Best towns to visit across the Swiss border
A traveler named Xpresso plans to visit Switzerland for a few weeks in August, specifically Lausanne, Wengen, Bern, and Zermatt. They are interested in taking day or overnight trips to nearby towns in Germany, France, and Italy while traveling by train and are looking for suggestions on where to go, including Yvoire in France and Aosta in Italy.
- Consider taking the boat from Nyon to Yvoire for a scenic trip.
- Look into visiting towns around Lake Como, avoiding Como itself for a more relaxing experience.
- The Swiss Travel Pass is an option for international travelers, which covers parts of cross-border trips.
- Day trips from Konstanz to Meersburg or Stein am Rhine are great options.
- Explore beautiful small towns like Colmar or Annecy as alternatives in France.
AI-generated summary-
We will be in Switzerland (Lausanne, Wengen, Bern, Zermatt) for a few weeks in August visiting my family and now that surrounding countries are opening, my husband who has never been to Germany, France, or Italy, is interested to visit a few nearby towns in those 3 countries for a day or a night. What do you think? We are traveling all by train. I have Yvoire in mind for France (by boat). How about Aosta in Italy? I haven’t been since a child so I don’t remember it. Originally we were to go to Cinque Terre but we’ll save that for another trip. And how about in Germany? Of course the regions of Switzerland have the influences of these neighboring countries but he has the desire to “see for himself” these three countries if we can work it into our Switzerland trip. Thank you!
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Hi Xpresso,
Thank you for your question. I agree Yvoire would be worth the visit for a short trip across the border. I think the best way to get there is by taking the boat from Nyon. You can find the details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakegeneva
Across the Swiss-Italian border, I think there are various towns along Lake Como that are quite accessible and doable as an overnight trip. If you like big cities, Milan could also be an option. I’ve travelled from Zurich to Milan and back in one day so it’s definitely possible with the fast train.
Konstanz is another big city, just across the German border. Quite a popular destination for day-trippers from Zürich because the SBB runs a regular service there.
If you need information about cross border tickets, you can find more details here: http://www.myswissalps.com/travel/toswitzerland/train/tickets
Regards,
Anna
If you are going to lake Como, which is beautiful, then I would advise to avoid Como itself especially if driving. If its a nice day you’ll spend most of the time in traffic. I would advise you to take the boat from Menaggio over to Varrena. Varrena is a beautiful little town on the shore of Lake Como and is much less packed than Como. Theres the Cafe Varenna which is simply wonderful in the main square looking out over the lake.
Keep in mind though its a 5 – 6 hour drive depending on which route you take. Over the Simplon pass would be the more picturesque route that I would take.
Enjoy!
Thank you for the ideas! We are traveling all by train for this trip.
Hi Xpresso! In that case it’s wise to look into rail passes. That will help you save money. Depending on the pass you pick, parts of your cross-border trips will also be covered. Which pass is best, depends on the details of your itinerary. Here’s how to choose: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass.
Thank you! I’ll double check my numbers but my plan is the Swiss Half Fare Card for 3 of us and my 14 yr old is free. I especially like that I can get it in Switzerland so no worries about refunds for the Swiss Travel Pass if my flight gets canceled. Plus I’m not sure if I’m even allowed to get the Swiss Travel Pass. I live in USA but I hold a Swiss passport (dual citizenship). Do you know of Swiss Travel Pass is an option for me if I change my mind?
Hi Xpresso,
— update —
As Annika wrote in the next post, Swiss Travel Pass and Swiss Half Fare Card are not available for Swiss residents.
Thank you Annika,
Ildiko
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Sure, you can get the Swiss Travel Pass with your USA passport, if you choose that one. You can buy it also online at the last minute as you will receive the Swiss Travel Pass via e-mail within 30 mins (for example if you buy it at Happyrail). Here is a list of the trusted resellers: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price
Swiss Half Fare Card is the same regarding the purchasing options – you will receive the Swiss Travel Pass via e-mail within 30 mins: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/price.
