Driving from Riomaggiore (cinque terre) to Lauterbrunnen

I'd rely on viamichelin more. They show 3 routes taking from 6 3/4 to almost 8.
Do you know what a vignette is?
Are you bringing the car back to Italy?

Hi Sam,
Thanks for the tip! No I don't know what that is but just looked it up, some sort of toll?

Also we are not dropping back off in Italy, we are dropping in Zurich.

You'll pay a premium to drop an Italian rental car in Zurich. You will basically have to pay the cost of transporting it back to Italy so it can be re-rented there. Do you have a hotel with car parking in Riomaggiore? Can I talk you into a nice romantic train ride from Riomaggiore to Lauterbrunnen and then to Zurich?
You can buy the vignette as soon as you enter Switzerland. There are still customs stations at the border (Switzerland is not in the Common Market) where you can buy them, or at a gas station. I think it is 40 chf, and make sure you put it on the correct spot on the windshield so the robocams don't tag you anyway.

Thanks for your advise! We will make sure to buy one right away.

Yes we have a spot in Riomaggiore. We are going to eric with driving. My husband loves to drive and there are 5 train stops in between Riomaggiore and lauterbrunnen which will be difficult with big bags ;)

If you are driving in Italy each driver needs an IDP to go with their home driving license. Take 2 passport type photos to the AAA/CAA (you don't say where you are from so I'll assume North America) and they will do it while you wait.

Don't drive on any Swiss green coloured roads without that Vignette.

Note that the road signs are different in Switzerland and Italy. Green in Italy is blue in Switzerland and blue in Italy is green in Switzerland.

You won't see speed limit signs in Europe. It is for you to know the laws in each country and the speeds you can go in each circumstance. Cameras are everywhere and result in many people coming on here and complaining about the tickets they have just received in the mail.

It is really important to know the rules of the road.

Have a great trip.

BTW - how are you planning on crossing the Alps? On a car transporter? Or Gotthard Tunnel? Or?

Thanks for your replys guys! We decided to ditch the car. Seemed silly to have just to really get from point a to point b! Where is the best place to buy train tickets From cinque terre to murren and murren to Zurich?
Thanks!!!!

Yes, ditching the car is EXACTLY the right thing to do. I could tell by reading your previous questions that you probably have no prior experience driving in this area. Dropping a rental car across the border in a different country will cost you a boatload of money. 2 places you don't need a car are the Cinque Terre and Lautberbrunnen :-) The train is MUCH more relaxing...and as for "big bags" - don't bring 'em. Bring what you need - not what you think you might want. Bring a rolling bag per person and maybe a backpack of some kind if you need extra.

The journey you've chosen is quite long and will take you 8 - 10 hours. Are you sure you don't want to stop somewhere in between?

You can use the Swiss Train site to look at your train schedules. www.sbb.ch/en I used Monterosso as your starting point because Riomaggiore is so tiny the Swiss website doesn't recognize it. You can also use the italian train website to look for schedules www.trenitalia.com You can either buy your tickets at the ticket counter or from either of the national train websites. Be care when using the websites to book your tickets because for example if you use the Swiss website to book your entire trip you can choose to pick up your tickets at any swiss ticket counter...but you won't BE in Switzerland to pick them up before your departure from the Cinque Terre. Just be aware of things like that.

tara,

First of all, congratulations!

Regarding your trip, I agree with the others that ditching the car is a good idea. Your trip would have been a bit easier from Monterosso, but here's the train solution from Riomaggiore.....

• I've only specified the trip from Riomaggiore to Interlaken Ost, as the trip from there to Lauterbrunnen is very straightforward. The easiest solution will be a departure at 07:21, which has three changes in Levanto, Milano Centrale and Spiez (more on the tickets below). I realize it's an early start but I've made that trip a number of times and have found it's the best way and will get you to Lauterbrunnen by mid-afternoon.
• The changes are all very easy, but one word of caution. Miilano Centrale now has security gates installed and I'd suggest staying track side so that you don't get trapped outside and miss your train.
• The first segment of that trip from Riomaggiore to Levanto is via Regionale train. You can buy your tickets at the local station, either from a Kiosk or staffed ticket window, and I'd suggest buying these the day prior to travel. DON'T forget to validate the ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel or you'll risk hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot!
• You can buy tickets for the Levanto - Milano Centrale and Milano - Spiez segments using the Trenitalia or www.capitainetrain.com websites (I'd suggest the latter, it's very easy to use). Note that they're now called "Captain Train", but haven't updated their web link yet. NOTE that these tickets come with compulsory seat reservations and you must sit in the assigned seats. Tickets don't have to be validated. Also note that these reservations are specific to train, date and departure time, so if you miss the train you've booked, you can't use them on any other train. At this late date, you'll probably be buying Base Fare tickets, which come with some change provisions (but try not to miss your train).
• The tickets for the Spiez - Lauterbrunnen segment can be purchased either when you arrive in Spiez (it's very easy) or online at the sbb.ch website. When you arrive at Interlaken Ost (as I recall that's the second stop in Interlaken - it's a large station, so you'll know when you've reached the correct one), you'll transfer to the small Berner Oberland train for the short 20 minute ride to Lauterbrunnen. Be sure to check the small digital display on the side of the train to ensure the car you board is going to Lauterbrunnen, and NOT to Grindelwald. Have your camera at hand as some parts of that short trip are very scenic.

