Take the Bernina Express to see the alps or a cruise at Lake Maggiore? Or go to Lugano instead?

There is a combination cruise and train that you can take from Stresa, which is just an hour away by train from Milan. You can take the ferry on Lake Maggiore to Locarno, maybe have lunch there, then take the train to Domodossola where you switch to an Italian train back to Stresa or all the way to Milan. It's a package price that shows at 32 euro per person. You can get info on the LagoMaggioreexpress.com site.

I really wanted to do the Bernina Train as well but once you look at the logistics is can get really complicated...plus time of year for the trip is really important if you want to avoid hassle and delay. If you are traveling long term I say go for it but otherwise best to pick a side of the mountain and stay local.

eils_12 How long is your trip in total and would you be trying to do a roundtrip from Milano in one day? What time of year? It is a lovely way to transit from northern Switzerland to Italy (or vice versa), but I think a day doing a round trip is a bit much.

We went to Lugano in May, and it is pretty but not the Alps you would transit on the BE. Still, Lugano cn give you a taste of the Italian lakes.

In addition to answering Laurel's questions, what is your goal? Are you just trying to see something pretty and non-urban, in which case Stresa, Lugano, etc would be good, or do you want mountains?

We are arriving in Milan on a Saturday and will leave on Tuesday for Lake Como. From what I've read, even though we are arriving Malpensa early Saturday (730 am), it sounds like it's a busy airport that it would take hours to clear with Immigration. So we are saving the afternoon of Sat to see Milan. Probably join a tour to see the Galleria, Duomo and Last Supper.
So we are left with Sunday and Monday free. A friend said BE doesn't run on Sundays & Mondays. It sounds like we are left with taking the train to Lugano on Sunday, then join our friends to Cinque Terre on Monday.
By the way, we are traveling mid-March. So do you think this is too much to do within 2 1/2 days? We will join a tour on Tuesday for the rest of Italy.
Thank you!!!