I am in the early planning stages of a trip to Lake Como/Milan, Venice, and Florence. I am thinking of flying into Switzerland and spending 3 days in the Berner Oberland that Rick highly recommends before traveling to Italy. Coming from Atlanta which airport should we fly into and then what is the best train route to get from Berner Oberland to Lake Como/Milan?
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
From Zurich airport it's a bit over 3 hours to Lauterbrunnen, while from Geneva airport it's a bit over 3.5 hours. So, if all else is equal, fly into Zurich, but Geneva also works fine; both airports have train stations right in the terminal, so it's easy to get to the Berner Oberland.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
Will the train ride to Milan from there be scenic? I have been reading about the scenic Bernina Express train route(train from Zurich to St Moritz and boarding Bernina Express there) it looks like with only 3 or 4 days to spend I couldn't see Berner Oberland and do that. So many wonderful possibilities and so little time! What would your top choice be?
Posted by
Green Bay
20254 posts
It is a good choice if you want it to be. Berner Oberland is up a ''dead-end" valley in western Switzerland, the Bernina Express is in far eastern Switzerland. It is a good way to get to Varenna on lake Como as there is a direct connecting train from Tirano, the Italian terminus of the Bernina Express, to Varenna. But you will probably need to go all the way back to Zurich to get to Chur where the Bernina Express begins.
Rail lines go all over Switzerland. Download the map on the right hand side of this page:
http://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/holidays--short-breaks-in-switzerland/swisstravelsystem/swiss-travel-pass.html