The strongest version of this trip is the one most people do not book: fly into Zurich, fly out of Milan, and never travel the same track twice. The Bernina Express drops you at Tirano, and Tirano is one hour by local train from Lake Como — a fact that turns two separate holidays into one continuous line. Ten days is exactly enough. Here is the route, the border rules, and what your Swiss pass stops paying for.
Trip essentials
The ten days at a glance
| Shape | One-way: Zurich in, Milan out. Book an open-jaw flight |
| Route | Zurich → Lucerne → Interlaken → Chur → St. Moritz → Tirano → Lake Como → Milan |
| Swiss pass | 8-day Swiss Travel Pass, CHF 439 — covers everything to the border |
| Where the pass stops | Tirano. Bernina Express tickets include that last stretch; everything beyond is Italian |
| Tirano → Lake Como | About 1 hour by Italian regional train, roughly €10, no reservation |
| Reservations to book | Bernina Express CHF 32–36 — or ride the regional train free |
| Lake Como base | Varenna: on the rail line, and on the ferry triangle |
| Best months | Late May–June, or September. August is hot on the lake and crowded on the train |
Days 1–4 · Switzerland, north
Days 1–2
Zurich → Lucerne
Do not linger in Zurich. Lucerne is an hour away, and the lake ferries are free with your pass. Give it a full day and take Pilatus or Rigi — Rigi being the one that is fully covered rather than half price.
Days 3–4
Lucerne → Interlaken
Two hours on the Lucerne–Interlaken Express, no reservation, right-hand side. Use the full day for Schilthorn — free to Mürren then half price — and keep the second afternoon for a lake boat. Both Interlaken lakes are free with the pass.
Days 5–7 · across the Alps
Day 5
Interlaken → Chur → St. Moritz
A travel day, but a good one. The final stretch is the Albula line, which crosses the Landwasser Viaduct — six stone arches, 65 m up, ending in a tunnel bored straight into a vertical cliff. Have the camera ready before Schmitten; the train is on it for about eight seconds.
Day 6
A full day in the Engadin
Do not rush to Tirano. Take the regional train up to Diavolezza — free with your pass, and the cable car climbs to just under 3,000 m facing the Morteratsch and Pers glaciers. The Bernina Express cannot stop there, which is exactly why this day exists.
Day 7
St. Moritz → Tirano · the Bernina
Two and a half hours over a 2,253 m pass with no rack rail, past Lago Bianco and Alp Grüm, then 1,800 m down through Poschiavo and around the open-air Brusio spiral viaduct into Italy. Arrive among palm trees. Reserve the Express, or take the regional train free and stop where you like.
Where your pass stops paying. Bernina Express tickets cover the short final stretch into Tirano. On regional trains that last section is a small supplement. Everything from Tirano onward — the train to Como, the ferries, the run to Milan — is Italian and outside your Swiss pass entirely. Budget roughly €10 for Tirano–Varenna and buy it at the station; there is no need to book ahead.
Days 8–10 · Lake Como
Day 8
Tirano → Varenna · 1 hour
An Italian regional train down the Valtellina and along the lake shore. Stay in Varenna, not Bellagio — it is the only one of the three central villages with its own railway station, and it sits on the ferry triangle. Bellagio is prettier in photographs and far harder to reach with luggage.
Day 9
The ferry triangle
Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio sit within ten minutes of each other by boat, and the ferries run all day. Villa Monastero’s gardens in Varenna, Villa Melzi in Bellagio, and a slow lunch in Menaggio. This is the day the trip stops being about trains.
Day 10
Varenna → Milan · about 1 hour
Direct trains to Milano Centrale run through the morning. If your flight is late, leave the bags at the station and give the Duomo two hours — the roof terraces are worth the climb. Then Malpensa or Linate.
What it costs
- 8-day Swiss Travel Pass: CHF 439, covering Days 1–7 completely, including both Interlaken lakes and Diavolezza.
- Bernina Express reservation: CHF 32–36 if you take it — or nothing, on the regional train.
- Italian side: roughly €10 Tirano–Varenna, €15–20 for a day of Como ferries, about €14 Varenna–Milan.
- Mountain days: Schilthorn roughly CHF 85 with the pass, Diavolezza free.
The Swiss portion is where the money goes and where the pass does the work. Compare against a Half Fare Card only if you plan to sit still — on this route the pass clears its break-even by Day 4.
Three decisions that make or break it
- Book an open-jaw flight. Zurich in, Milan out. Backtracking to Zurich wastes a full day and undoes the whole logic of the route.
- Give the Engadin a spare day. Day 6 looks skippable and is the one people most regret cutting — Diavolezza is the closest you will get to a glacier on this trip.
- Send the bags ahead on Day 5 and Day 7. Neither the Albula nor the Bernina has a luggage van, and Poschiavo and Tirano involve stairs. A luggage transfer costs less than the Bernina reservation.
Alternatives worth knowing
If ten days is too long, cut Interlaken and run this in seven — the Alpine crossing is the point. If you would rather stay in Switzerland, our 7-day Grand Train Tour itinerary closes the loop instead of continuing south. And for the fast way between the two countries, the Grand Train Tour guide covers the Gotthard route, though the base tunnel means you see far less of it.
When to drop the Lake Como leg
This itinerary is really two trips joined together, and they do not run on the same rules.
- Your Swiss pass does not cross the border with you. The Italian portion is not covered, and the international reservations are separate. Travellers who budget this as one Swiss trip get the bill in the wrong currency and the wrong size.
- The pace changes completely. Swiss rail runs to the minute and Como runs to a different rhythm entirely. That contrast is genuinely lovely if it is what you wanted, and frustrating if you came for precision and efficiency.
If ten days of Swiss rail is what you actually want, cutting Como buys you two unhurried days in the Engadin instead.
Bernina Express and Lake Como questions
How far is Lake Como from the Bernina Express?
About an hour. The Bernina Express terminates at Tirano, and Italian regional trains run from there down the Valtellina to Varenna on Lake Como in roughly 60 minutes for around €10, with no reservation needed.
Does the Swiss Travel Pass cover Lake Como?
No. The pass covers everything up to the Swiss border. Bernina Express tickets include the short final stretch into Tirano, but the train to Lake Como, the lake ferries and the onward run to Milan are all Italian and paid separately.
Should I stay in Varenna or Bellagio?
Varenna, if you are arriving by train. It is the only one of the three central villages with its own railway station and it sits on the ferry triangle, so Bellagio and Menaggio are ten minutes away by boat. Bellagio is harder to reach with luggage.
Is 10 days enough for Switzerland and Lake Como?
Yes, comfortably, if you travel one way rather than looping back. Four days in northern Switzerland, three crossing the Alps via the Bernina, and three on Lake Como, flying home from Milan.
Should I take the Bernina Express or the regional train to Tirano?
The regional train is free with a Swiss Travel Pass, needs no reservation and can stop at Diavolezza for the glacier cable car — which the Express cannot. Take the Express if you want the panoramic windows and a guaranteed seat; otherwise save the CHF 32–36.
Which airport should I fly out of?
Milan. Book an open-jaw flight into Zurich and out of Milan Malpensa or Linate — Varenna to Milano Centrale takes about an hour. Returning to Zurich to fly home costs a full day and defeats the point of the route.
Ride the Bernina Express
Check departures and reserve panoramic seats over the Bernina Pass to Tirano.