Where is Diavolezza Lagalb, Switzerland?

Diavolezza and Lagalb are located in south-east Switzerland near the Bernina Pass on the frontier with Italy.

The Diavolezza Lagalb ski resort is midway between St Moritz Switzerland & Tirano in Italy.

The town of St Moritz is 86km south of canton Graubünden (Grisons) capital Chur and 203km from Zurich by road. Milan Italy is 125km to the southwest as the crow flies. Diavolezza is 17km (25min) by road east of St Moritz. Lagalb is on the opposite side of the road, a further kilometre east.

Flights into the Diavolezza Ski Resort

Gateway international airports are Zurich(ZRH) & Milan Malpensa (MXP). Both are linked to St Moritz & Diavolezza by train, but private transfers & car rentals are readily available.

For the well-heeled, St Moritz has an airport for private & charter flights a few kilometres north of town.

To search for a great deal on a flight to Milan Malpensa, Zurich or other European airport, use our preferred flight search engine.

Airport & Hotel Transfers

The train is the recommended mode of travel to Diavolezza & in Switzerland it one can upgrade to first class for a little more comfort. However if the train is an untenable transport solution for you, then a direct private transfer from the airport to your hotel in St Moritz or near Diavolezza is a great option. A private transfer is also time & cost effective for groups of 3 or more travelling to Diavolezza Lagalb or St Moritz. Search & book here for private transfers to St Moritz.

Train to Diavolezza Lagalb

Unless you are on a European road trip, a visit to St Moritz & Diavolezza-Lagalb is best done by train. From airports near Milan in Italy or Zurich (ZRH) in Switzerland, the train journey is fascinating. From either direction, it culminates in one of the world’s best alpine train rides up to the Bernina Pass.

From Zurich airport, the train journey to Diavolezza tends to be in four parts and takes around 4½hr, but with most visitors staying in the town of St Moritz, the last section of the journey is usually separate. After a short trip from the airport to Zurich station, a change to Chur sees the transition from city to country to mountain valley. From Chur, one joins the Rhaetian (Rhaetische Bahn or RhB) railway (see map of network here). A series of superbly engineered viaducts & tunnels sees the train climb deep into the mountains to St Moritz.

A final change to Diavolezza Lagalb is onto the Bernina Express, the world’s highest transalpine train link. A fitting end to an amazing rail trip, the ‘Express’ trundles its way up via a series of stops including Morteratsch, where one overlooks the glacier of the same name & the exit to the longest ski run in the area. Morteratsch has numerous accommodation options, but as with most stations along the line, stopping there is on request only, similarly for the stops at Diavolezza & Lagalb. Journey time from St Moritz is less then 40min.

From Milan Malpensa airport, the train journey is in three stages, but is equally fascinating over its 5½hr travel time. The Malpensa Express rolls into the beautiful Milano Centrale station at regular intervals. If one has time, a wander around Milano Centrale reveals all its outrageous pomp & grandeur.

From Milan the hourly train to Tirano takes 2½hr to make the trip from bustling city to mountainous apple orchard country. Arriving in Tirano, one crosses a small piazza to the Bernina Express station for the final leg to Diavolezza Lagalb (& St Moritz) over Bernina Pass.

The Bernina Express emerges from the Tirano station and clatters onto the main road thoroughfare in front of the imposing 16th century Basilica (Sanctuary of the Madonna of Tirano). A peek inside the basilica is worthwhile if nothing else to see the staggeringly complex 18th century, 3000 pipe organ & associated sculptures & artwork. For the next 1¾hr the train passes over engineering marvels including the Circular Viaduct Bursio as it climbs nearly 1900m vertical, up and over the 2,328m Bernina Pass to Lagalb & then Diavolezza station. The full train trip from Tirano to St Moritz is usually about 2½hr duration.

Local bus links run between Silvaplana (near Corvatsch ski resort) via St Moritz to Diavolezza Lagalb providing an easy alternative to the longer train journey. The bus stops at more locations & accommodation providers along the route than the train.

Search & book train tickets to Diavolezza Lagalb.

