Train from Milan to Interlaken - with a stop in Stresa

It is very possible. The trains running into Switzerland on the Simplon tunnel route all stop in Stresa, as far as I can tell, so you can get off one and catch a later one going the same direction, with no backtracking. Use the Swiss site rail.ch for English. Put in Milan for starting point and Spiez for the destination. You will change at Spiez to get to Interlaken and can look at that part later. Choose a morning time, say 8:00 and hit Search. You will see about four train options. One that works well is the EC 32' which departs Milan at 8:25 and arrives in Stresa just under an hour later. The way to see this is to hit the little +button by that train, which will give you more details. Look for the " show intermediate stops" line just below and it will drop down the list. The next train departs Milan 3 hours later, at 11:25 and arrives in Stresa around 12:21. So if you took the 8:25 train from Milan and got off in Stresa, you would have 3 hours to spend there before the next train comes along. If that is not enough, the next train, which departs Milan at 12:25, comes an hour later.

Jennifer, What are you planning to do in Stresa? That will have a bearing on the "layover" time. Also, I can't recall if there are luggage storage facilities at the station in Stresa, so what to do with your luggage will have to be considered. For planning rail journeys, you might also try the Bahn.de (German Rail) website. One possibility would be a train departing Milano Centrale at 08:25, arriving Stresa at 09:20. This would provide 3H:01M in Stresa. The next leg departs Stresa at 12:21, arriving Spiez at 13:53. The final leg departs Spiez at 14:05, arriving Interlaken Ost at 14:28. Reservations compulsory on the first two legs. This is probably the same journey that Lola mentioned. The rail schedules for summer haven't been posted yet AFAIK, so I used an arbitrary date to obtain the above information. You'll need to verify these closer to your departure date, but I don't expect them to change much. Happy travels!

Thank you both! Very helpful. We don't have much on the itinerary for Stresa, other than to stop there, maybe have lunch and wander around one of the Borromean Islands, and hop back on the train. Any recommendations on which island is best - as in the least touristy? I did find a link about luggage storage in Stresa which will be very helpful: http://stresasights.blogspot.com/2011/03/fyi-temporary-luggage-storage.html Thank you again!

Jennifer, The most spectacular of the Borromeo Islands is Isola Bella, but it could take more than a few hours to tour both the Mansion and the gardens, along with waiting and boat time to get there and back. If you want to stop for a short lunch on one of the islands, Isola dei Pescatori (aka Isola Superiore) is the logical choice, as there are several restaurants there (including some with patios out into the lake). Technically, it is no longer a "Borromeo" island, but that's a minor detail. You'd also have to allow for back and forth time on the boat. As you won't be hauling luggage, you could easily walk down to the dock from the station. Head to the end of the station lot and turn left, going downhill - when you get to the main street, Corso Umberto, turn right. You'll see the boat dock ahead on your left. If you'd prefer to have lunch in Stresa, head for Piazza Cadorna as there are lots of nice restaurants there. I had a fine meal at Ristorante Caffe Torino one night, and also at Le Botte on another night. Buon Viaggio!