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-   -   Milan-Como-Interlaken or wengen,by train or car? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/milan-como-interlaken-or-wengen-by-train-or-car-967098/)

serworacle Feb 16th, 2013 12:55 PM

Milan-Como-Interlaken or wengen,by train or car?
 
Hello guys.
My friend and I are going to Milano by plane.Then we will hire a car and then hit the roads to Como.We'll stay there one night then hit the roads again to interlaken to reach Jungfrau by train.we prefer car because of some advantages which to stop whenever and wherever we want and take some good photos and enjoy the nice views.
But we have some doubts.
1-I've read something that when we get to the swiss border we should buy Swiss autobahn sticker otherwise we would get a huge ticket.we are students and we don't want it.
2-when we get there it will be 3rd of March so it will be so cold and we might have a problem on the roads because of cold weather(snow,fog,etc..)..Is it safe to get there by car?
3-as for Jungfrau,
Because of the season,what is the percentage of the chance that we might have bad weather and we don't see anything at the top of Jungfrau?
4-I think it's a bit expensive to reach Jungfrau.Is it worth going there this much price?
5-We have shengen visa ..would we have any problem at the border?what should we have before going there and at the border?

HappyTrvlr Feb 16th, 2013 01:18 PM

You are required to buy the Swiss vignette if you plan to drive on Swiss highways; it's not optional. You need to return the car to Italy or pay a large drop off fee if returning car to a different country.
Jungfrau is worth it if the weather is clear.
Hopefully some Swiss experts can answer your other questions.

serworacle Feb 16th, 2013 03:08 PM

Actually I should inform you about my schedule before getting a suggestion,
We will land to Malpensa,Milan at 10:35 a.m. 2nd of March,Saturday.
And we should be at Bergamo,Milan airport at 19:00p.m
Whic way is better,cheaper and safer for us,by train or car.

We want to go to Jungfrau and lake Como within almost 2,5 days..Can we do that?

serworacle Feb 16th, 2013 03:10 PM

Correction;
We should be at Bergamo airport on 4th of March 19:00 p.m.

nytraveler Feb 16th, 2013 04:35 PM

No - 2.5 days is not nearly enough to get from Milan to Como to Interlaken to get the train up the Jungfrau.

first of all it only makes sense to ascend if the weather is good. We waited in Interlaken for 3 days before we got a day when it was clear at the top (naturally sightseeing in other areas). There is no guarantee the weather will be godd any day or any 2 or 3 days. And the cost - and time - are such that it makes no sense unless it is perfectly clear. And the trip takes quite a few hours - to ascend, making the various connections, tour the various sights at the top - and then descend.

Also when you re there is too early for Como - most things will be closed at that time of year - and it will be chilly (and /Switz will be downright cold. (When we went in late May it was around 40 at the top - expect the temp to be well below freezing and people to be skiing when you are going.)

Ingo Feb 17th, 2013 12:46 AM

The whole thing makes no sense at all, agree with nytraveler.

I see three options:
a) Make this a city trip, stay in Milan and explore the city, enjoy the nightlife, the museums, churches, shopping, dining.
b) Explore the lakes - but like nytraveler said it is too early in the year for really being fun - maybe go to Stresa, better Lugano (which is a bigger town with more things open).
c) Go to a destination in the mountains which is closer. The Upper Engadine/St. Moritz in Switzerland would be a good option. Rent a car, return it in Bergamo. Drive via Lake Como (eastern side, via Lecco) and Chiavenna to Silvaplana or St. Moritz, spend two nights there and have fun; the mountains there are also gorgeous. For activities (not necessarily skiing) see www.engadin.stmoritz.ch

serworacle Feb 17th, 2013 02:58 AM

I see..
I have been to Milano before..and I was there for almost a week so I traveled Milano enough.:)..yeah I know it's too short to travel Jungfrau and Lake Como,Maybe I should change destination Jungfrau to Mount Pilatus which is 200 km away lake Como.I think it takes 2 hours to get there from lake Como,or we can directly go to Lugano after spending a few hours in Como.
Mount Pilatus is so much shorter then Jungfrau so we may increase our chance to see view.we really want to take a train tour because I watched a documentary about Jungfrau,Switzerland and I really loved it,So I decided thy I must be there someday.but I think I should call off the plan Jungfrau to maybe next year.
As for the final options,
1-after Milano,hire a car then drive o lake Como or Lugano,spend couple of hours there and then drive to Ober Wald to get a train to Mount Pilatus.
2-after Milano,hire a car then drive to lake Como then Lugano,spend couple of hours there and drive to any big city such as Bern, Zurich.then get back to Milano airport.
We don't want to stay long in one place.we just want to take some good shots and feel the nice view.we know it's too short but unfortunately we have a flight tickets Milano to Budapest so we would like to spend our 2,5 days very efficiently and see good places and take some good shots as much as we can.


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