Help! Lake Como to Switzerland for 2-3 days
Jan 13th, 2004, 05:44 PM
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Help! Lake Como to Switzerland for 2-3 days
Hi All,
Will be spending about 5 days in Lake Como this July for my honeymoon. I would like to head up into Switzerland but am limited to about two or three days including travel. We will be heading back down to Cinque Terre before we leave so woud not like to head more than three hours north of Como. I would love to see the Alps, but I know that may not be possible. Am interested in doing fairly easy hikes, horseback riding, quaint hotels, beautiful scenery and general romantic honeymoon stuff. Any ideas?
Will be spending about 5 days in Lake Como this July for my honeymoon. I would like to head up into Switzerland but am limited to about two or three days including travel. We will be heading back down to Cinque Terre before we leave so woud not like to head more than three hours north of Como. I would love to see the Alps, but I know that may not be possible. Am interested in doing fairly easy hikes, horseback riding, quaint hotels, beautiful scenery and general romantic honeymoon stuff. Any ideas?
Jan 13th, 2004, 09:12 PM
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To cater for your tastes you should probably try and spend 2/3 nights either in Interlaken itself or part way up the mountains out of Interlaken, easily reached by various trains from Interlaken.
How to get there from Lake Como is the question. There are several ways, some of them extremely scenic, but most of them rather convoluted and slow for your time scale.
This will sound stupid, but is probably the quickest way. From the town of Como itself, at the foot of the lake, there are fast hourly trains to Milan Central. From Milan Central there are fast hourly or two hourly trains to Interlaken, with easy connecting changes at Brig and/or Spiez.
A much more adventurous, albeit slower way, is an Italian train from Varrenne (near Bellagio) to Tirano, to connect into the Berner Express (but not fast) to Chur or St.Moritz, from where the Glacier Express will take you to Brig and on to Interlaken. The latter two trains probably rank amongst the most scenic in Europein parts. The down side is you will need nearly two days to do it.
In one day you can catch local transport from Lake Como to Lugano, from where there is an hourly train to Goschenen. At Goschenen there is a short bus or train connection to Andermatt, to pick up the Glacier Express or similar to Brig, for connections to Spiez and Interlaken.
Again, very scenic and takes just a few hours.
I could go on as there is yet another way, which is Como or Lugano to Bellinzona. Bellinzona to Locarno. Locarno to Domodossala. Domodossala to Brig/Spiez for Interlaken.All by trains, with the Locarno - Domodossala stretch very very scenic.
This should you give you something to think about for now!
How to get there from Lake Como is the question. There are several ways, some of them extremely scenic, but most of them rather convoluted and slow for your time scale.
This will sound stupid, but is probably the quickest way. From the town of Como itself, at the foot of the lake, there are fast hourly trains to Milan Central. From Milan Central there are fast hourly or two hourly trains to Interlaken, with easy connecting changes at Brig and/or Spiez.
A much more adventurous, albeit slower way, is an Italian train from Varrenne (near Bellagio) to Tirano, to connect into the Berner Express (but not fast) to Chur or St.Moritz, from where the Glacier Express will take you to Brig and on to Interlaken. The latter two trains probably rank amongst the most scenic in Europein parts. The down side is you will need nearly two days to do it.
In one day you can catch local transport from Lake Como to Lugano, from where there is an hourly train to Goschenen. At Goschenen there is a short bus or train connection to Andermatt, to pick up the Glacier Express or similar to Brig, for connections to Spiez and Interlaken.
Again, very scenic and takes just a few hours.
I could go on as there is yet another way, which is Como or Lugano to Bellinzona. Bellinzona to Locarno. Locarno to Domodossala. Domodossala to Brig/Spiez for Interlaken.All by trains, with the Locarno - Domodossala stretch very very scenic.
This should you give you something to think about for now!
Jan 14th, 2004, 04:08 AM
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Hi summersoff,
Have you considered an open-jaw ticket? You could fly into Zurich, train down to Luzern or the Berner Oberland for a few days, then head down to Lake Como, on to CT, then fly out of Italy. It just seems like a zig-zag waste of time to go Como-Alps-CT. Either Luzern or the villages of the Berner Oberland (Wengen, Muerren, & Grindelwald) will give you quaint hotels, wanderful walks, and stunning scenery.
You can check train routes & schedules at www.rail.ch
Let me know if I can help further!
s
Have you considered an open-jaw ticket? You could fly into Zurich, train down to Luzern or the Berner Oberland for a few days, then head down to Lake Como, on to CT, then fly out of Italy. It just seems like a zig-zag waste of time to go Como-Alps-CT. Either Luzern or the villages of the Berner Oberland (Wengen, Muerren, & Grindelwald) will give you quaint hotels, wanderful walks, and stunning scenery.
