Traveling from Italy to Switzerland

There are varying opinions as to the value of a car in Switzerland as there are more miles of train track per citizen than any other country on the planet. There's barely a place in Switzerland that you can't get to by train and post bus. That being said, train travel in Switzerland is not cheap. Please note that if you are planning any stays in Gimmelwald, Murren or Wengen, no tourist cars are permitted in the villages. There is parking in Lauterbrunnen, however. Zurich airport is 2.5hrs by train from Lauterbrunnen. We've done it.

We went to Interlaken from Vernazza last month. The best way we found to do it was to spend the night in La Spezia (there are nice hotels right by the train station) and catch the 6:00 or 6:30 ? train to MIlan. You will then get on a Swiss train and cross the border at Brig. We stayed on and changed trains at Spiez for Interlaken. It sounds like a lot but it went off like clockwork and we enjoyed the scenery.

You will notice the train from La Spezia to Milan goes back through the CT to Geneva then up to MIlan but that train does not stop in Vernazza and we couldn't get a train early enough in Vernazza to get to Geneva to catch it.

I'd stick with trains in Switzerland and for sure, get a Swiss Pass.

Ron,
We will be spending time in Rome and then renting a car for a week in Tuscany then we head to Switzerland also. When we are finished in Tuscany we plan on driving up to Como,Italy dropping the rental car off there and taking the train to Lugano, Switzerland. We will spend the night there and the next morning pick up a new rental car.We will then keep that rental for the remainder of the trip and drop it off at the airport in Zurich when we leave.Don't know if that's any help to you. Have a nice trip.

Most definitely you do not need a car in Switzerland. Their fabulous transportation system, is squeeky clean, on time, goes just about everywhere you could imagine, and will save you headaches and money while allowing you to actually enjoy the sights as you travel. Most of the high mountain villages don't even allow cars so you have to pay to park that rental car while you pay to not use it.

The train also runs right into the Zurich airport so it's very easy for flights in and out.

When we visited Cinque Terre we used the train. There is very little parking for cars in the 5 vllages; and the trains are more convenient and cheaper. A car is definitely a handicap in CT.

Elsewhere in Italy a car can be an advantage, but more expensive than RR travel. The RR is easy to use in CT because the villages are small and the stations are in the center within walking distance of everything.

I would not even consider renting a car for CT. You pay for it for several days when you may not be able to use it.

When you leave CT by train you will take a local and transfer to the express in Monterossa because only local trains stop in CT.

I am pretty sure that Connie meant Genoa, not Geneva.

Thanks Jeff. I meant Genova, not Geneva!

I'll cast a minority vote re the value of a car in Switzerland. My husband is Swiss (born and raised), we lived there prior to coming to the States, and we return to visit each year or two. I don't know a soul in soul in Switzerland who functions without a car. Yes, the train and post-auto provide excellent public transportation, but the reality is that the Swiss themselves prefer private car when it comes to personal travel.

I agree with Colleen. Colleen, my huband is also Swiss, born and raised and we lived there for several years before returning to the states. We will be using a rental car there for our visit this summer.

Living in Switzerland may be a bit different than visiting for only a few days like tourists typically do.

I have done a similar trip twice. I prefer a car in Switzerland because I like to stop at vistas for photos, picnics, or whatever. I think train vs car depends on the aforementioned, as well as cost. As a previous poster stated you can train from the CT (Vernazza, Genova, Milan, Lugano,SW) to Lugano, and pick-up a car from Hertz, which is right by the train station. Another option is to ride the train a little further to Locarno, SW and get a car there. They do have a small Hertz rental there in a gas station, a little hard to find, but doable. From Locarno I love the drive in the Valle Verzasca or the Centivalli (google) I would suggest if you are going to drive to buy a good Michelin map off Amazon or Ebay. We returned our car somewhere south of Zurich, I can't remember the name of the town. We trained to Richterswill (less than an hour south of Zurich) stayed in the youth hostel on Lake Zurich at Richterswill, clean, cheap and bare bones. The train into the airport passed right by the hostel, it was so convenient. I think the best part of Switzerland is off the beaten path not the main highways.