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hello,
two couples, in our 60’s are planning Switzerland trip late May 2019. Flying into Zurcih, tour all day, spend night, and then off to Lucerne. Is it easy to get a train from Zurich to Lucerne? I see only connectors and perhaps it would be easier to get a car. Also once in Lucerne, we plan a day in Bern. Also, expecting to use the train and I would appreciate comment about ease back and forth from Lucerne to Bern.
Next daym tentaive plan is to cruise Lake Lucerne (any recommendations for companies that provide this service) and disembarks at the Glacier Express where we would then enjoy train travel to Zermatt.
In Zermatt, it is easy to arrange a ride via the Gornergrat Railway to enjoy sites?
Next day, again comments on train travel from Zermatt to the Lakes District (stresa). 2 days in Stresa and then is there a rain from Stresa to Milan, or will that require car transfer? We have an evening flight back to Zurich.
Thank you in advance and would appreciate any local guide suggestions if possible..
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Beware this is a very hectic proposed schedule. I wouldn’t recommend trying to cram so much in.
Zurich – Luzern trains run every 30 minutes throughout the day
Luzern – Bern trains run very frequently – via two routes, a high speed route and a scenic route via the Emmenthal (the valley where the cheese of the same name originates). The Emmenthal is one of the most ‘Swiss’ routes you can travel. You will see classic Swiss farmland and villages (and many cats in fields)
I don’t recommend trying to squeeze in the Glacier Express itself, but use the local trains on the same line. Be satisfied with a boat trip on the Vierwaldstättersee (the proper name for Lake Luzern) one day and travel Luzern – Zermatt direct another day. Two routes are possible:
- Luzern – Erstfeld – Göschenen – Andermatt – Visp – Zermatt
- Luzern – Interlaken – Spiez – Brig – Zermatt
The Gornergratbahn runs every 30 minutes from Zermatt. Its easy to find and use.
Zermatt – Stresa is easy. Take the MGB railway back down to Brig and get a EC (Eurocity) Geneva – Milano train. They stop at Stresa. Brig – Stresa is less than 1 hour
Thanks so much for your advice. I wasn’t sure if it was overly ambitious. So little time…dont want to eliminate anything but may reconsider. Thanks again.
Hi love2travel and welcome to MySwissAlps!
The easiest way to plan out your trips is to use the Swiss railways timetable here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
That will give you departures and connection details for any trip you plan to do. You can then decide if your itinerary is doable for your group or if you would prefer to cut anything out. Note it automatically gives you the most direct routing.
I’d also look at a rail pass like the Swiss Travel Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass – if you click the “where it’s valid” tab you can find a list of discounted trips it offers as well as a PDF map of the routes it covers.
Hi,
I’m trying to get a handle on how long your trip will be, from arrival in Zurich to departure from Zurich. Do you have some dates attached to all of these plans ? Are you planning to buy some sort of travel pass ? When you say that << We have an evening flight back to Zurich.>> I am assuming that you are referring to a flight from Milano to Zurich. I am wondering if taking the train back might be just as easy and more economical. If the pass you buy covers the entire period of your stay in Switzerland and Italy then the only extra cost to you would be from Milano to the Swiss border at Chiasso. The trip can take less than four hours (this depends on which departure you choose) and is much more scenic than a flight, especially during daylight hours. youtu.be/si5UFhePiTc
Thank you very much for this very helpful information, Peterli. I do have dates- mid May 2019. 8 full days and disappointed it’s not a bit longer. Plan to be in Stresa last few days and that’s why we are considering the flight from Milan back to Zurich. The train sound much more relaxing. Thanks again
It is possible to travel by train from Stresa to Zurich in just over 3 hours. It could take you that long to travel to Milan airport and not even get on the plane before 3.5 hours has elapsed…
I don’t want to be too nosey, but is Milano only in your plans as a transfer point or are you planning to visit the city ? If so, you might want to visit the Duomo di Milano, and just to the right outside its front door on the Piazza del Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. See the attached aerial image rather than the first map, which was attached by error.
If you are already in Milano, taking the train to Zurich is your best bet (as mentioned previously). No need to get out to the airport in Milano. Just take the Metropolitana linea 3 (subway line shown on their maps in orange/yellow) at the stop at Duomo (direction Comasina) and get off after 4 stops at Centrale FS, then transfer to the Metropolitana linea 2 (shown in green on their maps)(direction Abbiategrasso or Assago) and get off after 2 stops, Garibaldi FS. Trains running to Zurich depart Milano from the Garibaldi train station.
For getting around Milano, you may want to consider purchasing a one day ticket for 4.50 EUR. It is good for 24 hours from the time it is stamped. More information at: http://www.atm.it/en/ViaggiaC onNoi/TurismoMilano/Pa ges/Biglietti.aspx. Last time I was there, mine stopped working after about six hours, but the men at the subway entrances just waved me through, so perhaps they are used to these cards not always working.
