Please Help with Swiss/Italian Lakes Itinerary
May 20th, 2000, 07:16 PM
#1
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Please Help with Swiss/Italian Lakes Itinerary
I am planning a trip to Switzerland (second time)in September for 14 days, and would like to incorporate a visit to the Italian Lakes. I definately plan to go to Luzern and Murren, and would like to see Appenzell and Stein am Rhein (regions where I didn't go on my first trip). <BR> <BR>How can I logically incorporate the Italian Lakes, including Stresa, Bellagio, and possibly Lugano into this trip, given the fact I'm flying into and out of Zurich? <BR> <BR>I am also stumped when it comes to traveling to and from Italy. I was thinking point-to-point tickets, but don't know how this works crossing borders with my Swiss Pass, i.e., Lugano to Como. <BR> <BR>Any advice would be greatly appreciated! <BR> <BR>
May 20th, 2000, 08:31 PM
#2
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This is a topic that could take hours (or even days) to answer fully, but I will give you here a unique way to get to Lake Como from Switzerland, and one you'll never forget. I'll assume your starting from Murren having arrived there from the Northern areas you mentioned. <BR>1. Train down to Interlaken.
May 20th, 2000, 08:44 PM
#3
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I'll continue, I hit the wrong button on the last post. <BR>1.Train to Interlaken (45 minuites) <BR>2. Train to Spiez (20 minutes) <BR>3.Train to Brig (1 hour) <BR>4."Glacier Express" scenic train with <BR> observations cars and restaurant to <BR> either Chur or St.Moritz for an over <BR> night stop. Same train usually goes to <BR> both or connects. <BR>5 Next Day. "Bernina Express" scenic <BR> train from either Chur or St.Moritz to <BR> Tirano in Italy. <BR>6.Connecting Italian train from Tirano <BR> to Varenne (1.5 hours). Walk downhill <BR> (200 yards) and onto 10 minute ferry <BR> baot ride to Bellagio. <BR>Hey Presto, you are now on Lake Como,with relatively easy connections to Stresa either via Milan or via Lugano,Locarno and Domodossala. <BR>This may all sound very long winded and complicated, but believe me the connections are quite easy, and Glacier Express and in particular the Bernina Express are truly unforgettable. <BR>If you are coming from a different starting point you should focus on being overnight in Chur to catch the morning train. Chur is easy from the Zurich direction. <BR>If you want more detail you can e-mail me and I will send back a timetable.
May 20th, 2000, 10:42 PM
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Tony, could you advise what site to use in plotting this trip? www.bahn.de or fs-online or another? In other words, I am curious how to make sure that you are taking the Glacier and Berninia expresses? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
May 21st, 2000, 02:53 AM
#6
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Kriedel. <BR>Web site www.bahn.de will help you, but I don't think any web site actually gives the names of trains. For this you need the Thos.Cook European Timetable booklet. <BR>The Summer timetables start next Sunday May 28th.so not all trains will be listed for dates before then. <BR>On the bahn.de site click up From Brig to Chur, from 10.ooa.m.and various trains will appear. Next click Itinerary Plus and the full route of each train will display, along with train nos. <BR>Train Nos. 900 902 904 and 906 are all Glacier Expresses,leaving Brig between 0930 and 1200. <BR>Train No.501 is the Bernina Express, leaving Chur at approx. 0845. <BR>Hope this helps... <BR>
May 21st, 2000, 03:53 AM
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Karen From Italy the "Bernina Express" is train No.500, and starts from Tirano at approx.1445. <BR>Tirano is not easy to reach, but there is a train from Milan, which runs and stops along the Eastern shore of Lake Como. Across the lake from Bellagio is Varrenna. There are trains from Varenna to Tirano at 1116 and 1316, connecting into the Bernina Express, although the second one is a bit tight. Check these times as they may have altered by a few minutes. <BR>The Glacier expresses from Chur westwards are train nos. 901 903 905 907
