Hi all,

I, sister and parents are planning a 10-12 day holiday in Switzerland and Italy. Below is what I currently have thought of. Please help with suggestions modifications etc. I and the sister are in the early 30s and parents in the late 50s.

5 day Swiss
Interlaken - Lucern - Zurich

6 days Italy
Venice - Florence - Rome

We don't intend on doing much of walking/hiking. More of sight seeing, eating, experiencing the local etc. Is the above decent enough time? In Switzerland, does it make sense to have one base and do day trips or should we split our stay between Zurich and Lucern?

Same with Italy? 2 days each place or better to skip stay in Florence and do day trips from Rome?

We're flexible with number of days, but don't want it to be too long and exhausting to for the parents. With that in mind, should we rent a car in Italy for the day trips, I'm not sure of public buses/trains for day trips to small towns in Tuscany. Also everyone's first time in Switzerland and Italy.

Once we nail down the itinerary, i'll post another thread to get suggestions on things to do

Thanks!

We've just been to Wittingen, near Zurich for three days. We went to Engleberg and the top go Mount Titlis. It was magical!

We're spending 11 nights in Italy in May, and it really isn't enough time to do all that we'd like to do. You might consider picking one country and spending all your time there.

Lee Ann

By the time you leave one hotel, get to your destination and check into another hotel, most of the day is gone so that leaves very little time for sightseeing. I'd chose either Switzerland or Italy and spend all your time there.

Zurich is just 60 minutes (by train) from Lucerne. I'd choose Lucerne as my home base...Of course, you'll likely want to get higher in the mountains, and not 'just' Interlaken. I think you would like the small city of Bern as well...

6 days V-F-R isn't doing justice to any place.

I'm not sure what day trips you had in mind but I think adding a rental car to Italy is foolish and dealing with it stressful. There is so much to see in town.

If you can add days do so. Late 50s can handle a heavy load. This kind of family dynamic can blow up if people are not on the same page. My family is just into eating so traveling with them would drive me nuts.

Six cities in 11 days makes no sense at all - you would spend a very large part of yuor limited vacation time just getting from one places to another - packing and unpacking and checking in and out of hotels.

IMHO in 11 days you should stay in MOST 3 hotels - to have a chance to see anything more than train staionts. (And for htis trip a car makes no sense whatsoever - from someone who has done more than 20 road trips in europe).

I would do

1) either switz or italy

2) pickLucerne, Venice and Rome - so you have at leat time to ee the most major sights in each place/area (Zurich is primarily a business city, Lucerne much more for vacationers - from ther eyou can do d day trip to the berner oberland)

I echo what those above say: pick no more than three destinations. No car needed for either of the three groupings you have for each country. Decide which country and then we can help fine tune it a bit more.

Far too much for your short time.
Pick 4 of these max---- drop Zurich and Rome.
Three is better if you include Rome.

This trip sounds WAY too rushed to me. I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together and what you will cut to be a able to take advantage of your time in Europe. Good luck!

I would go directly ABOVE Interlaken after spending two days in Luzern. Forget Bern, Zurich, and Interlaken with only those days available.

Train to Florence and then on to Venice and leave out Rome.

Certainly drop Zurich, I've been four times and apart from the Cathedral I saw nothing of worth and yet everything cost too much (note recent CHF rise). Swiss towns and countryside is the thing to look for.

Given the time you need to drop another one.

If you want only 1 base in Switzerland, check the railway hubs:
Brig:
best for the highest mountains and glaciers, Lake Maggiore, Bernese Oberland around Lake Thun, Berne;
Spiez:
closer to Berne and Bernese Oberland, 45 min farther away from lake Maggiore and glaciers of Valais;
Bern:
city with 200,000 inhabitants; 30 min farther away from the mountains, but closer to Lucerne and the Lakes of Biel/Bienne, Murten, Neuchatel and Geneva.

All 3 places are on the railway line to Milan - Venice.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Looks like what we're shooting for is way too much. Shall revise and post soon.

Basically I'm thinking of taking out Zurich and Interlaken, make Lucern base for 5 days. I don't think i can convince the others to drop any city, so it'll have to be Venice, Florence and Rome in 6 days. Though the stay might be only in Venice and Rome with a day trip to Pisa.

I'll read/research more and see what is really feasible.

Thanks again!

neckervd, thanks for suggesting the rail hubs. I will definitely look into them.

Our parents are coming from Asia, so Europe is not something they can, or do frequently like many of us across the pond. That said, i agree there is no point in rushing and spending a lot of time in checking in-out of hotels.

5 days in Lucern (or any single spot in Switzerland) then 6 days in Venice and Rome would work OK. Much better plan.

Yep, much less crazy running around. Two days Venice and four days Rome would be great.

So here is the revised schedule. Totally skipping Zurich but not sure whats the best way of getting to Lucern/Interlaken from Paris, now that we're skipping Zurich. Too many transfers. Suggestions?

Also, I read about Murren and Wengen, close to JungFrau, are they worth staying? Also, we'd like to visit chocolate and cheese factories. Any good ones close by?

5 days Interlaken/Lucern
2 days Venice
4 days Rome

"not sure whats the best way of getting to Lucern/Interlaken from Paris, now that we're skipping Zurich"
Be happy that you must not make the detour via Zurich.

<whats the best way of getting to Lucern/Interlaken from Paris, now that we're skipping Zurich. Too many transfers. Suggestions?>

Uh, no! It is a five to six hour train ride with one to three stops. Check the bahn website for train times.