Attached is a Google aerial image of the Duomo (yellow rectangle), the Piazza del Duomo, the Galleria (blue rectangle), and the Duomo subway stop (small green rectangle). You can see the map of the entire metro network at giromilano.atm.it/imag es/schema_rete_metro.j pg The four metro lines are in orange/yellow, green, red, and purple and the suburban railways are indicated with thinner blue lines. Another useful page to consult is http://www.atm.it/en/Pages/de fault.aspx
hello and thanks for everyon’es advice. Milan is out. We were only asking as we thought it would be more efficient to travel through to Stresa, but from your info, we were wrong!
New itinerary and we are traveling to Zurich and from Zurich. That cannot be changed.
Arrive Zurich, morning…train to Lucerne- enjoy three nights- explore city, mtn excursion to Pilatus, and then train to Interlake or Grindelwald…overnight. mtn excursion to Schilthorn. Next train to Stresa…3 nights Lake Maggiore,explore Borromean islands (we really wanted Como and Bellagio, but…) then train to Zermatt-2 nights with finally scenic Glacier Express to Chur and then train to Zurich for final overnight in city before leaving on flight back to NY next afternoon.
Hi again,
I think you have made a wise decision. Perhaps you can do more in northern Italy on a trip sometime in the future. In the meantime, it looks like you have figured out a trip that will keep you occupied.
Thank you Peterli. You seem to know very much about Swiss travel and I wonder how you rate the trip. Yes, we will be occupied but I hope it will be amazing as well! Any thoughts on switching Stresa to Como and if so, any thoughts on how?
Hello again,
I have just re-read all the posts in this thread. I understand that you are flying in and out of Zurich, but after that I am now more confused. You said you were staying 8 full days in mid May (2019). Does that also mean 8 nights or 9 nights ? Your original plan (correct me if I am wrong) had you 1 night in Zurich, from there to Lucerne (day trip to Berne, lake cruise, for ? nights in Lucerne) then ? nights in Zermatt, followed by 2 days in Stresa (? nights) and finally 1 night in Zurich (prior to your departure). Your latest itinerary no longer has you staying in Zurich for the first night. I see 3 nights in Lucerne, then 1 night in Interlaken or Grindelwald (this is new, but wonderful), then 3 nights in Stresa, then 2 nights in Zermatt, and finally 1 night in Zurich. That adds up to 10. Am I missing something ?
Dirty, Peterli. Should have explained. We couldn’t change our ny-Zurich and back but would could add some days. Luckily no penalty and same cost, so we have actually 10 full days, 11 nights. I understand there’s a train from Zurich to Como (3,hrs?) but the entire itineraryvwould have to change as well. The other option is eliminate the Italian Lakes for a future time and concentrate all Switzerland. But, oh, they are so close 😄
I write Sorry, Peterli. Uggghh spell check
Yes, there is a direct train from Zurich to Como, as Como is just 5 km from the last station in Switzerland (Chiasso). There have always been cross – border international trains, but with increased ‘internationalisation’ in Europe, there is now a complete cross border local transport network in the Ticino/Italy border area.
Como, Stresa, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore are all very close to Switzerland so there is no need to miss them if you don’t want to. Lakes Maggiore and Lugano are both partly Swiss and partly Italian. There are lake boats from Locarno to Stresa and you can reach Locarno on a direct train from Basel and Luzern
There are ways to get to Bellagio from Lugano – try internet searching – there are various sites with guidance.
As you may see from me in other posts – my opinion on the Glacier Express is that there is no need to do it ‘just because it exists’. It is simply one train on a normal railway. I recommend thinking more about going the destinations you want to visit, not being influenced necessarily by how you get there.
You will see plenty of high mountains and glaciers around Zermatt, so it is perfectly acceptable to visit Zermatt then head towards Zurich on a direct train route. Also remember that Switzerland isn’t just high mountains. Lower altitude agricultural Switzerland is also the ‘quintissential Switzerland’ of cows and perfectly manicured green fields. This can be seen for example on the Emmenthal line Bern – Langnau – Luzern
Hello again,
Okay, now I understand things a bit more. So it is now 10 full days and 11 nights. So I take it that you are not counting the day you arrive in Zurich as one of your ten full days. Correct ? Nor will we count the day you leave Zurich to fly home as one of your ten full days. So now you have ten days, starting with the day after you arrive until the day you get back to Zurich to be ready for your trip home the next day.
Next, be aware that these ten days will go by very quickly, and there is no way you will be able to see and experience all that is Switzerland in such a short amount of time. This is why I hinted in my penultimate post that perhaps northern Italy could wait until another trip. Then you could visit Turin and Milan and the lakes Maggiore, Lugano, Como, Iseo and Garda (and see Bellagio and Stresa) and even go as far as Venice and north into the Dolomites. That would be a full trip and then you’d want more days !
