Switzerland / Italy Itinerary
Jan 11th, 2017, 04:54 PM
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Switzerland / Italy Itinerary
Hello!
We are planning a two week trip to Switzerland and Italy in May and June. In addition to seeing the beautiful alps we are planning to visit some modernist/contemporary architecture. We would love any input about our itinerary and the best way to travel! We are considering renting a car in Bern and dropping it off in Lugano in order to visit some of the more obscure architecture sites. Our flight to Paris is booked, but our other flights are not booked yet.
Day 1: Flying into Paris, Flight to Geneva, Stay in Geneva
Day 2: Morning in Geneva, train to Montreux (Chateau de Chillon), stay in Lausanne
Day 3: Train to Bern in the morning, visit Castle at Thun, Hike from Murren to Schilthorn, stay in Bern
Day 4: Drive to Ronchamp, France (Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut), evening in Bern
Day 5: Drive to Airola (Saint Benedict Chapel), stay at St. Gotthard Hospiz
Day 6: Hiking day in Airola
Day 7: Drive to Mogno (San Giovanni Battista), Stop at Cappella Santa Maria degli Angeli on the way to Lugano, stay in Lugano
Day 8: Day in Lugano, Train to Como
Day 9: Boating on Lake Como (Casa del Fascio)
Day 10:
Day 11:
Day 12:
Day 13:
Day 14: Flight from Venice to Paris.
We aren't sure where to stay for days 10-13. All we know is that we want to visit 1) Villa Rotunda in Vicenza, 2) Scarpa's Tomba Brion in Altivole, 3) and Rossi's San Cataldo Cemetary in Modena, and we'd love to spend Day 13 on a beach. Any suggestions about which cities to stay in? (Verona? Vicenza? Modena? Bologna?) We've already been to Venice before so we don't need to sightsee there. Thank you in advance for your advice!
We are planning a two week trip to Switzerland and Italy in May and June. In addition to seeing the beautiful alps we are planning to visit some modernist/contemporary architecture. We would love any input about our itinerary and the best way to travel! We are considering renting a car in Bern and dropping it off in Lugano in order to visit some of the more obscure architecture sites. Our flight to Paris is booked, but our other flights are not booked yet.
Day 1: Flying into Paris, Flight to Geneva, Stay in Geneva
Day 2: Morning in Geneva, train to Montreux (Chateau de Chillon), stay in Lausanne
Day 3: Train to Bern in the morning, visit Castle at Thun, Hike from Murren to Schilthorn, stay in Bern
Day 4: Drive to Ronchamp, France (Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut), evening in Bern
Day 5: Drive to Airola (Saint Benedict Chapel), stay at St. Gotthard Hospiz
Day 6: Hiking day in Airola
Day 7: Drive to Mogno (San Giovanni Battista), Stop at Cappella Santa Maria degli Angeli on the way to Lugano, stay in Lugano
Day 8: Day in Lugano, Train to Como
Day 9: Boating on Lake Como (Casa del Fascio)
Day 10:
Day 11:
Day 12:
Day 13:
Day 14: Flight from Venice to Paris.
We aren't sure where to stay for days 10-13. All we know is that we want to visit 1) Villa Rotunda in Vicenza, 2) Scarpa's Tomba Brion in Altivole, 3) and Rossi's San Cataldo Cemetary in Modena, and we'd love to spend Day 13 on a beach. Any suggestions about which cities to stay in? (Verona? Vicenza? Modena? Bologna?) We've already been to Venice before so we don't need to sightsee there. Thank you in advance for your advice!
Jan 11th, 2017, 05:50 PM
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Day 3 is overloaded, can’t be done in one day, unless by “Mürren - Schilthorn” you mean a quick late-afternoon walk near Allmendhubel outside of Mürren, at the base of the Schilthorn. Even then...
Look at the map of hikes at http://schilthorn.ch/de/Info/Schilthorn_Live/Sommer - you may need to translate the texts if you can’t find an English version.
