Bernese Oberland and Italian Lakes Itinerary Help
 

I’m planning a trip for next June to the Italian lakes region and the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. I found Fodor’s Northern Italy and Switzerland itinerary on line and I was hoping for additional input. I have 11 days to spend so I need to cut out a few days and I’m not sure which ones to limit. Here’s Fodors link: http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...-mountains-44/

They have a 2 week trip starting in Milan and going to:
1. Lake Maggiore (staying in Stresa)
2. Ticino (staying in Lugano)
3. Bellagio
4. Luzern
5. Bernese Oberland (they suggested Interlaken, but I would prefer Lauterbrunnen)
6. Fly home from Zurich

My priorities are Bellagio and Lauterbrunnen. Should I just visit Luzern on a day trip from Lauterbrunnen? Should I skip Lake Maggiore altogether? Are some of these places similar? Our interests range from hiking to dining to walking through small villages and enjoying the local culture. We’re not interested in resort like atmospheres or large scale tourist things. Your input would be appreciated.

Hi

if you go to Lugano don't miss Morcote, is on the lake shore... is a tiny old village.
Defietly don't miss Lucerne: is such a nice city! From there is also easy to do some hiking on the Pilatus mountain or Rigi mountain. Combine Lucerne with a boat trip on the lake too.
For the Jungfrau region depending on what you want you can choose where to sleep. Interlaken is better for train connections but if you prefer a quiet place you can choose one of the villages on the mountains. Anyway also Interlaken is quiet :-)

Lauterbrunnen makes the perfect base from which to explore the BO. It's a transport hub of sorts, yet still an idyllic Swiss village. We spent a week there on our last visit and found it incredibly convenient for seeing everything in the BO. On past visits we stayed in Murren, Wengen, Grindelwald and Interlaken. Of these, Interlaken was our least favorite with Grindelwald a close second.

Hi Judyjayp. We have previously enjoyed Wengen and much much more so than the few nights we stayed in Lauterbrunnen which is at the base of a valley. Wengen and Murren are far more "atmospheric" and villages with direct views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

In September we have chosen Murren as a base for four days for hiking and also riding the trains with a 7 day Berner Oberland Pass - you get 3 full days of free travel in the region except for the high priced mountain lifts and 4 half price days on the mountain lifts and trains in the Bernese Oberland region.

As for the Lakes several years ago we had a great stay at the Belvedere in Bellagio and this time we are off to La Luna nel Porto i9n Stresa based on strong recommendations from Fodorites.

For Melnq8. What was your favorite place ?

Good-Will -

My favorites always have been and always will be Murren and Wengen, but Lauterbrunnen worked really well as a base to visit the entire region over the course of a full week.

We happened upon a wonderful apartment that was normally $$$$, but as it was the week after Easter we got the year's lowest price and it turned out to be a perfect choice - we could see the Staubbach Falls from our kitchen window, there was a bus stop a short walk away, we could get anywhere in the BO from the Lauterbrunnen train station, we had easy access to the cable car to Murren from both Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg, and the apartment itself was lovely. It suited us very well and I'd not hesitate to do it again.

You didn't say what form of transportation you're using. Train?

You could combine your Lago Maggiore/Ticino vists by basing in Locarno, which is in Ticino and on Lago Maggiore. Quite a bit to see from there.

Also you don't need to overnight in Zurich. There are trains direct to the Zurich airport from Lucerne.

We loved Stresa as a place to relax for the beginning of our trip and a first easy drive from Milan airport. The town is relaxing, boat trips to the various islands in the lake re interesting and there are several charming villas with gardens to tour a little further up the lake.