Feeling Lost

Now, I've heard wonderful things about the Swiss trains and their efficiency and punctuality etc., but this seems little bit risky to me? Not sure why the website even offers that as an option

Last question first. the Swiss have been doing this for a long time and they know how long it takes to change trains. Often it is just a matter of walking out the door of one train and walking 4 paces across a platform and in the door of another train. They operate on the principle that people want to get to their destination ASAP and not waste time hanging around train stations. Also, the train frequency is high, so if you did miss a train, there will be another in 30 minutes or sooner, and in the worst case 60 minutes.

What are your exact dates? There is some track work going on in Italy until September 7, so after that date things should be complete and trains running normally.

The itinerary you have is a really good one. You’ll be seeing some of Europe’s finest scenery and if you move at a relaxed pace, you’ll really be able to enjoy your 12 days. I would make these edits to the plan: After the first couple nights in Paris, take a 2.5-hr. TGV train to Strasbourg which is en route to Lucerne. Spend several hours in Strasbourg. It’s a beautiful small city well worth seeing for several hours and have lunch on the Ill River in Petite France ( the medieval center) before moving onto Lucerne. Two or three nights in Lucerne gives you time to add daytrips to Mt. Titlis and Mt. Pilatus— where you’ll find the steepest cogwheel train track in the world takes you to the top of Mt. Pilatus. The Swiss train pass called the “Swiss Travel Pass” covers 50% of the cost of the ascent up Mt. Pilatus; 35% of the Mt. Titlis fare plus 100% of boat fares on lakes in Switzerland. When one parent has a Swiss Travel Pass, any child under 16 traveling with the parent travels for free. All you need to do is get a free Swiss Rail “Family Card”
from SBB. The Swiss Travel Pass will give you free train passage on all regular trains traveling in Switzerland including the regular trains traveling over the same train tracks as the Bernina Express. Same tracks, same views— only the carriage cars are different. With a Swiss Travel Pass, the only part of the Bernina Express trains with their special observation cars that one needs to pay for—-is the seat reservation. And all you ever need to do is show the Pass and your passport to conductors on trains when they are checking for tickets.
From Lucerne, continue by train to Pontresina (4.25 hrs), a charming Alps mountain town just outside St. Moritz that the Bernina Express route includes. You can overnight in cozy Pontresina ( pop.2K) before continuing on the spectacular Bernina Express route, which ends in Tirano, Italy.
So far, 6 nights has covered some of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe. This gives you 6 more nights for the second half of your trip… ( Continued below).

I'll chime in with an alternate idea...You say you don't want to stay in places for long because your 4 year old doesn't allow for museums, etc. When I see your 12 day plan of covering Paris, Zurich, Luzern, Chur, Lugano, Milan, Lake Como & Venice in less than 2 weeks with a little one I immediately think that's going to be exhausting. Constantly packing up and moving + jet lag + 4 year old....

My guess is that you have a flight out of Venice if that's where you're ending up? If so, it means you have to cover quite a bit of ground and may not really have a choice, but I'd definitely consider taking a 3-5 day stretch in the middle of your trip to slow down in the mountains. For example, in the Berner Oberland staying in a car free village like Wengen where you can easily head up to Mannlichen via a quick cable car to be at an absolutely epic playground with gorgeous mountain views. That's a win win for the adults and the 4 year old. I guarantee you all are going to love that more than constantly moving from place to place. There is also another amazing spot up at Allmendhubel about Murren and at Winteregg.

But even if you keep your original plan, yes, do it by train. This area is known for it's amazing public transportation system and it runs very often and very efficiently. To determine which pass to get will really be dependent on your exact itinerary including how many days in each place. If your route is covered you just hop on the train and if/when someone comes through to check tickets you show your pass + ID (drivers license works). And in terms of 4-5 minute changes, that's very normal and part of how everything runs so efficiently. My husband & I live in Switzerland for 3 months every summer and thus have to navigate the trains with 3 months worth of luggage and have never once missed a connection. The SBB app on your phone will tell you your arrival platform and departure platform. When you are nearing your station bring your luggage to the exit door so that you can get off immediately and make your way to your next platform. In the event you miss your connection, you likely won't have to wait more than 30 minutes to get on the next one, so it's not the end of the world. More just part of the adventure. But saying that does mean that you need to pack efficiently. Last summer my brother, his wife & 2 small kids (3 & 1) came to visit us in Switzerland. They had a stroller for the kids and the adult who pushed them had a large backpack luggage with luggage that also fit on the stroller and the other person had a roller + personal backpack so that they could tag team and get all of them on/off efficiently.

