I have 2 nights and 2 days to go from lake como to the black forest. it's the only 2 nights on my 13 night trip which are unplanned. originally i thought i'd go to meersburg in germany, but after having spent 4 nights on lake como and then later spending 2 nights on the mosel & 2 nights on the rhine, i'm thinking i can forego another body of water. which mountainous area is easily accessible by car? i've already been to vitznau and lake lucerne, and i've been to the berner oberland. suggestions?

Hi lenox862,

If I were you, I would head to Tirano and then over the Bernina Pass (on the Bernina Express train, not a car!) and settle in Pontresina or Sils in the Upper Engadin or maybe in Guarda in the Lower Engadin for a few days.

Lots to do in either area: wonderful cycling trails along the valley floor or around the lakes, cable cars up to the peaks and glaciers, hiking trails or strolls, visiting nearby villages . . .

More information at

www.engadin.stmoritz.ch (for the Upper Engadin)

www.scuol.ch (for the Lower Engadin)

((Any way I can get you onto the trains . . .????))

s

my last trip i took a train from frankfurt airport all the way to lauterbrunnen and stayed 4 nights before returning to germany where i picked up a car for the rest of my trip. that was a solo trip & the train was fine.

this trip i'm traveling with my wife and another couple and we initially looked at training for the first part until we got back to germany. the connections were awful so we're driving.

i skied in st. moritz in 1976. beautiful area, but i was hoping to go a little further north to break up what would be a 6 hour drive from italy to germany. we'll probably take one day and go to lugano or locarno from lake como. perhaps we'll do that by train.

if we drove to grindelwald or lucerne, it would make for 2 3-4 hour driving days, but i'm not sure that grindelwald would be the best choice, and we've already been to lucerne.

Hi,

Regarding mountain scenery for your drive from Lake Como to the Black Forest...

Just a thought... From Lake Como head to Malles/Mals in Val Venosta via the Stelvio Pass. You will be very close to the Austrian border and can easily head into Austria and then Germany from here. Maybe spend the next night by the Bodensee or Allgau region.

We can highly recommend a stay in Mals/Malles at the Hotel Panorama. Beautiful place, great scenery, excellent buffet breakfast and fantastic dinners "half board".

www.hotel-panorama-mals.it

Worthwhile places to see that require little time are the very old walled town of Glurns/Glorenza (basically "next door") and the Castle Churburg.

www.dolomiti.it/eng/zone/valvenosta/glorenza.htm

www.churburg.com/willkommen_engl/index.html

Hope this helps.

Paul

If you're interested in a wellness hotel located at the foot of the mountains, I've got a perfect one for you:

Hotel Bitschnau in Schruns

Fantastic food at good prices and a wonderful wellness area.

Located in Austria near Bodensee.

http://www.alpenhotel-bitschnau.at/

PJ, thanks for the suggestion. We're actually driving in from that direction. Our previous night will be in Hohenschwangau, Germany, near Fussen. I'm trying to go further north than this to avoid a long drive into the Schwartzwald.

Schuler, thank you too, but I want to go back on the west side of the Bodensee