Northern Italy in April (Dolomites and Lakes)

Renting a car in one country and dropping it off in another is nearly always cost-prohibitive.

Others are better positioned to address the rest of your questions.

Both solutions, trains and cars, make for a long trip as there are no fast itineraries through the Alps. I suspect the fastest way to get to Dolomites from Zurich is a train from Zurich to Innsbruck (3 hours and half) and then a train (more likely a combination of trains and buses) to the place you are interested. I believe there are car rentals in Bressanone and Bolzano.

I do not believe you have many hiking options in April. Hiking in Dolomites is a summer thing. Now snow is getting more sparse, but till a few years ago snow in April could have been a possibility.

I think that hiking in the Dolomites would be very limited if possible at all. We hiked at Seceda in July and we needed hats and gloves.

If you decide to stay in Ortisei, which is really nice in September (the only time I’ve been there), you can catch a train from Innsbruck to Brenner (about 40 minutes) then a train from Brenner to Chiusa (just under an hour) then a bus from Chiusa to Ortisei (about 45 minutes). We did this this past September, and it was easy. We had 10 minute connections in Brenner and Chiusa, and both the trains and bus seem to run hourly, at least in the morning. Obviously if you come from Zurich, it will take up a good portion of the day to get from Zurich to Ortisei.

If you choose to stay in Ortisei, you will not need a car. There are three lifts from Ortisei up into the mountains. A bus will take you to two nearby villages with several more lifts. (Hotels provide a free bus pass.) The big question is — Do the lifts and buses run in April? I believe the lifts are open in early April only. I’m not sure about the buses. Some run all year, and some are seasonal.

You may want to find a hotel with availability when you want to be there, then call and ask them what is running then. They may also be able to tell you if hiking is possible, although that is weather depended and varies from year to year.

With a car, there are many more towns you could stay in. However, I know nothing about them.

So helpful, thank you!

Honestly, this sounds crazy.

ZRH is not an ideal airport for this itinerary and April is not an ideal time to visit the Dolomites where there is likely to be snow at elevation. You will most likely be stuck walking in valleys. Many restaurants may be closed as well during that shoulder period.

Better to just stick with the lakes and either fly into MXP/LIN for Como, Lugano, etc. or Garda if you prefer.

I’m no expert, but my wife and I have been to Switzerland and Northern Italy—including the Dolomites and the Lakes—six or seven times, so here's my humble opinion:

First, I’ll echo what others have said about the weather in April. Hiking in colder conditions is certainly possible, but in the Dolomites (and much of the Alps more generally) the bigger issue isn’t temperature so much as access: many roads and lifts simply won’t open until late May or even June, climate change notwithstanding.

Another thing to keep in mind is distance. Zurich and the Dolomites aren’t especially close—about 500 km—and even in good conditions that’s the better part of a day of driving. (The train takes about 7 hours.) The nearest Italian lakes—Como and Maggiore—are more like three to four hours away in good weather. If you only have a week, I’d personally save the Dolomites for another trip.

One very appealing alternative is Lake Como.

Zurich isn't my favorite Swiss city, but it does have its charms. It's a nice place to spend half a day or an overnight at one end of your trip. The train from Zurich to Como takes about 3½ hours and passes through some genuinely beautiful Swiss scenery, including stretches of the Alps. Once there, you’ll find excellent low-altitude walking/hiking all around the lake, and the ferries run year-round. Rick’s recommended base of Varenna really is terrific—we’ve taken the train in (from Milan, in our case) and it couldn’t be easier. The town is compact and charming, the waterfront restaurants are excellent, and the ferry network makes getting around the lake effortless.

With Como, you get to see some of the Alps plus the beauty of a northern Italian lake and IMHO it makes for a very nice, active week's trip.

All of this could change if you were able to fly into Venice or Innsbruck—then the Dolomites might be more realistic in a week—but it would still be April, and the same weather and access issues would apply. IMHO, if Zurich is a must, I’d lean into it rather than treat it as an obstacle to overcome.

Day 1 Arrive and overnight in Zurich.
Day 2 Train to Varenna.
Days 3, 4, and 5 Lake Como and environs. 1 day hiking above Varenna. 1 day visit Villa del Balbianello, hike Greenway near Colonno. 1 day visit Bellagio, Como, Villa Carlotta if it's open, etc.
Day 6 Train to Zurich and overnight.
Day 7 Departure

I didn't really answer your questions, but I hope that helps!

Amazing. Really appreciate this input. We are locked in to Zurich, and I am persuaded by all the feedback that Dolomites are probably a no go. The lakes sound wonderful. And I will be happy to avoid driving and stick to a car.

Building on LADTM's suggestions, you could take a train from Zurich to Chur and then pick up the Bernina train (either the more expensive, more limited Bernina Express, or the cheaper and more frequent regular train on the same world-famous scenic route) to Tirano on the Italy/Swiss border. You then cross the street to the Italian station for a train to Varenna. You could spend a night in the Alps along the Bernina route. I believe that there might be nice hiking trails open in April that don't require lifts in Pontresina, for example but you would need to check.