Switzerland and Lake Como in 8 days?

trip sounds amazing if you had 2 weeks. You will spend more time changing hotels and traveling than you will savoring and exploring the areas. I'll be curious to read other suggestions.

Day 7 - Bellagio
Day 8 - fly out of Milan

Unless your flight out is mid-afternoon or later, this could be a stress inducing arrangement.

Consider the Engadine Region (Samedan, St Moritz, Pontresina) south of Chur. Not as rugged or beautiful as the Lauterbrunnen valley, but pretty close, and in the right direction. For that short a trip, its a time-efficient route.

Thank you Stan - love the alternative idea.

So are there areas in Switzerland that are as beautiful and "relaxing" as Lake Como - wondering if it's better just to stay entirely in Switzerland the entire time.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I’ve been to bellagio. I find Luzern to be more scenic. It can be relaxing depending on how much you plan to do while there.

I've been to both Switzerland and Lake Como and this trip would not be very enjoyable due to the time spent traveling. I have tried to do exactly what your suggesting but everytime the problem is the connections between Grindelwald and Bellagio, you will spend a whole day just traveling. Going by car is not really any faster.

My plan was to fly into Milan and head to Verenna and then eventually work our way to Zermatt, then Murren and to fly home from Zurich. The real problem is the first day your in Europe is a wash because of jet lag so your really only talking about seven days and the last day is all about making sure your get home so your talking realistically only six days, of which at least half of it will be sitting in a train, bus or a car making connections.

Answer: Like others have stated, you need at least 10-14 days to really do this trip justice and enjoy it.

I've taken the Bernina Express and highly recommend it. But to do that AND the Glacier Express on the same day would be impossible. The Bernina Express leaves Chur at about 8:30 am. You would need to be in Chur the night before. Chur is a fine spot for an overnight.

Both the Berner Oberland and Lake Como are great. I would suggest either Wengen or Murren rather than Grindelwald as my base. Your Day 5 probably ought to be devoted to getting between Grindelwald and Bellagio rather than visiting to Chur/Tirano. By trying to do too much you'll spend too much time traveling and not enjoying.

If you are considering Switzerland only for eight days, I'd go straight to Luzern from the Zurich airport (1+ hour train ride from Zurich airport rail station). On to the Lauterbrunnen Valley (Mürren or Wengen, not Interlaken or Grindelwald) for three nights, then either back to Zurich or on to Geneva for flying out.

If a scenic train is a must, I'd consider Luzern-Zermatt-Glacier Express via Chur to Engadine -Zurich airport.

Great comments. Thanks all. Will skip Como and plan on 7 nights in Switzerland. Appreciate the help.