Itinerary help - Europe

Your pace looks brutal to me.

Keep in mind that "X days" in any location really gives you "X-1" days there - because you don't transport yourself instantly between locations. Even the most efficient traveler on the shortest, best-connected city-to-city route burns a good part of a day when moving - but you will not be efficient, as it's your first time in Europe, and you are trying to "do all of Europe" on one trip, so you would be making long jumps, involving flights or long train trips. So, subtract a day for each time you move. That suddenly makes your trip seem a lot shorter.

It's possible to do 2 days here, two days there, and so on (which is the pace you are proposing) for a short trip. For 6 weeks? Your last travel should be to a hospital (or perhaps to a therapist), because after dragging your family around on that punishing pace for 6 weeks, something is going to be in need of serious repair work.

Am I just ticking countries or it's ok as I allowed 3 days for each destination?

I think you know the answer to this question - otherwise you would not have asked it.

You have lots of great places on your itinerary, but way to many. Also, your trip involves too much travel time.

Most of your trip focuses on major cities, skipping the country side. For example, you spend 4 days in Edinburgh and 2 days in the highlands, that is good, but then London for 4 nights, not visiting some super places in England. Consider skipping some places like Vernazza and Cinque Terre in Italy and adding more time to England or to Rome (3 days is not enough at all).

Amsterdam and Berlin are great, but why not visit Normandy or Alsace in France instead and save on travel time. 3 days for Munich, Nuremberg and Salzburg is silly.
For natural beauty, Interlakken is fabulous.

Buy some guidebooks and discover more of what you visit, not trying to shotgun Europe on one trip.

Consider going on an organized tour for part of the trip. During the tour you don't have to deal with logistics and that should lower the tension a bit.

Consider putting in a week of relaxing - a vacation from the vacation. A week in an agriturismo or an apartment or something like that.

My children are now grown but I cannot imagine putting them on such a schedule for six weeks without an all out rebellion! I don't think the length of your trip is the concern, it is the amount you are trying to cover in the amount of time you. It looks exhausting! I don't see any down time just to poke around, relax and enjoy where you are. We spent four weeks just in Italy (our second trip to Italy) and never spent less than three days in any one place and a week in Florence and a week in Positano. We never rented a car and relied totally on trains which are much less stressful. I would eliminate at least a third of your stops and slow down, enjoy and don't create a riot in the family!

I have never been to Europe for six weeks but have been several times for three. You can’t even for three weeks happily keep up your pace. We spent more time in some places than you are planning-like five days in Rome.

I would cut out some of the places you are going and add time to others. Look at a map and eliminate far flung destinations. Personally I liked Munich much better than Berlin and would add time to Munich and eliminate Berlin. I loved the amalfi coast but it will take you a lot of travel time to and from Rome. I would eliminate it. And then of the remaining places, I personally cared for amsterdam the least.

You of course might prune differently. But I do think you need to prune. Or you really are not going to enjoy your trip after a point.

If you prune your trip, you may find that buying individual tickets is more cost effective. I have never bought a rail pass.

Beth

What’s missing is a few days interspersed with your itinerary to take a vacation from your vacation. Savor, don’t gulp!

I agree with all the others: You're moving too fast. But I want to address the rail pass question. We cannot say for sure until you have your itinerary locked down, but it's likely you'll save quite a bit of money by purchasing individual tickets, assuming you can do so well in advance and are willing to commit to a specific travel date and time. The cheapest tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable.

Your trip isn’t necessarily too long, but your pace is wrong. Way, way too many destinations. You haven’t allowed the half day+ that changing destinations will involve.

When my brother returns to the UK from Perth at Christmas, it takes him at least a week to get over the jet lag and the time difference.

At least your first day will be a write off due to jet lag. Edinburgh can be done in a rush in 2 days, but I would suggest 3+ full days for the Highlands. Half a day to get to London, then have at least 5 full days in London.

Half a day to fly to Amsterdam then have a further 3 full days here before you take the train to Paris for 6 nights (5 full days there). Etc etc.

You need to prioritise what you want to see, but allow at least 5 full days and ideally a week each for London and Paris. If on a budget, drop Switzerland. Rome is a 5 day trip. You need a few days of downtime around week 4.