To conclude your itinerary……... From Pontresina, you can train 10 minutes to the “Morteratsch Glacier,” A flat and easy 35- minute walk will take you to the foot of this Alpine glacier. After reaching Tirano ( 2 hrs from Pontresina) via the Bernina Express rail route, continue by train to Lugano (4 hrs). Stay 3 nights on Lake Lugano— or an alternative location such as Lake Como. Following your time on the lakes, train to Milan (1:20 from Lugano) and take a 2.5-hour high-speed Italo or Trenitalia train from Milan to Venice for the Grand Finale of your trip—-Venezia!
As Wanderweg commented above: your itinerary is one perfectly suited for train travel. Taking the trains allows you to soak up the stunning scenery that will be all around you. And, in Switzerland, the trains are timed to accommodate travelers with the precision of a Swiss timepiece. No worries about missing a train during a change of trains— the Swiss have made it all seamless.
Have a great trip!

A couple of corrections to the above:

The 4-year-old child travels for free on Swiss trains, boats and lifts; no Family Card required.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/individual-needs/travelling-with-children/tickets-travelcards.html#:~:text=Both%20accompanied%20and%20unaccompanied%20children%20under%20six%20years%20travel%20free%20of%20charge.

The continuation of the Bernina Express from Tirano to Lugano is by bus, not by train. This is a 3 hour 10 minute bus ride that might be a bit much after the 3+ hour train ride from Chur.

Assuming their travel day is after Sept. 8, they could instead transfer to an Italian train at Tirano and ride to Bellano or Varenna on Lake Como, 2 to 2.2 hours away. They want to see Lake Como anyway, and this would simplify that.

It would also create some good options for onward travel to Venice. They could, for example, ride a boat down the lake to the town of Como and take the train to Milano Centrale to catch the train to Venice. Or they could ride a train from Bellano or Varenna to Milan and transfer there to a train bound for Venice, but stop for a night or two on the way at Lago di Garda, in the lakeside town of Desenzano. Or 2 nights in Verona.

Another thought—-I would suggest Rigi instead of Pilatus for a mountain experience from Luzern. Rigi is very family-friendly, with several playgrounds on offer at various spots.

https://www.rigi.ch/en/experience/families

The traditional “Rigi round trip” is a loop from Luzern to Vitznau by boat, then cogwheel trainride to the summit at Rigi Kulm, train back down to Rigi Kaltbad, then cablecar down to Weggis on the lake, and another boat ride back to Luzern. This can be shortened if they wish, by riding the first train only as far as Rigi Kaltbad and exploring on foot from there (including a playground). The views over the lake are still wonderful from here.

The whole Rigi trip is fully covered with the parents’ Swiss Travel Pass if they have those. And the 4-year-old travels for free, as always.

another vote for the boat and train up Riga and one of a couple of options back down.

Very scenic, and I think a better view all round than Pilatus, although that is no slouch.

Let’s take it one thing at a time - and I apologize in advance for all the “dumb” questions:

1) it seems that everyone is in agreement that trains are the way to go. And that the Swiss Travel Pass is the way to go. Which version would you recommend? Does my wife and I both need two separate travel passes or is there a ‘family pass’ of some kind?

2) for the Classic Rigi Round trip would the Swiss pass be enough or do you guys recommend that we buy a day trip of some kind?

There is no "family pass". You need 2 Swiss Travel Passes.

The Swiss Travel Pass will fully cover the Rigi round trip (all segments), as well as the trains from Basel to Luzern, Luzern to Chur, the Bernina Express to Tirano, and the bus from Tirano to Lugano if you opt for that. Note that the actual Bernina Exp[ress train requires seat reservations, and the reservation fee (36 CHF) is not covered with the Swiss Pass. Your child will need a reservation as well, and it costs the same.

