I’d been staring at the same map of northern Italy for weeks, trying to figure out how to stitch together the lakes without a car. The answer turned out to be hiding in plain sight: a slow train route that runs from the Swiss Alps straight through the Italian lake district and ends in Turin. The full journey covers roughly 1,800 miles across five countries, almost entirely on daytime scenic trains. What follows is the practical version of that trip — how to ride it, where to stop, and what actually works when you’re travelling with a family.
The original Gotthard railway opened in 1882 and was the railroad that changed Europe, slicing a path through inhospitable mountains and isolated villages.
I’ve broken this guide into the sections that matter most: which lakes are actually reachable by train, how the Gotthard route works in practice, what to do in Turin once you arrive, and the logistical realities of moving a family through this part of Italy. No fluff — just the details I wish someone had handed me before I booked the tickets.
This train route works best if you treat it as a series of deliberate stops rather than a single marathon ride. The Gotthard panorama is genuinely spectacular, but the regional trains that run it don’t have dining cars — pack your own food. And while the lakes are beautiful in winter, several lakeside restaurants and ferry services shut down between November and March, so check seasonal schedules before you build your itinerary around a specific lake.
How the Italian lakes connect by rail
Train enthusiasts
Families with older kids
Solo travellers on a budget
The Italian Lakes region sits in northern Italy, clustered near the Swiss border and within easy striking distance of Milan. What surprised me is how uneven the rail coverage actually is. Lake Como has a direct train station at Como San Giovanni, and Lake Garda connects through Desenzano del Garda with a 90-minute direct train from Venice. Lake Maggiore has six stations running north-south along its western shore, making it the most accessible lake for train-based exploration. But Lake Orta only has one station at Orta-Miasino, and Lake Iseo requires a change at Brescia before you reach the town of Iseo itself.
The tradeoff is real: the lakes with the best train access also draw the biggest crowds. Lake Como in July is a different animal from Lake Como in January. If you’re travelling with kids, the quieter lakes — Orta and Iseo — offer the same mountain backdrops with significantly less pressure on restaurant tables and ferry queues. Michael and I found that out the hard way during a summer stop at Como when we couldn’t find a bench to sit on for twenty minutes.
Rise in UK train travel in 2025, reflecting a broader European shift toward rail over air travel.
WN.com
What I’d do: Base yourself at Lake Maggiore if you want the widest range of train-connected towns. The western shore stations let you hop between villages without a bus, which is a genuine advantage when you’re managing luggage and tired legs.
Riding the Gotthard route into Italy
The Matterhorn Gotthard railway is the spine of this entire journey, and it deserves more than a passing glance out the window.
The historic line vs. the base tunnel
The original Gotthard railway opened in 1882 and remains one of Europe’s great engineering feats. The key decision you’ll make is whether to take the IR46 regional train, which follows the historic mountain route, or a high-speed service that uses the Gotthard base tunnel. The base tunnel is faster — it cuts straight through the mountain — but you’ll see nothing but darkness for twenty minutes. The IR46 takes roughly three hours from Göschenen to Bellinzona, winding through the famous Gotthard spirals: corkscrew tracks built inside the mountains to manage the steep ascent. In summer, a tourist train with larger windows runs the same route, but the regional train costs a fraction of the price and offers the same views.
Andermatt as a lunch stop
At Göschenen, you can take a short rack-and-pinion train up to Andermatt, a former garrison town that’s been reinvented as a ski retreat. It’s a practical place to break the journey — the station has a small grocery store where you can stock up on supplies, and the town’s main street has a few casual restaurants that don’t require reservations. The ride up is steep enough that the kids will find it entertaining, and the mountain air is a genuine reset after hours on the train. Just know that Andermatt is expensive; a simple sandwich and coffee will run you around 25 CHF.
Arriving at Lake Como by dusk
The train drops you at Como San Giovanni, and if you time it right, you’ll arrive in the golden hour. The lakefront promenade is an easy walk from the station — no hills, no confusing turns. In winter, the crowds thin out dramatically, and you can do a proper passeggiata without weaving through selfie sticks. The funicular up to Brunate is visible from the water’s edge, and the string of lights climbing the hillside is one of those details that photographs don’t quite capture. The downside: many lakeside restaurants close for the season between November and March, so your dinner options may be limited to the hotels and a handful of year-round trattorias near the cathedral.
