We are spending a week in June in Stresa, Italy with a tour group . We decided fly into Milan 4 days earlier with the thought of seeing a bit of Switzerland before going to Stresa.
One thought was taking a train to Zermatt, spending 2 nights then taking the Glacier Express to St Moritz ,spending 2 nights then to Stresa.
Another option is go to Gstaad (how) then figure out how to get to Stresa
any thoughts or itineraries out there?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32206 posts
alexis,
Another two cities in Switzerland you could consider are Lugano and Locarno, both relatively close to Milan and Stresa.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11316 posts
It depends, as it usually does, on what you like to do. Are you hikers? Do you like to ride scenic lifts and trains?
Milan to Zermatt is about 3.5 hours by train. If you like outdoor mountain activities (hiking) and great scenery, you could easily pass 4 nights there. It is 3+ hours back to Stresa. Staying more nights in a mountain location makes it more likely you will hit good weather. (It is a tragedy IMO to go somewhere like Zermatt, if having one full day Mother Nature decides it should rain and you never see "the mountain.")
Zermatt to St. Moritz is more than 8 hours by train. Too far for the time you have.
Milan to Gstaad is almost 5 hours by train. Pretty far, and just over 4 hours to get back to Stresa.
Have you considered the Berner-Oberland and specifically the Lauterbrunnen Valley? Milan to Lauterbrunnen is just over 4 hours by train. You could stay in Lauterbrunnen or up higher such as in Muerren. Endless lifts, trails, trains to explore. Rick Steves has an excellent chapter on this area in his Switzerland guidebook. Less than 3 hours back to Stresa.
You could go to Zermatt for 2 nights then Lauterbrunnen or Muerren for 2, but personally I, think you'd be better off with 4 nights in one place. Get to experience that place, hopefully seize some great sunshine. FWIW, we think the food is better in Zermatt, but we like the hiking out of Lauterbrunnen better.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I haven't been to Zermatt, but I had some very good food in Mürren (at the usual painful Swiss prices - but at least I got something for the money).
Because the scenery (and therefore the total experience) in Switzerland in the mountains is very weather dependent, and because mountain weather is both unpredictable and rapidly changeable, I'd spend all four night in one place (I spent 4 nights in Mürren - one of the best travel decisions I ever made). Otherwise, if it rains and you have a short stay, you could have a literal washout in a location, and have traveled a long way and spent a lot of money for nothing.
I agree that Rick's chapter on the Berner Oberland is one of his very best, except for his over-emphasis on Gimmelwald (it's a very tiny place that's interesting to walk around for a short time, but not the earth-shaking experience he describes).