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Itinerary advice needed for Europe summer 2016

Itinerary advice needed for Europe summer 2016

Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 01:03 AM
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Itinerary advice needed for Europe summer 2016

Hi guys,

I posted recently about a Europe hiking trip for next summer. I have some rough ideas for the rest of my trip and would love some feedback.

I know there are lots of amazing hikes so I am happy for some brutal feedback on this idea. But I would love to do the Monte Bianco high route (I am caught up in the size of the alps I admit). To get here from Australia I think the best way is to fly to Geneva. However, because I really want to see more of Italy but also the Slovenian lakes or the Croatian or Montenegro coast, I would also consider first flying to Rome, then onto the trek via a flight to Geneva. I loved Rome and would like another visit, but perhaps it would make more sense to go to Milan? By starting in an Italian city, I could then after the hike go straight back to Geneva to fly to Ljubljana (for example). I would then like to go to somewhere like Budapest and perhaps finish in Berlin. I would have four weeks.

Does what I write make sense? I guess I want hiking, and beach or lakes (but definitely some relaxation by the water) and some new cities. This year I saw Barcelona, Rome, Florence, Paris and London and I would go back to them all in a heartbeat but I know I need to see so much more too!

Thanks RT
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 02:19 AM
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If you fly into Milano you can easily take the train to the Aosta valley and at least some of the Montebianco crossing routes. If you fly into Roma, you could take a train to the Italian Riviera swims and hike a bit around the Portofino promontory near Genova, and then go on up to Aosta by train from there. Something else to consider is flying to Rome, but after time there taking a flight or ferry to Sardegna for beaches and hiking -- although without a car you would need to do some research about getting around to the best of it. From Sardegna you can fly to Genova or Milano and head on the valle d'Aosta (you might even be able to fly to Torino from Sardegna, I'm not sure).

What is probably crucial is whether you should be attempting the Montebiano high route at the beginning of your trip or the end of your trip to get the most favorable weather. Also bear in mind that coastal areas get extremely crowded in the last 2 weeks in August.

It might be necessary to include Geneva as a transfer point for trains and flights, but the Milano and Roma airports generally have flights to all capitals in Europe, and many other cities as well.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 02:47 AM
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Thanks sandralist, as always. I visited the Cinque Terre in July and absolutely loved it. I am just concerned about fitting everything in and don't want to do two day stopovers in most places. I would prefer to go again in July.

Have you, or anyone else, heard of this company? Or have any advice on the trek itself?
http://www.guidecourmayeur.com/monte...igh-route.html

Thanks,
RT
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 04:50 AM
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I'm not a hiker so can't help you there. I think your concern about fitting everything in is justified. The alternative, however, to one night stopovers is making multiple transit connections, all in one day, which might be hard if you are waking up in the morning in the scenic Alps and wanting to sleep by the scenic seaside in the Adriatic that night.

If you want to begin your trip in Rome, in might make sense to fly to Torino instead of Geneva. But that depends on where you would be meeting up with your Alpine tour.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 04:51 AM
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I meant to add that the Portofino promontory is not part of le Cinque Terre, but further up the coast, and therefore a shorter train trip to the valle d'Aosta.
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Old Sep 2nd, 2015, 02:16 PM
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Thanks Sandralist. All great food for thought. I met people this year who were hiking the CT and staying in Portofino; it sounded divine - as is the entire region.
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Old Sep 3rd, 2015, 11:07 PM
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So here is my latest idea for four weeks:

Two weeks in Slovenia made up of the Julian Alps, one of the lakes and Ljubljana (I do want to do Mont Blanc on the Italian side but not sure it makes sense with this side of Europe)

One week in Croatia made up of Rovinj and Zagreb

One week in Italy made up of Tuscany (from Zagreb) and Rome

I also really want to go to Berlin - and Paris again - but it doesn't look very sensible seeing as I want to do some alps hiking and also have some beach and/or lakes in the itinerary! It is so hard to choose.

RT
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 01:50 AM
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Is the trip still in July? It helps to be a glutton for heat to visit Tuscany in July, and Rome is not much better. Also, to see what everybody finds so charming about Tuscany, you'd need to rent a car or hire a driver, or take complicated journeys involving taxis and buses -- or go on an organized tour. There are stunning small art cities in Tuscany that are easily reached by train or bus (Florence, Arezzo, Pisa, Siena, and some would say Lucca too), but having the freedom of a car to stop at many small castle towns and be immersed in the scenery outside the cities is a big reason why Tuscany became a tourist magnet.
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 01:56 AM
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Hi sandralist, most likely July yep. Good point about the heat. I was in Italy this July, in the midst of what was apparently one of your country's hottest summers on record. It was certainly warm and I'm not someone who loves extreme temperatures. Having said that, the only time I struggled was in Padova and Venice. I had to leave! Ortisei gave me the relief I needed, before coming back down to go to Firenze and Rome. I didn't find either of them as difficult as I expected. But we did go home to rest for a few hours between sightseeing and dinner each day.
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 01:56 AM
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Occurs to me to add that you might consider for your Italian portion the area of Cormons in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, for a Tuscan-like experience of rural wine country. I would still want a car there, but it is possible to get by without one for a few days. For a more rural experience on can stay in Civedale or Cormons, and Udine if you don't a very small city (and it has the best transport connections). From there, I would fly to Rome from the Trieste airport (take a bus there), but you can also get down to Venice by public trans and catch a fast train.

