I have limited time on this trip and want toget from Bern to Lake Como, Italy as directly as possible. Any suggestions?
Leslie, you could take a train from Bern to Zurich and then another train to Como. It will take you about 5 hours - 1 hour to Zurich, 4 hours to Como. If you are staying in one of the towns on the lake, you will also need to take a hydrofoil, boat or I think there's even a bus. That will add to your adventure.
The best site for timetables for all of Europe is www.bahn.de. Click on "Internat. Guests" to view the site in English. Enter Bern as your departure point and Como S. Giovanni as your arrival point. After you get summary timetables, click on "Details for all" to see the connecting points. You'll see that your best choices are Bern-Luzern-Como, Bern-Zuerich-Como, and Bern-Milano-Como.