Landseaair

Hello,
I've been reading your Europe forums the past few months and am now ready to ask for your opinions on our itinerary to Switzerland and Italy this fall.
Our Daughter will be studying abroad in Lausanne. We are planning the trip to see her for a day or two at the beginning and end of our three weeks. We have RT flights SFO-GVA set.
We plan to use trains only- no car rentals.
Here is our tentative itinerary:
Arrive Lausanne, 3 nights
take Golden Pass Montreux-Interlakken, stay Lauterbrunnen 3 nights
train to Spiez, 1 night
train Spiez-Milan, fast train Milan-Venice, stay 3 nights
fast train to Florence, stay 4 nights
train to Cinque Terre area, 2 nights
train to Como or Maggiore, 2 nights
train to Lausanne, 2 nights
stay in Geneva last night, to catch flight to SFO
So a total of 21 nights.
is this too ambitious? If I dropped anything it would probably be CT. Husband really wants to see Como area. We are late 50's, like to walk and see sights, art, museums, history, enjoy the outdoors but are just as happy exploring cities.
My other question is regarding train passes. Probably some Swiss Pass, but maybe just point to point in Italy?
Thank You for your thoughts!

PalenQ

My other question is regarding train passes. Probably some Swiss Pass, but maybe just point to point in Italy>

Yes indeedy - an 8-consecutive-day pass for Switzerland would be a great deal in that you are traveling a lot (which is fine!)

for Italy book well in advance to get discounted ducats - www.trenitalia.com - good luck with that fickle site - discounted tickets I believe are non-refundable non-changeable and as they are sold in limited numbers sell out often way way ahead of the train.

Offhand I'd say scrub the night in Spiez though it is a sweet town but packing up and packing down and relocating can take so long - rather perhaps do Lake Thun as a leisurely day trip from Lauterbrunnen - hit neat towns like Oberhofen, Thun and Spiez and its great castle - then return to Lauterbrunnen for the night - Lauterbrunnen is only about one hour from Spiez if that. Just a thot - relocating can be a hassle and in some resort areas hotels in season are aloof to rent for just one night.

Forlots of great info on Swiss and Italian trains check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com; www.swisstravelsystem.com.

check pass prices her in U.S. and in Switzerland - often for some reason the same pass has been cheaper here than there - not always so check each source - saves a foreign transaction fee if buy here to factor that in. But if prices are about the same just buy at any Swiss train station once there, such as at airport train stations.

Ingo

Why moving to Spiez for one night? Doesn't make sense, the distance between Lauterbrunnen and Spiez is short.

Landseaair

My thoughts on Spiez were because looking at trains leaving from Lauterbrunnen to Venice all in one day looked like a very long day. I thought we could check out, get over to Spiez and see something of that area, check into hotel there and be ready for the two train journeys the next day, first to Milan then on to Venice. Perhaps I need to look on the train sites more. thank you for the suggestion of Lake Thun- will check it out.

swandav2000

Hi Landseaair,

I agree with Ingo (as I usually do . . .) and Pal that making one overnight at Spiez doesn't make sense. You're thinking it might make the journey to Italy easier, but consider that you're adding in: lugging luggage from train station to hotel, checking in, unpacking, then in the morning, packing up again, checking out, and lugging luggage back to the train station. Those extra chores take up about half a day, robbing you of that outside time. Your journey from Lauterbrunnen will add only 49 minutes to your travel time to Italy, but forcing an unnecessary overnight will add about 4h of chores and hassle.

Have fun as you plan!

s

PalenQ

Yes as swandav points out you only gain 47 minutes (on the one I searched) or 49 minutes whatever by starting from Spiez over Lauterbrunnen and that time gained would be much more lost figuring in the time that relocating takes. But do do the boat tour on Lake Thun - stop off at cute Oberhofen for a lakeside lunch perhaps!

Landseaair

I am so grateful for your input. Thank you for pointing out that we would be saving less than an hour in travel time to Venice leaving from Spiez rather than Lauterbrunnen. We will stay in one place for four nights.
Thanks PalenQ I will look into the 8 day Swiss Pass.
Another question tho- with a Swiss Pass I gather I don't need to make reservations for every bit of train travel, but if I wanted to for the Golden Pass part, do I need to have our passes in hand before doing that? I've seen on the train sites where they ask if you have a pass. If I say yes, will it ask me to input a number or code or do we just need to have the Passes with us when we get there to use the reservation?
Many thanks again PalenQ, Ingo and swandav. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my novice questions.

PalenQ

My impression is that you need no pass number but just say you have a pass- this is what folks said before but I have no experience doing it - you do not need reservations to ride that train but are optional and can easily also be made in Interlaken at the train stations.

VIP seats must be reserved to get as those limited in number seats next to the driver's compartment are just a few on each train - again on the site (but VIP requires a first-class upgrade).

PalenQ

http://www.goldenpass.ch/en

For others the official site of the Golden Pass scenic train running between Montreux, Zweisimmen and Interlaken-Ost and Lucerne - currently two changes of train are required due to track width differences but in the near future there should be thru running of trains from Lucerne to Montreux via Interlaken when the trains are adapted to run on track widths the whole way - must have some mechanism to crank wheels today and apart.

neckervd

Skip Lake Como in favour of the more beautiful Lake Maggiore (direct trains from Stresa/Lake Maggiore to both, Lausanne and Venice).
Tons of good panoramic hiking trails above Lake Maggiore and lake Geneva.
Highest mountains and glaciers of Switzerland around Zermatt.
Longest glacier of Europe (Aletsch Glacier)1/2 hr by bus or train and gondola from Brig.
Most famous revolving glacier restaurant of Switzerland at Saas Fee/Mittelalallin, a bit more than 1 hr from Brig.
http://www.threesixty-saasfee.com/

PalenQ

Most famous revolving glacier restaurant of Switzerland at Saas Fee/Mittelalallin, a bit more than 1 hr from Brig.>

to foreingers it is Piz Gloria on the Schilthorn, largely because of the james Bond movie shot there - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - why is the one at Saas-Fee so raved about - curious just don't know not contradicting you, of course.

neckervd

Schilthorn has nothing to do with glaciers, that's the difference!
But frankly, Swiss people are not unhappy that all foreigners go to Schilthorn, Titlis and Jungfraujoch; so, they have the really beautiful places for themselves.

Landseaair

So many places to see, in so little time!
Thank you, neckervd, largely to reading these forums we plan to go to Lake Maggiore rather than Lake Como. Really wish we could do both, but that's not for this trip.
Still not sure we will go to CT, it's tempting to add a day to Florence and a day to Maggiore area.
Thanks for posting the golden pass website PalenQ. Good information!

PalenQ

But frankly, Swiss people are not unhappy that all foreigners go to Schilthorn, Titlis and Jungfraujoch; so, they have the really beautiful places for themselves.>

Places more beautiful than the above - if they were they would be tourist meccas - I've always seen a lot of Swiss flags on packs when hiking around the Jungfrau Region - so what are some places more gorgeous than those?

neckervd

"what are some places more gorgeous than those?"

should that be a joke?

Not everybody enjoys the same places and that's good so.