I am a college student backpacking with a friend from lauterbrunnen to Varenna- Esino, what is the best way to get there by train, and should I buy train tickets ahead of time?
Thanks
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32350 posts
isabel,
That's a fairly straightforward trip but it's going to take a few hours, with several train changes. Your best bet appears to be a departure from Lauterbrunnen at 07:32, arriving Varenna at 13:24 (time 5H:52M, 4 changes). The number of changes may sound complicated but they're actually quite easy. Especially in Switzerland, detailed information is provided including which platform each train is on. You can research all the solutions on the Bahn.de website.
You could buy tickets in advance if you want via the websites of the rail networks you'll be using - SBB.ch in Switzerland and Trenitalia,com in Italy. You can also use ticket resellers like Trainline as they sell tickets for several countries in Europe. Note that tickets for the express trains you'll be using will come with compulsory seat reservations, and tickets for Regionale trains in Italy will be pre-validated. If you buy Regionale tickets from kiosks or ticket offices in Italy, these have to be validated prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot. With express trains in Italy, the seat reservations are specific to train, date and departure time and can only be used on the one train listed on the ticket. If yuour board the wrong train by mistake, again hefty fines on the spot.
The trip from Milan to Varenna is about 1H:05M. Be ready to disembark promptly as the train doesn't stop for long.
Posted by
Green Bay
21142 posts
You are about the 1000th person (seen on this forum) that has planned an itinerary that goes directly to/from Varenna and the Berner Oberland. As Ken described, it is a cumbersome transfer, but doable. Maybe Rick should put something in his Europe Travel Guide warning people about adding an intermediate stop in your itinerary planning when you want to visit both these locations.
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL
1880 posts
Just to expound on Ken's route, I would take the train from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken (21 min.), Interlaken Ost to MIlan. (3:10) Spend the rest of that day in Milan. The next day you can see more of Milan and head to Varenna whenever you want because trains run every hour from Milan to Varenna and it is only an hour long train ride. Mian is worth a day and a half since you are passing through.