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Unexpected trip in September beginning in Zurich

we just found out that we are going to have a vacation the 3rd week of September. We are overwhelmed with options and we are planners so don't know where to begin. My husband has never been to Europe so I want to make sure he has a wonderful time. Here's what we are looking at:

1) trip will begin in Zurich but it doesn't have to end in Zurich. We could fly out of another airport
2) we are more nature people than city people. Other than Zurich, we are mostly indifferent to any big city- don't hate it but not our thing. We would prioritize mountains, lakes and forests (but not difficult hikes- easy paths are good though)
3) Alps, lakes and Dolomites are top priorites. Would also be interested in some of Tuscany. Open to other places

4) plan to use public transit as much as possible- trains, boats, trams, bus etc. Not opposed to renting a car if someplace that's great needs one

and that's mostly it. Our favorite vacations have been Baniff in Canada, Nova Scotia, and Maui.

Open to any any all suggestions! Thanks for any help

Posted by
8966 posts

Karen, welcome to the forum. Are you saying you only have one week of time to work with?

Posted by
3 posts

Oh I'm so sorry - tried to put everything in. We would fly into Zurich on a Friday and then leave no later than the Saturday a week later, so just a little over a week

Posted by
585 posts

Zurich is a nice city but expensive so you might want to get out of there as quickly as possible! Are you absolutely tied to Zurich or could you change your start point to Milan and head to theItalian lakes (Como etc). With a week you are not going to have time for Tuscany, you don’t want to spend your precious time on trains.

Posted by
17422 posts

We have used a flight into Zurich as our gateway to Italy by choice, so we could ride the Bernina train route. You could do the same.

At the Zurich airport station, buy train tickets to Pontresina ( via Chur). The journey is nice and scenic, and not too long. Spend 2-3 nights in Pontresina. Then board the regional train heading over the Bernina Pass to Tirano at the Italy border. Change there to a train heading to Varenna on Lake Como. Spend 3 nights there.

The rest is up to you, but Milan would be your best airport choice.

Posted by
8966 posts

Zurich is OK but I wouldn't spend any of your too few days there. With only a week, I'd stick with two locations, or your travel time will eat up most of those days.

Posted by
3 posts

Zurich is our starting point as my husband will already be there in advance for business. I'm flying in to meet him for a add-on vacation to his business trip.

We know that we won't be able to see and do everything we would like to, so I am open to ideas.

Posted by
21142 posts

With only a week, I would stick to Switzerland and maybe Lake Como as Lola suggested. If you follow her suggestion, make sure the route from Zurich to Pontresina is on a route that includes the Albula Railway line. Use the SBB trip planner and put "Filisur" in the "via" box.
www.sbb.ch/en.

Forget the Dolomites and Tuscany. Takes too long to get there and you would be skipping a lot of the most beautiful mountains in the world (although the Dolomites are up there).

Posted by
17422 posts

Sam—I always thought it was Chur or Thusis one needed to put in the “via” section, to take the Abula route over the Landwasser viaduct. Filisur is at the junction of the Abula line with the one that goes around the “wrong” way, clockwise from Landquart, past Davos.

https://cdn-doc.myswissalps.com/docs/default-source/rail-network-maps/swisstravelpass.pdf?sfvrsn=7788603a_56

If they haven’t had enough of lakes and mountains after Pontresina and Varenna, and want to fly out of Zurich, they could take the ferry from Varenna over to Menaggio and bus to Lugano, another lake town, spending the night there. Then take the Gotthard Panorama Express train and boat to Luzern. Or a combination of regional trains and boat on the same route.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/trains-trips/rail-travel-specialtrains/panoramareisen/gotthard-panorama-express.html

For a flight out of Zurich mid-morning or later, one can spend the night in Luzern and easily reach the Zurich airport by direct train the next day.

So for their week of vacation in Switzerland and Italy, that would mean 2 nights in Pontresina, 2 nights in Varenna, one in Lugano, and 2 in Luzern. If they want more time in Italy, they would head to Milan after Varenna, with 3 nights to “spend” on the way. Bergamo would be a worthy overnight stop. Maybe their last night in Stresa, on Lago Maggiore, from which they can take a bus right to Malpensa airport.

Unfortunately there is not enough time to include the Dolomites. They look close on a map, but the trains do not run east-west in the mountainous region around Lake Como. One must head south, then east to Verona, then north to Bolzano, to a bus into the Val Gardena area.

Posted by
21142 posts

"Filisur" works, "Tiefencastel" works, "Thusis" works. They're all on the Albula line.

Posted by
5604 posts

Karen, is there any reason you can't come in earlier and do some solo day trips- or overnights on your own?? The Swiss rail system is user-friendly and very efficient .
Safe travels!