How to get to Livigno from Bergamo

In fact: how to get to Livigno from Bergamo Airport not paying 60 euro per person.

For those who are willing to spend 60 euro and well tolerate long long trips by bus there is a good solution – Livigno Express which straight from Orio al Serio takes skiers to Livigno slopes. The journey takes 4 hours and costs 55 – 60 euro per adult plus 44 – 48 euro for a kid below 12 years. All that one way and depending on the time and day of the journey (on Saturday prices are more friendly: 40-45 and 32-36 euro; information from 2015). To use this bus our family of three would have to pay, at best 154 euro one way. Quite a lot so we decided to look for some cheaper option. It of course is not a direct connection but it seemed more like an advantage for us.

Here is what you have to do to get from Bergamo airport to Livigno:

1. At Orio al Serio take the city bus going to railway station for 2,30 euro per person. Children smaller thatn 1 meter travel for free (their strollers as well). To get to the bus stop turn right after leaving the airport. Tickets are to be paid only cash in the machine at the bus stop. The bus goes every 20 minutes and it takes 15 minutes to get to the train station. Theorethicaly the train station is the first stop but as it is a city bus it can be stopped on request somewehere before the train station.

2. At the train station get the ticket for the route Bergamo – Lecco – Tirano for 10,20 euro. Look for the train to Lecco, within 40 minutes it will take you to its last station. There you have to change the train. Look for the one going to Tirano. It leaves from different platform so you have to use underpass to get there. Of course you will have deal with lots of stairs. If you have a baby stroller or bigger luggage it’s quite inconvenient. There might be a ramp or even lift somewhere but since we had just a few minutes to change the train we looked around and not seeing any of those we just carried Ola down and up the stairs in her pushchair. On the train you can take some rest since it takes almost 2 hours to get to Tirano. Some will even take a nap. In regional trains in Italy children under 15 travel for free. One more thing about the ticket: the one that you bought at the train station doesn’t show any date or hour so it needs to be validated in a machine before getting on the train. If you fail to do that conductor on the train can make you pay fine. You might also come accross such a nice one as we did who will simply validate your ticket with his pen.

3. In Tirano change the train for a bus. An underpass will take you on the other side of railway tracks to the bus station where you get a ticket on a bus to Bormio for 4,50 euro. On a bus you can “enjoy” another hour of your journey. This distance could probably be covered within much shorter time but the bus stops in many little villages so be prepared to spend an hour there. 

4. From the lovely town of Bormio take another bus. This will be the last stage of your journey and will take a little over one hour (1:10). The destination – Livigno – is at your fingertips. Just another 4,50 euro and you are there.

Comparing the time on the train or on the bus it will be similar to the time you have to spend on a direct bus. But if you take into consideration total travel time, with changing the trains and buses you will need some more time than going directly. The advantage of this journey with changes is its price: 20 – 40 euro per person less than the direct option. If you get bored by the travel you can stop for some longer in one of those picturesque mountain towns like Bormio or Tirano, grab something to eat and stretch your legs. But if you hurry up at changes and catch the soonest train or bus whole time of the journey will not be that long.