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Milan to Munich

Posted by (MD) on

This question is for a friend who will be in Europe for the first time in April/May. With about one week to go from Milan to Munich, making stops for sight seeing and hiking along the way, is there a particular route you might advise? I've only been to Switzerland once, going from Lucerne to Milan via the Bernina Express route, so don't have much knowledge about it, but it seems like going from Milan to Zurich, then on to Munich makes sense, which would mean coming up with a scenic plan to get from Milan to Zurich. I don't know this person really well, but she doesn't seem like a big city kind of person, so smaller cities/towns would probably interest her more.

Thank you for your help!

Posted by
636 posts

train or car?

Oops, good question Nigel. So, the reason I got involved in this at all was because I overheard her mentioning she was planning to drive from Nice, where her journey starts, to Munich. I made the mistake of questioning that plan, given it's going across several countries with a one way rental, so I'm not really sure.

I mention starting from Milan simply because whether she does decide to take the train, or even drive part way, it seems most routes go from Nice to Milan, then onward from there, but honestly, I doubt she's even set on that.

Posted by
32350 posts

For a trip from Nice to Milan to Munich, using a rental car is not the best travel method (IMO), especially for a solo traveller. Travel by train will be faster and easier. As this is a "first trip" for your friend, he/she may find it helpful to read RS Europe Through The Back Door. A few points that come to mind regarding driving that route.....

  • Renting in one country and dropping in another is usually subject to a hefty surcharge.
  • For driving in Italy, each driver will require the compulsory Internatonal Driver's Permit.
  • As I recall, highway tax vignettes are required both for Austria and Switzerland. STEEP fines if caught without it.
  • Theft from parked vehicles can be a problem in some areas.

A well planned train trip would be preferable (IMO) because.....

  • Travel by train is faster and easier. The high speed trains travel at up to 300 km/H so that's much faster than a car, and no problems with traffic.
  • I find rail travel to be more relaxing, and no worries about fuel prices, tolls, highway speed cameras, ZTL areas (Italy) or parking.
  • There are also a few caveats to be aware of when travelling by train so some research on that would be advisable.

For travel from Nice - Milan - Munch, the easiest route would probably be through Bolzano and the Brenner Pass into Austria and then from there to Munich. It's a very pleasant trip by train. The Bahn.de website is a good place to research train journeys all over Europe, although they don't sell tickets for every country.

Posted by
636 posts

Ken, I agree with your points and appreciate your input. I’ll look more into your suggestions. Thank you!

Posted by
25 posts

Ive done this Milan, to Bologna to Verona, to Innsbruck to Munich. Spend 2 nights in each city or less. You could also cut out Bologna but it's such a beautiful city that has the most wonderful food.

Posted by
3287 posts

Late April to early May is too early for hiking in the Swiss Alps, so no point in going to Zurich from Milan.

She could go from Milan via Verona and Bolzano, through Austria as suggested above. Or from Nice to Geneva to explore the Lac Leman area—-Lausanne Montreux Vevey, then Bern and through Alsace (Colmar)) to reach Munich. That would be nice, especially if she speaks some French.

So basically choose between Italy or Switzerland and Alsace.

And definitely by train!

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