Milan to Switzerland trains and itinerary help

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    12 July 2017 at 20:41:19 #812599

    Hello,

    Thank you in Advance for being helpful in answering our queries:-)

    We are looking to do a 8 day trip to switzerland and then head to Austria for another 6 days.

    A brief day wise plan is as under:

    Day 1- Zermat

    Day2-Zermatt

    Day 3,4,5,6,7- Interlaken

    Day 8- Zurich

    We are a family of 2 adults and one youth and it is our first time to Switzerland we are am looking to Travel to round the 12th of August to reach Zermatt/Matterhorn first

    We land in Milan on the 11th since and would be staying a night there before we head to Zermatt. Now if we buy a swiss pass for all 3 , would it be valid to go from Milan to Zermat or do we need to buy a separate ticket till a point and then use our pass. If not then what according to you would be the best way to travel to Zermatt and not too expensive..

    I believe the Berina express starts from Italy as well , so is there a place close to Milan that we can take that since we could use our pass then ?

    Also in the 2 days we have in Zermat, what would you recommend us to do besides the glacier tour of Matterhorn , any suggestions ?

    My next question would be , is Interlake a good base to have for 5 days so that we can cover maximum on day trips from there including Mt. Titles, Jungfrao region, Rhine falls, Montreoux , etc ?

    from Zermatt is there a direct train to Interlake using the swiss pass?

    Sorry for asking so may questions but just wanted to see the best possible routes

    Thanks

    Subarna

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    13 July 2017 at 2:27:25 #866721

    Hi Subarna, and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    >> Now if we buy a swiss pass for all 3 , would it be valid to go from Milan to Zermat or do we need to buy a separate ticket till a point and then use our pass.

    Your Swiss Travel Pass will be valid from either Brig or Domodossola to Zermatt, depending on what route you take to Zermatt from Milano.

    You will need a separate ticket (and in some cases a compulsory reservation) to travel from Milano to Brig or Domodossola, depending on which route you take.

    Usually the route through Brig, which is the fastest route, is on a EuroCity train, on which reservations are compulsory. Going via Domodossola takes about an hour longer, but reservations are usually not required. The timetable will indicate when reservations are mandatory.

    You can use the Swiss Timetable to find a departure time and route that suits your plans:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

    You can find information about tickets from Italy to Switzerland here:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy

    >> I believe the Berina express starts from Italy as well , so is there a place close to Milan that we can take that since we could use our pass then ?

    The Bernina Express route is on the other side of Switzerland from the places you intend to visit, so it would not be a good choice.

    However, if you wanted to rearrange your itinerary to include it, you could travel like so:

    Milano > Tirano > St. Moritz (5 hours 16 minutes)

    overnight in St Moritz

    St. Moritz > Zermatt in Glacier Express (about 8 hours)

    Reservations (at additional cost) are compulsory on the official Bernina Express and Glacier Expresstrains. Regional trains also travel along the same routes and don’t require reservations.

    >> Also in the 2 days we have in Zermat, what would you recommend us to do besides the glacier tour of Matterhorn , any suggestions ?

    This page will help you:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt

    >> My next question would be , is Interlake a good base to have for 5 days so that we can cover maximum on day trips from there including Mt. Titles, Jungfrao region, Rhine falls, Montreoux , etc ?

    Interlaken is a good base for the Jungfrau Region and a day trip to Montreux on the Golden Pass scenic train.

    Luzern/Lucerne is a better base for Titlis. You can travel there from Interlaken, but travel time will be about 3.5 hours each way.

    Zürich is a better base for the Rhine Falls.

    For 5 days, it is worth considering 3 days in Interlaken and 2 days in Luzern. Instead of staying in Interlaken, you could consider one of the beautiful Jungfrau Region villages such as Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Wengen or Mürren. These villages are in a much more beautiful setting than Interlaken.

    >> from Zermatt is there a direct train to Interlaken using the swiss pass?

    Zermatt to Interlaken is free with the Swiss Travel Pass, but you will need to change trains at least twice.

