Where to go on my way from Milan to Geneva

I'm arriving in Milan Italy on the morning of 29th would love to travel to Switzerland by train on my way to Geneva on the night of the 30th. Any ideas on traveling by train on a scenic view

Hi Judyjohn, thanks for joining MySwissAlps!

There are lots of options for a scenic detour to Geneva. Here are some:

• travel from Milan to Kandersteg/Spiez via Domodossola and spend the night there. If you have time, you could visit Lake Thun or the Jungfrau region the same afternoon or the next morning. Then pick up the Golden Pass route towards Montreux/Geneva;
• travel from Milan to Lucerne via Chiasso, Lugano and Flüelen, roughly following the Wilhelm Tell Express-route. Take some time in or near Lucerne. The next day, travel the entire Golden Pass route to Montreux and continue on to Geneva.
• travel to Zermatt first and spend the night there. Get to Geneva the next day and maybe travel part of the leg by boat on Lake Geneva.

The pages I linked to, combined with the timetable, will help you to plan such trips in detail. Note that it could be worth getting the Swiss Half Fare Card, but this depends on your finalized itinerary. Here's how to calculate if a rail pass turns out to be more economical than buying full fare tickets.

Hi,,

ok Im starting out in Zurich. Do we take the golden pass from Lurcerne and take that to Montreux, then transfer to another train to Geneva or take boat

what are the time tables for this how long will it take if we start out around 12 noon

Hi Judyjohn -

<<"I'm arriving in Milan Italy on the morning of 29th would love to travel to Switzerland by train on my way to Geneva">>

<<"ok Im starting out in Zurich.">>

<<"if we start out around 12 noon">>

Whatever the options, the timetable that Arno linked you to will let you understand times and alternate routings. It is a system with lots of information and details buried in layers, so please read the instruction page at that link.

If you need help with using the timetable on fine details, please get back to us.

It is often helpful to work with a map. This one is useful, because you can turn on an overlay under "Points of Interest/Traffic" that shows public transport stops.

map.search.ch/Malpensa -Aeroporto,terminal-1-Station-Stop?pos=654208,144000&z=1& poi=default

Slowpoke

Actually Annika didn't include Zürich in any of her suggestions.

Annika didn't. Because the original question was about Milan to Geneva. Judyjohn, you need to clarify your starting point, your ending point and how long you have to reach there. I've only been to Switzerland twice but both times took scenic train trips that were more than worth the time. One of the few places where the travel is part of the vacation. And this forum can provide you with the best options if you give the best details of your trip.

Sorry,

we only have one day . We wanted the most scenic train to go from Zurich and end in geneva

Hi Judyjohn,

So you don't have to start from Milan and it's just about a one day trip from Zurich to Geneva? Yes, in that case I'd recommend the Golden Pass route. Please study the pages I referred to in my first answer for all details about the Golden Pass route, boats on Lake Geneva, and so on. These pages, and the links provided on them, should be able to answer your questions on routes and timings. Don't forget to calculate whether a rail pass is worth your money (you may still need an inbound train trip to Zurich too, whether it's from Milan or from another starting point). Feel free to get back to us if you still have specific questions after going through the information provided above.

Ok I will spend the night of the 29th in Zurich. The 30th we are making our way to Geneva.

So we wanted the most scenic route from Zurich.

Hi Judyjohn-

Annika gave the necessary links before.

The route will be Zürich- Luzern- Meiringen - Interlaken Ost - Spiez - Zweisimmen - Montreux. It will involve some changes of train, which you can figure out from the timetable, whose link was given previously.

The portion from Luzern to Montreux is the route of the Golden Pass trains, and also regular trains on the same tracks.

Once at Montreux, you will catch either a lake boat or a train to Geneva.

Without having checked the timetable to be sure, i recall somewhat limited lake boat service in the Fall. If there is no boat available, the train ride is quite nice.

The boat landing at Montreux is near the station ( about 100 to 150 meters) , but about 25 or 30 meters on a steep walk down to lake level. If you have heavy luggage, that may add complexity to the transfer.

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=ech&lang=en&bgLa yer=ch.swisstopo.pixel karte-farbe&layers=ch.bav.ha ltestellen-oev,ch.swisstopo.swiss tlm3d-wanderwege&layers_visi bility=false,false&X=1 42814.00&Y=559308.00&z oom=10

Slowpoke

Thank you, we are traveling with carry on only so I think we will be fine. I will look into if the boat is available