The tough thing about a first trip is that you don't really know your own pace and preference for travel. Everyone's stamina and interests are different. I'm pretty much an oddball on this forum in terms of style. I change hotels more often and I tend to do far fewer daytrips. It doesn't take me long to change hotels and I dislike the "backtracking" that can happen with multiple day trips. When I travel to Europe with my husband, he likes a slower pace, but still we move faster and change hotels more often than most on the forum. With my kids, we tended to go at a faster clip. I think you should definitely do a more detailed itinerary including the actual travel time so you will know how much time you will lose each day to train/plan travel. Then try to fill in what activities you'd like to accomplish in each city to determine how much you can fit in. Even at my faster pace, I make sure we have time to stop for coffee/hot chocolate, dessert (chocolate and churros, every day in Spain and coffee/chocolate breaks in Paris and Vienna!) and people watching to get the flavor of the city. I think for a longer travel period like yours you need to consider the temperament of the people involved. I have traveled twice with young adults--once when my sons were 20/22 and when my daughters were 20. On my daughters' trip they had a long wish list and we had a longer travel period. Still I made a lot of cuts. We had 26 days, so not that you are doing the same destinations, but I thought I'd share what we did so you get a sense of our pace. Girona, Spain (with day trip to Besalu) 3 days, Barcelona (with day trip to Montserrat) 4days, flew to Vienna for 3 days, Salzburg 3 days, (day trip via Bayern ticket to Munich), Luzern 3 days (with a day trip to Bern), Lauterbrunnen, 4 days, Geneva, 1 day (only to visit CERN and UN), and Paris, 3 nights. This worked just fine for us and it was a magical trip. With the exception of a evening train ride, Geneva to Paris, our train travel was scenic and an enjoyable part of the trip that the girls used for reading, journaling, sleeping, and gazing out the window. I had few complaints from the girls. They felt Lauterbrunnen was too long, though I explained to them that since we didn't have the greatest of weather, the longer stay did mean they could actually see the mountains often enough. And BTW, I wouldn't stay in Interlaken. In my opinion, that's where you don't have enough time. I would encourage 2 nights in Luzern and at least 3 in Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Wengen.

All that said, for the most part, except for Switzerland, I like your itinerary, but as you can tell by your comments, many would not like your pace. If you like Sound of Music, you will not have enough time in Salzburg. For me, personally, I would not get travel burn out, but I'm pretty sure I could travel for several months at a time. I have never come home from any trip where I didn't wishfully think we could have had a longer travel period. I do wonder if you will experience some jetlag affecting the start of your travels. I typically don't have much of a problem, I'm usually so excited that I can power thru the first day, go to bed 9ish and be up by 7:30 and ready for my second day. But, I travel from the midwest of the U.S.

Jennifer's advice is excellent. I think if you extend her concept of how much time to allow into Italy, you will have a good trip. I suggest dropping Germany, Prague, etc. from this trip so you can really enjoy yourselves rather than constantly looking at your watches and worrying about where you need to be. It will help a lot if you have time to see some smaller towns where the pace of life is slower.

If your budget is tight, you should consider substituting the Dolomites (northern Italy) for Switzerland. It is a beautiful area, and costs will be much lower.

One last thought on your itinerary. You are wondering if your travel period is too long or your pace is too fast. If you have the time and budget, I think you are better off extending your trip and taking more time in your destinations vs. shortening the trip and eliminating cities. I think your risk is far greater that you will tire more from the pace than get sick of traveling, if that makes any sense.

Others have commented on the pace, so I probably can't add too much more there. But remember that on a trip of that length you will have to do laundry at some point. Depending on the type of place you stay, you could have the hotel do it at a premium cost or you can do it yourself. But if you are doing the laundry yourself, that is time you are unable to spend exploring. So that needs to be built into your schedule.

For trains, www.seat61.com is very helpful. For most trains, second class is very comfortable and you should not have to spend the extra money for first class tickets.

