Hello, My husband and I are planning our 40th wedding anniversary trip. We are planning to fly in or out of Zurich and in or out of Venice as these were the most economical options from Orlando, FL. I would like to explore Switzerland but need guidance on what to do and locations to stay. Thinking around Zurich and Lucerne and found some places to stay in Meilen, Brienz or Morschach that looked inviting but not sure if they would be good locations to stay and explore. We have been to Italy twice so looking to explore areas we have not seen. Looking to use trains for transportation and between both countries. I would like to explore Lake Como (i was looking to stay in Lezzeno but read on another post about Verenna or Bellagio - thoughts?), with a day visit to Milan, Cinque Terre area, Portofino & Santa Margarita (which town should we stay in?) and on to either Brescia or Verona, the Italian Dolomites and Venice. What is best location to stay in each area and amount of time to explore. I am currently planning on 21-24 days for May of 2025. THANK YOU in advance for your guidance!
Posted by
Citizen of the World
1997 posts
Congratulations on your 40th Anniversary, and welcome to the forum!
The time you have to build an itinerary— 21 to 24 days— is really optimal to visit Switzerland and northern Italy. You didn’t mention your interests and it would be great to know how much hiking you want to do ( ie hikes up to one hour, two hours, or half-day?). Do you like museums? What type do you like? Into art? Do Medieval towns interest you?
Beaches? Other interests?
Early May hiking in Switzerland can bring muddy trail conditions , so If you are interested in hiking it will be better to delay arriving in Switzerland until the latter part of May or even into June. That means you’ll want to begin your trip in Venice and fly back home from Zurich.
If you start in Venice, the rough flow of your trip could be: Venice ( Padua makes for a good base to visit Venice from as it’s 20-train-minutes away) From Verona, train to Bolzano in 1:40 and transfer to 1-hour bus reaching Dolomite town of Ortisei. Stay in Ortisei. Castelrotto ( aka “Kastelruth”) is an alternative town linked by bus to Ortisei. Then return by bus to Bolzano and train to Varenna-Esino on Lake Como ( I recommend staying in Menaggio which is a 20- minute ferry ride from Varenna, which is where the train station called “Varenna-Esino” is located).
Train to Milan in one hour, then train to Genoa in 90 minutes as gateway to stay in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure. These towns are just a few miles northwest of the Cinque Terre. ( Portofino is a photogenic town that primarily caters to the wealthy).
Return by train to Genoa, then take return train to Milan, then it’s time to visit Switzerland.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
Kenko is correct about early May in Switzerland—-best to put that at the end of your trip. It is also too early for the dolomites, but I would suggest you omit that area, as they are well off the path for the rest of your trip, particularly if you wish to includ Cinque Terre/Portofino/Santa Margarita Ligure. The rest can be linked in a nice logical order for train travel.
A rough outline of the order of travel would start with flying into Venice, spending at least 3-4 nights there. Then Verona, before heading south to Cinque Terre. One route goes Verona—-MIlan—-Genoa—-Monterosso; the other goes Verona—-Bologna—-Florence—-Pisa—-La Spezia. You don’t need to spend time in all those places; you just are likely to change trains in some or all of them. The simplest journey would be Verona to Milan to Monterosso, with no other train changes required. But you might like to stop at Lago di Garda, or Brescia, between Verona and Milan.
After your Liguria coast time, return to Milan and head to Varenna, which is connected by train and only an hour away. If you would like to stay in Lezzeno, it is a ferry ride from Varenna. Looks like a nice place on Satellite View.
From Varenna you are well-positioned for the Bernina Express route into Switzerland, one of the few routes that goes over the Alps instead of under them in a tunnel. You will pass through the alpine village in the Engadine, which would be a good place to spend a few nights. The Engadine enjoys earlier springs and more sunshine than some other alpine areas.
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/destinations/pontresina/
I am not familiar with Meilen, but Morschach and Brienz can both be reached by train from Pontresina, with a few changes on the way. Note that part of Brienz was hit by flooding from a major storm a week ago, and the train line there is closed for now, but by next May the trains should be fine. Brienz is better positioned for exploring around Switzerland, as Morschach is rather remote and “off the beaten path”.
Your flight home could be out of Zurich, but if the flight prices work best to fly round-trip to Milan, that city is easily reached by train from Luzern.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5595 posts
It's much easier flying into Venice than out of Venice. Many flights out of Venice are early in the morning, and it's a challenge getting to the Venice airport in the wee hours of the morning. Safe travels!
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Wow, thank you for all the great advice so far. Sounds like it is best to start in Venice and end in Switzerland. We like hiking but both have a bad knee so strenuous or long hikes won't work. We enjoy exploring historical sites midevil towns and churches. We love nature, boating, museums and good food! I am thinking to start our trip in Mid May to early June. Thank you again!