Schloss Thun is no great shakes, you’d be better off spending a few hours at the Historisches Museum Bern, www.bhm.ch/en/, and - since architecture is of interest, check out the Paul Klee Zentrum just outside of Bern: www.zpk.org/
You can take the train to Ronchamp, takes about 3 hours, via Basel - Mulhouse - Belfort. From the Ronchamp station there’s a bus - see http://www.ot-ronchamp.fr/images/fly...aires-106b.pdf (“Navette” in French means “shuttle” in English)
Not sure about that St. Benedikt chapel - is it the one in Sumvitg? http://www.archdaily.com/418996/ad-c...-peter-zumthor
The nearest train stop is Airolo (not Airola), but it’s not where the chapel is - see Google maps for Sumvitg GR
You have a few days to spare so go over your itinerary again, to straighten out the parts that are too ambitious - certainly Day 3, and add a day to Bern.
Then see if Verona or Vicenza fit the bill for the last days.
Look at the map of hikes at http://schilthorn.ch/de/Info/Schilthorn_Live/Sommer - you may need to translate the texts if you can’t find an English version.
Schloss Thun is no great shakes, you’d be better off spending a few hours at the Historisches Museum Bern, www.bhm.ch/en/, and - since architecture is of interest, check out the Paul Klee Zentrum just outside of Bern: www.zpk.org/
You can take the train to Ronchamp, takes about 3 hours, via Basel - Mulhouse - Belfort. From the Ronchamp station there’s a bus - see http://www.ot-ronchamp.fr/images/fly...aires-106b.pdf (“Navette” in French means “shuttle” in English)
Not sure about that St. Benedikt chapel - is it the one in Sumvitg? http://www.archdaily.com/418996/ad-c...-peter-zumthor
The nearest train stop is Airolo (not Airola), but it’s not where the chapel is - see Google maps for Sumvitg GR
You have a few days to spare so go over your itinerary again, to straighten out the parts that are too ambitious - certainly Day 3, and add a day to Bern.
Then see if Verona or Vicenza fit the bill for the last days.
Jan 11th, 2017, 06:43 PM
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How about the charming town of Bergamo? Hour and a half from the Como S. Giovanni station. Brescia as a day trio an hour away. Also you mention Bologna, 2 hours from Como. Parma is one very good day trip, and Florence and Ferrara are a half-hour away.
Jan 12th, 2017, 01:07 AM
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"we are planning to visit some modernist/contemporary architecture"
Your itinerary doesn't correspond to this target.
Le Corbusier: Ronchamp is best visited by train from Paris. Paris dp 7.23 - Ronchamp ar 11.23 (connecting bus to Notre Dame du Haut at 11.30, see above).
You may then continue to Audincourt (if you are interested in) and Basel where you will find many modern buildings from Herzog&Demeuron, Diener&Diener, Mario Botta, etc.
The foot path to Schilthorn and the St. Gotthard Pass road will most probably be closed in May.
Mario Botta: I suppose you know that Airolo - Mogno is a 2 1/2 hrs ride. You will bypass the modern Gotthard Tunnel Control Center at Pollegio, the interesting churches of Giornico and the 3 castles of Bellinzona.
Santa Maria degli Angeli at Alpe Foppa can be reached by gondola from Rivera. There are tons of other Botta buildings in Ticino. I suppose you will visit the Cathedrale de la Resurrection at Evry, very close to Paris too.
Zumthor: as said above, Sogn Benedetg is at Sumvitg (has nothing to do with Airolo). Other buildings of Zumthor are at Vals, Haldenstein, Bregenz and in other parts of the world.
Don't forget the buildings Calatrava realized in Switzerland.
Your itinerary doesn't correspond to this target.
Le Corbusier: Ronchamp is best visited by train from Paris. Paris dp 7.23 - Ronchamp ar 11.23 (connecting bus to Notre Dame du Haut at 11.30, see above).
You may then continue to Audincourt (if you are interested in) and Basel where you will find many modern buildings from Herzog&Demeuron, Diener&Diener, Mario Botta, etc.
The foot path to Schilthorn and the St. Gotthard Pass road will most probably be closed in May.
