We are planning a trip to Italy next summer. We are going to Lake Como then on down to the Amalfi Coast. We were considering taking a couple of days to go to Switzerland. I know it is just a short time but while in Lake Como perhaps there would be a possibility of traveling to Switzerland. Would we be better flying into Switzerland or into Milan first?
We will be flying out of Naples home. Thank you in advance for any advise you have to offer.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32711 posts
Joby
You'll likely get more answers if you delete this question which you have posted to the Reviews section of the helpline - I think you'd agree it isn't a review - and post it either in the Transportation section because it is about Transportation, or in the Italy or Switzerland main areas which are the ones for questions.
Posted by
1 posts
Depends what you want to do in Switzerland. I've been visiting Zurich, Milan, and the northern Italian lakes yearly for 20+ years. If you want to visit cosmopolitan Zurich, Lucerne, and the German-speaking north of Switzerland, I recommend flying into Zurich airport with quick train connections into the city. Lots of cultural, sightseeing, and shopping adventures there. When you're done there you could take the spectacularly majestic train ride through the Alps south to reach the Lake Como area. But if your interest is solely in southern Switzerland, you could just as easily fly into Milan and take a car trip from the Bellagio/Varenna area through Chiavenna into the canton Graubunden to St Moritz. That's a lot of driving though, and personally I'd skip that to concentrate on the marvelous sights of Lake Como: boat rides to explore the various charming towns such as Lenno, Varenna (including the gardens of Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi), Bellagio (including the Villa Melzi gardens along the lake, the charming village of Pescallo, and a private tour of the Rockefeller Foundation gardens above the Villa Serbelloni). You'll find the various lakes bordering Italy and Switzerland to be similar: Maggiore, Lugano, and Como, but the latter is the most interesting in my opinion, and where I would (and DO) spend most of my time. You've got a lot of territory to cover between Switzerland and southern Italy, and you haven't even mentioned Florence. Personally I'd fly into Zurich, spend 2-3 days, train to city of Como, boat to Bellagio, base there 2-3 days, Milan 2-3 days, Florence 2-3 days, Rome 2-3 days, and if you must, the Amalfi coast including Capri on the way. Skip the Cinque Terre, terribly over-hyped and touristy. Bon Voyage!
Posted by
USA
291 posts
We just returned from a wonderful week in Milan/Lake Como, with a side trip to Lugano, Switzerland. We flew into Milan from LHR, took a train from Centrale Station for the one hour trip to Varenna, on Lake Como. Walked down the short street to the pier to catch the ferry to Bellagio, where we stayed for two nights. The next morning, took the 15 minute ferry from Bellagio to Menaggio, on the other side of the lake, where we caught a bus for the one hour trip to Lugano. Lake side scenery was magnificent, and we fully enjoyed our day in Lugano. There was a little hop on/hop off tram ride that went through the city center and by the funiculare rides for tourists on a short visit. We returned to Bellagio by dinner time.