Efficient and scenic train route Bellagio-Zurich
A couple is planning their honeymoon, traveling from Bellagio on Lake Como to Zurich. They're looking for the best train and transport routes, ideally with fewer transfers and scenic views. They’re considering taking the ferry to Varenna, then trains from Milan to Zurich, and are seeking advice on efficient and beautiful options.
- Take a ferry to Menaggio, then a bus to Lugano before catching an intercity train to Zurich, which is direct and takes about 2.5 hours.
- If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, you only need tickets to the Swiss border.
- Book the bus from Menaggio to Lugano in advance to ensure a smooth transfer.
- Visiting the Gotthard Panorama Express route is a scenic option, but it requires early departure from Milan.
AI-generated summary-
Hello!
My husband and I are traveling on our honeymoon around Italy, then heading to Switzerland.
We will be staying in Bellagio, on Lake Como, and from there plan to travel to Zurich to Switzerland. What is the best train/transport routes from Bellagio to Zurich?
We are thinking of taking the ferry to Varenna, then a train to Milan, then a train from Milan to Zurich. We prefer a scenic route, but also want to get there in an efficient way. The less transfer the better.
Thank you for your help!
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Hi Julianncal, thanks for joining MySwissAlps!
The timetable will show the quickest options from Milan to Zurich by default: myswissalps.com/timeta ble. There are a few direct connections Milan-Zurich each day, via Chiasso, Lugano and Arth-Goldau. You’ll certainly enjoy nice scenery, but you’ll also use the rather long Gotthard base tunnel. The same route, including the tunnel part, is available with a varying amount of train changes along the way.
If scenery is more important than efficiency or speed in the end, you could consider using the Gotthard Panorama Express route: myswissalps.com/gottha rdpanoramaexpress. You’ll have to enter a “via station” in the timetable to find these connections, e.g. Göschenen or Airolo. Once you’ve reached Flüelen, you can continue by train to Arth-Goldau and Zurich, or by boat to Lucerne and then catch a train to Zurich.
In order to catch the direct panoramic Gotthard Panorama Express train between Lugano/Bellinzona and Flüelen, without stops or changes along the way, you’d have to leave Milan pretty early. If you do so you could board the 9.00 am train in Bellinzona, but if you’ll be coming from Bellagio and want to reach Zurich in one day, I doubt whether this is possible.
To make things more complicated, you can also look into these alternatives :-):
- travel via Tirano, using the Bernina Express line: myswissalps.com/bernin aexpress. This adds even more traveling time though;
- travel via Domodossola-Brig-Kandersteg-Spiez-Interlaken-Lucerne, following the routes of the Lötschberg RegioExpress trains and the northern leg of the Golden Pass line: myswissalps.com/golden pass. It’s very scenic, but of course less efficient than direct trains between Milan and Zurich.
What about a boat ride to Menaggio then bus to Lugano then catch the Gotthard Express or local train.
I think the most efficient way would be ferry to Menaggio then the bus to Lugano – that is all scenic.
From Lugano, just take the inter city train to Zurich via the Gotthard Base tunnel (GBT) – an engineering marvel. You often see suggestions to avoid the fast inter city train via the base tunnel as ‘not as scenic as the slow old route’ however this and similar statements about the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) fall into the now classic trap that the GBT ‘removes’ all the scenery from a train ride over the Gotthard route. Between the GBT tunnel north portal near Erstfeld and Zurich / Basel / Luzern (the three main city northern origin points of Gotthard journeys) you get plenty of mountain and lake views and an awful lot of classic Swiss rural farmland scenery, and the same applies up as far as the south end of the GBT near Biasca.
In fact only 60km out of the 180km route between Chiasso and the Lake Luzern area is ‘lost’ if you go through the GBT, and you still see plenty of mountains, lakes and Alpine farmland
Thank you so much for the replies everyone!
1960man – I’ll look into this suggestion. Do you recommend booking the bus to Lugano (from Menaggio) in advance?
The inter city train from Lugano yo Zurich, is it just one train or would we need to transfer? Also, how long do you think that would take? Would we be able to book the ticket in advance or do you recommend just showing up?
Thank you!
Hello Julianncal,
Some IC InterCity trains between Lugano and Zurich are non-stop and take around 2hrs 15 mins to 2.5 hrs Others require a change in Lucerne and thus take longer. Check the timetable provided by Annika for verification.
I believe it’s recommended (or even mandatory) to book buses in advance for Italy. However a more Italy-savvy traveler might provide more reliable input.
Best,
Steph
Lugano – Zurich is a direct train, no need to change. However for the next 18 months the railway along Lake Zug is being rebuilt, so the pattern of services is not quite as obvious as it normally is. When planning your itinerary just make sure you do try to get to Lugano at the right time for one of the direct trains, for example there is a bus from Menaggio at 12.45 which connects at Lugano into train EC318 14.34 from Lugano direct to ZRH
Thank you so much everyone! This has been very helpful.
1960man – thank you for the bus and train times. Where can I find those online? A lot of options come up when I search, so I want to make sure I book the bus and the train tickets with a reputable website.
Thank you again!
Personally I always prefer to buy from the national operator. It should be possible through SBB site:
Hi Julianncal,
Apart from the national timetable mentioned above, there is a list of reputable ticket retailers here: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/switzerland /price. Whether you actually need a ticket depends on the rest of your plans in Switzerland. A pass might be cheaper and easier (less or no tickets to buy): http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses.
Thank you so much for the links to the time tables to buy tickets! I do have a Swiss travel pass, but it doesn’t start that day (I wasn’t sure if I could use it traveling from Italy when I bought it). I’ll buy a one way train ticket from Lugano to Zurich, which is fine.
How can I buy the bus ticket from Menaggio to Lugano? Through the SBB website as well? I’m having trouble finding any sort of online schedule or ticket for the bus portion of my journey.
Thank you again so much!
If you have a valid Swiss Travel Pass that day, you only need tickets to the Swiss border. See the validity map at http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity.
As for the bus: I’m quite certain you can simply buy tickets on the spot. Also see http://www.menaggio.com/conte nuti.php?PADRE=13.
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