Mario Botta: I suppose you know that Airolo - Mogno is a 2 1/2 hrs ride. You will bypass the modern Gotthard Tunnel Control Center at Pollegio, the interesting churches of Giornico and the 3 castles of Bellinzona.
Santa Maria degli Angeli at Alpe Foppa can be reached by gondola from Rivera. There are tons of other Botta buildings in Ticino. I suppose you will visit the Cathedrale de la Resurrection at Evry, very close to Paris too.
Zumthor: as said above, Sogn Benedetg is at Sumvitg (has nothing to do with Airolo). Other buildings of Zumthor are at Vals, Haldenstein, Bregenz and in other parts of the world.
Don't forget the buildings Calatrava realized in Switzerland.
Jan 14th, 2017, 10:41 AM
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Thank you so much for your thoughts!! We appreciate it.
michelhuebeli - Thank you for your advice about day 3 - I had a feeling we were being too ambitious. And yes! The Klee Museum is on my list
The reason we were thinking of going to Airolo was to stay at this hotel designed by Miller and Marantha: http://www.passosangottardo.ch/en/alloggi/ospizio.html. And we were planning on driving to Sumvitg for the chapel. Again, thanks for the perspective and we will re-visit the timing of things!
RonZ - Thank you for the suggestions! Will do a bit more research into Bergamo and Bologna!
neckervd - Thanks for the tip about the pass closures! That is so good to know. We will look into when they open We were planning on driving from Airolo to Mogno. I didn't know abou the Control Center at Pollegio - thanks! Vals has been one of my favorite buildings for a long time, but unfortunately it will be closed in May and June 
Thank you again for the architecture suggestions!
michelhuebeli - Thank you for your advice about day 3 - I had a feeling we were being too ambitious. And yes! The Klee Museum is on my list
The reason we were thinking of going to Airolo was to stay at this hotel designed by Miller and Marantha: http://www.passosangottardo.ch/en/alloggi/ospizio.html. And we were planning on driving to Sumvitg for the chapel. Again, thanks for the perspective and we will re-visit the timing of things!RonZ - Thank you for the suggestions! Will do a bit more research into Bergamo and Bologna!
neckervd - Thanks for the tip about the pass closures! That is so good to know. We will look into when they open
We were planning on driving from Airolo to Mogno. I didn't know abou the Control Center at Pollegio - thanks! Vals has been one of my favorite buildings for a long time, but unfortunately it will be closed in May and June Thank you again for the architecture suggestions!
Jan 14th, 2017, 01:41 PM
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If you have not been to Switzerland before and want to more leisurely see the Alps at their most glorious - stay in say Wengen or Murren for a few days- Bern is a nice nice city but Alps are far away
Yes I would scrub day 3 visit to Jungfrau Region if you cannot devote all day to it.
Thun Castle is nice but there are zillions of nice castles in Europe - the Alps hwowever...
I'd drop some days off say Lake Como and put into say picture-postcard Alpine wonderland villages like Wengen or Murren and do the fabulous Schilthorn excursion leisurely -it would take most folks all day just to walk to Schilthorn for the average person and at the end a fairly rugged hike from what I could see when at Piz Gloria.
For lots on trains and Swiss transports check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.
Between Montreux and Bern or Interlaken area be sure to take the Golden Pass scenic train with spiffy panoramic observation cars and vaunted VIP seats where you can synthesize driving the train.
http://www.goldenpass.ch/en/goldenpass/offer/view?id=14
Yes I would scrub day 3 visit to Jungfrau Region if you cannot devote all day to it.
Thun Castle is nice but there are zillions of nice castles in Europe - the Alps hwowever...
I'd drop some days off say Lake Como and put into say picture-postcard Alpine wonderland villages like Wengen or Murren and do the fabulous Schilthorn excursion leisurely -it would take most folks all day just to walk to Schilthorn for the average person and at the end a fairly rugged hike from what I could see when at Piz Gloria.
For lots on trains and Swiss transports check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.
Between Montreux and Bern or Interlaken area be sure to take the Golden Pass scenic train with spiffy panoramic observation cars and vaunted VIP seats where you can synthesize driving the train.
http://www.goldenpass.ch/en/goldenpass/offer/view?id=14
