Best Way to get from Italy to Switzerland

You could fly, take the train, rent a car....where do you want to go in Switzerland, how many are you, what do you want to see, do you want to stop along the way? You need to give us more information.

We would like to see Bern, Geneve, and possibly Zurich (if time allows). There are three of us traveling together -- we would like to see the local culture, shop, and dinner. We do not ski, so that is not something we would be interested in doing; however, visiting the Alps is also on our list -- though we realize a few days might not afford us the chance to see and do everything we would like. Since the cruise portion of the trip will eat up a lot of our budget, we wanted to try to save money by getting to Switz the most cost effective way possible.

Rome is a long way from Switzerland. I suggest you look at a map and decide which cities you want to visit, realizing how much time it takes to travel.

You dont say how many days you allow, but I suggest you plan your trip by train.

We would be there only 2-3 days.

Do you already have your air tickets? If so, where are you flying home from? How may days between the day you get off the boat and the day you go home?

A train from say Rome to Zurich would take about 10 hours. To Geneva about the same.

I would suggest getting a cheap flight from Rome to either Zurich or Geneva and then using the train to get around the country.

I'm guessing you're going to have three full sized suitcases. This will not be fun to lug around Switzerland. If this is the case, you may want to rent a car instead.

later Edit--I saw your post saying 2-3 days...I'd say forget it. See Rome or Florence instead and save Switzerland for another trip

Please note that this is a dual conversation running. She has posted the same question and answers under transportation. It is confusing. Should be a rule against this.

Frank - I posted it on ONE other board because I was not getting replies and I thought it would be better suited under transportation. You don't have to reply at all if it is that confusing for you.

Check www.whichbudget.com for air options.

Dear Nicole,
I think you are might be best to spend the extra time in Florence, and from there you can take a side trip to Pisa (1 hour by train.) Be sure to get your Leaning Tower reservations online early at http://www.opapisa.it/ Click on English and then Plan Your Visit and Buy Tickets.
Next best for sanity: fly from Rome to your destination city in Switzerland, enjoy your 2 days, and fly home from there.
If you want to go by train, take the train from Rome to Milan, and pick a quick one. Then train from Milan to Brig, Switzerland, which is the end of the line for Italian trains, as you must switch to the Swiss system. Visit the tourist office in the train station in Brig, and see if you qualify for a half-price pass (about $100) which lets you ride all Swiss trains and gondolas and boats for half price for 2 weeks. This is a screamin' good deal if you will have at least 3 train days in Switzerland.
By all means, plan to fly home from Switzerland instead of Rome.
I think you need a few more days in either Italy or Switzerland.
Good Luck!
Kerry in SLC, UT

With the amount of time you will be there, I would take the advice of getting a cheap flight to Switzerland. We did the trip in the opposite direction last year by train, but had more time and stopped in multiple places along the way.

You can't go wrong with any of the places you mentioned.