Dear All

We made this following itinerary for May '25 with some suggestions from others and reading many posts. Please suggest if I need to change anything with this plan:
- Arrival at Geneva ( flight tkts purchased), stay in Geneva for 1N.
- Geneva to Montreux - stay 2N
- Montreux to Luzerne ( Lucerne ) - stay 3N
Luzerne to Lugano - stay 1N
Lugano to Menaggio - stay 1N
Menaggio to Milan - stay 2N

Will really appreciate if you can help us with any suggestion as this is our first trip to Switzerland with some part of Italy.

Thanks you.

My proposal:
May 25th
arrive at GVA and jump into the next train fro Montreux (3 trains every hr, 80 min journey).
May 26th
if the weather is fine: day trip to Chamonix. Montreux dp 8.36 - Chamonix ar 10.45, dp 17.28 - Montreux ar 19.48
May 27th
Circular trip Montreux - Montbovon - Gruyeres (cheese diary/castle) -Broc chocolate factory - Romont - Palezieux - Lavaux - Vevey - Montreux (all by train)
May 28th
Lake Geneva cruise, may be with visit of some museums and some castles
May 29th
Montreux dp 7.33 - Interlaken Ost ar 10.48 - Lucerne ar 12.55. Visit Lucerne
May 30th
Day trip to Pilatus or Titlis or Bern or Basel or Zurich or Einsiedeln according to weather and your interests
May 31
Lucerne dp 9.12 by historic Lake Lucerne paddle wheel steamboat (board restaurant) along the Lake up to Fluelen ar 11.55
Fluelen dp 12.15 by scenic Treno Gottardo to Bellinzona ar 14.00. Put your luggage into the lockers and visit the 3 medieval castles (Unesco site) and the medieval city center.
Proceed then by train to Lugano (4 trains every hr, 15 min journey).
June 1st
Circular trip Lugano - bus - Menaggio - boat - Bellagio - boat - Como - train - Lugano
June 2nd
Day trip to Milan (80 min by train OW, trains every hr)
June 3rd
Visit one of the endless top sites in or around Lugano and proceed then by train to MXP airport (trains every hr, 1 1/2 hrs journey).

I would minimize the time spent in Milan and suggest you take full advantage of the smaller towns and mountain experiences. Milan has many interesting things to do but with limited time and this as your first trip try and stay out of the city and really enjoy everything these countries have to offer.

Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions. Regarding these day trips, how can I arrange those day trips or buy the tkts for buses or others?

A string of short stays doesn't appeal to me.

I agree with neckervd's suggestion to continue to Montreux after landing in Geneva and also, as much as I like Milan, wildiowa's thought to reduce the time there. Rather than one night each in Lugano and Menaggio, I'd pick one or the other. Considering the logistics only and not what you might want to do/see, I'd pick Lugano and leave Lake Como for another trip. Lugano to Milan is a simple train ride, and you could arrive just as things are opening, giving you a full day for sightseeing. Menaggio to Milan, unless you take a taxi, requires a combo of ferry+train or bus+train and will take up to 2.5 hours depending on the length of the time to make the connection.

FYI, if you want to see the Last Supper in Milan, you should review the ticketing process. AFAIK, tickets for May will be released in mid-March and they disappear quickly.

Some regions or cities offer a limited travel "pass" for local transit if you are staying two or three nights. These are typically local and somewhat restricted. Check with your hotel. It is probably time to begin familiarizing yourself with the Swiss train system and it's multiple, sometimes confusing, discount options to arrange your day trips. Travel passes, half fare cards, advance purchase....start looking at options that may best for your needs. Download the SBB Swiss train app now and start messing with it. You will use it when you are there, and it is really pretty cool and useful. Planning your route and how to do it is part of the fun of travel and you will have a lot of laffs doing some what-ifs and gotta-do's the next few weeks and months.

You can actually book Saver day passes for CHF 52/pax/day
https://www.sbb.ch/en/buying/pages/k...ntingent.xhtml
They are valid on all traiins, boat and, buses within Switzerland
But for most of the journeys mentioned in my post 2, supersaver tickets would be cheaper
https://www.sbb.ch/de?date=%222025-0...=%2218%3A08%22
These tickets are only valid in the trains etc. for which they are bought, however. It will not possible to take a earlier or a later train.
Both will get more and more expensive in the next months
You may also check the Swiss Travel Card
https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers...ravelcard.html
Seat reservation is not necessary in Swiss trains.

Thanks for your valuable information. My daughter really wants to visit Lake Como. Although you suggested to skip Lake Como during this trip and instead of stay 2N in Lugano, can we stay at Como or from Lugano go directly to Milan and do a day trip from Milan to Lake Como. In that case we need to skip Menaggio.

Some interesting suggestions here -- but there's actually quite a lot to see in some of the locations mentioned and I must admit that I don't think you'd have time if you are constantly on the move. As just one example, I could not have seen Gruyeres and Broc and Lavaux and Vevey in the same day, or rather, if I had, I would not have enjoyed doing so. Would you want to visit the castle in Grueres? Walk the wineries of Lavaux or stop for a tasting? I suggest that you explore your options to see what appeals and then make a plan that reflects your interests and your pace.

You'll see some wonderful things no matter what you choose!

Ditto kja's comments above.

If your daughter wants to visit Lake Como, then you should really visit and not just spend a partial day there. You could day-trip easily from Milan to Varenna (more interesting/scenic than the town of Como IMO), but again that would just be a partial day. Sightseeing on Lake Como can't be done quickly because of the ferry timetables, and you can only move around as fast as the timetables allow.

