Tweaked my Swiss/Italian itinerary - does this work?
 

Previously garnered posts have helped me put together this proposed itinerary in July to combine Swiss picture taking opportunities for my husband & Lake Como/Bellagio for me - please point out the good and the bad.
Day 1 depart DFW using AA ff miles for 1st class seats
Day 2 arrive LHR change to BA depart for ZRH, train from airport for Luzern
Hotel Des Balances?
or
Grand Hotel National?

Day 3 Luzern
Day 4 Luzern
Day 5 train to St. Moritz or Pontresina? It's about a 5 hour train trip - changing twice - would a bus be faster? I don't know the website for the Swiss bus system to compare.
Hotel choices in Pontresina - in checking the websites, they already appear full. Really? This far in advance?
(Hotel Steinbock
Hotel Walther
Grand Hotel Kronenhof)
Day 6 Bernina Express from St. Moritz or Pontresina to Tirano, change to Varenna, boat to Bellagio
Hotel Florence
or
Grand Hotel Villa Serbollini
Day 7 Bellagio
Day 8 Bellagio
Day 9 afternoon work our way to Malpensa airport - how? to catch evening BA flight to LHR
Hotel at LHR?
Day 10 morning departure on AA for DFW

Questions - trying to fit too much in? good choices for "scenic" areas of Switzerland? hotel choices? (We have $3000 budgeted for hotels - I think we're in the ballpark) with this much training around, should we consider Swiss passes of some sort, or does the Italian portion throw that idea out the window?

Feedback welcomed!

Hi dorkforcemom,

Just a quick comment on your itinerary -- I would reverse the number of days in Luzern/Pontresina areas. I would only spend one night in Luzern and two or three nights in Pontresina because I just prefer towns & villages to cities.

The Swiss busses only augment the train system; there is no overlap. So the busses only go where the trains do not go.

The Swiss rail website also gives you the bus information when you need it. For instance, if you search for a way from Pontresina to Fex, you'll see part of the connection is by bus.

Have fun!

s

Along those same lines, would you prefer Pontesina to St. Moritz? One reason for the 3 days in Lucerne (besides it being recommended by the ever-so-helpful Bob the Navigator) was to shake off jet-lag. That said, 1 night in Lucerne may take care of that! Something to consider...

> would you prefer Pontesina to St. Moritz? <

Yes - I certainly would!

Hmmm ! I still like 3 nites in Luzern if you have not been there--lots to see.
Why not stay in Varenna? That may be your best bet to get to MXP on that last day anyway. Train to Milano Centrale and bus to MXP.
I like this trip---take the camera.

The Hotel Florence in Bellagio does not have air conditioning, and it's a huge rate jump to the G.H.V. Serbelloni at 450 euros for a standard double room in July... more than twice your general lodging budget of $300 per night.

For other Bellagio hotels, do a search here and check Tripadvisor.com. Many recommend the Belvedere which is located a short walk uphill from the ferry dock. Others have had nice stays at the Metropole which is the closest hotel to the lake. I can also recommend the apartments at Residence La Limonera (www.residencelalimonera.com) which are in the middle of the town.

If you would consider staying in Varenna, I recommend the Hotel du Lac which has gorgeous views of the lake, Bellagio and the western shore. (This hotel is not to be confused with the Hotel du Lac in Bellagio.)

egads - it never dawned on me to wonder about a/c. A must-have in July on Lake Como? Mmmm...

Thanks for the other recs - I'll check them out. Any other thoughts about my hotel choices in Switzerland?

Hi again,

While yes there is a lot to see in and around Luzern, there's still much (much) more to see around Pontresina. There's the villages of Soglio, Fex, and Guarda, the towns of Sils (with its lakes), Zuoz, and Scuol, the mountain hut at Muottas Muragl, the glaciers above St. Moritz, the beautiful valley that lends itself to gentle biking . . . I could go on and on! So, yes, this mountain area really has more to see than one night will give you time for.

Yes, I would also prefer Pontresina to St. Moritz, which is a town of contrete with little charm. Pontresina sits on a mountain ledge overlooking a dense forest -- just lovely!

You'll have a great time!

s

Hi,
I am with Swandav on this one, we spent 3 nights there last June and it was just wonderful and we were so sad to leave. Day trips - caught the train and bus to Guarda to see the painted houses and then walked to Ardez, stunning, spent some time walking around the lake at St. Moritz (so glad we didn't stay there). Caught the train to Preda and did a walking trail to Bergun about 2.5 hours along an historic railway walk trail through fields and under pig tail bridges and stood under a via duct while the train went overhead. Caught a train to Filisur and walked down to the famous Landwasser Viaduct to see the Bernina Express go over the top.
This is the hotel we stayed in if it is of any help to you.
www.engadinerhof.com

The town lies uphill from the station so you would need to get a taxi or hotel car to take you with luggage. Otherwise it is a nice walk with a strategically placed pub!

Best wishes for a great holiday.

OK - I've received great suggestions regarding destinations on my trip. What are your thoughts about train ticketing - point to point tickets or some type of pass?

The "need" for A/C on Lake Como in July can be somewhat personal preference. Compared to Dallas in July, it could feel very pleasant. Others are addicted to A/C and can't live without it.

Hi again,

Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy answer to the old question about whether or not to buy a train pass. Someone simply must do the math.

Get the fares for all of your likely trips, add them up, and compare them to the various pass possibilities. I can tell you that, for the last five-six of my own trips, the Half Fare Card worked out to be the very best option. You pay 99chf, and then you only pay half price on almost everything that moves in Switerland.

Have you found the Swiss rail site for the fares? If not, it's at

www.rail.ch

You can get the fares for the mountain railways around Luzern at each mountain's site, such as

www.rigi.ch
www.pilatus.ch

etc.

Good luck!

s

For rail costs, you might consider a 3 Day Swiss Saver Flexpass (3 days travel in 1 month), which would be $165 each for the two of you, and acts as a half-fare card for rail and mountain journeys the days other than the 3 days you choose. But as Swandav says, you have to do the math.

I clearly need to do my homework on what type of train purchases I make - I'll do as suggested and compare point to point vs. pass.

To spend 3 nights in Luzern, 1 night in Pontresina...or...1 night in Luzern, 3 nights in Pontresina: there seems to be valid points to both options. Perhaps I should split the 2? Spend 2 nights in each?

Hotel choices narrowed down to:
Grand National - Luzern
Hotel Steinbock - Pontresina
Belvedere - Bellagio
Thoughts pro or con about these?
Thanks!

Not sure if you have your hotel since it has been some time since posting but my DH and I spent four days in Bellagio last year at the Belvedere, it was a wonderful hotel, the food was not that great so my advice don't take the half board, we started out with it and changed, enjoyed the restaurants in town. The walk is not that bad at all, I have the name of a wonderful driver there if you need.....