10-Day Italy and Switzerland Itinerary: Zürich, Lausanne & Milan

Feel free to start this 10-Day Italy and Switzerland Itinerary in any city you want! The great thing about European travel is how well-connected the continent is thanks to their high-speed rail systems and participation in the Schengen Agreement.

Once in Zürich, drop your bags at one of our recommended accommodations and head out to explore the area! I recommend a local-guided walking tour, ensuring you hit the highlights: Bahnhofstrasse, River Limmat, Altstadt and Lake Zürich. After the tour, circle back to Lake Zürich for a cruise! Cruises are offered multiple times a day for various durations. They also come with an audio guide included in the price of your ticket!

After disembarking from your cruise, head one block inland to Restaurant Bauschänzli, a chill beer garden with a huge buffet. They have live music nightly in the beer garden, but there’s also a more traditional restaurant portion on the side. Depending on your arrival into Zürich, feel free to push some of these items into day two.

I love working “Museum Days” into all my itineraries because they allow you to escape the elements when the weather gets bad. You can take it at your own pace, and who doesn’t love being surrounded by all that beauty and history? For the arts and culture purists, I recommend Kunsthaus Zürich, Museum Rietberg and Museum Haus Konstruktiv.

For the football (aka soccer) fans out there, you can’t miss the FIFA World Football Museum; this and the Tram Museum are also great options for traveling families! In true Swiss fashion, there’s also a clock and watch museum. Last, but not least, I strongly recommend the Swiss National Museum for history buffs.

Personally, my favorite places in Zürich are the Lindt Home of Chocolate Museum and the Botanical Gardens. These are fun, relaxing options for chocoholics, traveling families, nature-lovers or if your brain is mush from soaking up all that other art and culture! If you happen to be in the lake area for lunch, pop over to Max & Otto.

Most of these recommended museums are all quite close to one another, right around Lake Zürich. If you, like me, want to see multiple museums, look into the Zürich Card. This will get you free or discounted access to many museums for a fraction of what you’d pay for individual admission!

After a day at the museum(s), head to Wirtschaft Neumarkt or Bauernschänke for dinner.

If you want to pack more arts and culture into your trip, or the weather isn’t great, Zürich has a delightful opera company and symphony orchestra. Not into the classical arts? Head to the Bahnhofstrasse for some of the best shopping of your life! When all that shopping has you feeling faint, pop into Babu’s for sustenance before getting back out there!

Zürich also hosts the three-day Zürich Open Air Festival in the summer. If outdoor music festivals are your thing, check out the lineup and consider going for at least one of the days. Your ticket price includes public transport from the city center out to the festival (scary close to Zürich's airport), but only for the day of your ticket. Note: public transit is heavily monitored in Switzerland. On my first day in Zürich, I was audited by the ticket checkers THREE separate times!

If traveling as a family, consider checking out the Zürich Zoo or Uetliberg, weather-permitting, If you’re craving something more adventurous, consider a day trip to Rhine Falls or summit Uetliberg Mountain! As someone who has been to both Niagara Falls and Yosemite Falls, Rhine Falls was pretty underwhelming, but Uetliberg Mountain did not disappoint!

To commemorate your last day in German Switzerland, have a traditional Raclette at Raclette Stube. If you require something heartier than cheese for dinner, check out Sternen Grill—get your sausage to go and take a relaxing stroll along the river.

As hard as it will be to say goodbye to Zürich, it’s time for the second leg of your 10-Day Italy and Switzerland Itinerary: Lausanne! Pick a train time early in the day to get the most sightseeing time out of each day; you can get you from Zürich to Lausanne in just over two hours!

Once in Lausanne, drop your bags at one of our recommended accommodations and head out to explore the area! Tourists pay a tourist tax on all hotel rooms, which means you get a Lausanne Transport Card, giving you free access to public transit and museum discounts! All you need to do is remember to ask for this card when you check in (don’t worry, as your trusted Fora Advisor, I won’t let you forget!).

Brace yourselves, Lausanne is incredibly hilly! When walking around the city, you’ll encounter surprisingly steep streets, so make sure you have a good pair of walking shoes and a bottle of water (especially if traveling in the summer). As always, I recommend a local-guided walking tour to help orient you to your new surroundings.

After such a long day, what better way to wind down and relax than with a cruise on Lake Geneva! There is an overwhelming number of daily boat departures from the dock in Ouchy (pronounced OO-shee). Find one to Vevey (~ one hour) or Montreux (my favorite, ~ one and a half hours). Depending on your arrival time into Lausanne, you could opt for a cruise to the French town of Evian-les-Bains (yes, of Evian brand bottled water fame— don’t forget your passport!) and spend the day at the spa! We’re nearly halfway through this 10-Day Italy and Switzerland Itinerary, so a spa day (or evening) is certainly justified!

Head uphill, away from the lake, to the historic Old Town. If you’ve already gotten your steps in for the day, or are already sore from the hills, take the Metro (free with your Transport Card). First up: Lausanne Cathedral at the top of the hill. The church is free to enter, but I strongly recommend paying the five francs to climb the tower. The views are unforgettable. After descending the tower, walk across the square to the City History Museum. If you plan to see more than a few museums, look into the Swiss Travel Pass.