May I assume that you intend on purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass? These are sold for 3, 4, 8, and 15 day periods. An 8 day pass would be insufficient for your stay (by my calculations), if you plan to go Lucerne on the day you arrive, and get to the airport on the say you leave, you will need a pass for 12 days. If you stay close to the airport on your last night in Switzerland, you could just pay the regular fare to the airport, and that would reduce your requirement for a train pass to 11 days. You could also reduce this to 10 days if you only went to Zurich on the day you arrive and just paid the regular fare for that short trip.
But you are still short 2 days ! I just checked on the Swiss Railways website and see that an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass is CHF 398, and one for 15 days is CHF 485, only CHF 87 more (these are for second class, which is absolutely fine in Switzerland). For your information, the fist class prices for these two passes are CHF 631 and CHF 765, quite a difference ! So, I think the easiest thing to do is to buy the 15 day ones. Just in case, you might ask if there is anyway you can stretch the time for your departure back to New York, or to leave New York a bit earlier. I read that you were able to already arrange an extension, so just maybe they would extend it a bit more, say for another 3 days ? But even if your two flight days are already set in stone, I still think that the 15 day pass would be the best for you. (I will wait for some of the other train experts to chip in, if they are following this thread).
My next advice is to use those passes to the max, meaning staying in Switzerland. You can still get a taste of the lakes that are partially in Switzerland and Italy by visiting Locarno and Lugano, and your Swiss Travel Pass also entitles you to transport on the boats on Lake Lugano. You have already mentioned Lucerne and Interlaken and Zermatt as places where you would like to stay and to this you could add Berne and Montreux and a city in the Ticino (perhaps Locarno). Have you thought about visiting the Appenzell ? How about Stein am Rhein ? So you can see how quickly you are going to get to 10 (or 12) full days. The nice thing is that you are not going next week; you have plenty of time to search on the internet and come up with what you want to do and then where to stay.
Certainly a lot to see and do when in Switzerland (and close countries nearby!).
I’d probably lean to staying within Switzerland for simplicity sake (and making the most of your Swiss Travel Pass). But you can easily hop into Italy for a day or two if you like!
Once you’ve set your exact travel dates and day to day itinerary you can do the math and find out exactly which pass saves you the most money on your trip. http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass
The Ticino region of Switzerland is Italian (you’ll feel like you are in Italy except using the Swiss Franc). http://www.myswissalps.com/ti cino
Hello Peterli, Thank you. I am back to the drawing board! But to clear things up, I think we were investigating a 7 day Eurail global pass, which didn’t require consecutive days
Hello again,
I just checked prices for the Eurail Global Pass. The one you mentioned (7 days in a month) is 570 Euro which at today’s rate (1 EUR = 1.13 CHF) which translates to CHF 644. There is also a 15 day continuous Eurail Global Pass for 597 Euro, which converts to CHF 675. So of the two, the latter would be a better deal, as it is only CHF 31 more and gives you total freedom and flexibility. But if you stick to Switzerland, the 15 day Swiss Travel Pass is, as I’ve already mentioned, only CHF 485, much cheaper.
Also, you will find that the Eurail Global Pass does not offer the same coverage and discounts. So even if you purchase the 7 day one you mentioned, it is still CHF 159 more expensive than the one I have suggested. If you still have your hearts set on doing some Italy, you could investigate the Eurail two country pass (Switzerland and Italy). Here you can get one for 8 days in 2 months for 371 Euro (CHF419) and one for 10 days in 2 months for 418 Euro (CHF472). So why even think of the 7 day in a month Eurail Global Pass ? It doesn’t make any sense to me, from both practical and cost reasons. It’s a good thing you have plenty of time to figure out where you want to go and what you want to do, and then which pass best suits your plans.
I am hoping that one of the moderators of this forum will jump in and point you to a comparison of the discounts one gets in Switzerland with a Swiss Travel Pass compared to those one gets with a Eurail pass. They are significant. I will leave you with one other thought/question: If you buy a pass that only covers a certain number of days (say the 7 you mention), do you want to be constantly thinking whether this day or another should be one that you use, and what if the weather changes and you want to move on ? I wouldn’t want to have to think about this, as I want to have the most flexibility that is possible. Mind you, having said all this, I should let you know that for the past eight years I have done almost all of my travel by car ! That, for me, gives me total freedom and flexibility, but it is probably not the best option for first time visitors to Switzerland.
Our rail pas page has links to most rail passes that can be used in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses
One can click on the rail pass they are interested in and then click on the “where it’s valid” tab to see coverage/validity maps and details.
You can then use my link on my last post to properly compare passes to the routes/destinations you are traveling and find out – exactly – which pass saves you the most money.
Often the best option, if only doing a couple trips in another country other that Switzerland, is point to point tickets, which can be quite cheap if bought far enough ahead. http://www.myswissalps.com/tr avel/toswitzerland/tra in/tickets
And then take a Swiss Travel Pass for all the travel in Switzerland.
Most people over estimate how much train travel they do in other countries after Switzerland (where one would use the local transport much more frequently).
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