Train from Florence to Switzerland

You need to be more specific since it is a little like asking where to go in Kansas. Your closest point is Lugana via Milano. Most likely a train change in Milano. Lugana is just in the mountains. The train ride between Milano and Zurich is through the heart of the Alps and is a beautiful route. Lots of trains from Florence so just pick the time that matches your schedule.

I was looking for the closest town/city to get to so your answer is what I was looking for. Thank you. I guess what I would also like to find is a list of stops that a train from Milan stops at in Switzerland and then determine which town to visit. I have searched and can't seem to find anything that shows that. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Different trains on the same route will make different stops. Just depends on the service. The high speed make the fewest stops and the regional and intercity (IC) make more frequent stops. Look on a map and decides which cities you might be interested in visiting.

Like Frank said, Lugano is one of the closest and easiest to get to. It should be really nice! Frank is correct that the train route from Milano to Zurich is amazing. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. You can use trenitalia.com to find your trains, but it should be easiest just to do Florence to Milano, Milano to Lugano. It won't be too cheap (especially if you want speed, which you probably will for a three day jaunt - the fast trains to Milano are expensive) but you will have a great time! Another option if you want mountains but don't want to go all the way to Switzerland is to consider visiting the Dolomites. It will be closer to Florence and quite beautiful. You can't go wrong either way.

You can see the Swiss train routes and stops on this map: http://rail.myswitzerland.com/download_sts/uebersichtskarte_en.pdf Lugano isn't really in the Alps but it is on the way, via the Gotthard route which is quite scenic. We have traveled that route but have not stopped, so I cannot sugget which village might make a nice overnight. There are some lovely little Alpine towns not far from Milan on the route through Brig, such as Bettmeralp (2.5 hours from Milan) or Kandersteg (2.75 hours from Milan). These would feel much more Swiss than Lugano. You could also travel from Milan to Tirano (2.5 hours) and pick up the scenic Bernina Express route, stopping overnight at Pontresina. Tirano to Pontresina is 2 hours. However, for travel in November, there is a high chance of bad weather-fog, clouds, rain-which could well obscure the views. You might want to have several alternative plans and decide at the last minute, based on weather forecasts.

Thank you everyone for all of your input. Great ideas! Much appreciated.