Zurich Como Florence Cinq Terre Milan

I'll comment on travel from Zurich to the Lake Como area: take the train from Zurich to Varenna across the beautiful Bernina Pass. The more expensive way to do this is on the popular Bernina Express which has panorama rail cars and requires a set departure time and reservations. Regional trains take the same route several times a day without the reservation or added cost, but they also don't have the panorama cars. We were persueded by folks on this forum to choose the latter route. To find this route when viewing the train websites or apps, select Zurich HB as the start and Varenna as the end, with Chur, St Moritz, and Tirano as stops along the way (enter them where it indicates "via").

Others will give you better info on car rental than I, but I suspect they'll suggest that you not have a car inside the city of Florence due to the dreaded ZTLs, and that you may not need one in CT or Lake Como. Tuscany is a great place for one, IMO.

The only area where you would want (or need) a car would be Tuscany. In all the others it will be a major headache. This from a family that prefers to rent cars.

You say you are spending one night in Zurich then heading directly to Lake Como? Can you just fly into Milan instead? If not, I agree with the idea of taking the Bernina Express.

You won’t need a car at Lake Como. Stay in Varenna and take the ferry. You won’t want a car for Cinque Terre. Most of the villages aren’t accessible by car. Florence is very compact, again, no need for a car. Maybe pick up a rental your last day there before heading to the country. Then drop it off in Siena and take the train to Milan.

You say you are spending one night in Zurich then heading directly to Lake Como? Can you just fly into Milan instead? If not, I agree with the idea of taking the Bernina Express.

If the flight to Zürich is set in stone, I suggest that you do not spend the first night in Zürich, but take the train to Chur. It takes less than 2 hours from the airport, and it will give you a headstart for the highly recommended Bernina Railway the next day.

Lucerne is very nice and along your itinerary.

hey hey caty
did you find out drop off cost of car between switzerland and italy?
is it worth the cost of fee? make sure each driver gets an IDP, check online what countries need it. heard customer went to get rental, agent asked, didm't have, declined car rental.
how many people, size car for luggage, necessities (paperwork) needed for car, have cash coins for toll booths as plan B. read up on which rental site do's/don'ts. enjoy
aloha

Before renting a car in Italy, do a search in the forum for "italy traffic tickets". Italy is not a good place for car rental. If you are a 2-party party, you don't need a car except maybe in Tuscany. And if you are wine-touring, it's probably not a good idea to hit the wineries in a foreign country while driving. There are other approaches to getting into the country, including hiring a driver or going on a small tour. No cars are needed in Milan, Florence, CT, or any other urbanized area. Florence is very walkable. Milan has 3-4 types of transport that can be used to get around easily.

What you need to do is sit with your detailed itinerary, and determine exactly when you will use the car. In most cases, you will be parking the car for a lot of the trip. Thus, you will be paying for the rental, and for the parking, probably for 80% of the trip.

We did Milan-Ravenna-Padova-Turino-Pisa-Siena-Florence last September. We used trains for the trip, except Siena-Florence which was best using a bus. Very easy. No reservations needed. Trains came frequently. Stations were convenient, in the center of towns. Towns are pedestrian-oriented, with most streets in the old town no-car only.

I would definitely NOT get a car in Switzerland to drive to Italy. Drop-off charge might be $500 or more.

A car is useful (still a headache in some ways - lots of gravel and single-lane roads) for the Tuscan countryside especially if you want to stay or venture outside the main towns. Then driving is the only way to get around.

Parking was very tough in Montepulciano proper although it was a holiday weekend. Somewhat easier in Montalcino and Pienza but still limited.

I’d suggest getting the car as you depart Florence or Siena, or in a town near a train line (we stayed outside Montepulciano and used Avis-Budget in Chiusi; Arezzo also has an Avis). Drop it back at that location and travel by train to Milan to end the trip.

Thanks so very much for taking the time to provide your feedback and suggestions! Much appreciated!