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Lake Como and...Switzerland?

We were originally intending to spend a full week in Lake Como at the beginning of June this year. We've been to Rome (although wanting go back before I die) and Venice. I was content to spend the full week there, rent a car, and day trip into Milan and maybe find some other towns worth a half-day trip and otherwise chill on the Lake and its surrounding towns. BUT, my wife screwed that up. She pulled up Rick's comments on Lake Como tonight and then stumbled on his discussion of JungFrauJoch (sp) and now I'm hooked on wanting to experience that on this trip.

But, it's a four-hour drive, or more, plus I see it is a several hour event between the ascent, time at the top, and the descent. Now, I'm wondering if I can split this trip up, spend three days in Switzerland, grab their unlimited rail pass (seems to be a third-party vendor supplying a 3-day pass) and site-see around part of Switzerland from the comfort of a scenic train trip, too.

I also, about that time, found this forum and the recommendations that 4 days in Como is all you really need. Am I stretching this vacation too far to try to spend a few days in Switzerland? Anyone ever try anything like that and have recommendations on what not to miss in Switzerland? Or what little towns, or little cities, around Lake Como not to miss? Or how to best procure this 3-day multi-mode travel ticket from a legitimate provider for trains, boats and busses in Switzerland? Can you rent a car in Italy and return it in Switzerland? Or do I drop the car in Milan and train to Lauterbrunnen and then just rely on Swiss public transport and fly out of Geneva? Is this too much for this forum and "one" topic?

Posted by
5774 posts

Welcome to the Forum!
Let's start with some basics-
How many nights total do you have? What are your interests?
Do you already have airline tickets? Into/ out of where?
Your questions come up here weekly. I'll attach some searches to give you some basic info.
And- you're a bit late for June lodging for these areas, so I'd recommend a firm itinerary asap.
Have fun planning!

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Swiss+travel+pass&utf8=%E2%9C%93

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/rs-itinerary-help-for-travel-june-july-family-of-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVY7L4qlBQ

Posted by
5774 posts

I suggested route from a few days ago-

Posted by Pat
San Diego, California
01/15/25 10:26 AM
5773 posts
Edit | Delete

No one is ever ready to leave the BO, so maximize your time there. Note that Swiss cities are in the 80's in the summer, so the cooler mountain weather is much appreciated. My recommendation is to decrease your time in the cities, except for Lucerne, and add mountain time. For me, Lugano is not very Swiss, as it's on the Italian side. And remember that mountain weather is very fickle, so you'll want more days to increase your chances for clear days.
One idea is to -
fly into Milan,
Few nights in Varenna, Lake Como,
To Tirano, Italy, catch the Bernina Express to Pontressina ( sleep Pontressina 1-2 nights,)
Train to the Berner Oberland, ( about six hours when we did it) to Murren or Wengen (maximize nights,at least 5)
And .....add another option...
Too many scenic train rides get old. The Bernina Express route is the most scenic.
Availability of lodging may influence your itinerary, as this isn't too early to be booking.
Just my initial thoughts. Enjoy your trip