Train or Planes

I just checked SBB. It showed the following connections from Lauterbrunnen to Rome

• Lauterbrunnen depart 07:33, Roma Termini arrive 14:55, duration 7h22
• Lauterbrunnen depart 08:33, Roma Termini arrive 17:55, duration 9h22
• Lauterbrunnen depart 12:33, Roma Termini arrive 19:59, duration 7h26
• Lauterbrunnen depart 13:33, Roma Termini arrive 20:55, duration 7h22

Individual tickets will probably be cheaper than a pass, but you will have to look it up on the railway company websites to be sure.
Lauterbrunnen to Zürich airport takes 2h43. By the time you factor that in + 1 hour check-in, + flight, + getting through airport, + train into Rome, you will not save that much time flying, and it will be more hassle and less views. The rail route from Lauterbrunnen to Milan crosses the Alps and is scenic.

I see that. It does show that route if I run it with like todays departure.

I was planning for Next fall. Late September. Do they run that route in the Fall. The one I was searching runs thru Innsbruck and down. Like 17 hours.

Ya I agree about the plane. I was thinking take the early train and maybe get off and walk around in Milan a couple hours eat lunch and the take a later train to rome. More relaxing and see some country side at least.

Thanks for the help/

Since the train is at least five times more enjoyable for me than a plane. And factoring in that saving time is three to four times more important than wasting it in transit...

I would rather go by train, as long it's no more than 20% (or two hours. max) longer than the ENTIRE time it takes to fly.

Keep in mind that (unless you're staying in a hotel at the airport) your average flight under two hours requires 6-7+ hours of travel door-to-door. While so many train stations are right in the heart of the 'old city', so that same amount of door-to-door time can be accomplished with a 5 1/2 hour train journey.

ryanmckeever,
Train timetables change twice per year, in July and December. The timetables for Swiss trains up to December 2015 have been fixed since last November.
It looks like the Italian trains are not yet in the SBB database for Autumn, but I would not expect them to change significantly before then. A service that runs once per hour will not suddenly disappear.

If you don't mind me saying here, there appears to be a conceptual problem with North Americans who have not visited Europe. Trains ARE NOT for the benefit of tourists. They are the default transport method for short and medium distance travel. Trains are run for the benefit of locals, tourists from outside Europe are probably maximum 1-5% of the passengers, less for local trains. Trains are not seasonal tourist attractions, each train is shifting hundreds of people.

Personally, I would buy a 4-country select pass from Eurail directly. It is at www.eurail.com/eurail-passes/select-pass My husband and I love to buy the 3 month unlimited day Global Pass and have that taken care of since train travel is so easy, comfortable (first class only for us) and we can relax and enjoy the scenery unlike the hassles of rental cars and planes. Even if you have a pass, some routes or trains require making a reservation. The 4 country Select Pass will take you all over your 4 countries and that is one less hassle.

In three posts so far, I have not seen you mention qualifying for Youth passes, but if you are both under 26 at the start of train travel, then that Selectpass costs $322 per person and compares well to the cost of train tickets while retaining some flexibility. But you are planning ahead and could get a Milan-Rome ticket for as low as €29, if you book when they go on sale, about three months out. Regarding lunch en-route, I would bring my picnic onto the train. With 3 or more train connections, you don't really need to add another one and don't necessarily want to be looking for food at Milano Centrale station.

Ryan:
Your itinerary would be more efficient if you were going in more of a straight line. Like Paris-Munich-Salzburg-Vienna.
Interlaken, Switzerland is simply hard to get to from Salzburg--backtracking thru Munich and to the southwest.
Then a long train ride thru Switzerland and half the length of Italy is difficult--and long. We seldom hear of people using Eurail passes any longer, especially in Italy where trains are very inexpensive.
We took two 4 hour train trips 4/2014, and that was longer than I wanted to spend on there. Give me a good European budget air carrier any day.
If I was making this trip, I'd scratch going to either Salzburg or Switzerland--and turn south at Munich, thru the Brenner Pass into Italy. Stopping at Venice and/or Florence would be a worthwhile side trip on the way to Rome.