www.bahn.de - the German rail site is the best for schedules i have seen - you will no doubt find the quickest route to go back to Milan and then take a train to Spiez, Swiss where you change to a 20-min train to Interlaken West or to the end of the mainline at Interlaken East (this station has trains into the Jungfrau region).

There are loads of trains to Milan from Como S Giovanni (do not take the Nord de Milan local trains from the dockside station in Como as they do not go to Milan Centrale from where trains go about every hour to Spiez via the Simplon Tunnel and new Lotschberg Tunnel routes. Should take you about five hours all told i believe.

An alternate route you can check out would go from Como via Lugano to Zurich and then to Interlaken. www.bahn.de will tell the best route.

As for driving i'd say the route via Simplon Tunnel is the quickest as well (and Spiez)

Hi Susie, we have done this trip in the reverse as you are doing. I tried to find my post but I have been out of contact with Fodors for a few months and was so surprised to find that everything has changed in the format. This is a new posting and I can say without reservations that these guys will find you a way to make it work on this forum. I will say as you get closer and you decide that you need a driver I have one that is in Bellagio, he drove us to Milan a couple of years ago and was a delight. Have fun planning.

All the Milan-Brig (where you can also change) or Milan-spiez trains are Cisalpino ("chiss-alpino") trains - details at www.cisalpino.com

For example leave Milan Centrale daily at 11:20am - be in Interlaken at 14:28

Como to Milan is about 40 mins with loads of trains

Hi SR,

The Italian train system is at http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
The Swiss system is at http://www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm

Both have schedules and prices.

If you want to drive, see www.viamichelin.com annd www.mappy.com.

www.kemwel.com, www.gemut.com, www.autoeurope.com and www.novacarhire.com are all good brokers for car rental.

Enjoy your visit.

If driving you'll need to buy a Swiss Autobahn sticker at the border - if the car don't have it - you will most likely have to return the car to italy as well i think or pay a huge drop-off charge - not sure but clear that up.

Palenque and Ira, I knew you would be here to answer all questions. I could not have planned my trip a couple of years ago without the two of you. Many thanks.

I have had surgery and was out of the country, what happened to the format. Is this a good thing?

I guess this is the year of CHANGE....

I would bus to Lugano from Menaggio to catch the same train you would have boarded in Milan but an hour futher north. Look at trains at sbb.ch

Thanks for your prompt and helpful (as ever!) replies.

We'll be flying to Milan from the UK so getting the train from Milan to Interlaken sounds like a good option and, from what I have read so far, we can manage without a car to get around Interlaken.

I'll look into costs but if anyone knows off hand whether driving (from Como to Interlaken and back - car hire plus petrol) or the train (from Milan to Interlaken or back for two people) would be cheaper, please let me know.

The train would be cheaper i think if you do a Swiss Railpass esp if a 4-consecutive-day or 8-cons-day pass fits your plans - otherwise look at the 3-day Flexipass.

Pass would take you from the Swiss border (Lugano or from Domodossola) to Interlaken and also up to place like Grindelwald, Murren, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen and back to Italian border - that it can be very useful once in the Interlaken area makes it more viable - good on boats on lakes Thun and Brienz - and on gondolas to most mountain tops gives you 50% off - though some like the absolutely thrilling ones from Lauterbrunnen to Gimmelwald and Murren are covered 100%.

Swiss Pass prices are so low that just the long trip from italian border to say Wengen and back could make it pay off. www.sbb.ch for ordinary prices. Passes are sold in Switzerland but currently for some reason same passes bought in the U.S. are significantly cheaper (last time i looked and have been so for a few years - check prices in Swiss Francs at www.sbb.ch) so you want to buy before leaving for best price. Four grt sources of info on Swiss train travel: www.swisstravelsystem.com - links to the Swiss Federal Railways site, lake boats, specialty scenic rail routes, etc.; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and
http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html.

returntoyourseat, I would appreciate it if you could give me the information regarding the driver in Bellagio and the cost to Milan since we are debating whether to drive from Bellagio to MXP or stay in Milan the night prior to our flight. Thanks.