My husband and I will be traveling by train from Luzern to Milan in October and we would like to stop along the way somewhere that would be fun to explore and have lunch. We originally thought about Lugano but I also read that Bellinzona was an interesting stop. Would love to get opinions about best places to stop for a few hours on the way to Milan. Thanks!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Either Bellinzona or Lugano. Bellinzona has 3 castles to visit (World Heritage Site). Lugano is on a lake. If this is a lunch stop you will not have time to fully explore either.
Italian rail tickets are specific to the train. Make sure your ticket references the correct train for the Italian portion of this journey.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thanks Chris! I'm not quite sure what you mean about the "train ticket having to reference the correct train for the Italian portion." Do you mean that our train ticket from Bellinzona or from Lugano (wherever we decide to stop) to Milan has to have a specific train number, not a general ticket that is good for multiple trains? Thanks again for your advice!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Ann, I was avoiding going into boring details, as it is a bit "nerdy".
Swiss train tickets (apart from supersavers) can be used on any train on the date shown on the ticket.
Italian long-distance train tickets are only valid on the train listed on the ticket, The ticket will have date, time, train ID and seat numbers on it. For long distance trains, there are no "general ticket that is good for multiple trains".
You buy a ticket from Luzern to Bellinzona or Lugano and you can get on any train.
From there to Milan, you must decide when you buy the ticket which train you are going to get, and you must get on that train (or buy another ticket).
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thank you Chris! The "boring" details were very helpful!