Lauterbrunnen to Venice via train where to stop in between

Lauterbrunnen - Lucene- Como - Milan - Venice is a very scenic possibility.

Check out sbb.ch for Swiss rail connections. Depending on exactly when you want to travel (and how long you want to spend at it) you might be able to take the boat-train combo down the Lake of Lucerne and over the Gotthard Pass on the old twisty tunnel route rather than the fast train.

Gotthard Panorama Express:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/panoramareisen/gotthard-panorama-express.html

Lugano, Como or Milan can be intermediate good stops. Or stop in Padua and visit the Scrovrgni Chapel:
http://www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it/index.php/en/

Are you sure the cruise ship actually goes from Venice? All the giant cruise ships have been banished from the lagoon and will now be sailing from Ravenna.

Sam asked the question that came to my mind right away. It is very likely that you will not actually be sailing from Venice and need to go to Ravenna instead. Right now the Brilliance of the Seas, the Seaborn Quest, and Marella Explorer 2 are all scheduled to leave from Ravenna on that date.

To respond to the question about route and possible overnight stops, I have the same answer as NickB—-take the Gotthard Panorama Express from Luzern to Lugano by lake boat and train. From Lugano it is a simple journey to Venice (or elsewhere) by train via Milan.

The logical (to me, anyway) places to overnight on this route from Lauterbrunnen would be Luzern and Lugano, because you will be changing trains in these places anyway, and they are lovely lakeside places to stay on the nights of June 2 and June 3. Or if you would like to go further than Luzern the first day to shorten the following day’s journey time, you could take the lake boat as far as Vitznau, a small lakeside resort community with a good assortment of very nice small hotels. Check into one and leave your luggage, then ride the cogwheel train up to Rigi Kaltbad for a nice hike on trails well above the lake, with beautiful views. Next day catch a morning lake boat that gets you to Fluelen for the (once daily) departure of the Gotthard Panorama Express train to Lugano.

What is the name of your cruise ship? Some of the small ships are still using the cruise terminal at Venice, I believe. But If it turns out your cruise ship is actually departing from Ravenna, you will have a slightly longer train journey on June 4 to reach your port than you would going to Venice, but not too much. Or it is possible you will be picked up in Venice by the cruise ship line and transported to Ravenna by bus. have also read of at least one cruise ship that will stop at Trieste instead of Venice, so you will want to get this sorted out soon.

Here is a list I have found of the 10 cruise ships that are still scheduled to actually port at Venice in 2022:

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/venice-port-79

They are “small” ships, under the size limit banned from the Giudecca Canal and the Venice cruise port.

Yes, watch out for where exactly your ship is departing. If it had been me I would have made a bee-line straight to Venice - it is a wonderful place and I return as often as I can - before having to go to wherever the ship is actually docking.

Aren't you interested in Venice?

Have you been to Venice before? Whether you have or not, I highly recommend more time in Venice anytime you have the chance to stay there.

We did that exact trajectory a few years ago. While perhaps not for everyone, I'll share what we did and let you decide.

DAY ONE

• leave around 10:00 am. Drive rental car (we had one already from Europcar) from Lauterbrunnen to Chur (3 hours + stops). We stopped for lunch in Lucerne and ate on the banks of the river, which was lovely. We did a detour into Liechtenstein, just to say we'd been, which was frankly an aggravation and waste of time.
• arrive Chur around 3:00 pm. Drop rental car at Chur railway station. Stay in Chur overnight. We stayed at Hotel Freieck in the old town. Not a hard walk from the station, but you might prefer to stay closer to the station. Chur is a neat little town in the Alps.

DAY TWO

• Bernina Express to Tiranno, Italy. Departs 8:30 am. Amazing scenic rail journey through the Alps. Stops at the summit. Over the Landwasser Viaduct and around the Brusio Spiral. https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/bernina-express.htm
• Arrive Tiranno around 1:00 pm. Lunch in Tiranno.
• Regional train (Trenord) from Tiranno to Milano Centrale. No reservation, trains leave every two hours or so. One of the most underrated train journeys along the coast of Lake Como.
• High speed train from Milano Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia. Reservations recommended.
• Into Venice around 6:00 pm.

Sam and Lola,
You are indeed correct. We are on Brilliance of the Seas and will not be sailing out of Venice. So glad to have found this out! We have been to Venice. Spent a few days ago. It is lovely but a bit crowded. Maybe a night or two after the cruise before we fly home.

Looking at Gothard versus Bernina trains. I guess it takes a bit to figure train schedules and accommodations. We are definitely not renting a car... Would the train schedules be reliable this far out? Thank you for all the info!!!