We are staying in Varenna in Lake Como in early July, and would like to ride the Bernina Express. After riding the train, the ultimate destination will be Rome so were thinking of going from Chur to Tirana.
We were thinking of taking a day trip from Varenna to Lugano, so were thinking we'd do that on the day we depart Varenna, then continue on from there. Can we travel from Varenna to Lugano, sight see a bit, then make it to Chur in one day? How do I get from Lugano to Chur? I am struggling to find train and bus info.
Once in Chur, my thought is to spend the night there, then take the Bernina express the next morning to Tirana. From there, I need help! We could return to Varenna for a one night stay before traveling on, but I am thinking it's more feasible to head directly to Milan. From there, we could either stay the night or take the night train to Rome, arriving the next morning.
Any thoughts/suggestions?
Posted by
Missouri, USA and Essex, UK.
991 posts
We are also staying in Varenna for one night before taking the Bernina Express (or regional train on same route). Our plan is to take the regional train from Varenna to Tirano to Chur, stopping one night in Samedan. From Chur we will return to Zurich for flight home. I am not so sure of the route from Varenna to Lugano, but I am sure its not the most direct. You have to either get across the lake or around it and still travel some by train. Lugano to Chur is about a 3-4 hour train trip. That will make for a long day. Then another day on the train (Chur to Tirano). It may be better to take the train to Tirano from Varenna then go North on the Bernina Express and return on the same route if you are to finish your journey back in Italy. go to sbb.ch to find the train schedule. for Lugano to Chur.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you! That inspired me. We can go varenna > tirano > chur > Zurich, then take a flight down to Rome. Plane tickets are cheap, so cost wise it won't be much more expensive if at all, and if will save probably 6 hours on trains!
Posted by
Washington DC
27104 posts
It sounds as if the OP has figured out an efficient way to make this work, but I thought I'd mention an interesting, though much longer, alternative for serious train-lovers. The Centovalli train line between Domodossala, Italy, and Locarno, Switzerland, is very nice. One could travel Varenna-Milan-Domodossala-Locarno-Chur and be positioned to take the southbound Bernina Express the next day. That first day would require a lot of transfers, however, and there's the potential for an annoyingly long layover in Milan.