Lake Como advice and info needed

Duplicate question is also in the Switzerland forum.

For Lake Como, I really like Varenna. Easy ferry access to Menaggio and Belagio. For a nice day trip, You can also take a bus from Mennagio into Lugano, Switzerland. From there you can take a train to Como and ride the funicular for some great views. From Como, take a fast ferry back to Varenna. We stayed at the Albergo Milano and really enjoyed it. For July 13, I am not sure about flying from Barcelona to Milan. You might be better off flying into Switzerland closer to your destination. Check skyscaner.net for options.

I need help with what train is the fastest and if I can buy the tickets online and also where to buy the swiss half pass card ( do I need one for my son or is a card for kids ? )<

Just looked, and Trenitalia has fares online from Milan to Spiez for as low as 19 euro. It's about a 3 hour trip. Might have to wait a few months until they make them available for July. Once in Spiez, it's easy to get to Interlaken and/or Lauterbrunnen via local trains, simply buy tickets at the station once you arrive. Not sure about Swiss pass.

Also I need help with planing these 4 days ! <

All those ideas you have for that region are fun! The Jungfraujoch/top of Europe thing is pretty spendy, and a little over-rated, IMO. Most of the trip is inside of a tunnel. But if you like that sort of thing, it's a great view from the top. Lots to do in that area, especially for an 11 year old! Friends of ours took their kids "canyoning", which looked pretty adventurous (look it up, if you don't mind getting wet and scrambling over rocks... : ).

The best thing we ever did there was rent bikes one day in Wengen. Then we caught the train up to Kleine Sheidegg (they have a special car just for bikes). From there, we rode back down on the well-marked trails to Wengen (you can also go all the way to the valley floor). Sooo much fun, riding downhill the whole way past meadows full cows with their bells ringing and spectacular views of the mountains and valley below. Grab some bread and local cheese, and make a day of it. If I had to choose only one thing to do there, I'd do that over the Jungfraujoch.

Roda,
I've not visited Switzerland yet, so will only address your question about Italy.

A second vote for Varenna!
We also enjoyed our stay at Albergo Milano, but we opted to stay in one of their apartments. We stayed in 'Casa Gialla', a charming 2 bedroom apartment with a living room, 1.5 bathrooms & a tiny kitchenette.

This particular apartment does not have a view of the lake but they have others that do.
The price of the apartment included a delicious breakfast served at the hotel's terrace with amazing views of the lake.

Varenna is an easy (one hour) train ride from Milan's Central Station (Milano Centrale).

As Stephen has pointed out, you can take the ferry & visit the lakeside villages, including, Menaggio, Lenno & Bellagio.

You may also enjoy kayaking.

We did not kayak, because I was traveling with my elderly mother, but it sure looked like fun.

We did not ride the Brunate funicular, but we took a day trip to the town of Como one day (via bus) from Bellagio.

You can also take the ferry to the town of Como. There is a slow ferry that takes a couple of hours, or the fast ferry that takes an hour.
Here is the hotel's website if you want to check it out:https://www.varenna.net

You can check ferry schedules here:http://www.navlaghi.it/eng

Please note: If you do end up taking the train to Varenna from Milano Centrale, make sure you buy your return train tickets before departing Milan, as the train station in Varenna does not sell train tickets. Also, don't forget to validate your tickets before boarding the train, otherwise you might have to pay a hefty fine if the conductor checks your tickets!

Enjoy your trip!

Roda,

A few thoughts on your travel plans and your questions.....

• Lago di Como - the usual favourite with many here is the town of Varenna, which is in the mid-lake area (about an hour from Milan by train). However since one of your goals is the Funicular at Brunate, you might want to stay in the town of Como, as that will be closer to the Funicular than Varenna. It's also easy to "go around the lake" from there using the boats, however the disadvantage of staying in Como is that you're farther from towns such as Bellagio so it will take more time to get there and back from Como. You'll have to decide if a more central location is more important than easy proximity to the Funicular.
• Flight to Barcelona - which airline are you using for that flight?
• Flight back to Italy and then Switzerland - rather than fly back to Milan, it might be faster and easier to fly to Zürich instead (or one of the other airports in Switzerland). Depending on which train you connect with, the trip from Zürich airport to Interlaken Ost is as short as 2H:10M with one change.
• Berner Oberland - I would not suggest staying in Interlaken, as that will put you further from the sights you've come to see. Either Lauterbrunnen or Mürren would be good choices, and each has pros & cons. Lauterbrunnen makes a good choice if you're planning to explore both sides of the valley, as it's the transportation hub for the area. Mürren is very popular as it's up on the side of the mountain and provides some exceptional scenery.
• Swiss Rail Passes - trying to find the most appropriate pass for Switzerland is often a daunting task. You'll need to sit down with a sharp pencil or a spreadsheet and do some number crunching. Which pass to buy will depend to some extent on exactly which mountain lifts and trains you'll be using in that area.
• Activities in the Berner Oberland - I'm not sure you'll find any "bobsleighing" in July, but I'll leave that question to the others.

Good luck with your planning!

Thanks so much for all the advice and info !

I went on Expedia and I can do Milan - Barcelona - Zurich for $100 / person with Iberia / Vueling Airlines . Is that a good airline ? Have no idea of european airlines.

For Lake Como, it's expensive 😕 so to save some money should we rent a car from Milan and stay in a cheaper location then Veronna ( all mid lake is expensive ) . Would a car give us more freedome to move around and explore more ? Is food expensive as well ?!? What about the ferry , can I buy ticket pacjkage for the 3 days that we are there ?

Kayaking sounds good and we like that.
Any swimming beaches or pools around ?
Any kids attractions in the area ?

For Oberlnd area , thanks for all the suggestions, I will keep in mind about the Jungfrau and yes, the biking was on the list, forgot to put it down :) . Hope they have smaller bikes for my son though.

Not bobsleighing, sorry, I was thinking of the toboggan run 😊

Can anybody explain to me the two valleys in the Oberland, I know you go from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen and then there are two sides , one is Murren and Schilthorn ?!?! and that's all I know 😕

Should we go on top of Schilthorn ?

I have one more question. We gonna be in Switzerland from July 13 through July 18 so for this period of time is better to buy a Swiss Pass or the Half Fare Pass ?
The Swiss Pass is CHF 726 for 8 days for me and my husband for Second class ( son is free with the Family card ) .
The Half Fare Pass is CHF 360 .
Thank you !