Milan to Switzerland? Other day trips advice please

Nora, there is a train route that goes north to Arth-Goldau and Lucerne. Along this route is the Como S. Giovanni stop. This is the southern end of Lake Como. This trip takes 40 minutes. Fare is 13Euro. The next couple of stops along the route will get you to Lugano, Switzerland. Another 10Euro or so. Both have very nice places to stay. If you want the more scenic area of Lake Como, take the 1hr15min train ride to Varenna-Esino. Fare is 6.45Euro. No quick access to/from Switzerland from Varenna that will get you back to Milan under a couple of hours. Third, if you are looking for a "reach" into Switzerland, you could travel to Muerren or Lauterbrunnen for one night. About 4hrs to Lauterbrunnen and an extra 30 minutes up to Muerren. 106CHF (about $112) each way. You wouldn't be near Lake Como on this routing.

nora,

You can easily visit Lago di Como as a day trip. The trip from Milan to Varenna is 1H:03M, which will give you time to not only have a look at Varenna but also the posh resort of Bellagio. You could easily stop for a fine hot meal in Varenna before returning to Milan.

Regarding Switzerland there are a couple of easy possibilities. You might consider travel to Lugano, which is another posh town and only about an hour from Milan. Spend a night or two exploring the town, perhaps take a cruise on the lake or spend some time in the Casino.

Another option would be to travel from Milan to Domodossola and then connect with the scenic Cento Valli railway for the trip to Locarno (Switzerland). It's an incredibly beautiful (and again posh) city right on the lake. While there you could again visit the Casino, have a look at the impressive Madonna del Sasso Franciscan Monastery or take the Cable Car up to the alpine area of Cardada. There's a restaurant with an outdoor patio right next to the cable car station where you can have a meal and a cool one, while watching Paragliders sail by. There are a couple of other restaurants there, slightly uphill towards the small chair lift that goes to the top of the mountain. If you walk through the woods past the first restaurant I mentioned, there's a platform that extends out over a cliff, providing an exceptional view of the valley and lake. At the conclusion of your visit, either take the "regular" train back to Milan OR take the Aliscafo (Hydrofoil) back to Stresa and then a train back to Milan (train ride is again about an hour). One variation on this suggestion - stay in Stresa for two nights and make the trip to Locarno as a day trip.

There are lots of possibilities.....

I love Lake Orta - stayed there on the
RS Village Italy tour and stayed 2 days extra - easy train ride from Milan.

If you want to go to Switzerland for the weekend I suggest Lucerne. It is a charming small city by a lake and very Swiss. It is under 4 hours each way and a nice scenic trip. One change at Arth-Goldau.

I checked prices for the weekend of April 25-27. Trenitalia still has some 32 euro Smart Fare tickets from Milano,Centrale to Arth-Goldau. Buy those online soon. When you get to A-G you will have time to buy tickets from there to Lucerne at the station. They cost 12,60 CHF.

For the return on April 27, I found Special,Offer tickets on the Swiss rail site, SBB.ch. these are from Lucerne all the way back to Milano Centrale for 52 CHF. Buy these online and you get a code to pick them up in Switzerland. Or maybe they have printable tickets now; I did not check.

The Goldenen Stern is an nice inexpensive place to stay in Lucerne.

Either Como or Varenna would be an easy daytrip from Milan. So would Stresa. I wouldn't spend time on the Swiss trip,weekend stopping at Como. Make that a separate daytrip.

Thank you all so very much. Since we will be in Milan for 10 days. What other nearby Cities are worthwhile in visiting? Genoa? how far and what to see? Turin? (sp?).

What about how to get in to see The Last Supper" probably one afternoon during week of April 28-May 1. Grazie!

Turin has a great Egyptian Museum, if you are into that I recommend it. They have items Napoleon brought back from his conquest of Egypt ( on his way back to France), a story itself..A dynamic city, but traffic reminded me of L.A.

Thank you. Also wondering what train for fastest arrival from Milan to Venice; Milan to Florence day trips. How much in advance is it recommended to reserve tickets, if they need to be reserved. Official website? I arrive in Milan with two friends on April 25 and would like to make day trips to Venice, Florence and Lake Como from Milan. Thanks again for your help.

nora,

The travel times for each of the locations you mentioned....

• Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino - 1H:03M each way, Regionale train, DON'T FORGET to validate prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. No need to buy tickets in advance as the price is the same, and it's sometimes difficult to buy them online.
• Milano Centrale to Venezia S. Lucia - 2H:35M each way via Freccia (high speed) trains. Note that these have compulsory reservations which are specific to train, date and departure times. You MUST only use the train specified on your ticket or you may face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! Use the Trenitalia website for ticket purchases. You can also check the http://www.roninrome.com/ website for details on how to purchase from the site.
• Milano Centrale to Firenze S.M. Novella - 1H:40M each way via Freccia trains.

While you could also use Italo for the latter two trips, I didn't suggest that for the sake of simplicity. Italo uses different stations in Milan, so I figured that using Trenitalia would be the simplest solution. I doubt there will be much difference in price.

Cheers!

Check trenitalia,com for train schedules, options. Be sure to use Italian spelling for names of stations, click the British flag icon at the top for English, and search "all trains" if there is that option. Regionale tickets can only be bought 7 days in advance unless they are part of a trip involving fast trains. Fast trains require reservations and tickets may allow only limited or no changes after purchase.

Space to see Leonardo's Last Supper is limited, get tickets as soon as possible. Don't sign any petitions while you wait in the piazza. Other sights: the Duomo, with an elevator ride to the roof; Castello Sforzesco, which also has extensive grounds and a museum; the Brera Gallery for art; the Galleria and Via Montenapoleone for (window) shopping.

I would spend a night in the Lake Como area, take a boat trip around the lake, combine that with a night or two in Switzerland.

Thank you ALL for your very helpful recommendations. I am touched by your willings to look up info and help me. I have been doing so much research on line my eyes hurt and not getting anywhere. Especially train info. I find it so confusing trying to figure out stations and lines to use.

Since I am traveling with friends schedule has to be adjusted. Deciding to not do Switzerland because of time and budget, would only be a day trip as well.

Looks like can only do Lake Como area as a day trip from MIlan. The only full day left is a Sunday, otherwise will have to do almost like a half day trip bc my friend works till about 10:30 a.m. the whole week. Is Sunday ok for Lake Como Area as far as restaurants, ferry schedules, etc being closed or early closures? The other two full days we have is that Friday and Saturday and friend wants to do day trip to Florence and then one to Venice. Which day best for each due to sites being possibly closed on weekends, Sundays, etc.?

Also Zoe thank you for advice on tickets to Last Supper. No tickets available until after we leave Milan :( i read in RS Italy book that he recommends autostradle site for tour that includes entry to LS. He also mentioned they offer a 1.5 hr tour that does not include the walking tour part but also guarantees entry to LS. However, I could not find that on their site. Has anyone had any experience with these tours as an option to secure seeing Last Supper? Are they harried? Do they also give time to go to rooftop of Duomo? Any other recommendations for tours to secure LS entry.

Again, Thank you all so much for your help and time in helping me sort things out.