Advice on 12-13 day Switzerland and Italy trip

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    21 January 2017 at 14:41:43 #810625

    Hello, My husband and I are lovers of nature and quaint towns. We are looking to travel to Switzerland and Italy for a 12-13 day trip. In Italy, I would like to see Venice, Lake Como, and Cinque Terre. In Switzerland, I want to do interlaken, zermatt, and at least one other location that’s on the route of a scenic train (ideas? I’m open to anything, including Zurich )

    I most definitely want to do a train ride through the alps such as the Glacier express, Wilhelm Express, or Bernina express but don’t know which is my best bet. I am having a hard time planning this out this time line and the order in which to do to things. I’m open to flying to either Switzerland or Italy and flying home from a dif location that I flew in to. I also don’t know what the best way to travel is. I don’t know if I should do a Swiss rail pass or something different. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

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    Annika
    Moderator
    7103 posts
    21 January 2017 at 15:39:12 #858262

    Hi Jennygrl01, welcome to MySwissAlps!

    Let’s take a look at your plans for Switzerland. First of all, when do you plan to travel? The month in which you’ll be visiting Switzerland may determine the advice you get. For example, there are beautiful towns that definitely comply to your wish of “quaint” in the off-season, but that may be too touristy for you in July or August. Interlaken itself is convenient but not that scenic. If you’re looking for a smaller town amidst great scenery, you may consider one of the villages in the Jungfrau region instead. Zermatt is stunning when it comes to nature.

    Since you wish to incorporate a scenic train ride in your schedule, I’ll give a suggestion below. Of course there are many more options and I don’t know how many days you plan to spend in Switzerland, but this may serve as a start:

    • spend some days in the Jungfrau region;
    • travel to Zermatt using the local trains via Goppenstein (enter this as a via-station in the timetable) for scenic views;
    • after your stay in Zermatt, take the Glacier Express to St. Moritz and spend some time in the beautiful Engadine. You may even make a side trip with the Bernina Express;
    • head back for Zurich.

    Depending on your finalized itinerary, a rail pass will help you save money. The 8 day Swiss Travel Pass might be convenient. Here's more information on train traveling.

    Does this get you started?

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    21 January 2017 at 19:05:52 #858263

    Hi Jennygrl01-

    Annika has offered some good ideas, responsive to your thoughts. She has mentioned one of my favorite train rides – “The Lötcshberger” from Bern (or interlaken with change at Spiez) ) to Brig over the old, higher scenic route., thence to Visp and Zermatt.

    I do not recommend the scenery inside the new “Lötschberg Basis Tunnel” which is faster, and which the timetable thus will choose unless you force an intermediate station on the higher, old route. Goppenstein is good, or Kandersteg.

    As she notes, Interlaken is hardly a village, is not quaint, and serves best as a transport base.

    Not merely time of year, but, also , altitude is important or even critical in defining where to travel in Switzerland.Some of your suggested places to visit are hardly quaint villages.

    Some places that definitely are villages, or at most, very small towns, include Scuol, Ftan, Guarda, Ardez, Sur-en, Bos Cha, Zuoz and Zernez in the lower Engadine. They are at the opposite end of the valley from St. Moritz, thus near the border with Austria, and Scuol is an hour and 21 minutes from St. Moritz by train.

    These links may help:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ab outswitzerland/nature

    Check the links on that page.

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips/t rain

    Work with a map. This one shows train lines if you zoom in:

    map.search.ch/?pos=811200,170688&z=4

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    21 January 2017 at 21:32:14 #858264

    Thank you for your reply. The jungfrau region sounds great. What towns encompass that area? Also, is there a scenic train route near the area. We are looking to visit in the summertime

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    21 January 2017 at 21:45:36 #858265

    <<“Thank you for your reply. The jungfrau region sounds great. What towns encompass that area? Also, is there a scenic train route near the area.”>>

    Please look at the map linked below. You will see that the route mentioned by Annika and myself is near the Jungfrau region and is scenic.

    The cograil train to the Jungfrau is scenic. It is very near the area.

    Please use the link for the Jungfrau region that Annika provided.

    Also, check the link that I provided for scenic train rides. Those should get you started.

    The map that I have linked below is good for train routes.

    <<“We are looking to visit in the summertime”>>

    The Summer season in the high Alpine parts of the Jungfrau region starts to begin on about June 15th, when trails at 2000 meters generally are available (no promises) and has pretty much reached full function by July 1. Some variation due just how much snowpack remains from the Winter.

    Many cableways and public transport services switch to summer schedule on May 25th. Some run all year long.

    Use the timetable that Annika linked, plus a map such as:

    map.search.ch/?pos=641696,161824&z=8

    To better understand the routes, zoom in on the map.

    Slowpoke

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