You can check train routes & schedules at www.rail.ch
Let me know if I can help further!
s
Jan 14th, 2004, 05:32 AM
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Hop the train at Varenna a far as Tirano where you transfer to the Bernina express--the most spectacular train ride in CH. Spend the nite in St. Moritz and then take the same route back the next day. You will get your fill of the Alps.
Jan 14th, 2004, 02:39 PM
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Thank you all, this will give us some excellent options to consider. Right now I am leaning towards the scenic ride to St Moritz. Can anyone recommend a reasonable/cheap place to stay in St. Moritz?
Jan 15th, 2004, 02:10 AM
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You can as suggested above, take the Berninia Express from Italy to St Moritz. and it will give you some fantastic scenery. The only drawback IMO in taking the Berninia Express is getting from Como to Tirano where the Berninia Express starts in Italy. It takes about 4 hours by train or bus to get to Tirano from Como, and I understand that the scenery is not that exciting. You then have about 3 hours on the Berninia Express ride to St Moritz. For information on the Berninia Express, go to http://www.rhb.ch. Click on "English" in the upper right corner to get the English version. Click on "Experience Trains" and then look for the Berninia Express
As your time in Switzerland is limited, instead of using the Berninia Express to get to Switzerland I would suggest going by regular train to (i) the Graubunden/Engadine area, which is north of the Lake Como are over the Swiss border, or (2) Lucerne.
In Graubunden/Engadine, the main tourist places are St Moritz, Chur, Klosters, and Davos, there are very nice secondary cities like Pontresina. You can take a train from Como to Davos or Pontresina in 5 to 6 hours. (Some of this trip is by bus.) The ride would be very pretty, although not quite as spectacular as going over the mountain passes on the Berninia Express. Click on "Destinations" above and scroll down to Europe/Switzerland/Graubunden with St Moritz for basic information. You may be able to get off the Berninia Express in Pontresina, which would be a good way to do it, as you will already have been up over the pass and seen quite a bit of beautiful scenery.
In the Engadine, you can hike, explore little villages (by train or bus) and you should be able to do horseback riding. A company called Hidden Trails does 1 and 2 night guided riding tours in the Engadine/Davos. I don't know anything about them, but some friends took their 2 night tour last year and like it. Take a look at www.hiddentrails.com/europe/suisse/index.htm. You can horseback ride in St. Moritz. There is a place called Reithhalle, at via Ludains 3 (tel 41-81-883-5733). It is a short distance outside the city center of St Moritz on the north side of the river, near the lake
St Moritz is of course the most famous and is also going to be the most expensive city. I can't give you any advice on budget hotels, but you might click on "hotels" above, and scroll down to Europe/Switzerland/Graubunden with St Moritz to see a list of hotels which are rated by Fodorites who have stayed there. You can sort by location and price. I understand that some entries are old, so once you have found some particular hotels, you might post questions here regarding them for recent information.
Lucerne is a beautiful small city on a lake surrounded by Alps. (You have probably seen photos of a long wooden bridge on a lake with Alps in the background, that is Lucerne.) The advantage to Lucerne is that you can get there in 3.5 hours from Como without any train changes, and the ride would be pretty. There is hiking in the area. The town is charming as is the countryside.
A good guidebook for hiking in Switzerland is called "Walking in Switzerland" published by Lonelyplanet. It rates hikes by difficulty, gives the approximate time each walk would take, and gives directions for getting to a from a walk by public transportation. You can buy it on the lonelyplanet website at loneplanet.com.
For train schedules between Italy and Switzerland and within Switzerland, go to the website for the Swiss National Railway at rail.ch. (You can also use this for train travel purely within Italy, I find this site a bit easier to use than the Italian train website trenitalia.com)
The Fodor's guidebook on Switzerland is excellent and would be helpful in planning your trip.
If you do decide to take the Berninia Express, make your reservation as early as you can, as July is a very popular month.
As your time in Switzerland is limited, instead of using the Berninia Express to get to Switzerland I would suggest going by regular train to (i) the Graubunden/Engadine area, which is north of the Lake Como are over the Swiss border, or (2) Lucerne.
In Graubunden/Engadine, the main tourist places are St Moritz, Chur, Klosters, and Davos, there are very nice secondary cities like Pontresina. You can take a train from Como to Davos or Pontresina in 5 to 6 hours. (Some of this trip is by bus.) The ride would be very pretty, although not quite as spectacular as going over the mountain passes on the Berninia Express. Click on "Destinations" above and scroll down to Europe/Switzerland/Graubunden with St Moritz for basic information. You may be able to get off the Berninia Express in Pontresina, which would be a good way to do it, as you will already have been up over the pass and seen quite a bit of beautiful scenery.
