Which scenic train from Lake Maggiore in May

Good morning. We are planning to stay in Stresa, Lake Maggiore in late May for 4 nights and then have 3 nights to make our first foray into the beautiful Switzerland, where we would like to take one of the scenic train routes but don’t know which. Our current plan is to fly into Milan, train to Stresa but not sure which area to head to after Stresa. Happy to combine some driving/trains/stayovers. Can also fly back from Zurich if more beneficial. Thank You.

Hi Spanner,

Welcome to MySwissAlps!

There are two panoramic train options if you are travelling from Ticino.

1) Centovalli Railway
You can either start your journey from Domodossola or Locarno. Both towns are accessible from Stresa by public transport. If you like, you can also combine your trip with the Lake Maggiore Express ferry that services a few major towns along Lake Maggiore including Locarno and Stresa. For more information, please refer to the following links:

• Centovalli Railway: www.myswissalps.com/ce ntovalli
• Lake Maggiore boat trips: www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakemaggiore
• Locarno: www.myswissalps.com/lo carno

2) Gotthard Panorama Express
Alternatively you can travel to Locarno and from there take the train to Lugano and board the Gotthard Panorama Express to Lucerne. You will find more details from these links:

• Gotthard Panorama Express: www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress
• Lugano: www.myswissalps.com/lu gano
• Lucerne: www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

It's a good idea to get a rail pass if you plan to travel by train in Switzerland. The benefits are numerous. This link may be useful:
Swiss rail passes: www.myswissalps.com/sw issrailpasses

Hope these information will help make planning your trips easier.

Anna

Hi Anna

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. I think I will look in detail at option 2. I fancied the boat trip from Stresa to Locarno and from there - via Panorama Express - spending a night in Lucerne? From there does it make more sense to fly home from Zurich or return to Milan. Either is possible and I have some flexibility in additional days if needs be.

Hi Spanner,

If Lucerne is your last stop, it makes more sense to take the train to Zurich and fly out from Zurich Airport, instead of travelling all the way to Milan. There's a direct train from Lucerne to Zurich Airport every half hour and it takes roughly 1 hour. In comparison, it would take you 4 hours to travel to Milan.

For planning ahead, you may find the SBB timetable very useful:
www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Regards,

Anna