Switzerland and Venice Trip for 9 days

Hi,

My Husband and I we are planning to go to Switzerland and Venice for 9 days in May last or June First week. We are the first time traveler to Switzerland. We are in Spain Bilbao and planing to go to Venice first and then to Switzerland.

I have divided the days as below
Venice 2.5 days
Switzerland 6.5 days

I hope division is fine ?

Bilbao-> Venice-> Switzerland->Milan->Bilbao. I am thinking to come back by Milan because I have checked flights from Zurich to Bilbao are costly. Please suggest if some body have better options..

In Switzerland i want to cover the scenic part + the scenic route trains like Glacier Express.

Kindly help me in planning my trip of Switzerland.

There have been zillions of questions about what to do in Switzerland. Please use the Search window in the upper right hand corner to find corresponding answers.

and this website may help

Switzerland travel

Edited by: stormcloud

My proposal:

Milano Malpensa Terminal 1 dp by train 11.22 - Venice ar 15.10

Venice - St. Moritz (Switzerland):

via Milan - Chiavenna (fastest route):
Venice dp 6.58, 10.50, 12.50; St. Moritz ar 14.51, 18.51, 20.51

via Milan - Tirano -Berninapass (most scenic route):
Venice dp 6.58, 8.58, 10.50; St. Moritz ar 17.08, 18.08, 20.08

Alternative Lake Como boat:
Venice dp 6.20 - Como ar 9.43, dp by boat 10.30 to Varenna ar 12.45, dp by train 13.24 to Tirano - Berninapass - St. Moritz ar 18.08

via Brescia - Edolo - Aprica - Tirano - Bernina:
Venice dp 6.58, 10.50, 12.50
Brescia dp 9.07, 13.07, 15.07
Edolo dp 11.15, 15.15, 17.15
Tirano dp 12.50, 16.50, 18.55 (up to Poschiavo only)
St. Moritz ar 15.12, 19.12, Poschiavo ar 19.34

via Bolzano - Mustair:
Venice dp 6.20, 8.58 - St. Moritz ar 15.58, 19.58

alternative Dolomites:
Venice dp 8.04 - Calalzo ar 10.47, dp by bus to Cortina d'Ampezzo ar 11.58, dp 13.10 to Toblach ar 13.50, dp by train 14.25 to Bolzano - Mals ar 18.55, dp by bus 19.03 via Ofenpass to Zernez ar 20.40, dp by train 21.13 - St. Moritz ar 21.59

Alternative Lake Garda boat:
Venice dp 6.58 - Peschiera del Garda ar 8.46, dp by boat 9.40 - Torbole ar 13.04, dp by bus 13.53 - Rovereto ar 14.26 dp by train 14.50 - Meran 16.44/17.46 - Mals 18.55/19.03 - bus and train St. Moritz ar 21.59

Whatever you choose, I recommend to stop over at one of the many nice places between Venice and St. Moritz.
Such a solution could be:
Venice dp 17.20 by direct train to Lugano ar 21.13. Sleep at hotel Montarina, in a silent park close to Lugano railway station (the old town center is just a few minutes away). Go then the next day by direct bus along Lake Lugano and Lake Como to Tirano and by Bernina Express to St. Moritz.

Switzerland north of the Alps:
Enjoy St. Moritz (1 day), take then the Glacier Express St. Moritz dp 9.15 to Zermatt ar 16.52. Stay 1 day at Zermatt, visit Gornergrat or Kleinmatterhorn. Leave Zermatt in the evening (17.39 or so) for Montreux on Lake Geneva (2 1/2 hrs trip). Use Montreux as a base for the visit of Chillon castle, Lake Geneva (steamboat rides), day trips to
Geneva,
Gruyeres (cheese diary, medieval town with castle, Cailler chocolate factory at Broc nearby),
medieval town of Ben and entirely walled town of Murten.

