Train Travel v.s. Car - Gravedona, IT to The Principality of Liechtenstein

If you decide to do it, look at Autoeurope.com for rental car rates. Viamichelin gives you a good idea of fuel and toll costs as well as the aforementioned Swiss road tax.

It would be a beautiful drive, but bear in mind that it will be getting darker earlier, so start your trip early. I wouldn't drive in Italy after dark. Any chance you could find a place in Liechtenstein so you don't have to do it all in a day? As long as you're making the trip, you're surely going to want to stop somewhere in the Alps.

Hope - Looking at www.bahn.de for train schedules it looks impossible by train - at least six hours from Como and eight from Gravedona with several transfers.

Viamichelin.com shows the trip by car to take 2 1/12 hours from Gravedona. You would have to pay for an annual road permit in Switzerland at 27 Euros.

Seems like a tough day trip but others here may have suggestions. Good luck!

Thanks!! I think if the roads are good it would be a beautiful road trip! I live in southern cal (gasp! am really from SF!) so I'm used to travelling long distances for far less!! It's just too wonderful to be that close to Liechtenstein and not go!! I figure I'll do all my souvenir shopping there! After all...how many people do YOU know who have been in Liechtenstein!

Yeah...I thought about that. But we're renting a hotel for a week in Gravedona and I would hate to pay for a room I'm not in!!! I was thinking that if we left Gravedona at 7am we would get to Liechtenstein by 11, have lunch, look around, get back on the road by 2 and be back in Gravedona by 6! What time do you think it gets dark there in the mid Autumn?

I think you can do it. We drove from Liechtenstein to Aosta, Italy and our route took us decently close to Como on the way. When you get to Vaduz you could hike up the trail toward the Castle and get a nice view. We spent about three hours there and got our passports stamped. The drive is not bad at all.
We did not eat while there because we ate a large breakfast in Austria that morning but someone posted the following and I offer it as a suggestion on a place to eat. He wrote:

"One more note/suggestion: As for the hotel restaurant in the middle of town that serves their very famous "Chicken and French Fries" - its a house specialty and Id hightly recommend it (no KFC here!) Its on the second floor overlooking the main street below the castle. I wish I could remember the name - but everyone knows it. The restaurant is said to be one of the best in Europe"

I'm guessing 6:30 pm but can't find that info.