What I’d do: Take the IR46 from Göschenen to Bellinzona, then switch to a regional train for Como. The whole journey takes about five hours with the Andermatt stop, which is long enough that you’ll want travel pillows for the kids and a fully charged tablet. Pack snacks in Andermatt — the train has no dining car.
Phones need charging before the Gotthard ascent. The tunnels are long and the signal drops completely — download your maps and entertainment before you leave Göschenen.
Planning your timing and tickets
The difference between a smooth trip and a stressful one often comes down to when you travel and how you buy your tickets.
| Lake | Nearest train station | Direct from Milan | Winter ferry service | Best for families |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Como | Como San Giovanni | Yes (40 min) | Limited | Moderate |
| Garda | Desenzano del Garda | Yes (70 min) | Reduced | Good |
| Maggiore | Arona F.S. | Yes (50 min) | Seasonal | Excellent |
| Orta | Orta-Miasino | No (change at Novara) | Limited | Good |
| Iseo | Iseo | No (change at Brescia) | Reduced | Excellent |
When to go
Winter has a clear advantage: the lakes are quiet, accommodation prices drop by roughly 30-40%, and the snow-capped mountain backdrops are often more dramatic than summer’s hazy horizons. The tradeoff is that ferry services run on reduced schedules — some lakes have no winter ferry at all — and several lakeside restaurants close entirely between November and March. If your plan depends on island-hopping on Lake Maggiore or a boat tour of Como’s villas, summer is non-negotiable. For a walking-and-eating trip focused on the lakeside towns themselves, winter works beautifully.
Ticket strategy
For the Gotthard route, book regional train tickets on the day of travel — they don’t sell out and they’re cheaper than advance reservations on the high-speed services. The IR46 doesn’t require a seat reservation, which gives you flexibility if you want to extend your Andermatt stop or linger longer in Como. For the Milan-to-lakes connections, Trenitalia and Italo both run frequent services, but Italo doesn’t serve all lake stations. Check both operators before you buy; the price difference can be significant.
ZTL (limited traffic zones) in lakeside towns like Como and Bellagio. If you’re renting a car at any point, your rental car’s license plate will be recorded entering these zones, and the fines arrive by mail months later. Stick to the train and avoid the headache entirely.
What I’d do: Buy a regional ticket from Göschenen to Como on the day of travel, and book your Milan-to-lakes tickets on Trenitalia’s app the night before. The app lets you store digital tickets, which saves you from hunting for a validating machine on the platform.
Turin: the underrated endpoint
Most travellers skip Turin on their way to the lakes or the Alps. That’s a mistake.
Why Turin works as a final stop
Turin is a student city with an easygoing rhythm, 18 kilometres of continuous porticos, and a museum housed inside a building that used to be a Fiat factory. The Mole Antonelliana — a soaring 19th-century spire that dominates the skyline — contains the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, which is exactly as strange and wonderful as it sounds. The Lingotto complex, a former Fiat factory, has a test track on its roof that’s been converted into a panoramic garden called La Pista 500, where art installations sit alongside the original skid marks. Both are free with the Torino card, which costs around 35 euros and covers most of the city’s museums.
Eating in Turin
Piedmontese cuisine is heavy, slow-cooked, and deeply satisfying in cold weather. The dish to look for is brasato al barolo — beef braised in Barolo wine — served with soft polenta. Agnolotti del plin, small stuffed pasta parcels filled with beef and cabbage, is the other local staple. Osteria Rabezzana, a family-run restaurant that opened just after the Second World War, serves both and is part of the Mangébin circuit that promotes Piedmontese cuisine. The atmosphere is convivial and local — office Christmas parties, multi-generational families, no tourists in sight. Reservations are essential.
The aperitivo culture
Caffè Università, an art-school haunt near the university, runs a daily aperitivo buffet that’s frayed around the edges and charmingly outmoded. You order a drink — typically a spritz or a glass of local wine — and the buffet is included in the price. It’s not a meal, but it can easily replace dinner if you’re not hungry for a full restaurant sit-down. The crowd is a mix of students and older regulars, and the neon sign outside has been there since the 1920s.
- Buy the Torino card on arrival — it pays for itself after two museum entries and covers the Cinema Museum and the Royal Palace.
- Book Osteria Rabezzana at least three days in advance, especially during winter when the city’s restaurant scene is quieter but locals still fill the tables.
