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Help with Switzerland + Milan Itinerary

Posted by on

I have 7-8 days to travel with my boyfriend (we are in our 20s/30s) and I was wondering if you could help me/give me advice with my itinerary! This will be late August.

Starting in Zurich and leaving from Milan are the only fixed part of the trip because I have my flights booked.

I would really like to see the beautiful natural sites of Switzerland but also want to hit Italy quickly at the end because I LOVE Italian food!

Is this too rushed? Any order of things that should be switched? The reason I go in kind of a circular route in the beginning was because to get from interlaken to lugano (or milan) by train, it seemed like the train had to go through lucerne first.

Any advice?

Trip Summary

zurich -> bern -> interlaken area/a village near there -> lucerne -> lugano -> milan

Detailed:

arrive in zurich
zurich (1 day)

-> zurich to bern - 56 min train

bern (1 night or just half day)

-> bern to interlaken - 50 min

interlaken (1-3 nights)

  • visit or stay a village near interlaken (Murren, Lauterbrunnen, grindelwald OR Gimmelwald). go to mountain jungfraujoch. get to these villages via train or bus

-> interlaken to lucerne - 2 hrs

lucerne (1-2 nights)

-> lucerne to lugano (2.5 hrs)

lugano (swiss/italian city) - 1 night or just half day

-> lugano to milan (1.5 hrs)

milan - fly home

Posted by
11570 posts

Do not stay in Interlaken. Stay in the mountains, Grindelwald where we spent a week, Wengen, or Murren. Yes,to visit up to the top pf the Jungfrau if the weather is clear. I would omit Bern and add that day to Grindelwald, Wengen or Murren.
Since you want some of Italy, why not drop Lugano and stay on Lake Maggiore? Look at Stresa and Ranco. We had really great food in Ranco. It is a straight shot to Milan MXP where you can get a train to Milan city center where you will find more great Italian food!.

Posted by
8889 posts

"Starting in Zurich" - Are you starting in Zürich city centre ("Zürich HB" station) or at the airport ("Zürich Flughafen"). You need to know this info when you are looking up train info.

Is the "7-8 days" just Switzerland, or including Italy?

The reason I go in kind of a circular route in the beginning was because to get from interlaken to lugano (or milan) by train, it seemed like the train had to go through lucerne first.

Not so, there are two routes south to Milan:
1) Zürich or Luzern - Lugano - Milan
2) Bern - Spiez - Brig - Stresa - Milan.

Therefore I suggest the following:

  • Zürich (airport or city centre) - Luzern (xx nights)
  • Luzern - Jungfrau region (past Interlaken). This involves the scenic Brünig Pass line (yy nights)
  • If you have time, do Bern as a day trip, but I would skip it as you are short of time.
  • Onward to the Italian lakes: Interlaken - Spiez - Brig - Stresa. If you just do a train search on https://www.sbb.ch/en from wherever to Stresa
  • Stresa via Milan to wherever else you want in Italy.
  • Fly home from Milan or somewhere else in Italy.
Posted by
4 posts

@Chris F
Thanks for your help!

"Starting in Zurich" - Are you starting in Zürich city centre ("Zürich HB" station) or at the airport ("Zürich Flughafen"). You need to know this info when you are looking up train info.

Not sure yet.

Is the "7-8 days" just Switzerland, or including Italy?

This includes italy!

Posted by
21160 posts

Also from Stresa, you can get a bus to Milan Malpensa airport if that is where you are flying home from. Otherwise, you have to take a train into Milan, then turn around and come half way back. There is also a bus from Gallarate, but the added logistics of changing from a train to a bus is a hassle. With the bus from Stresa, your bags get stored under the bus and relax until you get to the airport.
http://www.safduemila.com/alibus-2017-malpensa.lagomaggiore-1.html

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