Planning on visiting friends in Veronna, then would like to take a train from Italy to Switzerland....any idea's for an itinerary? We love scenery, want to see the most beautiful area' s of switzerland....although I am sure they are all beautiful. Thanks.

When? The Dolomites are much closer and very scenic.

Thinking of going in June.....Are the dolomites more scenic than switzerland?

Hi marilee12,

Where will you go after Switzerland? Will you fly out of Zürich, or go to another country?

In any case, you have really no limit to the options available, and different people have different ideas about its most beautiful areas. I assume you want to see the mountains?

So, one option would be to go to the Engadin Valley with its mountains, glaciers, valleys, lakes, and scenic towns; you would get there by the very scenic Bernina Express from Tirano, past Poschiavo, over the Bernina Pass, ending at either Pontresina or St. Moritz or another charming town. Then you could go on to Luzern and from there either to the airport or elsewhere in Europe.

Another option would be to go to Zermatt, just about three-four hours from Milan. In Zermatt you could see the Matterhorn and take Alpine walks from the town. From Zermatt you could continue to the Jungfrau area and see more high Alps and see a few Alpine villages. Then onward to Luzern and the airport.

Another option would be to to go Montreux on Lake Geneva, also about three-four hours from Milan. From Montreux you could continue to the Jungfrau area on the Golden Pass route (past Gstaad and Zweisimmen), and then finally on to Luzern and/or the airport.

You can research all of these train rides at

www.rail.ch

You can find information about each of these destinations at

www.myswitzerland.com

Have fun!

s

THank you so much for your great ideas....I will research a little more. We haven't decided where we will fly out of....We will be flying into paris intially as we are going to Lille to visit friends, then to Italy to visit more friends.....then to switzerland.

I have been visiting Switzerand since the early 70's. I personally love the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Berner Oberland for dramatic scenery. Zermatt is nice and the Matterhorn is pretty special. St. Moritz is not my cup of tea. With a regional pass you can take some pretty incredible trips in a relatively small area. The Dolomites are very beautiful too just different. Consider flying into Milan and out of Zurich if you can afford it. Verona is also very nice. I don't know of course how much time you are talking about.

Glaciermeadows....I looked up picturs of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and it is stunning. We will have about 5 days in switzerland and 5 days in the verona area. I thought of staying in Wengen in Switzerland, as we have a time share that we can trade for. Will there be enough day trips from there?

I have spent a week in Wengen twice (although I have visited about 10 times) and the furthest I wanted to venture is into Interlaken. June weather can be iffy, and there can still be snow. To get to Wengen you have to take a special train from Lauterbrunnen in the valley to Wengen, which is about 4000 feet above the valley. If the snow has cleared in places in the meadows the widldflowers could be great. Just remember the weather in the mountains can be unpredictable and the peaks can be covered with clouds. If the snow level is not too low there is great hiking on both sides of the valley. Two trains to Jungfraujoch from Wengen and cable cars to the Schilthorn across the Valley from Murren are incredible. In the valley you can walk to Trummelbach Falls where you view a waterfall plunging thru a gorge for a small price. If it rains you can take a bus there.to take a special train from Lauterbrunnen in the valley to Wengen, which is about 4000 feet above the valley. If the snow has cleared in places in the meadows the widldflowers could be great. Just remember the weather in the mountains can be unpredictable and the peaks can be covered with clouds. If the snow level is not too low there is great hiking on both sides of the valley and trains to Jungfraujoch from Wengen and the Schilthorn acroos the Valley from Murren. In the valley you can walk to Trummelbach Falls where you view a waterfall plunging thru a gorge for a small price. If it rains you can take a bus. wanted to venture is into Interlaken. June weather can be iffy, and there can still be snow. To get to Wengen you have to take a special train from Lauterbrunnen in the valley to Wengen, which is about 4000 feet above the valley. If the snow has cleared in places in the meadows the widldflowers could be great. Just remember the weather in the mountains can be unpredictable and the peaks can be covered with clouds. If the snow level is not too low there is great hiking on both sides of the valley and trains to Jungfraujoch from Wengen and the Schilthorn acroos the Valley from Murren. In the valley you can walk to Trummelbach Falls where you view a waterfall plunging thru a gorge for a small price. Lookup Jungfraubahnen Ch. on the net and it will show you options in the area and gives you a drawing givving you an idea about the area. If the weather is bad on a given day you can go into Interlaken and walk around or take a lake steamer. Just remember because you are dependent on a mountain train to get you from Wengen down into the Valley time is required to get anywhere beyond this area. An exhange in Wengen, however is as good as it gets. Look into Swiss rail passes and regional passes for the Berner Oberland or the Jungfrau area as they are convenient and can save you a lot of money. Trip to Junfraujoch is expensive, but unless things have changed there is a 50% reduction for the first train in the morning.

If going from the Swiss border with Italy to the Jungfrau Region (the highpoint of any Swiss visit for first-timers IME -totally awesome) and back to Italy then by all means consider the Swiss Railpass - probably a 3-day Flexipass. And for loads of great info on Swiss trains i always first point out www.swisstravelsystem.ch - which links you to various specialty scenic trains, lake boats, the Swiss Federal Railways, etc. and www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com-the later lets you download their free (and excellent IMO) European Planning & Rail Guide that has a nice chapter on Swiss trains and itinerary possibilities. IMO you cannot go wrong anyplace in Switzerland but some regions, for first-timers are more awesome than others.

Or you could train Verona to Milan and then take a train to Tirano, Italy, from where what IMO the most gorgeous scenic rail line in all of Switzerland starts- the Bernina Pass Railway - it's about 2 hours or so up and over the Bernina Pass and down to St Moritz, a good base for a wonderful part of Switzerland.