My husband & I are holding ff tickets for the first week of July from DFW to LHR. We may connect to Zurich or Milan - depending on your advice. He'd like to experience the Bernina Express train adventure, staying part of the time in a bucolic setting in those parts of Switzerland. I'd like to include part of the time on Lake Como, Bellagio, to be exact.

How do we combine the 2? Should we fly into Zurich, training our way north to south, experience the Bernina Express first, Lake Como, second, fly home from Milan? or Should we fly into Milan, work our way to Bellagio, then train south to north, fly back from Zurich? Spend a couple of nights where in Switzerland? (In all, we'll have 8 nights, the last of which will need to be at the airport for early departure - so, 7 nights "vacation&quot Should we rent a car for the Italian lakes portion? If so, rent the car where & return where?

Please help put the puzzle pieces together on this trip...many thanks!

You do not need a car for this one:
Land Zurich---to Luzern--3
Train to St. Moritz--overnite
Catch Bernina Express to Tirano---continue from there via train to Milan but get off at Varenna---3
Train Varenna via Milan to MXP---last nite near airport with shuttle bus to terminal
Hope that helps. I have done most of that before.

Thanks Bob! You've simplified tremendously - and how refreshing it would be to vacation without a rental car. I tried to see your pictures of this route on slowtrav and didn't have any luck figuring out which "group" they were under - any tips on locating them?

It is easy to combine the two.

While the full Bernina trip is Tirano to Chur, taking the Tirano to St Moritz/Pontresina leg is very beautiful and takes you over the actual Bernina Pass.

If you take the shorter trip, then you could do the Bernina train ride as a day trip from Bellagio/ Varenna.

One thing to understand is that while the 'Bernina Express' runs only once day (but round trip), you can get very much the same experience by taking any passenger train over the Bernina Pass.

A few more options become available, when look at the Swiss Postal Bus service from Pontresina/ St Moritz to Chiavenna in Italy.

Could you please expound on the "Swiss Postal Bus service" route that you have mentioned? Are you thinking to include that experience in the vacation? Eliminate something else? That area of Italy - tell me about it.

St.Moritz/Pontresina - is this an area comparable to Garmisch/Partenkirchen (sp?)? Are they 2 cities close together? Is it a beautiful area surrounded by vistas where you enjoy "taking in" the alps?

If you were willing to do the shortened leg of the Bernina train ride, then you could possibly do a day trip from Lake Como.

Leg one - train from Varenna on Lake Como to Tirano, Italy.
Leg two - Train over the Bernina Pass. Tirano, Italy to either Pontresina or St Moritz, Switz.
Leg Three - bus service from Pontresina/ St Moritz over the Mugallo (sp?) pass to Chiavenna, Italy. One possible detour here, the picturesque village of Soglio is a few kilometers north of bu route.
Leg four - Train Chiavenna to Varenna.
[This would be about five hours by car. I don't know if a car ride would satisfy your husband.]

If want more then a day-trip, then the villages of Zuoz and Guarda, east of St Moritz are supposed to be nice destinations. This area of Switzerland is referred to as the Engadine.

There is a postal bus from St. Moritz to Menaggio if that is a factor.