Milan to Munich via Switzerland - Suggestions?

laura,

For visits to Lago di Como, Varenna is the usual favourite with many here. However, that's likely to be "quiet" at this time of year, so not the same atmosphere as other times. If you're still going to be in Milan for a few days, you could easily take a day trip there for a few hours just to have a look.

The easiest route for the trip you're proposing is to travel form Milan to Tirano, and then connect with the Bernina Express. If you go via Lugano, that will involve a Bus ride to Tirano and as I recall there are only a few glimpses of Lago di Como from the bus.

If you want to take the panoramic cars of the Bernina Express, I believe they only have one departure per day in each direction, with the Tirano departure at about noon. It arrives in Chur about 18:00 as I recall, and you may want to spend one night in Chur just to have a brief look before continuing on. I found the Hotel Freieck to be very comfortable (you can walk from the station but especially at this time of year, I'd suggest a Taxi).

For your next destination, I'd highly recommend a stop in Lucerne for several nights. It's a beautiful and historic city, with some interesting sights including of course the famous Chapel Bridge. While there you could perhaps take day trips to Mt. Pilatus or wherever (not sure if the lake cruises will be operating?). There's also the incredible Museum of Transport.

For the ongoing trip, I'd probably use a departure from Lucerne at 08:10, arriving Munich at 13:28 (time 5H:18M, one change at Zürich, reservations compulsory on second leg). That's a good time to arrive in a new city, as your hotel room should be ready. You can check in and have a brief look at the sights before dinner (I can recommend a restaurant if you're interested). There's a slightly shorter departure (4H:49M) at 10:10, which uses train and then bus to Munich).

Gute Reise!

For the direct train schedule from Milano Centrale to Tirano (via Varenna-Esino), see www.trenitalia.com or www.sbb.ch or ask at your local train station; it is not reflected on DB or most other schedule databases. The direct Lugano-Tirano bus that runs once daily as part of the Bernina Express does not run in winter.

See also Rick's list of Swiss sightseeing highlights.

Wow, thank you so much for all that information and advice! I had actually been looking at Varenna, and a day trip is probably a perfect compromise. Is it convenient to take one of the cable cars / funiculars from that area for a view? Or a boat trip?

And Lucerne looks lovely - you think I should just skip Zurich completely? Should I be trying to work it into a later part of my trip (I'm travelling for several months and expect to be back in Europe in spring)?

I seem not to be able to reserve on the Bernina Express website for one-way going north and have been told that I need to go to the station in Tirano to buy my ticket - will I be able to get one on the day, or should I be trying harder to pre-book?

Thanks again!

You don't need to pre-book the Bernina Express; you can wait until you get to Tirano. If you will do the Bernina Express route, then Varenna is a stop on the way between Milan and Tirano; see it on the Eurail map (on the Switzerland blow-up). Making a separate "day trip" with return to Milan would be backtracking (although only an hour). If stopping at Varenna en route, however, you probably have to ask the travel agency about holding luggage for you bags there, since the station is not staffed. The web site for ferry schedules around Varenna is www.navigazionelaghi.it.

You'll have ferry opportunities in Luzern, too. Yes, most of us on this forum do recommend Luzern over the bigger city of Zurich and think it's fine to skip Zurich. But if the weather is bad and you run out of museums in Luzern, then Zurich has more just an hour away by train.

laura,

I'd also suggest skipping Zürich, especially as you only have a few days between Milan and Munich. You can fit Zürich into a future trip when the weather is a bit better, and it will be more pleasant to walk around and enjoy the sights or perhaps take a cruise on the lake. Especially for Zürich, be sure to add a bit extra to the budget as there are lots of shops and you might be "tempted" (I couldn't resist making a stop at the Apple store).

Thank you so much for all the information and suggestions - they've been super helpful!

Is there a particular area of Lucerne I should be looking in for a hotel (I'm a bit limited by my budget, but have found several affordable ones). Priorities include proximity to the train station (walking with suitcase, if possible) and I like to be in a central and safe area so I'm not too nervous walking at night, and I want to be close enough to main activities to make the most of my time.