But if you'd rather go to Tuscany, you can probably find a flight out of Zagreb to Pisa or Bologna if not one into Florence (which might exist, I don't know).
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 02:19 AM
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Thanks sandralist, I will check that region out. I really just want more Italy and somewhere I can find a lovely village. On the coast in July might be best! I just looked and I can fly to Rome or Munich in the same amount of time, so that gives me choices in terms of getting home.
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 04:32 PM
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"So here is my latest idea for four weeks..."

I think that could work! Even so, you might want to consider adding a week to your time in Croatia, rather than spending a week in Italy. Here are some of my reasons for suggesting this option:

For one thing, getting to Croatia is not necessarily an easy thing -- and I, personally, HATE spending time in transportation that I COULD spend actually seeing things I want to see. So, if you are going to Croatia, then consider making the most of your time there. And there is SO much to see in Croatia outside Istria and Zagreb!

The Plitvice Lakes National Park is, IMO, the single most un-missable of Croatia's many splendors. Not only are the lakes connected by travertine waterfall formations, each lake has unique microbiota, and as a result, the lakes are different colors. The best way to see that is to make a single, long loop through the park -- something on the order of 6 hours or more (including time for the boat that connects the lower and upper lakes). The park has lots of other trails, too.

If you added the Plitvice Lakes to your itinerary, you could also go on to Split -- one of those love it / hate it cities that I absolutely adored. Vibrant, energetic, and dynamic, it's core is the amazing Diocletian's Palace -- but it also has a stunning waterfront, lots of interesting nooks and corners, and easy access to charming Trogir. Too, it offers a base for, or reasonable access to, some lovely areas for walks. AND it has an airport.

If you haven't already done so, you might want to consult the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide for information about hikes.

Just something to consider! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip no matter what you decide.
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 06:41 PM
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Thanks kja!

I think that plan sounds great. Two of my closest friends here in Australia are Croatian by heritage and they certainly loved the country before it became a safe and then cool place to travel so I am sure they would agree with all you write.

Another thing I could do is something like this guided hike from Monte Bianco: http://www.guidecourmayeur.com/monte...igh-route.html

Then I could fly to Ljubljana via either Geneva, Milan or Turin, spend some time in that city, before going onto the lakes area and then over to Croatia. From Croatia I could either fly directly home (haven't looked at the ease of route or price as yet) or fly to Rome and then home. That way I would still get a week of Italy, a week in Slovenia and then almost two weeks in Croatia.
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 06:50 PM
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If that works for you, great!

I was actually suggesting that you skip Italy on this trip -- but obviously, whether you can do so will depend on what works in terms of flights....
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 07:13 PM
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Yep, I am torn between wanting to hike for hiking's sake, or wanting to hike and see the highest mountain in Europe while doing so. I want some challenging hiking, but I don't want to go too far out of the way, or add too much to costs if I can essentially do the same thing in Slovenia ... I have ordered a book on trekking the alps so will take a good look when that arrives.
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 08:23 PM
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Hmm.... I thought the highest mountains in Europe were in Russia and Georgia... I guess that's one of the quirks of the changes in how geographic regions have been defined in the last few decades.
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 08:39 PM
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BTW, if serious trekking is your goal, then it's probably worth stating the obvious - you won't be able to do that forever! So planning trips around the treks that most interest you is a very reasonable thing to do, IMO. And if you are planning your trip around treks in the Alps, I would think that puts an entirely different spin on things!

If that's the goal, you might want to consider reposting with a title that is more likely to draw the attention of those who have done some serious hiking in the Alps, maybe "planning some treks in / near the Alps" or "aiming for some serious hiking in the Alps" or whatever best captures your goals. And unless you won't consider hiking in France, add a tag for it, as well as for any other countries that might be of interest, such as Austria and maybe even Germany.

And if you do that, include a VERY clear description of what YOU mean by hiking / trekking in your initial post -- I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if many Fodorites consider a 3-hour "walk" with any noticeable change in altitude to be a serious hike. ;-) OTOH, I can think of a few Fodorites who might be able to offer great input if they know more about your interests.

Good luck, and my apologies if I took you off course!
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 10:53 PM
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kja your posts are delightfully lovely! Thank you so much. I admit I was wondering how to draw more attnrtion - my post doesn't seem to have and it's because I was too generic. Thank you so much. I guess I feel like I want to see more of the less-travelled Europe (such as Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia - for Aussies anyway) as well as the Alps. But you can't do everything at once! Oh and you're right about Russia - I was meaning Western Europe. Anyway, I will repost. Thanks again!!
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Old Sep 4th, 2015, 11:27 PM
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With SO many options, it is, IME, VERY hard to select just a few! But I'm sure you'll get there. Keep researching and soliciting input that targets YOUR interests and I think the choices that work for YOU for THIS trip will become increasingly clear, no matter how hard it is to skip some things that you might enjoy.
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