Please don't do Interlaken in one day. That's like staying at a hotel near JFK and saying you've been to New York.

Thanks for the info. I take it there are lots of places to go from Interlaken. Would two or three days suffice?

We spent 4 days in Lauterbrunnen (near Interlaken) and wished we'd had more time. The Berner Oberland is rich is places to see and things to do. Some consider it to be the most beautiful part of Switzerland.

Thanks bettyk. Is Lauterbrunnen better to stay overnight at than Interlaken? Do you have any suggestions for hotels in the area?

First, decide how many nites you will spend in Europe. For this itinerary I would start in Zurich and end at Munich and you will need 20 days to see the area.
Berner Oberland--4
Italy lakes---4
Venice---3
Bavaria castles--3
Salzburg and Salzkammergut---4
Munich--2

You could cut to 18 if you plan well. This is a nice loop that you could do either direction. You may need a car for Bavaria and Salzkammergut. I have done all of this--more than once---and it is a fabulous itinrary.

Lauterbrunnen is one choice. There is a train station and several nice hotels. We stayed at the Hotel Oberland. Depends on if you want to be higher up in the mountains or down in the valley.

bobthenavigator: Being you've done the area, I'm glad you liked my itinerary. Unfortunately, Munich is not an option as my available flights are either Zurich or Frankfurt. Can this loop be done by trains?

bettyk and bob: I don't think I need to see all the Italian lakes. Is there one or two you would suggest as being the best and most picturesque? Or are they all so gorgeous that I'd need to see them all?

BTW, would anyone recommend which month to travel in these Alpine areas. I don't want to go during a heavy tourist month, but I do want to ensure shops, restaurants, etc. are open. Thanks for your help.

This is another recommendation for Lauterbrunnen. We stayed there for three days last year and would love to go back for a week or so. We stayed at the Hotel Staubbach which had views over the valley and the waterfalls - absolutely beautiful.

Thanks marg. Sounds like Lauterbrunnen is the place to stay. Do you think we'd have good weather in April or October?

Has anyone been on the Tauck Alpine tour? It's the closest thing I can find to this itinerary.

We went in mid May and the weather was good. Some of the hotels and restaurants in the higher elevations, such as Murren, may not be open until June. I can't comment on October since we haven't been to Switzerland that late in the year.

Also as far as the Italian lakes, we've only been to Como.

Hi,

Just wanted to say October is our favorite time to travel in the Alps. Switzerland once and Bavaria/Austria/Dolomites (N.Italy) a few times. Each trip had similar weather (although you can't predict it!), daytime in the 60' to 70's and early am and nights in the 40's to low 50's with very little rain. I'd choose October every time.

Paul

Just wanted to add that we never had a problem finding choices of hotels, shops, restaurants that were open.

We've been to a few of the place on your list... Salzburg, Innsbruck , Interlaken (actually Wengen), Neuschwenstein/Castle area (Fuessen) in October.

Paul

Thanks for the info Paul. Since I've never been to Europe before, I'm hoping this itinerary is giving me a taste of Europe's best scenery, castles, architecture and food. Yes, food is important, and I'm looking forward to sampling northern Italy's local cuisine. Since I'm basically only in Lake Como, Verona and Venice, can anyone suggest good restaurants in either of these three areas.

Lake Como will give you a good taste of the lakes.
I would set your dates and time first--that will determine what is feasible for you. Where to eat is step 5.

I agree with Bob once again. You are doing this a bit backwards. Number of days (even if you're flexible) come first. Then see what fits to your timeline. The only thing you've established is Zurich and Franfurt as your options for arrival/departure points.

Paul

Thank you for your comments. It would be so much easier if I could just find an organized tour that covered many of these areas. To do it all on my own is so overwhelming. Once I have the itinerary down, I'll post.

I assume this trip will be in 2011?
Planning can be overwhelming but also fun...just keep on asking questions, etc. I got loads of help and encouragement when I was ready to throw in the towel on my trip.
Everyone is correct...get your dates and #nights figured out first. Don't worry about restaurants until the end. We had no plans for specific restaurants and ended up having THE BEST FOOD EVER just by asking locals and our B&B persons and following our noses! We ate in Italy, Austria, Germany but not in places where all the Americans eat. We ate where we were usually the only Americans...and we loved it!
I know you'd like a tour but independent travel can be so much more rewarding and flexible. Have fun planning and have fun on your trip!