Back downhill, near the lakefront, is the incredible Olympic Museum! They have interactive exhibits walking you through the history of the games; rooms dedicated to all the Olympic torches, medals and select uniforms and equipment worn and used by competing athletes; replicas of Olympic stadiums, athlete villages and mascots; and an entire floor where you can ‘train’ like an athlete yourself! This is a great choice for athletes, aspiring Olympians, traveling families or anyone who has an appreciation for The Olympics.

If museums and churches aren’t your thing, opt for a day trip to wine country! Heading back to the lake, catch a cruise to Montreaux and head to Chateau de Chillon. If weather allows, enjoy a picnic nearby while soaking in the scenery of the beautiful castle and lake. Charlie Chaplin fans should try to squeeze in a quick trip to Chaplin’s World in Vevey. When you’re ready to call it a day, head back to your accommodation via train and tuck in for a good night’s sleep before we head to our final destination.

I hope you were able to see everything on your list because it’s time for the third and final leg of this 10-Day Italy and Switzerland Itinerary: Milan! However, if you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to peaceful Lausanne, or have found a few more things along the way that you’d like to explore, feel free to catch a later train into Milan (they run almost every hour) to spend a little more time in Switzerland.

The best way to travel throughout Europe is by trains. The train from Lausanne to Milan will take just over three hours. Pro tip: sit on the left side of the train for the best views as you pass Lake Maggiore! Once in Milan, drop your bags at one of our recommended accommodations and head out to explore the area! As always, I recommend a local-guided tour to orient yourself to your new surroundings.

One of the top sites to visit in Milan is the Duomo. It’s an absolutely stunning piece of architectural mastery. You can go inside and onto the rooftop! Afterwards, head next door to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for some high-end shopping. While there are great restaurants in the Galleria, I’d recommend one of the ones listed below, instead.

For fine-dining with amazing views of the Duomo, make reservations at Ristorante Giacomo Arengario. Cantina Piemontese, a stone’s throw from the Duomo, has a great menu focused on the Piedmont region, but no Duomo views.

One of the coolest museums in Milan is the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology. Inside, you can play with scale models of many of his inventions and learn more about this famous Italian inventor and artist. The museum is located in a beautifully converted monastery just outside Zone 1. While you’re in the area, pop over to Santa Maria della Grazie to see da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper!

If time allows, tour the medieval Sforzesco Castle to see some Michelangelo paintings and more by da Vinci, and/or Pinacoteca di Brera, a beautiful palazzo converted into a gallery of Renaissance art, most of which hails from Northern Italy. For the history buffs out there, head to the nearby Risorgimento Museum to learn more about Italy’s history. Swing by Bar Brera for lunch or aperitivo.

End your Arts & Culture Day with a tour of or show at Teatro alla Scala or wind down with an evening aperitivo and people-watching at Sempione Park (Milan’s Central Park).

OK, hear me out. I know what you’re thinking, “Venice can’t be done in just one day!” Anyone telling you that just isn’t trying hard enough (LOL). Take an early train to Venice and hit the major sites: St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace (Bridge of Sighs) and Rialto Bridge. Quickly get from San Lucia to Saint Mark’s via vaporetto (trust me, skip the gondola rides).

Eat like a local by standing at a bar with some cicchetti or panini. If you require something heartier after such a busy day, there are plenty of traditional trattorias where you can snag a table or make a reservation in advance, such as Trattoria Antiche Carampane, Ristorante Antica Sacrestia or Osteria alle Testiere.

On your way back to the train station, stop at the historic market area behind the Rialto for some beautiful jewelry, edible goodies or other souvenirs.

Hang in there! You’re almost to the end of this whirlwind 10-Day Italy and Switzerland Itinerary! Once back in Milan, treat yourself to a glamorous coffee experience at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Piazza Cordusio. You’ll find more coffee beverages than you can try in this place. Not only that, but if you visit at the right time, you’ll get to see the staff roasting the beans. Go to the bean bar and ask for a bag of freshly roasted beans to take home. While they don’t have a traditional food menu, their pastries are from Milan’s own master baker, Rocco Princi (Princi also has a location off via Torino, near the Duomo, if coffee isn’t your thing).

After, head to the Quadrilateral for high-end shopping. If your budget is running out, try La Rinascente, a classic department store near the Duomo. There’s a great food court here if you’re feeling peckish. Alternatively, you could visit a more traditional restaurant like Casa Lodi or Giacomo Caffe.

If you’d prefer an elegant meal on your penultimate night of this trip, make reservations (before you even leave home) at Ristorante Rigolo, Trattoria Milanese or Boccondivino. Eat like a local and have aperitivo, first. No night in Italy is complete without gelato. Try each of these spots throughout your time in Italy: Ciacco Gelato, Grom or my personal favorite: Venchi. If it’s brightly colored and piled high, skip it.

Depending on your departure time, you may be able to squeeze in a few more sights—or catch up on your sleep! If you’re leaving via train (either Garibaldi or Centrale—both are within walking distance), pick an afternoon departure and wander around the Porta Garibaldi neighborhood; the incredibly futuristic UniCredit Tower and IBM building, and the unmissable Porta Nuova district with garden terraces at every level.

There are multiple parks in the area, too, if you want to grab some breakfast at a local café and dine al fresco. There are also great shopping and restaurant options if you’re need more souvenirs and a more traditional lunch before the trip home.

If you’re leaving from Linate, the short taxi ride is your best bet. The further-away Malpensa and Bergamo airports are both served by an airport shuttle that leaves from Centrale.