I was just thinking about laundry and see that JenC beat me to the punch. Laundry is just one of the things that one does at home but doesn’t think about needing to do while on vacation. Then, too, most things end up taking more time than one anticipates due to crowds, road construction, late connections and many other factors. And, as others have pointed out, you’ll want to build in time to enjoy a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, etc., while relaxing and people watching. Otherwise your vacation ends up being more of a forced march than an enjoyable experience. You need to consider which attractions hold the most value for you, pare down your list and do some serious research on sites like Rome2Rio, Seat61, etc. to figure out logistics.

For my long trip, we used rolling carryons and a backpack. Usually the first night of each hotel stay, we'd wash out some underwear/bras/socks (everything was purchased to be fast drying) as we showered (as Sarah Murdoch of Rick Steves recommends). Sometimes we'd do a few tops or some leggings. It was winter everywhere except Spain where it was mid to high 50s, so we didn't have sweaty clothes to deal with. We never went to a laundry mat. Again, its a personal preference thing, but one of my daughters is particularly finicky about having clean clothes and even she didn't have any issues. (of courses undergarments were clean every day!) We've always traveled a lot and for longer lengths of time (tho until the last ten years mostly domestically) after a while you become very efficient with time and packing. You might follow Adventures with Sarah who is passionate about traveling and has great tips about packing and clothing care on a trip. I also just want to be really clear, I am not criticizing anyone. We all have our different styles and different budgets and different life circumstances. Many are retired and have more time for travel. I am retired but my husband isn't, so we really do have limited time for travel and we try to make the most of it. There are people on this forum who I admire and whose advice I really value and when they recommend something, I really listen, and typically follow. I am able to plan better and have a far more enjoyable trip thanks to the many wonderful people on this forum. Beyond that, many are just really kind and supportive. I got into a big rental car issue with a trip I'm taking in a week or so, and being the planner I am, it was a little upsetting. I very much appreciated the extra time a contributor took today to reinforce that my plans were doable and would be enjoyable.

I don't like to tell people how to spend their vacations. You might want to start in Italy in April and work your way north, because April in Scotland can still be a bit chilly, and by late May, Italy will be getting hot. With travel time and a stopover in Dubai, it is closer to 7 weeks than 6. The 10 day Flex 1st class Global Twin Pass is more then 1000 EUR from what I can tell, closer to 1300 EUR.

Good catch, Sam, but I suspect that the plane tickets have already been purchased.

Rajesh, I suggest you consider something similar to the following (order based on assuming air tickets already purchased, otherwise reverse locations because of weather as per Sam, above):
1 week in Scotland and the countryside & smaller towns in England, followed by 1 week in London.
Train to France, 1 week in Paris, followed by 1 week in the French countryside & smaller cities, choosing no more than two areas out of Normandie, Alsace, and the Loire valley.
Fly to Venice for 3-4 days, then train to the Cinque Terre for 2-3 days quiet time (maybe spend one morning on the footpaths in the hills), then train to Rome for a week before heading home.
I suggest these (UK, France, Italy) because they are the big 3 for Western tourists, but the main idea is 3 countries of your choice, each split between big city and smaller/countryside. Don't forget to relax while on vacation!
I hope you and your family have a great trip. Happy travels!

All
Thank you for all the feedbacks so far, though I must admit I am more confused then ever! Normandy, Alsace, Loire valley and Dolomites looks wonderful and will be a challenge to chose between them.
I love the idea from Sam about the start from Italy however as I hold my tickets for 72 hours and will cost me few hundred dollars to change, is it really worth doing? I checked the weather in Italy in May and it looks pleasant between 15 to 20c? I also hoping to see snow on mountain of highland in April, what do you think?

I am going to give up Germany and Prague in this trip, this will free up over a week which I'll use for UK and France.
For the country side for France, can someone recommend a single place? Normandy area seems out to the way considering I will travel to Swiss after that?

Many thanks
Raj

I really, really dislike palaces, so I'd definitely opt for Alsace rather than the Loire. Plenty of people would vote the other way.

