Point to Point or Rail Passes

Brian,
I've not traveled to Switzerland yet so will only address your question about Italy. You can buy point-to point tickets for all your journeys while in Italy. There's no need to buy a rail pass for your proposed travels.

I'd urge you to book your freccia (high speed) and Intercity train tickets in advance in order to take advantage of discounted tickets (Siena >>Milan and Milan to Monterosso).

You may book your tickets at
Trenitalia.com

Have a wonderful trip!

I have to agree - a rail pass here is going to cost you much more. Book early on Trenitalia for huge discounts. I have only found rail passes (Eurail) more efficient if I am hitting 3-4 countries.

Enjoy your journey!

While rail tickets are cheap in Italy, some kind of railpass would be useful in Switzerland.
What route are you planning from Muerren to Varenna? Via Milan or via the Bernina Pass?
Are you flying into Milan the same day you plan to go to Luzern?

Go to www.sbb.ch/en and get all you ticket costs for journeys inside Switzerland, including from the Italian border to points in Switzerland. If it is more than 240 CHF per person, then a Swiss Half Fare Card would be worth getting. An 8-day Swiss Travel Pass costs 376 CHF per person, 2nd class, so it is an expensive proposition.

And don't forget to include the costs of those lifts in Switzerland -- pricey!!

I agree with Sam. A Railpass will not be cost effective for Italy and your journeys will likely cost more than P-P tickets. However, one of the passes for Switzerland will probably save you some money. With Switzerland you'll have to do the number crunching based on the lifts and railways you plan to use there. The Half Fare card is often a good option, but a Berner Oberland pass may be better in some cases. You may find this website helpful - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes

In Italy you'll have to know what type of trains you'll be using for each trip. With Regionale trains there's no reason to buy tickets in advance as the prices are always the same (but you can buy in advance if you wish). Note that with locally purchased Regionale tickets, you MUST validate prior to boarding the train on the day of travel or risk hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot! With Freccia or Intercity trains, you can save money with advance tickets, but you must be willing to commit to a specific departure as the tickets are specific to train, date and departure time. Also note that Super Economy tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable once purchased.

For the trip from Lucca to Siena, you might consider travelling to Florence by train, and then use the Corse Rapide Bus from there to Siena. It only takes about 1H:15M and will drop you in the centre of town rather than the bottom of the hill where the train station is located. Your choice.....

Thanks for all the great advice. I agree that point to point probably works best in Italy but some kind of Pass may help in Switzerland. We are arriving in Milan and leaving the next morning for Luzern. We would like to take a scenic rout from Muerren to Varenna ....any thoughts.
Thanks.

brian,

The route from Interlaken Ost to Millano Centrale seems to normally route via Domodossola, and I've always found that to be reasonably scenic. You'll need to keep your overall travel time in mind, as the Interlaken - Milan route ranges from about 3 - 5 hours with 1-4 changes (this doesn't include the time from Mürren to Interlaken or the time from Milan to Varenna). Your total travel time could be as long as about 8.5 hours, so my preference would be to choose the quickest route with the fewest number of changes, and just enjoy whatever scenery you see along the route.

Much as I love the Swiss alps, since visiting the Val Gardena I'm more in love with the Dolomites. Cheaper lifts and better food. You can experience better hiking and biking. Plus staying there the apartment and hotels in the area included a bus pass. We paid 210E per night including half board for two. And this is at a spa hotel. Planning to return next summer. More bang for your buck.