Three friends · 21–27 August 2026 · 4 days off work

Over the Alps, down to the lake

Manchester to the Swiss Alps on Friday night, the Bernina Express over the roof of Europe on Sunday, Lake Como until Tuesday, Milan until Thursday. One double + one single (or a triple/apartment) the whole way.

ManchesterFri 18:45

Chur2 nights

Varenna2 nights

Milan2 nights

ManchesterThu eve

Flights + trains + beds ≈ £705 pp — under the £800 cap ✓ Activities & food on top: budget £200–280 pp

The red Bernina Express train passing the turquoise Lago Bianco high in the Alps — Sunday's centrepiece: the Bernina Express passing Lago Bianco at 2,253 m.

Schematic, not to scale — the whole surface route is rail, no car needed. Blue = Lake Como.

Chur 593 m · Graubünden, Switzerland Fri night → Sun morning

The oldest town in Switzerland, wrapped in mountains, and the departure platform for the Bernina Express. You arrive at ~00:20 Friday night and leave Sunday 08:30 — so Saturday is the day. Everything below is walkable or one lift/train away.

View over Chur's rooftops with mountains behind — Chur old town, 5 min walk from the station

Arosa village and lake in the Swiss Alps — Arosa — 1h up the valley by hourly train

Chur Cathedral exterior — St. Mary's Cathedral, 8th-century crypt, free

Schematic, not to scale. Everything in Chur is inside a 10-minute walk.

Stay · 2 nights

Hotel Chur or Hotel Franziskaner

~CHF 200 / £180 per night for 3 ≈ £60 pp/night

Both in/beside the old town, 5–10 min walk from the station. Book one with 24-hour or self check-in for the 00:20 arrival.

Cheaper: ibis Chur (~CHF 170 / £155 per night) — blander, same walk to the station.

Saturday in the Alps
Activity	Times	Price pp
Old town & St. Mary's CathedralCar-free medieval lanes, 8th-century cathedral crypt	Anytime	Free
Arosa railway day trip1h each way through gorges & viaducts — a free preview of Sunday. Lake Obersee stroll + squirrel trail at the top	Hourly 06:20–20:08	CHF 30 / £27 rtn
Brambrüesch cable carChur's own mountain, straight from town — hiking & views. Sat evenings it runs until 20:00 (13 Jun–29 Aug), so this works after Arosa	Daily to 20:00 Sat	CHF 32 / £29 rtn
Bündner KunstmuseumAlberto Giacometti & Alpine art — rainy-day option	Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00	CHF 15 / £14
Fondue dinner in the old townThe one Swiss splurge — split a caquelon between three	From 18:00	CHF 30–35 / £27–32

Saturday, shaped

09:30Coffee + old town wander, pick up picnic at Migros/Coop
11:08Train up to Arosa — picnic by the Obersee
16:00Back in Chur; Brambrüesch cable car for golden-hour views (runs till 20:00 Saturdays)
19:30Fondue, early-ish night — tomorrow is the big one

Varenna 220 m · Lake Como, Italy Sun afternoon → Tue afternoon

Sunday is the showpiece: the Bernina Express leaves Chur ~08:30 and crosses 196 bridges and the 2,253 m Bernina Pass before dropping you in Tirano, Italy at ~12:50 (sit on the right). A direct regional train rolls along the valley to Varenna by late afternoon — pastel houses, one piazza, zero cars worth mentioning.

Varenna's pastel waterfront houses seen from the ferry — Varenna from the ferry

Castello di Vezio tower above Lake Como — Castello di Vezio — 30 min uphill, €7 / £6

Villa Monastero and its lakeside gardens — Villa Monastero's 2 km of shoreline gardens

Villa Melzi gardens on the Bellagio shore — Villa Melzi, Bellagio — Tuesday's ferry hop

Schematic, not to scale. The mid-lake triangle is the classic day out — one pass covers all hops.