I think Go Ahead tours has an itinerary very similar to what you are looking for. Check out their website!

Did you give up the idea of a river cruise as per your other post? Just wondering...

Thanks suec1. I'll check out their website. And TAW...I've given my friend the brochures for the river cruises and asked her to decide if she'd rather do Italy or a river cruise. I wish Italy had river cruises. That would be ideal! Too bad. Thanks for asking.

Okay, after much searching for the perfect tour, I think I found it. It's a northern Italy 14 day tour by Odysseys Unlimited. It covers Florence, Venice, the Lakes region, and Milan with only four different hotels used. I like a slower pace and staying in one place for a few days. We'll fly into Zurich and take the train to Milan where the 14 day tour starts. After the tour, we'll head back to Zurich and perhaps do some side trips. Has anyone been on the Odysseys Unlimited tour? Could you please tell me what you thought of it?

I googled Odysseys Unlimited tour reviews and came up with a number of responses, some from Trip Advisor and Fodor's:

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&=&q=odysseys+unlimited+tour+reviews&aq=3&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=Odysseys+Unlimited+&gs_rfai=CPfcf1tJxTNuSEJHCNqmy-dYPAAAAqgQFT9BGV4U

Maybe they will be helpful.

Thanks bettyk. Appreciate the response. It seems there's good and bad in all tour groups. At least Odysseys only have 18-24 people per tour, where Trafalgar is more like close to 50. Anyone have any suggestions on side trips around Zurich?

Noting for later...

We have just reserved Northern Italy for September 2010. Whenever I have read reviews about Odysseys Unlimited they have been very good. I liked the pace and the small group as well and can't find it on any other tour, so we're going with it! They run Alumni tours for some very good schools and have been for some time. Please let me know what you find out. Thanks.

VivianK, I've read good and bad about each of the tour groups including the most expensive ones like Tauck. I think we're going with the Odysseys Unlimited tour too, as the itinerary looks closest to what we want. Since you'll be on it next month, would you mind letting me know how it was when you get back. Quality of hotels, tours included, etc. I'd really appreciate it.

Sorry Travelbug, I reserved 9/14/11. So far we reserved the post trip extension as well, but I'm not enamored with the Dei Dogi. It is the Boscobel Dei Dogi and Trip Advisor reviews are not terrific.Are you taking the extra days in Venice? When are you going?

Sorry my error. We were planning on booking for May 2011. So I guess I'll be going before you. I'll let you know what we thought when we get back. I wasn't enamored with the Dei Dogi either, but it's only one place. Fourteen days for us is max already, so we won't be taking the extra days. Wish we could!

Will you use their air or arrange your own? We haven't decided as yet.If you would like to share information, you can email me at vskaplan@live.com.

We're arranging our own air travel as my friend is a flight attendant. I'll email you when we return. Thanks for the post.

I've done the Tauck Alpine tour, and it was fantastic. It is especially good for those who don't want to have to worry about making transportation arrangements. They are the only tour company I will use. Tauck also has a Northern Italy tour similar to the one you described, but it does not go to Florence. It does visit Milan, Lago di Como, Lago Maggiore, Bologna, Verona, Venice and a few other areas. They also have a shorter tour that visits the Dolomites, Bavaria & Venice.

Travelbug7: Thanks, will look forward to your review next May.
I appreciate your time.
Delaine: We have taken several Tauck Tours. The hotels and guides are always wonderful. We found there was not enough independent time and way too much time spent on eating. I'm looking forward to lunch on our own and some afternoons doing our own thing. We also find the prices getting prohibitive, but no doubt you are getting great service etc.

way too much time spent on eating.>>

really? how could that be possible?

I joined a Globus tour of Switzerland a few years ago, loved it! Bought through AffordableTours website for their 10% discount.

i know its been some time but how did you end up managing your trip? this is exactly the route i want to do in june/ july 13