thereadbaron

Hello,

We’re headed to Lake Como (Tremezzo) for 5 nights with access to a car. Would like to spend one day in switzerland but Lake Lugano looks too much like Lake Como to me would prefer to go to a mountaintop and can’t decide best way to do this. Willing to drive up to 2 hours. I’ve read Soglio is lovely and wondering how much further to go to Diavolezza or Corvatsch from there. Heard morcote is lovely too but other direction.

Thx for any insight!

isabel

I did a day trip to Lake Lugano and enjoyed it. I actually was going from Milano but you could easily do it from Lake Como as well.

Here's some photos I took - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p937201521

thereadbaron

Thanks for this - gorgeous pics. But looking for something more quintessentially Swiss - this is still on a lake

Nonconformist

Morcote is on Lake Lugano.

HappyTrvlr

Yes, Lake Lugano is very nice, pretty, but I agree it is too similar to Lake Como. It took us four trips to Lake Como before we wanted to even leave for a day to go over Lake Lugano.

Ingo

Soglio still has quite much Italien ambience. It's gorgeous, though. For more "Swiss" ambience drive an hour farther, Sils-Maria would be an excellent day trip. Take a horse-drawn carriage or walk into Fex Valley. The cable car to Corvatsch starts in the neighbouring village Surlej.

What time of year?

thereadbaron

Hi - it’s for late August. After Tremezzo we’re driving to Venice - hence wanting a drive no more than 2 hours. To get to Corvatsch or Diavolezzo - is it more than 2 hours just to arrive at the cable car? Google Maps says no but I don’t think it accounts for windy roads and traffic. In the same vein, if there is a closer “pass” to drive near soglio perhaps I would just go there for lunch

PalenQ

Get that 35 franc or so car vignette to use Swiss autoroutes - can get at border.

Ingo

Depends on how fast you drive and how many stops along the way you do. I would say it is about 2 hours, maybe slightly more (traffic?), to drive from Tremezzo to Sils. Check the weather!

No need for the vignette on that route.

4carolina

Would love to hear more about your choice of Tremezzo.We are planning days on the Lakes but have no decided which......

neckervd

Forget the Swiss motorway vignette if you go to Corvatsch or Davolezza: there are just no motorways in that area.
Driving time from Tremezzo to Corvatsch gondola: about 2 1/4 hrs (60 miles, good mountain road with some hairpin curves).
Be aware that only a very small part of Switzerland corresponds to the cliché that tourists from overseas call "typically Swiss" (Bernese Oberland chalets, etc.)

thereadbaron

hey - we’re renting a car, so knew I didn’t need to be close to a train stop. Saw a photo of grand hotel Tremezzo and the pool and was just awe-inspired - plus it’s rather kid friendly (traveling with 11 year old.) great position to ferry to bellagio and varenna...knew wanted a day trip to Switzerland and staying more south would add time to that journey. Hope that helps!

thereadbaron

I know I’m not going to see cheese makers and yodeling I really wanted to just go to a mountaintop for lunch and incredible scenery. If time i would have driven to lago di braies- alas, another time...

neckervd

I don' know why Lago di Braies/Pragser Wildsee sems to be so popular in this forum. There are dozens much more scenic mountain lakes closer to Tremezzo.
" mountaintop for lunch and incredible scenery"
a) Mountain tops outside the Alps with restaurants from where you see all the mountains from France via Mont Blanc - Gran Paradiso - Matterhorn - Bernina up to Italy, but in a certain distance:
Monte Generoso (cog wheel railway from Capolago or Bellavista)
Monte Lema (gondola from Miglieglia)
Monte Campo dei Fiori (road from Varese)

b) mountain tops in the Alps
Corvatsch (gondola from Silvaplana Surlej)
Pizzo Groppera (gondola from Madesimo)
Furtschelllas (gondola from Sils Maria)
Cima Bianca (gondola from Bormio)
Gemsstock (gondola from Andermatt)

Ingo

Let me add to b)
- Diavolezza
- Muottas Muragl

PalenQ

A bit out of the box but if driving to Venice...

