harvey

There is plenty of discussion about the night train(s) from Paris to Venice. I hate to sleep through Switzerland. I was thinking of taking a day train to a stopping place there and then the next day a sceanic train ending up in Milan but better still a place to rest for a day or so on Lake Como before going on to Venice. Anyone done that? Any suggestions? Tahnks.

bob_brown

One route to Milan via Lausanne takes you along the Rhone Valley to Brig, and then through the Simplon Tunnel to Italy.
To be quite honest about it, after having driven the full length of the valley and after having taken the train through it, there is not much scenery, in my view of the area.

If you want to see mountains, you will need to take a side trip to Zermatt.
That can be done at an extra cost, but unless you can spend a whole day in Zermatt, it may not be worth the extra cost.
There are some other places along there too, like Luek and Zinal. But Zinal is reached by bus. Zermatt can be reached by train.
You might be just as well off going to Lake Como and spending your pre Milan time there.

Lausanne is a pretty town, however, perched as it is on the side of the lake.

tinlizzy2

3 weeks ago we flew the reverse. Venice to Paris Beauvais for 39€ on Volareweb. The flight is short 1 1/2hrs and the altitude is low enough that we could see the beautiful alps most of the flight.

Intrepid

The fastest night train route from Paris to Italy will not take you through Switzerland but around it through Modane and Turin into Milan..so you wouldn't be "sleeping through" Switzerland. A possible alternative might be this one:
take a fast TGV into Switzerland from Paris..to Geneva or Lausanne. Change there and make your way through Brig as mentioned above or to St. Moritz through Chur..all of that could easily be done in a somewhat long day...lots of scenery. You could overnight in Switzerland easily. From St. Moritz take the Bernina Express into Italy to Tirano. Change in Tirano for the train to Milan but get off at Varenna-Esio which is on the shores of Lake Como..overnight there. Next dau bu train to Milan and onward. All sorts of route possibilities if you want to spend a couple of days seeing both Switzerland and Lake Come.

Intrepid

Ooops typos above: that's Varenna-EsinO and, of course, Lake ComO..sorry.

artlover

We did this and stopped in Montreux (Hotel Eden au Lac--lovely)and visited Chateau de Chillon (terrific, especially if you get there early--we were the only ones there for quite awhile)and strolled along the lake. It was a wonderful overnight trip on the way to Venice and I'm glad we took the time to stop.

jmw

Hi harvey, Great idea! and I have two suggestions. The first is the same as artlover's (Lausanne/Montreux/Lavaux); there are several train possibilities from Montreux to Milan, and they go through beautiful scenery. Alternatively, you can go from Montreux to Lugano via Locarno (more train changes) and then a quick bus trip to Menaggio on Como, eliminating Milan. Both these options go through the same mountains. Maybe you'd even consider perching on Lago Lugano instead of Como; it's beautiful with two delightful villages -- Gandria and Morcote.

Now my other idea (I'm pushy): You could do a night train from Paris to Zurich on what would have been your last night in Paris,(not missing the best of Swiss scenery), then enjoy beautiful Lucerne and its incredible lake one night. Then take the train from Lucerne to either Lugano or Milan -- this route is also spectacular (IMO).

Lucerne's lake and Lac Leman are both gorgeous -- it's a tough decision. If this is any help, Lac Leman (Lausanne, Montreux) is French influenced, and Lucerne is more like picture-postcard Switzerland, if that's what you're looking for. Do an image search at Altavista for various towns (do you have a map of Switzerland?) to help you decide. J.