Northern Italy and Switzerland...or just Switzerland?

Since you’ve been to Italy previously, it might make sense to make this an all Switzerland trip.

My trip reports might give you some ideas for Switzerland.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-june-2024-my-trip-report

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-my-trip-report

When? I'd recommend September. Hopefully summer crowds are decreasing and the lifts are still open.
Carrie writes excellent Trip Reports. However, I have a different recommendation.

My suggestion:
fly into Milan,
Go to Varenna, Lake Como for at least three nights,
Take the regional train to Tirano, Italy . Then cross the plaza in Tirano, to take.
the Bernina Express regional trains to Pontressina, Switzerland, a night or two, and then to the Berner Oberland (Wengen or Murren), at least four nights,
Train to Lucerne, two- three nights,
Fly out of Zurich. ( If your flights aren't too early, it's easy to get from Lucerne to the Zurich airport. I think there's currently some track repairs, but should be finished by your trip.)
Enjoy these beautiful areas. Safe travels !

Both suggestions above are good ones.

We have been to both Switzerland and northern Italy/lakes multiple times, and will be going back in September for a week in Switzerland and 2 weeks at Lago di Garda and Lago Maggiore. We will fly into and out of Zurich, as we like that airport and the convenient transport options.

It is all up to you and what you want for your trip. Flying into Milan and out of Zurich can be just as cost effective as flying roundtrip (use the multi-city option on the airline website, not 2 one-ways.).

Italy and Switzerland are quite different in many ways, even if they both have lakes. In general, Italy is less expensive in terms of food and lodging, for the same level of hospitality. And my husband, the Italophile, is adamant that the food is better in Italy. My view, as a German-speaker, is that he is partially correct. You will pay more for the same quality, even the same dish, in Switzerland than your will in Italy. Same for lodging. The quality of Swiss hotels and restaurants is generally excellent, but it does not come cheap.

I do not think you would find the same experience at Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) or Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) that you would at Lago di Garda, Lake Como, or Lago Maggiore. I cannot say that any of the Italian lakes offer “recharging”, they are busy with visitors these days, but they are well worth a visit, and one can find opportunities to relax with a beautiful view there. There is nothing about Luzern that I find relaxing; there are too many tourists and too few pleasant waterfront restaurants and gracious welcoming hotels. (Just my opinion).

On the other hand. Italy has nothing to compare with the Swiss Alps, unless you head to the Dolomites. And then . . . Dolomites win, in our opinion. But we are serious hikers, and that has a major influence on my opinions.

We are doing a similar trip next month, starting with four nights in Varenna. We have done a similar stay in Bellagio and absolutely loved it, to me it will be a restful peaceful stop before we head into Switzerland.

After leaving Varenna, we head to St. Morita on the Bernina Express, followed by another three weeks in Switzerland. We will also be staying in Montreux, but from what I have seen, stunning as Lake Geneva is, it is nothing like the mid lake of Lake Como.

Carrie: Thank you for reply--I had already read your trip reports! Fantastic

Pat: we are planning for next summer June/July. I had thought about the Bernia Express, but Eastern Switzerland wasn't really in my plans. The scenic ride does sound nice, but ultimately we are heading to Benese Oberland to hike, so we'll be seeing the mountains up close. Nevertheless, I was looking at your suggestion on Trenitalia website and I don't see a direct connection between Varenna and Tirano. Looks like you have to transfer to a bus in Colico. Am I missing something?

Lola and DebH: I appreciate your perspective on comparing Lake Geneva with the Italian lakes. Like Lola's husband, I'm an "Italophile" but excited to see more of Europe (having never been to either German or French speaking areas).

Is there a better website to look at than google maps or trenitalia when planning IT-->CH? I was shocked to see that it is even longer and more changes if we went from Stresa instead of Varenna

Fl doc, I'm not the train expert here, but I believe there is track work being done, necessitating a bus for now. The Bernina Express route has fantastic views, but is so much more - it's a marvel in engineering, bridgework, and creativity, keeping in mind that the route was built in the early 1900's, without the aid of computer-assisted math and design. It's interesting to watch u-tube videos on the route, or the Smithsonian's Might Trains TV show segment on the Bernina Express. (Any how, just an idea if you're bored sometime.)
Have a fantastic trip. Safe travels.

