Think of Switzerland and you probably imagine snowy Alps and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. When Tuscany pops into your head, you probably conjure up images of vineyards and olive oil pressed right from the source. An efficient and affordable way to enjoy all these things is by taking a train from Switzerland to its neighbor, Italy. You can enter Italy from several points in Switzerland, including Geneva, Bern and Basel, but the most direct way to get from Switzerland to Tuscany by train is to travel from Zurich to Florence.
Trains run from Zurich to Florence every few hours, and you can leave early in the morning and arrive in Florence in time for dinner or travel overnight with a sleeper car reservation. You'll leave Zurich on a Cisalpino and then transfer trains when you reach Milan. Once you arrive at Milan's Central station, you'll get on a Frecciarossa high-speed train that takes you to Florence, the capital of Tuscany, in just a few hours.
Getting to Zurich in time for your train to Florence will be no problem with the modern and updated trains in Switzerland's rail network. Swiss upgrades mean shorter travel times and increased departure frequency, says Rail Europe. You should be able to catch a train to Zurich every hour or half hour. If you are in a Swiss city that's closer to northern Italy than to Zurich, such as Lugano, catch the train there and take it all the way to Florence.
Tuscany stretches from Pontremoli in the north all the way to Chiusi, which borders the interior region of Umbria. From Florence, you can take a train to either of these destinations or anywhere in between. If Florence is all the Tuscany you're planning to see, you'll arrive in the Santa Maria Novella station, which is within walking distance of the Duomo and all the museums and galleries this Renaissance city is famous for.
You'll need your passport in both Switzerland and Italy. There are no passport control offices as there are in airports, and you may never be asked for your passport when you leave or enter either country. However, keep it with you. You can book tickets in advance or buy them at the train station in Switzerland. Reserve a seat, which may come with an additional cost, depending on the ticket you buy. When you transfer from Florence to a local train in Italy, you'll need to buy a separate ticket and have it validated at one of the yellow validation boxes found on the platforms. If you have luggage, store your small bags on the overhead racks and find a space for larger suitcases in the spaces at either end of each coach.
