MySwissAlps.com includes How to include Bernina Express and Lugano in my 10-night August trip?
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I am travelling to Switzerland late august celebrating our 10 year anniversary. I am flying into Zurich and Flying out of Geneva. Here is the I ternary that AI gave me but I wanted to include Bernina train and also do Lugano and i need help since this is our first time to Switzerland.
Chat GPT – Zurich (2nights)- Lucerne (2 nights)- Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen valley (2 nights)- Zermatt(2nights)- Montreux (1night) and Geneva (1 night)Any suggestions or help is appreciated.
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Hello Sharmi.
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
I am applying my real human intelligence to your problem. I have been visiting Switzerland regularly for 55 years.
Get out a good map of Switzerland..
Invest in Swiss Travel Passes. https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/ Free travel on all Swiss public transport, except that lines which simply go up mountains are usually not included.
Skip staying in Zurich. Go from Zurich airport to CHUR. Stay two nights there. On the intervening day use ordinary regional trains to travel from Chur to Tirano. Go via Filisur; come back via Klosters (or vice versa).
Next day take the 171 bus to Bellinzona, and then the short train ride to Lugano. Journey will take about two-and-a-half hours. Park your luggage in a locker and spend a few hours in Lugano. Then take a fast train northwards through the Gotthard BASE tunnel to Lucerne. Fast trains northwards run twice an hour; a change is usually required at Arth-Goldau. Lugano to Lucerne is about one hour forty minutes.
At Lucerne, remember that the boat service is very good. The STP will take you on the boat to Vitznau.. The train from Viznau up Rigi is FREE with the STP. https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/
At Interlaken the STP will take you free to Grindelwald,, Murren and Wengen. The STP will give you a discount on mountain lines above those villages.
At Zermatt, the STP gives a 50% discount on all three main mountain lines. The line up Gornergrat is very strongly recommended. https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/gornergrat/
At Montreux, the STP gives you a discount up Rochers-de Naye. On the line from Vevey to Les Pleiaides the STP will take you free right to the summit. https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rochers-de-naye/
Use real intelligence for your detailed planning (for any trip).
Kind regards
Roger
Hi Sharmi,
If you really want to ride on the Bernina Express, I would follow Roger’s suggestion to head straight to Chur from the airport and stay there for 1 night. The next day take the Bernina Express to Tirano, then continue on the Bernina Express bus to Lugano. This will be a full day activity. You can find further details on the Bernina Express route here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/bernina-express/. Spend a night or two in Lugano before taking the train to Lucerne the next day. Then from Lucerne you can continue to Interlaken, Zermatt, Montreux and Geneva.
Anna
Thanks for the response, Roger & Anna.
would you recommend doing the Bernina express in another trip to Switzerland/ Northern Italy. Would it be a better idea to just do one part of Switzerland in a relaxed pace?
Hi Sharmi,
If you are planning another trip to Switzerland, I would skip the Bernina Express this time around and include it in the next itinerary. That way you’ll have a more relaxed trip.
Regards,
Anna
Hello again Sharmi.
Your First Trip to Switzerland
My personal inclination is that on your first trip to Switzerland you should travel at a fairly ‘relaxed pace’. In particular, I would avoid rushing from resort to resort. Your current plan, (whether or not you accept Anna’s or my suggestions) involves a lot of travel – with luggage – from one base to another.I would recommend that you have just one base. For your first visit to Switzerland I would strongly recommend Lucerne, as it is right in the centre of Switzerland. And right in the centre of the world’s best public transport system.
https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lucerne/
Having made the decision to stay only in Lucerne, invest either in a Swiss Travel Pass or a Lucerne Travel Pass. Go out on day excursions.
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/lucerne-travel-pass/Get out a map of Switzerland.
If you still want to see a lot of Switzerland then invest in the national Swiss Travel Pass.
Lucerne to Geneva by through train via Bern takes three hours; To St Gallen via Rapperswi takes two-and-quarter hours; Lucerne to Locarno on the highly scenic Treno Gottardo is just over three hours. Lucerne to Interlaken on the Luzern-Interlaken Express is just under two hours.
If you want to confine yourself to the Lucerne region, buy the Lucerne Travel Pass. There is a huge variety of scenery in central Switzerland. ALL the local mountain lines will be free with the Lucerne Travel Pass.
(It is also worth noting that the summer boat service on Lake Lucerne is extremely good. The ‘main line’ from Lucerne to Flüelen runs hourly – and takes just under six hours there-and-back.)
Would you recommend doing the Bernina express in another trip to Switzerland/ Northern Italy?
Subject to what I am about to say, Yes!
Please refer to the thread I started on 12 April entitled ‘Planning a day trip on the Bernina railway line. It is contribution #2796225. Read what I have to say. Also look at the replies, especially those from Komal and our moderator-in-chief Arno.
If you want to combine (south)-Eastern Switzerland with Northern Italy, stay for a few days in or near Chur. Then on your final day take the IR38 train from Chur to St Moritz via Filisur. From St Moritz take the Bernina line to Tirano (which is just in Italy).
There are hourly Italian regional trains from Tirano to Milan. They take about two-and-a-half hours. Milan is right in the centre of northern Italy.
(You could, of course, do this trip in the opposite direction, starting from Milan.)
Best wishes
Roger
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