Driving to St Moritz

Driving to Diavolezza Lagalb is not the easiest thing to do in the world but it if nothing else it is interesting! Surrounded by mountains and high passes on three sides, the easiest road access to St Moritz & Diavolezza Lagalb is via the Inn River valley via Landeck or Innsbruck in Austria (drive time under 3hr). This route is not particularly useful for most travelers to St Moritz; hence three mountain passes tend to provide the main driving routes, all of which are questionable in bad weather. If in doubt take the train!

West of St Moritz, the Maloja Pass (1,815m) is the lowest and easiest of the driving routes, but it originates in northern Italy. Super convenient for travelers Milan Malpensa airport as their gateway, the route goes via Lake Como and Chiavenna in Italy, before crossing into Switzerland and up to the pass. Below the Maloja, an easy journey along the scenic upper Engadin valley leads to Corvatsch ski resort on the right before entering St Moritz proper, 6km further along. Diavolezza is 17km further east of St Moritz via Pontresina. In good road conditions, the journey time from Chiavenna to Diavolezza is a little over 1hr25min by car. Public buses also complete the route.

To the north, the main driving access route from within Switzerland is via Chur, Thusis and Albula then south to the ski resort towns of Savognin and Bivio, where the Julier Pass (2,284m) is climbed. All Powderhounds will note the abundant ski touring options here. You cannot miss the 30m tall Julier Theatre Tower at the top of the pass. Its vivid red juxtaposed against a blanket of deep snow will no doubt stir up some intense discussion! Over the Julier Pass, the road descents into the Engadin at Silvaplana, where a left turn sees one in St Moritz in minutes. Head east 17km to Pontresina & Diavolezza in another 25min. In good road conditions, the journey time from Thusis to Diavolezza Lagalb is 2hr by car. Public buses also complete the route.

To the south is the classic Bernina Pass (2,328m), the highest and most interesting of the driving routes. From Tirano in Italy, the road vaguely follows the route of the fabulous Bernina Express railway, over the pass, then to Diavolezza and Lagalb before heading down to Pontresina and St Moritz. In good road conditions, the journey time from Tirano to Diavolezza is 1hr by car. The Bernina Express train also completes the route in safety and comfort.

Note that winter tyres and chains should be carried by all vehicles using the above routes. All wheel drive vehicles are preferable, check road and weather conditions prior to attempting any mountain pass crossings.

St Moritz Car Rental & Hire

For those travelers wishing to drive to Diavolezza Lagalb or want to pick up a car once you have already arrived in the St Moritz area, car hire & rentals are readily available, with some caveats however! If renting cars in Switzerland, some companies have exorbitant security deposits on each car. In St Moritz itself, hiring a car could require an 8000CHF deposit! Check the fine print before booking online. Our preferred car rental search engine shows all the options and details.

The airports at Milan Malpensa or Zurich provide the most convenient location for picking up & dropping off a rental car We do not recommend picking up a car in the city of Milan, as the traffic and navigation challenges are not worth the effort.

Getting Around St Moritz

Comprehensive local bus services connect all of the St Moritz base areas & nearby villages (see route map here).

Regular buses and the Bernina Express train link St Moritz to Diavolezza & Lagalb. Local bus links run between Silvaplana (near Corvatsch ski resort) via St Moritz to Diavolezza Lagalb providing an easy alternative to the longer train journey. The bus stops at more locations & accommodation providers along the route than the train.

If driving yourself from nearby villages the car parks at Diavolezza & Lagalb are close to the cable cars and free.

Nearby Resorts

As if skiing all the brilliant St Moritz ski areas wasn’t enough, the Rhaetian train network puts so many other superb ski resorts in play. Davos Klosters and little known Scuol are directly accessible by train from St Moritz.

Regular trains toChur from St Moritz allow a swift move to set up for easy day trips to the superb Arosa, Lenzerheide, Laax, Brigels and some other fun small ski resorts.

The polar opposite of St Moritz in terms of size and facilities is the isolated Bivio. Together with Savognin they are accessible by bus to Chur.

The ultimate Swiss ski trip is to take the Glacier Express train all the way from St Moritz to Zermatt via wonderful Andermatt Sedrun and Brig for another week or two of skiing.