I personally don't find Lugano as interesting as the mid-lake area of Lake Como, but the travel logistics from Luzern are much easier.

Thank you again. As my daughter wants to visit Lake Como, instead of Luzern- Lugano-Milan, I was wondering whether I should take this route from Luzern to Varenna ( stay there for 2N ) and from there to Milan.
Now, we need to choose between East side of Lake Como or West side via Varenna. Heard that train journey via St. Moritz/Torino is beautiful and also Varenna area of the lake is pretty, please suggest.

Lugano is very close to Lake Como.
The bus ride to Menaggio takes just 1 hr. Buses about every hr.
Trains from Lugano to Como San Giovanni run at least 4 times every hr, from 5am until 10pm (40 min journey)
Trains from Lugano to the Como city bus stop Chiasso (30 min ride) are even more frequent. They run from 5am until 1am.
Lugano has diect trains to Lucerne (1 hr 40 min ride), Milan (75 min), Locarno/Lake Maggiore (30 min), Malpensa airport T1 (1 hr 35 min).
Most of them run at least every hr, some are more frequent.
There are furthermore 3 ferry lines, 2 rope railways, 1 cog wheel ailway and 3 gondolas to viewpoints and Unesco sites.
The most conveniant direct train Lucerne - Lugano (without Lake Lucerne cruise and scenic Treno Gottardo) might be Lucerne dp Lucerne dp 8.18 - Lugano ar 9.58

Therefore it's much easier to stay all the day at Lugano and to visit Menaggio and Milan in day trips instead of check out every morninig, travel with your whole luggage and check in another hotel 1 hr later, at a time where rooms are not yet ready anyway.

But if you absolutely want to go from Lucerne via BERNINA EXPRESS to Varenna, you may do so:
Lucerne dp 9.35 - Thalwil ar 10.14, train change, dp 10.21 - Chur ar 11.48. Have lunch at Chur.
Chur dp 13.28 - Bernina Epresss - Tirano ar 17.59, train change, dp 18.08 Varenna ar 19.34

Direct itinerary:
Lucerne dp 9.39 - Arth-Goldau ar 10.11, change train, dp 10.18 - Milano Centrale ar 12.50, change train, dp 13.20 - Varenna ar 14.24
or
Lucerne dp 9.39 - Arth-Goldau ar 10.11, change train, dp 10.18 - Lugano ar 11.28, change to bus, dp 11.50 - Menaggio ar 12.54, change to ferry, dp 13.10 - Varenna ar 13.40

There is no doubt that there is much more to see and to do in and around Lugano than in the Varenna - Bellagio - Menaggio area.

There are countless beautiful places in Switzerland, so IMO, hearing of one and readjusting all your plans to include it doesn't make much sense. A good guide book or two would likely serve you very well.

Thank you neckervd. So, my final itinerary is:
Arrival at Geneva- directly go to Montreux for 3N.
Montreux to Luzern- stay 3N at Luzern
Luzern to Lugano - stay 3N in Lugano and make the day trips to Menaggio, Como.
Later, take the train to Milan.

Again, thank you all for your valuable suggestions.

Again, ditta kja's comments.

FWIW... It's your trip, but if it was mine I'd ride the Bernina Express to Varenna. The BE is one of the great scenic railway journeys and has UNESCO World Heritage status.

"Later, take the train to Milan"
Milan or Milan MXP airport? (2 completely different lines).

Thank you. After reading all your suggestions, I think I need more days to visit this beautiful country. Although I bought my tkts to Geneva, arrival on May 14th around 10:30 am , didn't buy my tkts for the return.
To make this trip as a memorable for us, I have decidedly to extend this tour plan as follows:
Montreux- 3N
Lucerne- 3N
Lugano- 3N
Milan -2N

Now, many Travellers recommended to take Bernina express to St. Moritz- Varenna ( Which is in the middle of Lake Como). But, again, difficult to decide whether Geneva - Montreux- Lucerne - Lugano-Milan or Geneva - Montreux- Lucerne- St. Moritz- Varenna- Milan ???
It's really a tough decision for us as the first trip.
Again, thank you all for your suggestions.

I think you have reached a saturation point with info and options! So much to sort through. I'm not an expert by any means, but my experience was the St. Moritz area is more influenced by its proximity to Germany/Austria, language food etc. and more hanging out in the mountains and valleys on trains and buses, and less urban, more laid back. The Montreux experience is more French/Italian and more urban, still proximate to big attractions like Matterhorn and more crowded probably better for kids. You can't go wrong with either option it will be beautiful.

Unless I am totally off base the same poster has been posting on both Trip Advisor and Fodors - and getting substantially similar advice. (!!). This makes it very confusing for those who are trying to help her.

On the other thread I said at one point that if this trip were planned for mid June I would strongly suggest travelling to the Engadin and then taking the Bernina Express to Tirano and on from there to Milan...but it is mid May. Which is very off season for the Engadin with many hotels, restaurants and cable cars/mountain railways closed.

I hope she makes up her mind and then tells all of us on both sites which she plans to do!!

Hambaghahle
You're right. Let me thank you and all other excellent people who are providing suggestions regarding my trip, I am still in a spot when as a first timer to Switzerland, it's difficult to decide the places to make stopover, days for that stops as not knowing the country, it's landscape, culture, touristic sites, That's why I posted again on this site. My apologies if it made anyone uncomfortable. Thank you all.