travel plan help needed!

In general, the later it gets in June, the busier Europe gets, but high season really kicks off in July and gets even busier in August, when lots of Europeans take their own vacations. Major destinations like Rome are busy all the time, but just get hotter in the summer. In Switzerland, the cheesemaking center in Gruyere and the town itself were fun to visit, but we did that as a train trip out of Geneva with one transfer. From Zermatt, that would probably be out of your way, but perhaps you'll be able to find a more convenient cheese-making site, presuming that you and the kids like cheese.

Cam, a couple of thoughts. 1) Note that with a Eurail pass in Italy, there is a supplemental charge of 10Euro for each high-speed train that you will be on. The fee is usually per person but I'm not sure if the Global Pass gets you any special deals. You will need to make reservations in advance or at the train station to pay the extra fee and get your seat assignments. It's 3Euro for any intercity that you might be on. No charge on the regionale trains. You can just board the train. 2) As you head from Rome to Switzerland, I would suggest heading to Tirano to take the Bernina Express. Journey time is 6.0hr-6.5hrs with one train change in Milan. With this in mind, the Bernina Express will be running three scenic trains on June 7 - 10:03, 14:22 and 15:14. It's a 2.0hr train ride. Note also that there are other regional trains that run frequently on these same tracks. They are just fine but they are not the scenic trains. 3) you might want to spend the night in St. Mortiz and then catch the Glacier Express the next day at St. Moritz. 4) Here's a snapshot of the Eurail web page that shows the extra supplemental fees for both the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express for Eurail passholders. http://gyazo.com/b8de99a9cdebe078c61998df7b1645a0 5) Should you travel into the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland and visit any of the towns and villages there or the two mountain tops, your Eurail pass will only get you a 25% discount on fares from Interlaken Ost into that entire area of the Berner Oberland. 6) your two youngest children qualify for the free Swiss Family Card. Free travel on all Swiss transportation as long as they are in the company of one parent with a valid ticket.

The faster trains within Italy and to/from Italy require seat reservations, as do the named departures of the Swiss scenic trains, but you can make these on the same day, if seats are still available. However, to guarantee 5 seats together, you would need to reserve earlier. If you have hotel reservations, then maybe you will go ahead now to make some seat reservations at http://ricksteves.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm (which mostly have to be shipped to you, for an $18 order fee). Or, make several reservations when you first arrive and activate your pass at a train station in Italy. There are other web resources, too, but not one-stop shopping.

How to Look Up Train Schedules Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it. For schedules on the Milan-Varenna-Tirano route, see www.trenord.it or www.ternitalia.com.

If you don't have much of a set schedule, yet, then consider a paid appointment with our Travel Consultants to help you get organized.

Thank you all so much for your replies and advice.

However, regarding the travel time from Rome to Tirano, I am not too sure how to get there within 6-6:30 hours. According to my search, from Rome to Tirano will take more than 10 hours unless we may a stop in Lugano where we will take a bus to Tirano. This is a bit inconvenient so we are thinking if it is better to go to Zermatt first as the travel time is about 7-8hours. Is Zermatt worth staying longer than 2 nights?

Thanks again for help!
Cam

Cam, here's a snapshot of how you get to Tirano in just under 6.0hrs on June 7. http://gyazo.com/8f7b59a5d4b956e49a6560ef454e8d75 Your description of going via Lugano is a much longer way. From Milan, the train goes along the east side of Lake Como and then onto Tirano. Still, I understand that it is a long day especially if you wish to end up in St. Moritz for the evening.

Hi Larry,

For for your reply and info. I am so surprised to find that there is a direct train to Tirano. Everytime I searched for the same route through rail planner, the train journey was always well over 15 hours with many connections. However, will our global pass cover this faster route from Rome to Tirano? If it does, how to make reservation for the seats?As for the regional train, do we just hop on the train with our pass? Is it an hourly train?
Since my sister and brother in laws are joining us from Germany in Switzerland, I suppose they will be getting a Swiss pass, will the pass allows them to join us in Tirano?
May I also ask what is the best way to travel back from Hamburg, Germany, to Milan for 11am flight home?

Thanks again for your help and I am sorry for so many questions.

Cam