last day:
Montreux dp 8.39 by direct train to Gallarate ar 11.03, taxi to Malpensa airport (11 km), fly home

http://www.rhb.ch/Video-Glacier-eng.784.0.html?&L=4
http://www.rhb.ch/Video-Bernina-eng.782.0.html?&L=4
http://www.rhb.ch/UNESCO-Clip-eng.1061.0.html?&L=4

http://www.gornergrat.ch/home/index.php
http://www.klein-matterhorn.ch/photos/
http://www.zermatt.ch/en/index.cfm

http://www.cgn.ch/horaires/pdf/AffA2-ete-10.pdf
http://www.cgn.ch/eng/flotte
Blonay-Chamby historic railway:
http://www.blonay-chamby.ch/index-en.php
Chillon castle: http://www.chillon.ch/en/

Gruyeres castle, cheese diary and chocolate factory:
http://www.chateau-gruyeres.ch/e/multimedia/spectacle.html
http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/navpage-ExcursionsFR-HistSitesFR-120085.html
http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142&Itemid=56
http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=142&Itemid=56

http://www.murtentourismus.ch/en/welcome.cfm?
http://www.avenches.ch/en/page.cfm/siteetmuseeromain
http://www.neuchateltourisme.ch/en/

Thanks alot Neckvard for your suggestions

I have changed my plan and i have done some more research to finalize the plan.

I need your help and suggestions for the below mentioned plan.

Day1: Bilbao to Milan
Day2: Milan – Brig – Zermett Reached around noon
Day3: Zermatt – Montrux – chillon Castle- Return to Zermatt
Day4: Zermatt– St Mortiz Glacier Express- Zurich
Day5: Stay in Zurich
Day6: Zurich to Jungfraujoch
Day7: Zurich to Brienz and Thun lakes
Day8: Zurich to Mount Titles
Day9: Move to to Venice
Day10Venice
Day 11 Venice to Milan

I dont know this plan is possible or not.

I also want to Include Bernina express kindly give your suggestions

Also in the above mentioned plan if you have better options Kindly advise.

Thanks in advance.

traveler_123: You mind if I reply? You do a lot of backtracking here. Better do the following logical itinerary which also includes a day each at gems like St.Moritz and Zermatt (in order to avoid you sitting in trains every day only). It does not include Zurich which you obviously only included because you saw no way around. It doesn't include Chillon castle, too, since this would be too far away from the other destinations.

Day 1: Bilbao - Milan
Day 2: Milan - Sondrio - (Bernina Express) - St. Moritz
Day 3: Hike around St. Moritz
Day 4: St. Moritz - (Glacier Express) - Zermatt
Day 5: Hike around Zermatt
Day 6: Zermatt - Brig - Interlaken - Grindelwald/Wengen/Mürren (or any other village in the region)
Day 7: Jungfraujoch (count for plan B, if the weather is bad, you won't see anything on top of Jungfraujoch)
Day 8: Grindelwald/Wengen/Mürren - Interlaken - Round trip on Lake Thun and/or Lake Brienz
Day 9: Interlaken - Brünig pass - Engelberg
Day10: Mount Titlis
Day11: Engelberg - Lucerne (a tourist trap!), either overnight or go on to Milan

You could always "shrink" this itinerary: Take out the round trip on day 8, go straight from Berner Oberland to Engelberg; you could also go straight on to Lucerne after having done Mount Titlis. I however don't recommend this as it would turn out rushed.

After all the glaciers of Zermatt, Jungfaujoch and Titlis will bring you absolutely nothing more. But it's not forbidden to waste about 300 Euro/pax (a little less with the Swiss Pass) by visiting these places too. If you want to do that, the logical itinerary would be:
Milano Malpensa T1- Saronno - Como - Lucerne - Engelberg - Titlis - Engelberg - Hergiswil - Brienz . boat - Inerlaken - Jungfraujoch - Interlaken - Golden Pass - Montreux/Chillon - Visp - Zermatt - Glacier Express - St. Moritz - Bernina Express - Tirano - Milano - Venezia - Milano - Malpensa T1