Consider driving to Tirano, Itlaly and staying the night and taking the Bernina Pass Railway up to the Bernina Pass summit and the Switzerland of your dreams - walk to a glacier or drive on roads pretty much paralleling what if at times called 'Europe's most scenic railway - get off train or park at a summit station like Alp Grum and get off and walk around a lovely Alpine lake to the glacier or just sit on the sun terrace at the station and get intoxicated on the Alps at their best:

https://www.google.com/search?q=alp+grum+images&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=uni v&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTvIG8q6XfAhVKPq0KHWWZAVUQsAR6BA gEEAE&cshid=1544997402894000&biw=1280&bih=625

Bernina Pass Railway: https://www.google.com/search?q=bernina+pass+railway+images&tbm=isch&tbo= u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjR2MijrKXfAhXJna0KHT 18B0UQsAR6BAgDEAE&biw=1280&bih=625

Bernina Pass railway and pass area: www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/si...s/rg011210.pdf (Pg 15 of their European Planning & Rail Guide.)

Taking the train would allow the car driver to also see this wonderful scenery rather than clutching the steering wheel on the curving Bernina Pass road. And you can taste of one Switzerland's fabled iconic trains - The Bernina Express - with commentary and nearly all-glass 'observation cars'with near 360 degree viewing including the ceiling!

https://www.seat61.com/BerninaExpress.htm

Now whilst driving from Lake Como to the pass would be probably about 4 hours or so one way since you are going to Venice here is an unorthodox way of doing so from Lake Como: Drive up the lovely Alpine valley from Varenna or points north to Tirano - stay there and do the Bernina train same day. Then head for Venice via main roads thru the Dolomites - Tirano is at a gap in the Alps and many cars and trucks go thru it towards Venice. (One of the problems with my Tirano hotel was the incessant noise of loud lorries going by all the time.

But this could be a way of having an awesome Swiss Alpine experience and taking a much more scenic roots from there to Venice than the boring Autostrada you would take from the Como area to Venice....going Tirano-Edolo-Trento-Padua-Venice with other variations possible.

Would be nice if you wanted to drive around the Dolomites and hit historic cities like Treno or nearby Bolzano.

Anyway for something different and totally awesome IMO.

Cheers!

kja

I'll second that!

thereadbaron

Wow! Thx so much - I think I might take a night off of Venice and do this. Thanks for the idea!

neckervd

In order to develop further the idea of Palen:
Tremezzo - Chiavenna - Silvaplana Surlej (cableway to Corvatsch glacier, 10820ft) - St. Moritz (cableway to Piz Nair, 10000ft) -- Bernina Diavolezza (cabbleway to Pers glacier, 9750ft) - Bernina Pass - Livigno Pass - Foscagno Pass - Bormio (cableway to Cima Bianca, 9900ft) - Stelvio Pass (9050ft) - Naturns - Kurzras (cableway to Grawand/Hochjoch glacier; highest hotel of the Alps, 10700ft) - Meran - Bolzano/Bozen - Lake Carezza - Agordo - Belluno - Venice

Nofurniture

Thanks to this thread, we went to Soglio on a day trip from Varenna at Lake Como last week. It was amazing. There is a parking lot for sightseers, a clean bathroom, and a couple of hotels where you can have lunch. It is a beautiful little town where you can walk around and drink in the sights of the Alps in the distance. After Soglio, we continued north. The road will take you up a series of dizzying switchbacks to 6000 ft, and an amazing vista where you can pull over and take pictures. We continued into the town of St. Moritz, and stopped for a capuccino. Compared to the summer heat in Italy, it was cool here, and people were wearing jackets. The whole drive was about 1:45 each way, and I would highly recommend it!