In the Engadine, you can hike, explore little villages (by train or bus) and you should be able to do horseback riding. A company called Hidden Trails does 1 and 2 night guided riding tours in the Engadine/Davos. I don't know anything about them, but some friends took their 2 night tour last year and like it. Take a look at www.hiddentrails.com/europe/suisse/index.htm. You can horseback ride in St. Moritz. There is a place called Reithhalle, at via Ludains 3 (tel 41-81-883-5733). It is a short distance outside the city center of St Moritz on the north side of the river, near the lake
St Moritz is of course the most famous and is also going to be the most expensive city. I can't give you any advice on budget hotels, but you might click on "hotels" above, and scroll down to Europe/Switzerland/Graubunden with St Moritz to see a list of hotels which are rated by Fodorites who have stayed there. You can sort by location and price. I understand that some entries are old, so once you have found some particular hotels, you might post questions here regarding them for recent information.
Lucerne is a beautiful small city on a lake surrounded by Alps. (You have probably seen photos of a long wooden bridge on a lake with Alps in the background, that is Lucerne.) The advantage to Lucerne is that you can get there in 3.5 hours from Como without any train changes, and the ride would be pretty. There is hiking in the area. The town is charming as is the countryside.
A good guidebook for hiking in Switzerland is called "Walking in Switzerland" published by Lonelyplanet. It rates hikes by difficulty, gives the approximate time each walk would take, and gives directions for getting to a from a walk by public transportation. You can buy it on the lonelyplanet website at loneplanet.com.
For train schedules between Italy and Switzerland and within Switzerland, go to the website for the Swiss National Railway at rail.ch. (You can also use this for train travel purely within Italy, I find this site a bit easier to use than the Italian train website trenitalia.com)
The Fodor's guidebook on Switzerland is excellent and would be helpful in planning your trip.
If you do decide to take the Berninia Express, make your reservation as early as you can, as July is a very popular month.
Jan 15th, 2004, 03:34 AM
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In terms of "doing" Lake Como and then taking the Bernina Express. First of all, you have to decide WHERE in the Lake Como region you are going to stay. Other posters seem to ASSUME you are going to stay around the city of Como itself which, for your proposed itinerary, I would not recommend (from a transport standpoint). Rather, I suggest you consider staying "mid-lake" in either Varenna, Menaggio, or Belaggio. Why? because the rail line running through Varenna offers direct service to Tirano and that is your jumping-off point for the Bernina Express.
You said you would like to asee "The Alps" and, of course, all the Bernese Oberland afficionados popped up...fine, but there are a lot more, and much HIGHER, alps than in the Bernese Oberland, as spectacular as that area is. And yes, you can get there from the Lake Como area (basically by going back to Milan and taking the train to Brig and changing there for Interlaken (which would probably require another change in Thun) but forget about making it to Interlaken from Lake Como "in a couple of hours" as it will take a bit longer than that.
If you are really adventurous and really want to see some spectacular scenery and also make a kind of "loop" in and out of the Milan-Como area then take the Bernina to St. Moritz; overnight there and the next day take the Glacier Express over to Brig where you can change in the afternoon to either a Cisalpino or slgihtly slower train and be in Milan in a "couple of hours." The scenerey on this route, like that in the Bernese Oberland is absolutely spectacular and unforgettable.
Good luck.
You said you would like to asee "The Alps" and, of course, all the Bernese Oberland afficionados popped up...fine, but there are a lot more, and much HIGHER, alps than in the Bernese Oberland, as spectacular as that area is. And yes, you can get there from the Lake Como area (basically by going back to Milan and taking the train to Brig and changing there for Interlaken (which would probably require another change in Thun) but forget about making it to Interlaken from Lake Como "in a couple of hours" as it will take a bit longer than that.
If you are really adventurous and really want to see some spectacular scenery and also make a kind of "loop" in and out of the Milan-Como area then take the Bernina to St. Moritz; overnight there and the next day take the Glacier Express over to Brig where you can change in the afternoon to either a Cisalpino or slgihtly slower train and be in Milan in a "couple of hours." The scenerey on this route, like that in the Bernese Oberland is absolutely spectacular and unforgettable.
Good luck.
Jan 15th, 2004, 04:28 AM
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Hi again,
I think the Bernina Express idea is a great one too! I guess, though, it will be difficult to decide if you want to wait through the four or so hours getting from the Como area to Tirano . . .
In any case, if you decide to stay overnight in Saint Moritz, consider the three-star Hotel Waldhaus am See. Though I haven't stayed there, I have bicycled past it and a regular poster here recommends it regularly. It's situated below the train station (a very easy walk) away from the bustle of the expensive town and right at the edge of a small lake. The website is www.waldhaus-am-see.ch/was/home/. I couldn't find English-language pages, but it's fairly easy to surf around. I'm sure they have English-speaking staff who will respond to your e-mail.
