[Bless10s]

26 February 2020 at 15:01:18 #825356

I have done some research for my family of 4 or 5 and now I am trying to figure out train passes and narrow down our number of days in certain areas. I will be traveling with my husband, 24 year old son and 21 year old daughter and possibly but probably unlikely my son’s fiancee. We are looking to be in Switzerland for 12 or 13 nights. I try to minimize packing and dragging our suitcases as we like to relax/hike but also like to see as much as we can.

We are not big museum people but don’t mind doing a few if highly recommended. We love lakes, mountains and nature but enjoy what cities offer especially, dining. We are all athletic with various orthopedic issues but we still like to hike, kayak, bike etc. We would like to tour a wine region, a castle or two and learn about chocolate. Sadly I am the only one that can eat cheese as the rest of the family is lactose intolerant/allergic to lactose.

Here are my questions:

1. Is it unreasonable to fly from the USA to Milan overnight and get on train the same day to the Ticino region?

2. If we stay in the Ticinio area, are we missing anything by not going to Lake Como (We have traveled to Venice, Florence/Tuscany area including Cinque Terre, Positano and Rome but never Northern Italy).

2. What city in Ticino would be a recommended place to stay for 2 or 3 nights and then head to Zermatt? Do you recommend 2 or 3 nights?

3. How many nights in Zermatt do you recommend 2 or 3?

4. From Zermatt I want to head to North or east end of Lake Geneva or Bernese Oberland area. I am torn between staying somewhere between Lausanne and Montreux or do we stay in the Interlaken area? Any thoughts? Do we split time between both or do we stay in the Interlaken area and rent a car so we can get to the wineries and Chateau Chillon or is it doable to see these by train or tour.

5. Are we missing anything by not staying in Geneva?

5. I would like to then travel to Lucerne for 2 or 3 nights. What is recommended?

6. Is it possible to take the Gotthard Panorama Express and eventually get to Milan the same day? I would like to get to MIlan and spend 1 or 2 nights before traveling back to the USA.

7. Because we are more than likely flying round trip out of Milan does it make sense to get a Swiss Travel Pass? Is the Gotthard Panorama Express included for an upgrade if we buy 2nd class passes?

7. I am also open minded to reversing the trip. We could go from Ticino to Lucerne to Bernese Oberland to Zermatt to Milan but it seems to be easier to get from Lucerne to MIlan. Correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks for any help!!

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[rockoyster]

27 February 2020 at 2:00:39 #930891

Hello Bless10s and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

That’s a lot of questions. Here’s one from me – when?

1. Yes you can get a direct suburban train from Malpasena to Lugano by-passing Milan.

2. Don’t know, never been to Como. You can’t do everything in 12 days.

2(b). Lugano. See this trip report. Your call on how many nights. I stayed 5 and still didn’t run out of things to do.

3. Your call – depends what you want to do there. Minimum 2.

4. See these trip reports for Montreux and Bernese Oberland.

5. Not given all the other stuff you are trying to cram in.

5(b). Number of nights? You can easily fill a week based in Luzern alone.

6. Yes it is possible. The GPEX route is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass but it is 1st Class only and you need to pay for seat reservations.

7. Almost certainly but see below.

7(b). It is actually quite easy to get from Zermatt to Milan via Domodossola.

Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.

For checking timetables see http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/checking-train-timetables.

Any city or major scenic train route mentioned above will have it’s own page on this site. Just do a search to get more details.

Hope that’s enough food for thought fo you to progress your plans.

[Bless10s]

27 February 2020 at 2:44:08 #930892

Thank you for taking the time to respond to all of my questions. Your responses were extremely helpful!! I downloaded the spreadsheet earlier today and will start working on it. I love it!

I started my post and then deleted a lot and thanks to your response I realized I deleted my dates of travel and I realized my numbers are completely off. So much for reading it over about 10 times before I posted.

We are planning on arriving in Milan on June 21st or June 22nd. Wish we had more time to spend in Switzerland.

[rockoyster]

27 February 2020 at 4:06:10 #930893

You’re welcome.

Late June, early July is perfect.

I would go Milan – Lugano – Luzern – Bernese Oberland – Lake Geneva area – Zermatt – Milan.

I’d suggest you give some serious thought to cutting out one of either Lake Geneva or Zermatt otherwise I think you will be rushing from place to place a bit much. You can do a day trip from the BO or from say Montreux to Zermatt quite easily.

But of course different folk have different priorities. We tend to prefer to spend more time at fewer bases and do day excursions out from those bases.

Anyway, enjoy the planning – it’s half the fun! 🤓

[Removed user]

27 February 2020 at 6:06:10 #930894

Hi Bless10s,

Rockoyster gave you helpful answers, I would like only to add few other links to it:

• As you are coming/going to Italy by train, read this: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy.
• Learn about the Swiss gastronomy at http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/culturehistory/food
• In the Lake Geneva region you can also check Vevey (between Lausanne and Montreux) it is a charming little town: https://www.hotelscombined.com/Place/Vevey.htm
• You can also check these towns and areas:
  • Canton Ticino: http://www.myswissalps.com/ticino
  • Lake Geneva area (with Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux): http://www.myswissalps.com/lakegeneva and http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakegeneva
  • Lake Lucerne area (Lucerne and the nearby mountains): http://www.myswissalps.com/lakelucerne and http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakelucerne
  • Jungfrau region: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities
  • Gotthard Panorama Express route and what you need to know about the tickets: http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress/gettingthere and http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress/tickets

Ildiko