Stay · 2 nights

Albergo del Sole or an apartment for 3

~€220–250 / £190–215 per night for 3 ≈ £63–71 pp/night

Albergo del Sole sits right on Piazza San Giorgio (8 rooms — book now). Apartments for 3 on Booking.com run ~€220 / £187 per night in August.

Cheaper: Bellano, one stop up the line (~€140 / £120 per night) — saves ~£40 pp and it's 4 min back to Varenna by train.

Sunday evening → Tuesday
Activity	Times	Price pp
Passeggiata degli InnamoratiThe "lovers' walk" hugging the lake — do it at sunset with gelato	Anytime	Free
Castello di Vezio30-min uphill walk; ruined castle, falconry displays, the best view on the lake	Aug: 10:00–19:00 (w/e 20:00)	€7 / £6
Villa Monastero gardens & house2 km of botanical gardens along the shore, former monastery	Daily ~09:30–19:00	~€13 / £11
Mid-lake ferry day passUnlimited hops Varenna ⇄ Bellagio ⇄ Menaggio — Tuesday's plan	~Every 30 min, 07:00–21:00	~€16 / £14
Villa Melzi gardens, BellagioLakeside gardens made for a slow morning wander	Daily 09:30–18:30	€10 / £9
Fiumelatte & a swimItaly's shortest river (250 m), plus pebble-beach lidos either side of town	Anytime	Free–€5 / £4

Monday, shaped

MorningCastello di Vezio while it's cool — falconry usually mid-morning
AfternoonVilla Monastero gardens, then swim + laze at the lido
SunsetPasseggiata, aperol on the waterfront, long dinner

Tuesday, shaped

09:00Ferry to Bellagio — Villa Melzi + village lanes
13:00Hop to Menaggio for a lazy lakefront lunch
16:30Back for bags; ~17:30 train to Milan (1h10, ~€7 / £6)
20:30Check in, aperitivo in the Navigli canal district

Milano 122 m · Lombardy, Italy Tue evening → Thu afternoon

Two nights near Centrale keeps flight day trivial — the Malpensa Express leaves from under your hotel. Wednesday is the full Milan day; Thursday morning is for whatever's left.

The white marble facade and spires of Milan Cathedral — The Duomo — walk its rooftop among the spires

Interior of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with glass dome — Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, next door and free

Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper fresco — The Last Supper — 15-min slots, book now

The brick tower and walls of Sforza Castle — Sforza Castle — courtyards free

Naviglio Grande canal lined with bars at dusk — Navigli — aperitivo is dinner

Schematic, not to scale. A €7.60 / £6.50 day ticket covers all metro + trams.

Stay · 2 nights

B&B Hotel Milano Central Station

~€140–160 / £120–136 per night, triple ≈ £42 pp/night

5-min walk from Milano Centrale, breakfast included. Triples are a standard room type here.

Alternative: ibis Milano Centro (~€150 / £128 per night), 15 min walk, same idea.

Wednesday → Thursday morning
Activity	Times	Price pp
Duomo + rooftop terracesWalk among the marble spires — stairs €16, lift €26. Book on duomomilano.it, go at 09:00 before the heat and crowds	Daily 09:00–19:00, last entry 18:10	€16–26 / £14–22
Leonardo's Last Supper15-minute timed slots, released in advance and gone fast — book the moment you confirm the trip (cenacolovinciano.org)	Tue–Sun 08:15–19:00	€15 / £13
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IISpin on the bull's mosaic; window-shop the world's oldest shopping mall	Anytime	Free
Sforza Castle & Parco SempioneCourtyards free; museums (Michelangelo's last Pietà) a fiver	Castle 07:00–19:30; museums Tue–Sun 10:00–17:30	Free–€5 / £4
Pinacoteca di BreraOne of Italy's great galleries, in the prettiest district for dinner after	Tue–Sun 08:30–19:15	€15 / £13
Navigli aperitivoDrink + all-you-can-graze buffet along the canals — this is dinner	From 18:00	€10–15 / £9–13
San Siro stadium tour (optional)If any of you care about football, it's a pilgrimage	Daily ~09:30–18:00	~€30 / £26