If you decide to stay two nights in St Moritz, think about renting a bicycle at the train station and cycling around the lake or south towards Silvaplana on the dedicated bicycle trails. You couldn't ask for a nicer day! I posted some pictures of my cycling excursion at www.webshots.com -- just do a search for "Zuoz" or "Engadin" or my screen name to find them.
Let me know if I can help further.
s
I think the Bernina Express idea is a great one too! I guess, though, it will be difficult to decide if you want to wait through the four or so hours getting from the Como area to Tirano . . .
In any case, if you decide to stay overnight in Saint Moritz, consider the three-star Hotel Waldhaus am See. Though I haven't stayed there, I have bicycled past it and a regular poster here recommends it regularly. It's situated below the train station (a very easy walk) away from the bustle of the expensive town and right at the edge of a small lake. The website is www.waldhaus-am-see.ch/was/home/. I couldn't find English-language pages, but it's fairly easy to surf around. I'm sure they have English-speaking staff who will respond to your e-mail.
If you decide to stay two nights in St Moritz, think about renting a bicycle at the train station and cycling around the lake or south towards Silvaplana on the dedicated bicycle trails. You couldn't ask for a nicer day! I posted some pictures of my cycling excursion at www.webshots.com -- just do a search for "Zuoz" or "Engadin" or my screen name to find them.
Let me know if I can help further.
s
Jan 15th, 2004, 12:58 PM
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Excellent advice IMO so far. The Bernina Express is indeed your best choice to see the Swiss Alps.
I second the recommendation of Hotel Waldhaus am See in St. Moritz.
Here are some activities you might enjoy (your hotel will be helpful with reservations):
Horse-drawn carriages are running from Pontresina railway station to Hotel Roseggletscher - a beautiful side valley with glaciers and huge mountains. Round trip 26 Swiss Francs per person. Add an easy hike further to the Roseg lake with icebergs (less than 1 hour each way).
A must is the following (very easy) hike: funicular up to Muottas Muragl, hike to Alp Languard (2.5 hours, almost no elevation difference) and down to Pontresina by chair lift.
By the way, the hotel on top of Muottas Muragl has an excellent restaurant (a bit pricey) which offers gorgeous views of the sunset. What about a romantic dinner there? The funicular is in operation till 11 pm.
Or go by bus (or bike along the lakes) to Sils, bike or take the horse-drawn carriage into the Fex Valley, an unspoilt, serene side valley. Have a nice lunch at the end of the valley on the terrace of Hotel Fex, enjoying the stunning views of mountains and glaciers.
For the trip to Cinque Terre I suggest you take the Palm Express Bus (reservation required) from St. Moritz to Lugano (leaving 9.30 and arriving 12.30). Another stunning ride. From Lugano take the train to Cinque Terre, which you should reach by 6 or 7 pm.
Ingo
I second the recommendation of Hotel Waldhaus am See in St. Moritz.
Here are some activities you might enjoy (your hotel will be helpful with reservations):
Horse-drawn carriages are running from Pontresina railway station to Hotel Roseggletscher - a beautiful side valley with glaciers and huge mountains. Round trip 26 Swiss Francs per person. Add an easy hike further to the Roseg lake with icebergs (less than 1 hour each way).
A must is the following (very easy) hike: funicular up to Muottas Muragl, hike to Alp Languard (2.5 hours, almost no elevation difference) and down to Pontresina by chair lift.
By the way, the hotel on top of Muottas Muragl has an excellent restaurant (a bit pricey) which offers gorgeous views of the sunset. What about a romantic dinner there? The funicular is in operation till 11 pm.
Or go by bus (or bike along the lakes) to Sils, bike or take the horse-drawn carriage into the Fex Valley, an unspoilt, serene side valley. Have a nice lunch at the end of the valley on the terrace of Hotel Fex, enjoying the stunning views of mountains and glaciers.
For the trip to Cinque Terre I suggest you take the Palm Express Bus (reservation required) from St. Moritz to Lugano (leaving 9.30 and arriving 12.30). Another stunning ride. From Lugano take the train to Cinque Terre, which you should reach by 6 or 7 pm.
Ingo
Jan 15th, 2004, 02:51 PM
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Pontersina would be great to get to if it's not too far a trip. Places like that and Sils are what small town Switzerland is all about. I would not call Chur a tourist area, it's more an average metropolitan city. If in that area, you can take the ride, up, up, and up to Arosa instead. I like that better than Davos or Klosters. Better known for the down hill skiing, but a really great place to hike and horse back riding is available as well. I like the modern Panarosa hotel there. The Eden is relatively lively and a young set. Perhaps the Alpina if you want to keep the cost a little lower.
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