz–Celerina — Natural-ice bobsleigh run, 1,722 m long, described as the oldest bob run in the world; the Cresta Run (since 1884) is also in St. Moritz
  • Lake St. Moritz (frozen lake) — Winter venue of the Snow Polo World Cup and the White Turf horse races

Coach day trips from St. Moritz

  • Punt Muragl (Muottas Muragl funicular) — about 4 km, about 10 min
  • Pontresina — about 7 km, about 15 min
  • Diavolezza valley station (Bernina road) — about 17 km, about 25 min
  • Maloja — about 17 km, about 25 min
  • Zernez (Swiss National Park) — about 34 km, about 45 min
  • Soglio (Val Bregaglia, over the Maloja pass) — about 39 km, about 50 min
  • Poschiavo (over the Bernina pass) — about 40 km, about 50 min
  • Filisur (Landwasser Viaduct), over the Albula pass, summer only — about 44 km, about 1 h
  • Tirano, Italy (over the Bernina pass) — about 57 km, about 1.25 h
  • Scuol — about 61 km, about 1.25 h
  • Davos (over the Flüela pass, closed in winter) — about 69 km, about 1.5 h
  • Chur (over the Julier pass) — about 86 km, about 1.75 h
  • Como, Italy (over the Maloja pass and Chiavenna) — about 145 km, about 3.25 h
  • Lugano (via Chiavenna and Lake Como, Italy) — about 181 km, about 3.25 h

Where a coach can stop in St. Moritz, and other rules

  • Zurich Airport (ZRH) is about 215 km by road from St. Moritz Dorf, about 3.5 h in light traffic, over the Julier pass (open all year). Milano Malpensa (MXP, Italy) is about 190 km (about 4 h) over the Maloja pass. Journeys take longer at peak times and in snow.
  • Railway station: St. Moritz station (RhB), on the lake below the Dorf, is the end of the Albula line from Chur, the terminus of the Glacier Express and a starting point of the Bernina Express.
  • Coach rules (commune tourist-bus concept): day-trip coaches may not enter St. Moritz Dorf. Coaches set down and pick up only at the two coach terminals, on the Via Rosatsch in St. Moritz Bad and by the lake at the railway station, must leave after 10 minutes and switch the engine off while passengers get on and off. Empty coaches then wait at the signposted coach area of the Signalbahn car park in St. Moritz Bad.
  • A permit from the commune police is needed to drive a coach into the centre, for example to bring overnight hotel guests, registered hotel lunch or dinner groups, or sightseeing tours registered by the tourist office. Coaches bringing or collecting overnight hotel guests on a Glacier Express or Bernina Express tour need no permit. The core of St. Moritz Dorf (Via Maistra area) is a pedestrian zone.
  • Passes (Touring Club Schweiz pass list): the Julier, Maloja, Bernina and Ofen passes are open all year; the Albula (11 t and 3.3 m limits) is usually closed from December to May and the Flüela from January to May.
  • Vereina car train (RhB, Klosters Selfranga–Sagliains): runs every 30 minutes all year and takes buses up to 3.77 m loading height and 18 t on covered wagons, larger vehicles on open wagons (up to 28 t). Depending on the wagon, coach passengers stay in the coach or are booked onto a scheduled passenger train between Klosters and Lavin; trains cannot be reserved, and capacity for tall vehicles is limited on winter weekends and holidays.
  • Bernina Express in autumn 2026: from 29 October to 13 November 2026 the Bernina Express runs via the Vereina tunnel (Landquart–Klosters–Sagliains–Pontresina) instead of the Albula line, because of engineering works. Groups of 10 or more book the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express through the RhB group service, not the online shop.
  • Events (organiser dates): Snow Polo World Cup on the frozen lake, 22 to 24 January 2027, the same weekend as the IBSF Bob and Skeleton World Cup on the Olympia Bob Run; White Turf horse races on the lake on Sundays 7, 14 and 21 February 2027; Engadin Skimarathon (42 km, Maloja to S-chanf) on 14 March 2027. Hotels and coach terminals are very busy on these dates.
  • Cross-border day trips: a coach based in Switzerland may take a group into a neighbouring country and back. The road rules, charges and any low-emission rules of that country apply on its roads, so the operator checks them before the trip.
  • Cabotage: under Article 20 of the EU-Switzerland Land Transport Agreement, a coach operator established in an EU state may not carry passengers between two places in Switzerland. A group journey that starts and ends in Switzerland therefore needs a vehicle from an operator established in Switzerland. Coaches may carry groups across the border in both directions; these occasional services need no authorisation, but the coach carries a journey form (Fahrtenblatt).
  • Road charges: coaches and other buses over 3.5 tonnes pay the flat-rate heavy vehicle fee (pauschale Schwerverkehrsabgabe, PSVA) for every day they are in Switzerland, on all public roads, and need no motorway vignette; foreign-registered coaches pay the PSVA online through the BAZG "Via" portal or app before entering Switzerland. Minibuses and cars up to 3.5 tonnes need the motorway vignette (the e-vignette linked to the number plate, or the sticker) to use motorways and expressways (Autobahnen / autoroutes / autostrade).
  • Speed and driving bans: on motorways and expressways coaches may drive at up to 100 km/h (articulated buses and scheduled buses with standing places excepted); heavy vehicles are otherwise limited to 80 km/h. The Swiss night driving ban (22:00 to 05:00) and the Sunday and public-holiday ban for heavy vehicles do not apply to vehicles carrying passengers.
  • Drivers' hours: coach drivers follow the Swiss ordinance ARV 1, aligned with the EU rules: at most 9 hours of driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving and at least 11 hours of daily rest, recorded by tachograph. Drivers of foreign-registered coaches must keep the same driving, break and rest rules in Switzerland. In domestic traffic, professional drivers of cars and of minibuses with up to 16 seats besides the driver follow ARV 2 instead.
  • Winter: Switzerland has no general winter-tyre obligation, but a vehicle must be fit for the road conditions and the driver must keep control of it at all times; the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) recommends winter tyres from October to Easter. Where the sign "Schneeketten obligatorisch" / "chaînes à neige obligatoires" / "Catene per la neve obbligatorie" (sign 2.48) is shown, at least two drive wheels on the same axle must be fitted with snow chains.

Meeting the panoramic trains

St. Moritz station is the end of the Glacier Express and a start of the Bernina Express, which reaches Tirano in about 2 hours 15 minutes. A classic day: the group takes the train south and the coach crosses the Bernina pass, about 1.25 hours, to collect it in Tirano.

From ten people upwards, seats on both trains are booked with the RhB's group desk rather than online. The Glacier Express stops each year from mid-October to early December.

Which passes stay open

The Julier, Maloja and Bernina are open all year, and the Julier is the winter road to Zurich Airport, about 3.5 hours. The Albula closes from December to May and carries 11 t and 3.3 m limits. The Flüela closes from January to May. In winter, the Vereina car train at Klosters carries coaches too, though space for tall vehicles is short at weekends.

What organisers ask us

Which winter dates fill the terminals?

The Snow Polo World Cup on 22 to 24 January 2027, the White Turf races on 7, 14 and 21 February 2027 and the Engadin Skimarathon on 14 March 2027. Hotels fill too, so book early.

Can a coach take us to Lake Como?

Yes. Como is about 3.25 hours over the Maloja and Chiavenna. A coach based in Switzerland may cross into Italy and return; Italian road rules apply on that side.

Is Milan Malpensa an option for arrivals?

It is about 4 hours by road over the Maloja pass, against about 3.5 hours from Zurich Airport. Both work. The choice usually follows the flights.

More group trips by coach

Vehicles, each with a driver