- Walk under the porticos on Via Po when it’s raining — 18 kilometres of covered walkways mean you barely need an umbrella.
What I’d do: Arrive in Turin by late afternoon, drop bags at the hotel, and head straight to Caffè Università for aperitivo. The buffet is substantial enough that you can skip a formal dinner and save your appetite for a morning pastry at one of the historic coffee bars under the porticos.
What to know before you go
A few practical realities that don’t make it into the glossy travel guides.
Packing for the train
The regional trains on the Gotthard route have luggage racks but limited overhead space. Hard-shell suitcases are awkward to manoeuvre through the narrow aisles, and you’ll be lifting your bags on and off at least three times during the journey. A soft-sided duffel bag is easier to wedge into the luggage area and less likely to get scuffed. The trains are heated but the platforms are not — layers matter more than a single heavy coat, because you’ll be moving between warm carriages and cold stations repeatedly.
Italian train etiquette
Regional trains in Italy don’t have assigned seating, which means you need to be strategic about where you board. The front carriages tend to be quieter because most passengers gravitate toward the middle. Validate your ticket before boarding — there are yellow machines on the platform — because the fine for an unvalidated ticket is around 50 euros and the inspectors are not lenient. On the Swiss side, tickets are checked at the station entrance, so validation works differently; just have your digital or paper ticket ready.
Church dress codes
Every church in the lake towns and Turin requires covered shoulders and knees. This applies year-round, even in summer heat. I’ve seen tourists turned away from Como’s cathedral for wearing tank tops, and there’s no exception for children over the age of six. Pack a lightweight scarf or shawl that can double as a cover-up — it’s easier than carrying a separate layer.
Common questions about the Italian lakes train route
Can you visit all the Italian lakes by train in one trip?
Technically yes, but practically no. The lakes are spread across a wide area, and connecting them by regional train takes longer than the map suggests. A better approach is to pick two lakes maximum — say, Como and Maggiore — and spend at least two nights at each. Trying to hit four or five lakes in a week means you’ll spend more time on platforms than on the water.
Is the Gotthard route worth it in winter?
Yes, with one caveat: the daylight hours are short, so the best scenery happens between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The IR46 from Göschenen to Bellinzona runs through that window if you catch the morning train. The snow on the mountain peaks is often more dramatic in winter than summer, and the train is significantly less crowded. The downside is that the higher-altitude sections can be foggy, which occasionally obscures the views entirely.
How much time do you need in Turin?
Two full days is the sweet spot. One day for the Cinema Museum and the Royal Palace, another for the Egyptian Museum and a walk through the Quadrilatero Romano neighbourhood. The city is compact and walkable, and the porticos mean you can cover ground even in bad weather. A single day feels rushed — you’ll have to choose between museums and food, and both deserve attention.
Are the lakes expensive in winter?
Accommodation is cheaper — roughly 30-40% less than summer rates — but restaurants in the tourist-heavy towns like Bellagio and Sirmione keep their prices high year-round. The real savings come from the lack of pressure to book everything in advance. You can walk into a lakeside restaurant in January without a reservation, which is impossible in August. The tradeoff is that some of the best restaurants close for the season, so your options are narrower.
What’s the biggest mistake people make on this route?
Underestimating the travel time between stops. The Gotthard route looks short on a map, but the regional train takes three hours to cover what a car could do in 90 minutes. That’s the point — the scenery is the attraction — but if you’re trying to reach Turin by dinner, you need to start early. Missing a connection on this route can add two hours to your journey because the regional trains run hourly, not every few minutes.
I keep coming back to something the Guardian writer said about Turin: it’s a city that appears “contentedly trapped in some kind of temporal ragu.” That phrase stuck with me because it captures what makes this whole route worth doing. The trains are old, the stations are unrenovated, the lake towns haven’t been polished into theme parks — and that’s exactly the point. You’re not moving through a curated version of Italy. You’re moving through the one that’s been there all along, just waiting for the right train to stop.
For more on what to do once you arrive, I’ve written about visiting Turin’s Cinema Museum in spring and the city’s Royal Palace gardens — both worth building into your itinerary.
Sources and further reading
Slow train to Turin: a winter journey through the Swiss Alps to Italy. The Guardian, 2026.
Slow train to Turin: a winter journey through the Swiss Alps to Italy. WN.com, 2026.
The best Italian lakes by train. Trainline, 2026.