sophie321

My daughter will be studying in Florence in the fall and my husband and I will be visiting along with our 2 boys in their 20's. We're planning on going over Thanksgiving week . My husband and I would like to go to Switzerland for a few days first. We are flying into Zurich and leaving from Florence. I know it is not ideal weather wise but that is the time we have.

What suggestions do you have for places to visit in Switzerland - probably just one hotel stay for 3 -4 nights, with a day trip or two. We don't need a huge city - would like more of the local culture or special sights.

How should we get from Switzerland to Florence - train or car?

Any suggestions for day trips from Florence? Will we need or want a car?

Thanks!

PalenQ

cars rented in one country and return in another often involve obscene drop off charges - I'd take the train thus between Switzerland and Italy - and in Switzerland I would head to the Interlaken area - the essence of the glacier-girdled Alpine peaks etched in your minds' eyes and which will not be fulfilled in Swiss cities - even though that is not an optimal time for weather it should still be before the hectic winter sports season a tad. a mountain village like Grindelwald would offer hotel balconies with sweeping views of the Alpine wonderland. For train info visit www.sbb.ch the Swiss Railways web site that may also offer advance online discounts, at least for the Swiss portion - due to snafu between Italy's train system and the Swiss many cross border trains have been cut and you may well on many links have to change at the border of either Chiasso if coming from Lucerne/Zurich or Brig if coming from Interlaken, Bern, Geneva, or Basel areas. great sites for loads of good info on the trains - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com. though you can hop any Swiss train with a full fare ticket trains in Italy that you will be taking demand a seat reservation for a specific train and this comes with the ticket purchase. Try www.trenitalia.com for the Italian rail portion - or rent your Italian car in Domodossola, first main train station inside Italy if coming from Interlaken or in Como if coming from the Zurich-Lucerne route and buy a Swiss ticket to those stations.

PalenQ

folks under 26 can get a Swiss Youth Pass at a cheaper price than adults buy one - investigate that if you kinds want any flexibility to hop other trains and perhaps travel other ways on say one day than you - otherwise a Saverpass - 2 to 5 names on one pass may be cheaper.

bobthenavigator

Stay in Luzern as your Swiss base--pray for decent weather---and then train to Florence via Milan. I do not think you need a car. Your best day trip from Florence is Siena--by bus.
Have fun! Nov. can be the rainy season.

PalenQ

Luzern is a great base - be sure to take the steamer boats around the lake - especially on the fjord-like tip that goes down to Fluelen, from where the boat docks you can hop trains back to Lucerne. and with the boats running in season about hourly take time to get off at some nice lakeside town en route or get off at Vitnzau or Weggis and do the s\ascent of Mt Rigi, one of Switzerland's most lauded viewpoints - getting a lateral view of the spiny Alpine ridge over central Switzerland.

PalenQ

Lucerne is great but if you have not been to Switzerland and wish to see the glacier-girdled Alpine peaks and wonderland etched in your mind's eye perhaps you will not find it in Lucerne but you will indeed in the Interlaken-Lauterbrunnen-Grindelwald-Wengen area which is backdropped by a panoply of rugged glacier-girdled peaks and there are a myriad of cable cars, tiny mountain-climbing trains, hiking paths for all degrees of difficulty, etc.