For your trip, I would chose between Alsace and Loire because Normandy is quite a bit further away. I really liked both areas a lot, but they are very different. I loved the quaint little half timbered villages and the picturesque wine route in Alsace. It really does feel like being in a fairy tale. I did like some of the chateaus in the Loire and there are quite a variety depending on your interests. For example, some have magnificent gardens like Villandry and Chenonceau. Amboise is a very interesting little town that a lot of people like to have as a base for touring the Loire and you could visit, Da Vinci's chateau which is smaller, and of course, more focused on DaVinci and his inventions. If you are into wine tasting, I do enjoy the wines of Alsace but they tend to be white--reisling, gewurz, pinot gris. The wines of Loire are varied and some would say more elegant and more of a variety of both reds and whites.

I'm not sure if I bought this up in my previous post, but in addition to reading some guidebooks, I highly recommend watching episodes of Rick Steve's PBS shows. They really help me a lot in choosing destinations.

I am thinking snow in the highlands of Scotland in April is unlikely, but I will defer to any people in Scotland to be more clear on that. My impression is that snow can be present in January and February, but it is most likely gone by the end of March. If you pass through Switzerland's high mountains at the end of April, you will most certainly find snow above 2000 m elevation.

Hi Rajesh. What a great trip you have ahead of you and wise of you to plan it all out so it is the best it can be for the huge investment of time and money. Here are what I hope will be helpful comments.

Do not underestimate stress. Each new place requires some orientation - differences in language, in signage (which way is the exit? where in the heck are the street names !?! ), in currencies, in transportation (buses, trams, metros) and just trying to figure out hwere your hotel is in relation to the sights you want to see. One way to offset some of this is to limit the places you visit. Another is to build in some R&R time - just to relax, do laundry, shop for necessities (don't underestimate the time that can take in a foreign language - plus you may enjoy seeing a French supermarket or an Italian pharmacy). Maybe schedule and unscheduled day once a week or so. Pack light. The less you have to pack and unpack, the faster you'll be. No one else really cares how often you wear the same outfits, as long as they are clean :-)

Every time you need to eliminate a stop as you plan, tell yourself: Less is more. Your goal should be to enjoy every place you are, not to see every place you can. A long string of short stops leads to the kaleidoscope effect - all the sights and experiences blend and blur and you don't really absorb much at all. I do recommend trying to alternate small towns and big cities.

While I would also have recommended starting in the south and working your way north, even in May Italy shouldn't be really hot. It won't be Sydney summer, but highs can easily be in the high 20s. On a hot sunny day, you'll have an extra excuse for more gelato.

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it, but with a rail pass you may have additional reservation fees when you book trains.

And lastly, as many here will attest, you will be back. Maybe not for a few years, but Europe's been around for centuries, so think of this trip as your first, not your only one.

On the "burnout" factor...no, six weeks is ample time. You won't feel "burned" out. I would not be concerned with that at all. I've done trips solo and with family when the trip was less than 6 weeks and also trips lasting more than six weeks. What is important is to pace yourself.

Good itinerary. Which historical sites are you after?

Hi again
Here is what I believe should work ?

Summary Travel time Nights
Sydney - Rome 1
Rome (Day 1 rest) 5
Rome to Sorrento via Pompoii 3 1
AC/Capri 2
Sorrento to Siena Train 5 1
Orvieto - Val d'Orcia - Tuscany Drive 1
Siene to Florance 2 3
Vernazza/CT 2 2
Vernazza to Venice 6 3
Venice - Tirano - Chur - Lucerne (Bernina exp) 12 1
Lucerne 1
Lauterbrunnen area 3
Lucerne to Paris 6 7
Paris - Amsterdam via Brussels day trip 4 1
Amsterdam 2
Amsterdam - London/Manchester 6 5
Edinburgh/Highland 5 5
Dubai/Sydney 3

Sorry, hit the sent button without finishing the comment -

So the new plan looks this way -
Summary Travel time Nights
Sydney - Rome 1
Rome (Day 1 rest) 5
Rome to Sorrento via Pompeii 3 1
AC/Capri 2
Sorrento to Siena Train 5 1
Orvieto - Val d'Orcia - Tuscany Drive 1
Siena to Florence 2 3
Vernazza/CT 2 2
Vernazza to Venice 6 3
Venice - Tirano - Chur -
Lucerne (Bernina exp) 12 1
Lucerne 1
Lauterbrunnen area 3
Lucerne to Paris 6 7
Paris - Amsterdam via Brussels
day trip 4 1
Amsterdam 2
Amsterdam - London/Manc 6 5
Edinburgh/Highland 5 5
Dubai/Sydney 3