Wednesday, shaped

09:00Duomo rooftops first, then the Galleria next door
12:00Sforza Castle + Parco Sempione, casual lunch nearby
15:00Last Supper slot (if you got tickets) or Pinacoteca di Brera
19:00Dinner in Brera or aperitivo-crawl the Navigli

Thursday, home

MorningLast espresso, quadrilatero window-shopping or San Siro
~13:00Malpensa Express from Centrale (50 min, €13 / £11)
AfternooneasyJet/Ryanair to Manchester (~2h20) — home for tea

The money

Core — capped at £800 pp
Item	£ pp
Flight MAN → Zurich, Fri 18:45 (SWISS)	140
Flight Milan → MAN, Thu pm (easyJet/Ryanair)	70
Zurich Airport → Chur trainCHF 42 / £38; Supersaver from ~CHF 25 / £22	33
Bernina Express ticket + seat reservationCHF 66 ticket + CHF 36 reservation = CHF 102	92
Italian trains + Malpensa Express	28
Chur, 2 nights ÷ 3	120
Varenna, 2 nights ÷ 3	130
Milan, 2 nights ÷ 3	85
Contingency	32
Total	≈ 730

Activities & food — separate, per your call
Item	£ pp
Saturday Alps dayArosa + Brambrüesch + fondue ≈ CHF 95 / £85	85
Como sights + ferry dayVezio, Monastero, Melzi, ferry pass ≈ €46 / £39	39
Milan sightsDuomo lift + Last Supper + Brera ≈ €56 / £48	48
Food & drink, 6 daysPicnic Switzerland, feast Italy	100–160
Total	≈ 270–330

Core comes in at ~£730 pp — under the £800 cap, with £32 pp contingency already inside it. Trim another ~£40 pp by sleeping in Bellano instead of Varenna, or ~£10 by taking the Duomo stairs. Prices are July 2026 estimates at CHF 1 ≈ £0.90, €1 ≈ £0.85 — treat as ±15% until booked.

Book in this order

0 of 6 booked

SWISS 18:45 MAN→ZRH, Fri 21 Aug — the only after-work departure; the plan hangs on it. Book the return (Malpensa→MAN, Thu 27 Aug pm) in the same sitting. 6 weeks out, late-August fares only rise.
Varenna beds — Albergo del Sole has 8 rooms; apartments go almost as fast. Book refundable today. Fallback: Bellano, one stop away, ~40% cheaper.
Bernina Express reservations — Sun 23 Aug, Chur→Tirano, rhb.ch. Panoramic cars sell out in August; ask for right-hand seats.
Last Supper tickets — cenacolovinciano.org, €15 / £13, 15-min slots. If sold out, a guided-tour resale (~€40 / £34) is the workaround — or skip guilt-free.
Chur + Milan hotels — plenty of stock; book refundable this week. Chur needs 24-hr/self check-in.
2 weeks before — Supersaver airport→Chur fares on the SBB app; Duomo rooftop slots. Italian regional trains: buy on the day, fixed price.

Ticks save on this device — each of you can keep score in your own browser.

Late August, on the ground

Chur & the pass

12–23 °C in town

Up at Ospizio Bernina (2,253 m) it can be 5 °C with weather — the train is heated, the photo stops are not. One warm layer plus a rain shell covers the whole Swiss half.

Varenna

18–29 °C · lake ~23 °C

Proper summer. The lake is warm enough to swim without bravado, and evenings stay t-shirt mild on the waterfront.

Milan

19–31 °C, humid

The hot one. Duomo rooftop at 09:00, shade and espresso mid-afternoon, come alive after dark like the locals.

One warm layer + shell — for the pass Swim kit & quick-dry towel — for the lake One slim type-C europlug adapter fits both Swiss (J) and Italian (L) sockets — chunky UK multi-adapters often don't fit Swiss recessed plates Fee-free card — CHF and € in one week Cabin bags only — four trains, lots of stairs, no porters