You can see all the routes and pass coverage on this map of the Swiss Travel System:

https://www.travelswitzerland.com/en/download/swiss-travel-system-map-en-2023/?wpdmdl=14294&masterkey=63a023c8da36c

Make your seat reservations for the Bernina Express here:

https://tickets.rhb.ch/en/pages/bernina-express

1) Luzern is a good base. There is no need to detour via Zurich though. Just book a Paris - Luzern ticket.
2)Coming to Switzerland and not riding our trains is like going to Rome and completely ignore Roman history, or going to Paris and not trying the food. Every year thousands of tourists come just for the trains...
3) For Switzerland: Probably the Half Fare Card, and then pay tickets as you go. Paris - Luzern just buy on line from www.sbb.ch.
4) In Switzerland it is indeed just find your vehicle, and get on, and show the pass when requested. It is mass transit. Taking a train in Switzerland is as trivial as taking the Subway in NY. You will in fact notice that most of the people on the trains are just locals, going about their every day business (which means staring in mobile phones nowadays it seems...)
5) 5 minutes is not "short", it is "efficient". The railways know that you prefer to be kept moving, that trains are nicer to hang out in than stations, so especially in Switzerland they will try to avoid wasting your time....

Now back to your plan. Yes, Luzern is a good first intro to Switzerland. If you want to include the Bernina railway I would make Pontresina the next place. After that go down to Tirano and then Milano to continue to Venice. No need for a detour via Lugano. If you want to experience an Italian alpine lake, just stay some time in Varenna.

I’m assuming there isn’t a train from Pontresina to Varenna? Or at least, you have to take the bus for some of the way?

Any should we book all these trains in advance? Or do you recommend getting the Swiss pass and getting on whatever train we want to take?

Switzerland is just about the only country where a 4- or 5-minute train connection wouldn't freak me out. The official statistic is that 91.9% of all Swiss trains arrive on time, with "on time" defined as within 3 minutes of the scheduled arrival (a much stricter definition than elsewhere). And in terms of connections, 98.9% of all trains in Switzerland allow their passengers to make their connection. That's an incredible punctuality rate! So while obviously it's impossible to guarantee that nothing would go awry, I would feel pretty confident trusting I can make a 4- or 5-minute connection in Switzerland.

Hi John, Yes-there are usually 90-minute trains from Tirano to Varenna-Esino, the name of Varenna’s train station. Currently, however, the trains are not operating so it’s necessary to take a bus from Tirano to Varenna.
You should be getting your accommodations reserved now. Trivago.com and Booking.com are useful websites for this. Once you do that, you can start buying your French and Italian high-speed rail tix. I assume you will be buying a Swiss Travel Pass for all your train travel in Switzerland. You can buy the pass online at www.SBB.ch/en
So, have a look at a site such as www.TheTrainline.com to see what schedules and fares are like, then see what train times work with your finalized itinerary. The Trainline sells both train and bus tix. Accommodations can be reserved through www.Trivago.com; www.Booking.com etc. You can save money buying your Paris-Strasbourg tix now for as little as $18 and Strasbourg- Basel tickets for $33 on the Trainline or for maybe a bit less at www.SNCF-connect.com. You can buy your Milan-Venice tix online today at The Trainline website. You also can check prices directly on www.Trenitalia.com for Italian train tix. There is no point in buying Italian regional train tix in advance because there are no price savings if you buy those local short-haul or regional train tix in advance. You might want to buy the Tirano to Varenna bus ticket online now so you don’t get delayed in Tirano for hours after the Bernina Express train arrives.
You now have all the tools you need to finalize your vacation.
Have a great trip!

You have received some really useful, detailed info here. In order that this might benefit others, could you pls edit your title to be more descriptive? Perhaps Swiss itinerary via trains? Just a thought, thx. Enjoy this beautiful country!

Hi John!

Chiming in as a fellow 4-year old parent. Mine enjoyed the playgrounds in Switzerland so much, and we found ourselves at one once or twice a day to let him roam to his heart's content. He also really enjoyed riding the trains, boats, and cable cars. Swiss Family Fun blog is an excellent resource for the cities you're visiting as well as all of the mountain attractions!

We are planning a European trip in September also, with a leg that includes Switzerland. I agree, the information (especially about train travel) made my head spin! But I will say that the RS Guidebook helped immensely when it came to planning our travel there. I'm sure you already have one?

We had to make some decisions that guided where we will be going and for how long, what to do, etc. This is both the joy and the pain of traveling, lol. Ultimately we are skipping the Berner-Overland areas in favor of the cities and smaller towns accessible by train. And yes, we got the Swiss Travel Pass-- it's a premium most likely--but we like the convenience of one pass, skipping the hassle of getting tickets online or at the stations at the last minute. In short, know what you like and don't like will guide your planning decisions. Happy travels!