I really want to add few more nights in France (Alsace or Burgundy area) instead of Amsterdam, thoughts? Do we really need 6 full days in Paris or 5 will do?
I am planning to catch Bernina Express from Tirano to Chur and then sleep in Lucerne, do you think it's doable? I need to travel in the morning from Venice to Tirano ( 6 hours) then can catch the afternoon Bernina to Chur,

Many thanks
Raj

Hi
I just checked again the Eurail pass for Benelux-France-Italy-Switzerland and for the 2nd class it is for 848 Euro (1056 for 1st), this is very good rate compare to what I roughly checked the individual fairs for 10 trips?

Thanks
Raj

That sounds like an awful lot of money to me. Where did you find the rail fares you're comparing to the cost of the rail pass?

Maybe you are comparing full price individual tickets. Many national rail sites sell discounted tickets if you buy well in advance. Tickets are generally either no cancel/change, or charge a hefty fee. For instance, the price for a last-minute ticket from Paris to Brussels is €99, but if you buy now for 3 months ahead, it's as low as €29.

I don't understand the numbers in your new itinerary.

I checked Goeuro site for the fair and travel time. Eu 848 is for 10 trips for all 3 of us which is around 29 euro per trip per person.

Rajesh. GoEuro is a reseller. It may not be offering you the cheapest rail fares or listing all trains.
To get the best fares, go to the website of the company running each train, usually the national railway company in each country.

I suggest you read this webpage, and the rest of that site, to see where to buy train tickets: https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm

The 828 EUR for a 4 country Twin Pass(BL,FR,SW,IT) seems low, but perhaps you get a deal in Australia. From the US, it is about 960 EUR equivalent.

1. Naples to Sorrento and back is on Circumvesuviano trains which don't
   take Eurail Passes.

2. You have 4 trips in Italy that will involve Freccia trains which have
   a 10 EUR reservation fee per person.

3. You might take the bus from Siena to Florence.

4. Florence to Vernazza can be done with Regionali trains for 44 EUR for
   the 3 of you.

5. Venice to Tirano to Chur to Luzern can be done in 1 day. I figure 13
   1/2 hours.

6. Eurail Pass gives a 25% reduction on train Interlaken to
   Lauterbrunnen and back. Lauterbrunnen to Paris, go by way of Bern and
   Basel, not Luzern. TGV from Basel requires seat reservations.

7. Paris, 5 nights could be enough if you want to stop 2 nights in
   Colmar or Strasbourg on the way to Paris from Bern.

8. Paris to Amsterdam on the Thalys requires expensive seat reservations
   with a Eurail Pass, 2 if you stop in Brussels.

9. Consider flying from Amsterdam to London City airport.

Thanks Sam, great advise.

Like Chani I do not understand what the numbers refer to on your new plan.

Re: how many nights to spend in Paris: this depends on what you plan to see and do. I spend 8 nights (so seven days of sight-seeing) and managed to see most of the things I planned (and a morning in the laundromat). Here's the trip report if you're interested in the details: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/april-in-paris-1e48a51b-4933-490e-9e0d-e8bdf1035b47

Hi, I put the estimated travel time, guess this would be the final plan-
Sydney - Rome 1 day rest
Rome 4 days
Rome to Positano via Pompoii 3 days
Siena/Orvieto - Val d'Orcia - Tuscany Drive 2 days
Florance 2 days
Vernazza/CT 2 days
Vernazza to Venice 3 days
Venice - Tirano - Chur - Lucerne (Bernina exp) 1 day
Lucerne 1 day
Lauterbrunnen area 3 days
Colmar 3 days
Paris 5 days
Paris - Amsterdam via Brussels day trip 1 day
Amsterdam 2 days
Amsterdam - London 5 days
Edinburgh/Highland 4 days
Dubai/Sydney 3 days

need some input on couple of places -
1 - Is it worth going to Dolomites for a day trip from Venice? The other option might be to go via dolomites to lake Come, stay for the night and catch the Bernina exp from Tirano next day?
2 - In Tuscany area, is it ok to drive considering I never drove on RH of the road, also Siena is a good option for 2 night base or should we spend a night in either Montalcino or Assisi?

