Please sign in to post.

4 Days in Switzerland

Hello,
We will be 4 adults (active 60y/o) on a first visit to Switzerland. We will arrive Zurich on 9/11 and take the train from the airport to Lucerne. We have reservations at Hotel des Balances for 2 nights. I am having a very hard time deciding where to spend the next two nights!! I hope you can help. After the 4th night in Switzerland we will take the train to Lake Como. It seems the Bernina Express from Chur or St. Moritz would be very scenice as well as convenient to travel from Switzerland to Lake Como. I am beginning to wonder if we should spend 3 nights in Lucerne (doing day trips) then the 4th night in Chur or St. Moritz prior to taking the train to Lake Como???
Or.....should we forget about the Bernina Express and head more south towards Lugano? Then take the train from Lugano to Lake Como??

We are very happy to rent a car for the last two nights in Switzerland if that would allow us to see and do more.
We like upscale accommodations, pretty views, nice restaurants, & charming towns. Any advice would greatly appreciated!!

Posted by
11052 posts

Rather than staying in St-Moritz, nearby Pontresina is a much more charming
location. How do you plan to get from Tirano to Lake Como?
We drove but had started the trip in Milan where we landed and got the car.
Then went into Switzerland and finally ended that trip at Lake Como before flying out of Milan MXP.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you for your reply! I was under the impression that the train trip from St. Moritz to Como would be quick and easy. Now that I am looking closer, it appears that the Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Tirano is 2 hours then we would need a train from Tirano to Como which is another 3 hours!! This is much longer than we want spend on the train. I was thinking St. Moritz because the Bernina Express is so scenic. Do you think I should omit St. Moritz and head somewhere else (that would be more convenient to get to Como) for those 2 nights after Lucerne??
We are planning to have a car for the last two days in Switzerland.
Thank you for any suggestions!!

Posted by
16893 posts

Either Pontresina or Samedan are smaller, easier towns to stay in vs the city of St. Moritz, with little to no detour off the Bernina Express route. Yes, you'll always change trains at the border town of Tirano. From there, is your destination Como town or someplace on the east side of the lake, like Varenna? Como town (at the end of the western leg of the lake) is not on the same rail line and requires a connection in Milan.

Posted by
4 posts

While on Lake Como we will be staying at the "Madarin Oriental Hotel". They said that I will need to arrive at the "Como Giovanni" rail station.