I have 3 primary questions
There will be 7 of us traveling and I have therefor decided to go by car as 7 swiss passes is very expensive. We will land in Zurich and travel to Murren for 5 nights. We will then drive to Varenna Italy. Question 1. The route will take me through Lugano. We would like to take a detour to Morcote for lunch then onward to Varenna. Should we drive to Menaggio or Villa Carlotta to take the car ferry to Varrena? Will the car ferry accommodate a large 9 passenger bus? Anyone know the ferry schedule or where I can find it? Is the drive/car ferry advisable?
Question 2. From Varenna we plan to drive to Sils Maria (by St. Moritz) for 3 nights. On the way we will go to Soglio for lunch and a hike and explore the Bregaglia valley. Once we are in Sils Maria we want to travel the Bernini express the next day as a day trip. Would you recommend St. Moritz to Poschiavo and back or from St. Moritz to Chur and back as the most scenic ?
Question 3. After leaving Sils Maria we will travel to the lower Engadine and visit Guarda and Tarasp and take the walk from Guarda to Ardez as a day trip. We will then travel to Regensberg for our last night since it is a hill top town and close to the Zurich airport where we will depart the next day. Has anyone traveled this stretch of highway....Traffic problems? Recommendations?
I would really appreciate any insight anyone may have on our plans or recommendations of places to see, hikes to take, etc. Thank you so much for your help
Posted by
Green Bay
20084 posts
Instead of Varenna, why not just choose Menaggio. Then you won't have to wrestle a 9-passenger van on the ferry. You can always visit Varenna on the ferry, as well as Belllagio.
The Bernina Express routes are very different from each other. St Moritz to Chur (Albula Line) starts with a long tunnel to Preda then a series of spiral tunnels and switch-backs down the valley. Just past Filisur is the famous Landwasser Viaduct as you exit a tunnel. You could get off at Tiefencastel and come back.
The other direction goes up over the Bernina Pass above tree line and then down to Tirano. Might as well stay on all the way to Tirano, as the Brusio viaduct is an interesting sight as the tracks do a 360 over/under each other.
Look here for some deals, https://www.rhb.ch/en/tickets-travelcards/tickets/1-day-travelpasses
They sell 1-day passes for the entire RHB railway at a "Buy 6, Pay for 5" deal. As long as you don't use the actual Bernina Express with the panorama cars, you do not have to pay the reservation fee. You also get bigger discounts if you have a Half Fare Card, but not the full 50% for day passes. There are also reduced tickets for travel after 9 am.
Speaking of Half Fare Cards, add up the cost of mountain lifts you will be taking in Muerren, It might still pay to get everyone Half Fare Cards, especially if you want to do the Jungfraujoch.