Train from Basel Switzerland to Varenna-Esino,(Lake Como) Italy Question

You could go the scenic route, which is Basel - Chur - Tirano - Varenna. Gets you over the Bernina Railway.

Anyway, July regional trains aren't even published yet. So you will have to wait a bit (till about late May or so) till you can book these. www.sbb.ch can do that for you, and you can use a dat in the next week or so to have an idea about schedules. You will see there that the route via Tirano is not that much slower, and that you do not have to go all the way to Milano if you take the fast route.

Thank you very much for your information,Yes I noticed when putting in July dates,nothing was populating. We will look into this alternative :-)

In July, the direct EC train from Basel to Milano Centrale via Spiez and Brig will be interrupted by track work. You can read about that here:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/rail-traffic-information/timetable-change/europe.html

The schedule for the bus replacement is not out yet, as WengenK explained.

If you do not want to deal with that route, your options are to go via the Bernina Express as explained above, or by EC train direct to Lugano, changing there for Monza, where you pick up the regional train to Varenna-Esino. This 2-change option takes about 30 minutes longer than what you are seeing now for the direct train to Milano Centrale—-but in July that could be longer due to the bus connection. You won’t know until the new schedule for June 8 onward is issued.

it isn't completely clear if you prefer scenery or speed, as long as there a few transfers. In other words, do you want to take in any of the Swiss views as you cross the entire country, or are you more intent on an earlier arrival so a long tunnel under the Alps would be fine???

I don’t think a fast ride through a long tunnel is an option for them—-the Gotthard Basistunnel will likely still be closed in July, so the EC train to Lugano will use the scenic Gotthard Pass route ( which still has a tunnel but it is quite short).

The fastest route, with two long tunnels (Lôtschberg Basistunnel and Simplon Tunnel) will not be a good option because of the track closure between Stresa and Arona—-apparently the route will behave a bus replacement between Domodossola and Milano Centrale, but it is not on the schedule yet.

That leaves the tunnel-free Bernina Pass route, but I think that journey may be long enough to warrant breaking into 2 segments, with an overnight in Samedan or Pontresina. Which would be lovely if they have the time.

If you need to get to Varenna in one day from Basel, it will take at least 8 hours via the Bernina pass. If you want to take the actual Bernina Express, you should secure seat reservations now, as they can sell out. You should be able to make the 13:34 departure from Chur easily. There is a direct train to Chur at 9:33 that gets to Chur at 11:52, and several departures after that with a single connection, the last being at 11:06 getting to Chur at 13:22.

The 13:34 Bernina Express gets to Tirano at 17:59, so you can get the 18:08 departure to Varenna, arriving at 19:34. There is another train at 19:08, arriving at 20.34. Remember, the Italian train departs from a station across the piazza from the Swiss station.

I forgot that the Simplon route will be out of use - here I thought I was being cute because of the Gotthard issues. anyway...

It is still true that Varenna can be approached from either the south or the north depending on preferences....

Thank you all... for your help. Would love to take in Scenery,the Bernina Express would be amazing.. We have our first night booked in Varenna the day we disembark from the river cruise. We just would prefer not arriving in Varenna to late so that we can at least enjoy a dinner and not have it dark when we arrive.As long as I know what we are doing when it comes to transferring trains we will be fine.
So helpful you sharing this information about the track work going on in July. Not having taken trains that often in Europe can be a bit intimidating. If I have an outline on what to book,will be fantastic.Again thank you for your help :-)

If you can get off the boat and to Basel SBB station before 8:30, You can make it to Varenna over the Bernina Pass by 4:30 pm, but there will be 4 train changes, and you will be on regular trains between Chur and Tirano.

You can also go via the Gotthard Panorama as late as 10 am from Basel SBB via Monza, then north to Varenna by 5:15 pm.

You do not have to make a decision now, but you can buy Saver day Passes now for 52 CHF per person that will cover all travel within Switzerland, to Tirano or Chiasso.

I would like to thank you for your information, we do appreciate your time and helpful tips. Kind regards...

Why is this posted under the Netherlands section???
Safe travels.

Thank you for all of the helpful replies. I am taking the same trip from Basel to Varenna at the end of May, and have been looking for the same info.

I am interested in either taking the trip through the Gotthard Pass or opting for the more scenic Bernina Pass. Is the Gotthard Panorama train available on that route, and is it also very scenic? If so, what is the best site to book it?

I am hesitant to book the trip through the Bernina Pass because every option has train transfers of only a few minutes. I've taken this risk before and had it backfire when my first train was delayed.

I have been trying to create an account on the SBB website, but it keeps failing to send me the confirmation email I need to confirm the account. I tried multiple email addresses - very strange. However, I can book as a guest, so hopefully it isn't a problem.

Lastly, do any discount fares apply to this route?

Thanks in advance for your help!