Virmarie

I'll be traveling from Zurich to Milan during the first weeks of March and want some advice on weather and the best alternative to travel.

Cicerone

IMO the best way to do this is to take the train, and in particular the super-fast Cisalpino train. Its fast, fun, efficient and you will get some great scenery, into the bargain. Station to station is just over 4 hours, about the same as flying when you count in travel time to and from airports, check-in, security, etc; and in actual fact often faster when you count in inevitable flight delays in Europe. It is also much easier, IMO to leave from downtown Zurich and much much easier to come into downtown Milan than dealing with airport traffic, esp as Milan has no rail connection from either of its airports. Go to rail.ch or www.cisalpino.ch, for schedules, I believe the Cisalpsino site also gives fares. The Cisalpino runs several times a day from Zurich, or sometimes you pick it up at a connection in Arth-Goldau, a city south of Zurich.

You can also fly, there are few discount airlines flying into Zurich so this could be pricey. Flight time is about an hour. You can drive, but it is major highway the whole route which can be full of trucks, esp the Gothard Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy. Driving would take about 3 hours, but you will also have pretty stiff drop off charges for a rental car which you are dropping off in another counry. Also, gas is close to US$7 a gallon in Europe, plus highway vignette (i.e. toll) costs. I would take the train.

March is still winter in Switzerland, its cold. Zurich has some snow fall, but it tends to melt very quickly. If you drive, major roads tend to be very clear, so I would not have any worries on that point. Major highways follow valley floors for the most part, so snow fall and ice are not really issues. For temps go to weatherbase.com. Milan will be a bit more spring-like in March, much like NYC in March; i.e. changeable weather.