    There are three main ways of getting to Interlaken from Zermatt:

    1. Take the official Glacier Express from Zermatt to Brig, and go to Interlaken from Brig. This will involve a compulsory reservation (at additional cost) on the Glacier Express. From Brig to Interlaken, you could incorporate the scenic Lötschberger route from Brig to Spiez via Kandersteg, and change trains for Interlaken at Spiez.

    2. Take the above route using only regional trains – no reservations required.

    3. Take regional trains from Zermatt to Interlaken via the fastest route, changing trains at Visp and Spiez. This route goes through the Lötschberg-Basistunnel, missing the lovely scenery around Kandersteg.

    Alpenrose

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    13 July 2017 at 8:13:16 #866722

    Hi Subarna,

    I would also add that for your Swiss Travel Pass you can buy it online here, and have it emailed to you to print at home. That way you have the pass on you as soon as you enter Switzerland from Italy – seamless. 🙂

    Lucas

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    20 July 2017 at 7:16:20 #866723

    Hello,

    Thank you so much for your help on this.

    I have a few more questions:

    My Itirinery is below so you could let me know and help me with a few things:

    We land in Milano on the 10th evening around 7.30 pm .

    10-12th- Milano ( Bookings still to be made but figuring is there is an easier way of getting to Zermatt via the glacier express tour mid way so that we can stay for our second night elsewhere)

    12-14th Zermatt- (Besides Gonegrat what else could we do if we have time or else just relax for those 2 days )

    14-19 Wengen , Interlaken

    So as you had suggested there are 3 ways to get to Interlaken we could possibly take the route via brig so that we can go on the glacier express train and head to interlaken. How long would this take approx and is it faster than the regular route

    Is Wengen a good base to have since we wanted to stay a little away from the main city of Interlaken and did find properties near winderswill which were within our budget. What all can we do n those 4-5 days while we are there.

    19-20th – Zurich we have kept this just for the night since the next day we would have to head to Salzburg. So are there trains going to salzburg from Interlaken and would it make sense to come to zurich with lugguage and stay or still stay the last day in interlaken and go in one shot, please advise..

    Also if in Zurich which is the best area to stay so will book it accordingly which would make it a meaningful night for one day

    how long is the journey from Interlaken/zurich to Salzburg and what is the best mode of transport to take..

    Do you also have expertise for Austria then I could possibly shoot with a few more questions:-)

    And lastly we would like to go on any of of the glacier express trains during our 9 day trip in Switzerland so what according to you would be best not having to take our lugguage ideally or if we have to as well ..

    And what are the things besides the typical touristy things that we must do while our stay ..Sorry for hounding you but just wanted to plan my trip better since i’m coming with family 🙂

    Cheers

    Subarna

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    21 July 2017 at 5:52:09 #866724

    Hi Subarna,

    The timetable link Slowpoke provided in his post above will help you plan all of your train trips – as an FYI when searching for the routes it always suggests the fastest route first. This way you can compare durations and connections between the different routes and pick the one that works best for you.

    There are trains you can take from Interlaken to Salzburg – really from any city to any other city 🙂 They just aren’t direct though and you will need connect to another train in Zurich. If you want to spend a day and a night in Zurich to explore (and break up the trip) you certainly can. Read more about what to do in Zurich here and for a list of recommended hotels in Zurich click here. The hotels will show you how far they are from the main train station (which is a convenient area to be in to explore Zurich for the day).

    Wengen is a very popular base in the Lauterbrunnen valley (as is the town of Lauterbrunnen which has better train connections to get to Interlaken a little quicker). If you are planning on exploring the area a lot (heading to Interlaken or other towns/mountains in the area) during your stay I would lean to Lauterbrunnen but Wengen can work as well.

    Unfortunately we don’t deal with any Austrian tourism questions – out of our purview :).

    To enjoy a trip on the Glacier Express you can ride it to Visp and then transfer to a regional train on your way to Interlaken or for a longer trip you can go on to Andermatt before switching trains to Interlaken (a little out of your way but still doable). Don’t worry about having luggage on the train (everyone does) so it isn’t a concern.

    Regards,
    Lucas

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