We are two senior travelers thinking of two weeks this September ( Covid permitting ). We would like to start at Lake Como then one town in Switzerland then onward to Amsterdam. My biggest question is which town in Como and Switzerland. We love "old city" sightseeing, stopping into shops and restaurants. We like to walk or take buses in town. From what I have read, Bellagio for Como and Bern or Lucerne for Switzerland. But there is nothing better than speaking with some one who has been there. We are thinking three nights four days ( one day for travel ) at each location unless we have to change that for some "must see or do" reason. We have not thought about logistics yet. I guess that will addressed when we know where we are going. Thank you in advance for any advice to care to share.
Posted by
Connecticut
695 posts
Bern felt larger and more modern. Lucerne was charming, scenic and walkable. Both were very easy to navigate. The benefit of the Lake Como area is that towns were easily reachable by ferry. Bellagio is very nice, seemingly upscale, and lots of non traditional shopping. I stayed in Varenna but would chose Bellagio for my next base in the lake area.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8338 posts
To get to Lake Como, you would most often fly into Milan Malpensa Airport. Depending on where you're staying, you could either take a bus or a train the 45 miles (approx.) up there.
My close friend lives in Lugano which is the next lake to the west.
You can catch a train on into Switzerland and eventually get to a larger city where you can catch a flight to Amsterdam. Many people would just go back down into Italy by train and tour the northern half of that country since it's so close.
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL
1894 posts
Fly into Milan
Train to Varenna and stay there and visit Bellagio by boat for a day.
Leave Varenna by train back to Milan
Enjoy some time in Milan
Train to Luzern from Milan
Enjoy Luzern.
Train to Zurich airport and fly to Amsterdam.
Enjoy
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1412 posts
Alternative to Threadwear's good plan:
Fly into Milan
Train to Varenna and stay there and visit Bellagio by boat
Leave Varenna by train back to Milan
Enjoy some time in Milan
Train to Wengen (up in the Alps) via Luzern from Milan
Enjoy Wengen
Leave Wengen by train to Zurich airport via Luzern and fly to Amsterdam
Enjoy
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7052 posts
A version of the plans suggested above: Take the overnight train from Switzerland (Zürich or Basel) to Amsterdam.
Posted by
11608 posts
Lake Como- stay in Bellagio where you have many more choices of hotels and restaurants. Stay near the top of the town for fewer crowds and better views.
Lucerne is nice but we really love Grindelwald with the mountains right in front of you.
Amsterdam- we love The Netherlands! Stay in Jordaan or on a canal in the Central Canal Region. Hotel l’Ambassade is well situated. Book museums and Anne Frank Haus tickets well ahead of your visit. Take a canal boat ride.
Enjoy these beautiful places!!
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ
333 posts
You've gotten great advice, I'll just add that we saw The Last Supper in Milan and it was the most incredible art experience I've had. No crowds, large, serene, and deteriorating(!). If you travel through Milan please don't miss it.
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1412 posts
Posted by AmandaR
I'll just add that we saw The Last Supper in Milan and it was the most incredible art experience I've had. No crowds, large, serene, and deteriorating(!). If you travel through Milan please don't miss it.
Agree 100%!
Posted by
Oberpfalz, Germany
1396 posts
One of our best vacations ever was a week in an apartment in Varenna, then 2 overnights near Interlachen, then 4 overnights in Grindelwald. We drove with our own car, but once there the car remained parked. We used the lake ferries extensively on the Comer See exploring towns, sites and villas. Took a very expensive cruise on the Thurnersee. We went up the First and the Jungfraujoch and walked down along the north face of the Eiger. Drove around some near Gindelwald. This is now 10 + year history, but still one of our absolute best.
Posted by
Inlet Beach, FL
136 posts
I agree with staying in Bellagio---what a wonderful memory and gorgeous place! You can take the ferry back and forth to the other lake villages, it's fun! I also agree that seeing the Last Supper in Milan is a must do. We made reservations and you wouldn't believe the people in line who didn't know you needed to do that and were so disappointed. We stayed at the Hotel Bellagio. We've been to Switzerland on day trips from Germany and Austria (took the ferry from Meersburg once) ---honestly, it's terribly expensive to me, however, we're going to go back in the winter and take a train trip and just bite the bullet on costs!
Posted by
DFW TX, USA
457 posts
Sounds somewhat similar to my 60th birthday trip Zurich to Milan (but in reverse) ... fly into Milan, see the Duomo and Last Supper (totally agree with everyone else, simply magnificent) ... after a few days, take the train to Varenna then the ferry to Bellagio (also stayed at the Hotel Bellagio, upper floor with a huge picture window overlooking the lake ... nice birthday wakeup view) ... next take the train to Tirano and then ride the Bernina Express through the Alps (stopping in St Moritz for a few hours) ... arrive in Chur then another quick train ride to Zurich (must see the Chagall windows in the Fraumünster church) ... then on to Amsterdam ... awesome trip!