Train schedules between Italy and Switzerland are not normal right now, due to construction and maintenance on the tracks. There are bus links on both the Tirano to Varenna line and the Milan or Stresa to Domodossola line. Look at schedules for mid-October or November if you want a better idea of a normal schedule.

Also not that another route into Switzerland, over the Gotthard Pass, is not affected; indeed there is more traffic on this line than usual, because the faster route through the Gotthard Basistunnel is not available most days. Due to a derailment in the tunnel last year they are using the remaining open line mainly for freight trains.

The Gotthard Pass route is actually a nice scenic route, one that we prefer over the Bernina route as it is much more convenient. The Treno Gottardo uses this route to connect Locarno on Lago Maggiore with Luzern, and you can pick it up at Bellinzona if you are coming from either Milan or Lugano. From Luzern trains use the scenic Golden Pass route over Brunig Pass to reach Interlaken Ost, your gateway to the Berner Oberland. (Note that this route is also disrupted right now, thanks to a storm-caused landslide. )

These closures should be resolved soon, certainly by next summer, so you can expect to use either the Domodossola route or the Gotthard Pass route (or tunnel if you prefer faster travel).

My wife and I have done similar trips several times. We fly into Zurich and home from Venice. Northern Italy is spectacular, but to us Switzerland is special. We start in Switzerland because we do a lot of hiking and wear ourselves out. Then we relax in Italy. We always do this trip in September (family birthday!). The only not-so-smart thing is we take boots and packs and poles and gear for hiking AND we take lounging-by-a-lake clothes for Italy. So sad that we've had to buy some clothes in Italy!

IMHO Milan Malpensa is a pretty difficult airport to get to and it's been kind of a mess. Zurich and Marco Polo are much easier to access and they're better organized.

We've done this kind itinerary by rail only and it's terrific. This year, we're thinking of renting a car and tagging on Chomonix and Mont Blanc, but that's a different story.

BTW we've been in the Berner Oberland in mid-September, usually in bright beautiful blue skies. But we've also had torrential rain, and white-out snow conditions. Once there was a rain, wind, and snow storm so bad, they closed the pass and the Männlichen from Grindelwald to Wengen to everything: no trains, no bicycles, no walking. We had to take a train around the mountains to the north to get back to our hotel. Be prepared for ANYTHING! (But the longer train ride was really pretty btw!)

BTW: Has anyone been to that little bit of Italy at the north end of Lake Como? Worth a visit?

Milan has more than one airport. We will be flying into Linate next spring, on the advice given here. It's located very close to the city center, from what I can tell. Safe travels!

I actually have this trip planned next month for my sister and I! I have been to all of the places listed before and I love them all. It’s totally doable. Here is what we’re doing:

Fly into Milan and private transfer to Bellagio for three nights.
Ferry to Menaggio, private transfer to Lugano for lunch and then to catch the train to Luzern for two nights.
Train to Wengen for three nights.
Train to Zermatt for two nights
Train to Montreux for three nights.

We have hiking, restaurants, winery visits, etc researched in each location, but nothing booked as we want to be flexible to weather and our vacation whims. We will purchase the Swiss half fare card and no other passes, because again, we want to be flexible.

Pat/ & Lola: thanks for the heads up on the train. I did price things out on the website using October 1 and there are much better options available once these repairs are finished. Thank you!

LADTM: as much as I’d like to pack according to the Rick Steves philosophy (just one carry-on and personal item) this may be difficult for my wife and kids, especially with the changes and weather and gear we will need. Particularly why I’m trying to minimize transfers from one train to another…

April— thanks for sharing your itinerary. Which service are you using for a private transfer from the airport and to Lugano? I don’t mind taking direct trains, but switching from ferry to train to bus and moving around will be difficult with a family toting luggage. Also, curious if you are flying out of Zürich or Geneva?

We are using airporttaxitransfers.com . You can also google MXP to Bellagio transfer (or wherever you are coming from) and it brings up several options. We are flying out of Geneva. Our flight leaves at noon and the airport is only an hour train ride from Montreux.