We are planning a 11 day trip flying into to Zurich and then spending 3 nights in Lucerne, 2 nights in Murren and 3 night in Varenna and the rest of time has not been decided. We would like to break up the trip from Murren to Varenna.
Our tentative dates of travel are; arriving Zurich May 30 -leaving Milan June 9 or June 10.
If we start in Zurich what would the recommended itinerary in Switzerland be after leaving Lucerne?
The best rail pass for this itinerary?
There seem to be two possible routings between Murren and Varenna. One goes through Brig; the other, back through Luzern and then through the Ticino. On the latter trip you could stop in Bellinzona or Lugano. Lugano's a lake city, fairly large. I enjoyed multiple stops there back in the 80's but haven't been there since. It's Switzerland but with an Italian accent. I assume it is quite different from Varenna, which I haven't seen. Bellinzona has a castle and looks attractive from the train; I never managed to find time to hop off and see the city.
I'd probably change the order of visits slightly. Would something like this work....
There are lots of possibilities, and this is only one suggestion.
It's difficult to answer the question about the rail pass, as which pass to buy will depend to a large extent on exactly which transportation facilities you'll be using while there. A good all around solution is the Half Fare Card. You'll have to do the number crunching to figure out which solution is best for your situation. You may find it helpful to have a look at - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes
Would something like this work.
Fly inbound Zürich, train to Murren
Mürren, 3 nights
Lucerne, 3 nights
Varenna, 3 nights
Milan, 1 night prior to flight home.
Yes, that would work, but I would take a day from Varenna and add it to Murren.
I would also suggest you put Mürren first. Then Luzern, and from there head to Pontresina (4 hours 20 minutes from Luzern) for an overnight. Then you can pick up the Bernina Express (or a regional train on the same tracks) to Tirano. From there it is a short journey (1.5 hours) to Varenna.
This way you have the benefit of the most scenic train ride across the Alps ( all other routes go under the Alps in tunnels), and you approach Varenna from the north, avoiding Milan.
It took up four trips to Switzerland before we made time for the Bernina Express, and I wish we had done it earlier. It is a beautiful trip.