You can check the various rail solutions using the bahn.de website (but can't buy tickets there as the trips originate outside Germany).

One other minor point to mention. Try to keep your luggage close to you on the trains if possible. There are luggage racks at the end of the cars for larger items, but I had an annoying experience with those a few days ago, when my large Pack was dumped in front of the entrance to the stairwell because some moron wanted the space for his bicycle. My pack easily could have been stolen, or just kicked off the train as it was blocking the entrance. Good thing I was paying attention!!! Larger items can often be placed in the inverted "V" between the seat backs, with smaller items placed on the overhead racks.

Buon Viaggio!

Tara,

I just noticed in one of your subsequent replies that your destination is Mürren and not Lauterbrunnen. Not a problem.

When you buy the Swiss portion of your tickets, simply specify Mürren as the destination and not Lauterbrunnen. Be sure to specify "Mürren BLM" as the route as there are two ways to reach Mürren.

When you arrive in Lauterbrunnen, simply walk across the street to the cable car station, walk up the stairs and board that for the short ride to Grütschalp. When you arrive there, board the small BLM mountain railway for the short trip to Mürren. It sounds complicated, but it's all rather easy.

When you arrive at the station in Mürren, go up the stairs to street level and walk to your hotel.

If luggage is a problem the route that Ken described can be done without steps.

There are two small lifts (elevators) at the Lauterbrunnen end of the cable car. There are a couple of steps up into little one car BLM train and back down, but you can avoid the steps up into the station on the Muerren end by following the wheelchair symbols and going out the open end on the ground floor and walking around the back of the station. It is step free up the hill, but the hill is a bit steep on the way to the upper street (to the right), and downhill to the lower street (to the left).

I was there last week in the rain and it was still just as beautiful. And when we woke up in the morning from our flat in Meiringen and threw back the windows to get our early morning dose of mountain air the peaks had a new coating.....

thank you Ken!!!!! this is SO SO amazing... thank you for taking the time to explain all of this out. Really helped alleviate my stress I was having a hard time figuring out the trains. A couple of quick questions:
1. Do you think that we should book the Levanto - Milano Centrale and Milano - Spiez trip ahead of time? Do seats next to each other often sell out on the AM trains? I was thinking of waiting in case our itinerary changes but not if there could be risk of not sitting by eachother...

1. First class worth it? looks like its not too much more

THANK YOU!

Tara,

You don't have to book tickets in advance, and at this late date it's not likely you'd save any money by pre-booking. I'd suggest buying at least the day prior to travel, if not when you arrive. If you want the easiest solution to Switzerland you'll have to use the trains I suggested so no point in waiting to buy tickets. You could buy tickets for your outbound journey when you arrive in Riomaggiore.

If the ticket office in Riomaggiore isn't able to provide the tickets you need (which I've found on a previous trip), you might have to make a short trip to Monterosso which has a full service ticket office.

I normally travel solo, so haven't had any experience buying two tickets. At that time of the morning you should be able to get two seats together (but of course the earlier you buy tickets, the better your chances).

I'd suggest taking a list of the departure times, train numbers, etc. to the station when you buy tickets, so there are no misunderstandings and the agent has a clear idea of which trains you want.

First class is about 50% more and I've never found that worth the extra cost. Second class had been perfectly comfortable. Most Regionale trains only have second class anyway (your only Regionale is the first segment from Riomaggiore to Levanto).

Be sure to keep an eye on your luggage when on the trains. That's an early trip, but one of you can have a nap while the other watches the luggage.

Happy travels!

One other minor detail to mention.....

The ticket agents in Italy may only be able to sell tickets to the first connection point in Switzerland (Spiez?). If that's the case, just buy your tickets from Spiez to Mürren when you arrive in Spiez. It only takes a few minutes.