Many thanks
Raj

Hi Marty
Your trip report to Paris is great, Any advise for my 5 days trip like where to stay, what not to be missed etc.?

thanks
Raj

I would not attempt the Dolomites as a day-trip from Venice. I think the usual route via public transportation would be train to Bolzano (in the valley, not yet in the Dolomites), then a bus. The train alone will take close to 3 hours if not more. Then you'd wait a bit for the bus and probably be on the bus for about an hour. So that would be 8 hours of traveling for the roundtrip. There may be a different route into the eastern part of the Dolomites that would be somewhat quicker from Venice, but I still don't think it would be a good use of your time. All the more since you have time planned in the Swiss Alps.

There will be plenty to keep you busy in Venice. If for some reason there is not (e.g., another catastrophic acqua alta event), hop on a train and go to Padua. It's only 30 minutes away and has a very nice, strollable historic district.

"Any advise for my 5 days trip like where to stay, what not to be missed etc.?"

My husband and I splurged and stayed on Ile St. Louis within walking distance of Notre Dame and St. Chapelle (and a longer walk to the Louvre and much longer to D'Orsay. Next time I'm probably going to be in the Latin Quarter where the hotels are less pricey. Someone on this site recommend the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. You could browse the France forum for other suggestions.

The "not to be missed" sites vary from person to person depending on your interests. You could ask your daughter to look at the guidebook and see if anything stands out. I've read the parks and playgrounds are wonderful and we visited those almost every day when my boys were that age. "Linnea in Monet's Garden" is a nice read beforehand if your family likes art. The Orangerie art museum and the Tuileries (park) are near a ferris wheel so that makes a nice afternoon. She might like Notre Dame if she's seen the Disney movie. The tower tour has a lovely view and gargoyles and the famous bells. But there are many stairs and no elevator. Search this website for Paris with Children for other ideas.

I would just say to make sure to add a couple of extra days for doing nothing. We usually travel for 4 weeks and by the end we are very tired. It might be nice to have a couple + days for laundry, just sleeping and reading and staying in, just a break in the pace a couple of times. I know its hard to think of wasting that time, but it will probably be needed.

point well taken and I have 3 days in Colmar in the middle of the trip to just relax.
many thanks

All, I need some help on Switzerland itinerary please...

My initial plan was to leave Venice on 27/04 to Tirano to catch Bernina express, this train departs around 2.15 in the afternoon and reach Chur around 6, then I can take another train to reach Lucerne for couple of nights before heading to Murren for 3 nights.
Considering this will be a very long day, I am thinking of staying a night in Chur and catch the Glacier express next day (11.30)to either Brig (Arrival-15.45) or Zarmatt (Arrival - 17.10) then to Murren via Interlaken. This will allow us to see both scenic train route.

Has anyone done this route before? Do we have any train available from Zarmatt to Murren instead of going via Interlaken?
Does this Glacier express worth it or my initial plan with Lucerne for couple of nights is batter?
Finally, which village is prettier between Murren, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen ?

Many thanks
Raj

You don't need to go all the way to Zermatt on the Glacier Express, only as far as Brig, then change to trains going to Muerren from there. If you still want scenic trains, book via Kandersteg and you will go mostly over the mountains. The "standard" route goes mostly under the mountains through the Loetschberg Base Tunnel and is about 1 hour shorter.

There is no way to get to Muerren without going through Interlaken. I think Muerren is the prettiest of the 3 villages you mentioned. And the Glacier Express is quite beautiful between Chur and Brig. But if you don't mind not having panorama windows and can take one extra connection, you can travel by the hourly regular trains that ply the same route and you don't have to pay a reservation fee. You do change trains at Disentis/Muster, but even the Glacier Express stops there for 30 minutes for a crew change.