Yes, your 14 years old will travel for free but you need to get her/him a Swiss Family Card (http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard) in both cases. It is free.
Take care,
Ildiko
Hi Xpresso! Both the Swiss Half Fare Card and the Swiss Travel Pass aren’t available to Swiss residents (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/details). But since you have a US residency, purchasing either pass won’t be a problem.
Oh ok, perfect then. I’ll do another check to see which one is better now that I have a solid itinerary. Thanks.
Hi xpresso,
On our last trips to Europe we spent most of the time in Switzerland and visited 4 countries viz France, Germany, Austria and Italy. Thanks to the central location of Switzerland, we could make our travel plans successful.
I recommend you visit Colmar and Eguisheim in Alsace region , France which is stunningly beautiful with its Franco-German architecture and floral decorations. We did it as a day trip from Bern. If you have more time you can go as far as Strasbourg.
I also recommend trying visiting the beautiful alpine town called Annecy in France if you come closer to Geneva.
We also considered visiting Freiburg in Germany (but did not visit) which seems to be a lovely town. I recommend having your base as Basel near the Franco-German border.
Another location in Germany we considered was visiting Lindau island in Bavaria via Konstanz lake.
If you’re interested you can have a look at this post where I shared our travel experience :
http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/3-nights-4-days-trip-in-switzerland
Regards
Thanks for sharing Xmistral99!
Regards,
Anna
Thank you everyone for the valuable tips. I’ve visited Freiburg and Strasbourg before and both are beautiful but I haven’t been to Colmar yet. I think we may lean towards Konstanz for the German side since I haven’t been there before. Towards the southern end, what do you think about a day trip to Stresa since we will be in Brig for a couple days and I see it’s only about an hour or so away?
Hi Xpresso,
Yes, Stresa is lovely. I would definitely recommend it.
Regards,
Anna
Do you know if I can send my luggage ahead from Zermatt to Brig if I take a train from Zermatt to Stresa to Brig in a day?
Hi Xpresso,
Yes, I’m sure that’s possible. The SBB provides luggage transport from one station to another. However you need to make the arrangement in advance. I’m sure the personnel at the Zermatt train station will be able to help you. For more details about luggage transport, use this link: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/practical/luggage
Regards,
Anna
Hello. This is Maggie’s husband. I still like to look at posts even after Maggie’s death in the hope I may offer some thoughts.
Your original post does not say whether you want to see pretty places, typical places or other interesting things.
Maggie and I used to enjoy catching the train to Domodossola on a Saturday. There is a very large and interesting market there and we enjoyed browsing and wandering through some of the streets looking at the interesting buildings.
I think that for your return journey there is a bus over one of the passes.
We found the journeys lovely. We travelled from Thun. Perhaps one of the moderators can help you further or recommend one of Maggie’s posts.
I hope you have a lovely time.
Mike
Thank you so much for sharing, Mike. I’ll take a look at adding a stop in Domodosola especially because we also enjoy markets.
Hi Xpresso,
I agree with Mike. Perhaps you can include a trip on the Centovalli train from Locarno to Domodossola in your itinerary.
Regards,
Anna
Hello Mike! How wonderful to see you posting here at the forum :-). I really appreciate you sharing your memories and expertise.
Hi Xpresso. If you’ll be heading for Domodossola, you may also like the Centovalli Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/centovalli.
And if you’re interested in Maggie’s wonderful trip reports, you’ll find several mentioned here: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/sad-news-about-our-forum-member-maggie-horswell.
Hi Expresso.
The area around Konstanz is well worth a visit. The city itself is on the Swiss/German border and makes a good base for exploring the region. You can do day trips by ferry to Meersburg – a very quaint medieval town, as well as Friedrichshafen and Lindau, or take the train to Stein am Rhine and Schaffhausen. Alternatively, just do a day trip across the border from Zurich if you are short on time.
Have fun
Alan
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