Help with itinerary from Zurich to Milan and trains
 

Hi - We are a couple flying into Zurich and traveling by train to Milan in early Sept. Airfare seems to be cheapest going this way. We are interested in experiencing the beautiful scenery.

Here are my questions:
1) Any input on making Milan a one nighter and adding the extra night to either Zermatt or Locarno?

2) Any advice on buying train tickets for this route? Do they have weekly passes? Is it cheaper to buy online ahead of time or when we arrive?

Tue - Arrive Zurich - 1 night
Wed - Train to Lucern - 2 nights
Fri - Train to Interlaken - 2 nights
Sun - Train to Zermatt - 1 night
Mon - Train to Locarno - 1 night
Tue - Boat ride to Stresa. Train to Milan for 2 nights.
Thu - leave Milan a.m.

Hi labern116,

I just don't like 1-night or 2-night stays; you can't see much in just an afternoon or one full day in a place. Remember that every time you switch hotels, you lose about half a day of "outside time" because of the chores of packing up and checking out, then checking in and unpacking again. So, I'm afraid that this itinerary will give more views of train stations, train tracks, and hotels than it will give you the scenery of the beautiful country.

One way to cut down on the number of moves is to not stay in Zürich overnight. Zürich is only 45 minutes from Luzern by train, so you can see the city as a quick and easy day-trip. Or, you can just put your cases into a luggage locker and tour the city on arrival day, then move on to Luzern that evening.

I don't think you need to see the Jungfrau region AND Zermatt as your mountain experience; I would pick one and stay there for at least 3 nights. Oh, and I'm one who just doesn't like Interlaken -- it sits down in the valley. I would prefer to be up in the mountains in either Wengen or Mürren. More information at

www.myjungfrau.ch

Again, not sure why you want to spend one night in Locarno. I would pick either Locarno or Stressa.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Hi S - Thanks for helpful info. We are taking your advice and looking on trip advisor for hotels in either Murren or Wengen.

We want a night in the Italian lake area. What is a suggestion besides Stressa? Looks like you meant to say something besides Locarno.

Any info on type of train pass to buy for our one week in Switzerland? Thanks.

Hi again,

No, I meant I would not stay in both Locarno and Stresa but would pick only one of them. Sorry, I've only visited Locarno for an afternoon and in the area have only also been to Lugano. I personally don't care for that area, so I can't advise you there.

The only way to determine the best pass or discount card for Switzerland is to do the math. Get all the fares, add them up, and compare the sum to the various passes and cards. When I used to do this for my own trips, I had to do a spreadsheet to keep track of all of the different combinations and possibilities.

Every time I did the math and the spreadsheet, the Half Fare Card came out as the most economical option. It costs 110 chf and gives you half off practically everything that moves. These days, I skip the math and get the HFC.

Have fun as you plan1

s

i am not a zermatt fan at all...would spend more time in another town (like murren) and skip zermatt. i'm sure i'm in the minority, but i feel like it's too many tourists in too little space with too many zipping silent electric vehicles and the matterhorn can not be counted on to show itself.

I would make it two nights at Lucerne, three nights at either Murren, Wengen or Lauterbrunnen, two nights at Locarno, two nights at Milan.
We preferred to stay at Lauterbrunnen and found it easy to get to Murren, Wengen or Jungfrau from there.