Edit - Here is the Swiss rail network map to help you see all the routes on page 1. Page 2 shows a relief map with just the scenic routes. Route 7, the Loetschberger is the line between Brig and Spiez that goes through Kandersteg I referred to earlier. This will help your planning I think.
https://cdn-doc.myswissalps.com/docs/default-source/rail-network-maps/swisstravelsystem.pdf?sfvrsn=7788603a_34

Thank you Sam,
Do you know what time the bus depart from Lugano to Tirano? I am not sure if I can catch that bus as I am leaving early from Venice the same day to get this Bernina express from Tirano.
Would you recommend the Glacier Exp or should I just travel via local trains, also would you recommend any alternative route (doesn't matter if I have to get off before Chur) so I can get to Murren the same day.
Also does this Swiss rail pass worth it, does this pass means I don't have to pay for the reservation.

Many thanks
Raj

Coming from Venice, do not go to Lugano. Instead, take the train from Milan to Tirano. They go just about every hour.

Per the current schedule, you need to leave Venezia S. Lucia station at 7:20 am going to Milano Centrale, arriving at 9:45 am, then taking the regional train to Tirano at 10:20 am, arriving at 12:52 pm. That will give you time to have lunch at one of the restaurants (pizzerias) by the station before the Bernina Express leaves at 2:15 pm.

Now I say, "per the current schedule" because the regional train schedule changes on December 8, and it has not been officially posted yet, and probably will not show up until very close to December 8. It usually does not change, but we must wait and see. The Frecciarosso high speed train from Venice to Milan is on the schedule now for April 27 and available to purchase.

You still have to pay seat reservation fees for the named panorama trains like the Bernina Express and Glacier Express even if you have a Swiss Travel Pass. It is really a supplement for the special services on the train. Panorama cars, headsets with multilingual descriptions of the sights along the way, wait staff to serve drinks and lunch at your seat. I have done both of these, and they were enjoyable, but some people prefer the regular trains. Exact same scenery, windows that can be opened, although April is liable to still be quite chilly.

I don't think there is any way to get to Muerren from Chur using the Glacier Express route if you arrive there at 6:19 pm. You would have to take a train to Zurich and then to Muerren, arriving after 11 PM at the earliest.

You can get to Muerren in one day from Venice faster, but that would be using an EC train from Milan that would go to the west and use the long Simplon and Loetschberg Base Tunnels, foregoing a lot of the scenery. You can also take the route north through Lugano to Luzern. There is another new very long base tunnel on the main line, but you can use the older route, shown on page 2 of the map. The Gotthard Panorama Express, but ignore the lake boat portion. You can get there with a simple train change at Arth-Goldau. Also, I don't know if the actual Express runs in April, but like I said, in Switzerland there is at least one train every hour on every route.

Thanks again Sam, it is really helpful.
I figured we need to break our scenic journey over 2 days, I'll catch BE from Tirano to Chur and then next day will take GE to Brig then to Murren. Now I am trying to pick a spot to spend a night, Chur looks bit boring, anything you can recommend?

Regards
Raj

Instead of taking the Bernina Express all the way to Chur, you could stop at Pontresina and spend the night there. Next morning, take a bus or local train the short way to St Moritz and get the Glacier Express to Brig. Both the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express travel the exact same route between St Moritz and Chur.

Berguen is another nice town further on toward Chur. It has a railway museum about the Bernina Express rail line. In the morning, take a local train to Filisur and get the Glacier Express there on the way to Brig.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/berguen-albula.html

Thank you.
I have booked a night in Pontresina during my BE trip and will catch the GE next morning from St Moritz to Brig before heading down to Murren.
After reading many blogs, it appear that during this time (I will be there on 28/04 to 1/05) Murren might be not a good idea to be based as so many things are closed, anyone have any experience? I am really disappointing as of now should have done more homework before booking the flights.
Is it batter to base myself to Brienz or Lucerne to avoid mud, snow etc. on the road and leave Jungfrau region for a day trip when the sky is clear?
The other option is to cover France and Amsterdam first and come back to Alps, but again this will be like 12th of May or something, do you think it will improve things in Murren?

BR
Raj