3gentravel

Hello, and thank you in advance for all information!

Basic info: 3 of us will be traveling, 2 adults, 1 12 yr old child (3 generations, ages 62 down to 12). Our countries of interest are: Italy (Amalfi coast, quick trip to Capri, 2 nights ? Rome, Pisa, Venice-2 nights Venice?) We have about 8 nights we can use in Italy.
Switzerland: We have family near Spietz. We would like to stay in this area for 3 nights.
Austria: Prefer not to spend the night, maybe a quick stop in Innsbruck, on our way to Fussen Germany for the Nueschwanstien castle. (Hotel in this area for 1 night)
Germany: Fussen, Heidelberg, Wurzburg
Spain: Madrid (Family in Madrid-one or two nights stay)

We will be flying from Eastern USA, into Italy. From there we plan on renting a car for the duration of the trip. Obviously, we need to pick up in Italy, return in Germany?????. Any thoughts/suggestions on that idea?

Hotels/lodging in all destinations below is greatly appreciated!!! We do not mind staying off the beaten path, prefer to stay out of party central, do not require 4 star hotels/bed & breakfasts. My only request-I love rooms with a view!

Advice we would like: Which airport should we fly into, in Italy? Our route thus far has us going from Amalfi coast, to Rome, To Pisa (only to see Leaning tower of Pisa), to Venice-then onto Switzerland. for italy: We would like to see Mt Vesuvio, Amalfi, Mount Solaro, Blue Grotto in the Amalfi coast area, in Rome The Sistine Chapel, Spanish Steps, and other areas (yet to be determined). Pisa: That is strictly to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa & the Cathedral. Venice: We would like a Gondola tour, do the night ghost walk, and one or 2 other sites of interest-to be determined.

Switzerland: Unknown until we locate family residence, but lodging suggestions in the Speitz area or Aeschi area are greatly appreciated.

Fussen Germany: Would love lodging with view of the castles.

Heidelberg/Wurzburg: These stops are basically to show my daughter where I was stationed & to see the castles. (Would like this to be quick area of travel)

From here we are going to fly to Madrid. I am willing to drive to anywhere to catch a flight. Any thoughts???

I know this is a lot!!! So ALL advice/help etc is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!

bobthenavigator

How much total time for this diverse itinerary?
I hope you have 3 weeks.

Michael

Why even bother with Austria? Going via Lindau might make more sense.

3gentravel

Bob-We have just under 3 weeks. (I'm trying to get 3 wks total), I realize it's an ambitious schedule!!

Michael-I used a map sight-that's how it took us, and my mom would at least like to see Austria.

3gentravel

Another key note: this will start around June 4th.

Mimar

Have you priced the car rental? Italy requires that you buy CDW and that you have an International Driver's Permit (easily and cheaply obtained at your local AAA office). And there's usually a big surcharge for dropping a car in another country.

You don't have to stay in Fussen, you can stay in Hohenschwangau close to the castles and get a good view of them, also easier car parking.

Your best bet for flights from Germany to Madrid is probably Frankfurt. Look at www.whichbudget.com for cheap flights.

janisj

Just a very quick note: It is usually VERY expensive to collect a car in one country and drop it in another. Can ad hundreds of $$$ to the rental fee.

Viajero2

This is beyond an ambitious schedule...driving around to cover more than 10 cities in under 3 weeks with a 12 year old and a 62 year old in tow? This is borderline foolishness. You state you prefer smaller towns but NONE of the sightseeing you listed fits that description at all. Fly into Rome, use the train to move around Italy. Rent a car when you are ready to do the Germany sightseeing. Forget Spain on this trip, enjoy Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

3gentravel

Mimar-thank you for the site, I will definitely look at it. I assumed Frankfurt-but didn't know if someone had any ideas for that flight!

I like the idea of training through Italy and waiting on the car rental. Makes me nervous as we don't live in areas where we have ever used public transportation-let alone another country!

Viajero-for sightseeing-we are typical tourists, we want to see what's there. But, what I was trying to get across is that we don't require lodging right in the middle of it all as I have seen where many have stayed outside of the touristy area and had a wonderful hotel, and a great trip-still allowing them to see what they came to see. Hope that is a little clearer.

mamcalice

So that you can actually enjoy the places you visit, I suggest either increasing your time in Italy or reducing the number of stops. If you have only 8 nights, eliminate the Amalfi Coast and Capri, start in ROme and make your way to Venice via Pisa. If you can manage 12 nights, add the AC and Capri at the beginning. From Venice, go to Switzerland and Germany. Save Spain for another trip. Fly into Rome or Naples and out of Frankfurt.

3gentravel

Mamcalice- we can increase our nights in Italy to 12. Would you recommend traveling by train or car for the rest? We are not at all familiar with public transportation! Also do you (or anyone) have airline recommendations?

charnees

3gen, taking the train in Italy is simple. The trains are frequent, and the tickets can be purchased at the station, even from a vending machine. If you are worried about taking public transportation, consider that for a newcomer, driving in crowded areas in Italy is no piece of cake. Driving in the AC area is crazy, driving in Rome is absolutely crazy, and you can't drive in Venice. (And parking in the first two places is impossible and expensive.) We have been to Italy about 15 times and although we rent a car, we don't go into the cities with it. We stay in smaller towns now because we have been to the big places several times now.

To cut down on packing up and moving so much, stay in one place in the AC and take a boat day trip to Capri. I'd say three nights there (your first day will be almost lost to jet lag), then three in Rome, two in Venice.

You won't be able to do all the things you want in each place. It takes longer than you think to do things, what with getting confused and maybe lost, (but it'll work out, don't worry), waiting in line, stopping to eat and rest (your feet are going to hurt a lot), getting to the next place, etc. Decide which things are the most important to you and do them first.

Although you say you don't have to stay in the center of things, I would do that in Rome because it is so huge, and you don't have enough time in your itinerary for traveling in and out of town. But you could stay in Trastevere (across the Tiber River) which is a short bus or tram ride to the most crowded part.

I'd explore SlowTrav.com for info on taking the train in Italy. Also, buy an Italy guidebook, maybe Rick Steves, and read that about transportation and Italian culture. You need a map for each place, that is for sure. A guidebook will have it. It will also have suggestions for lodging.

You should fly to Naples, use public transportation to get to the Amalfi Coast, then train to Rome, then to Venice by the fastest train possible to save time. I would skip Pisa if all you want to do is see the leaning tower. Not worth the LONG detour from Pisa on the west coast to Venice on the east coast. Then train from Venice to Switzerland where you rent your car.

charnees

Yikes!! I just saw you also want to go to Madrid! No. Save it for another time!!!

Mimar

To the OP regarding staying out of the center of the tourist area, my experience is the opposite. I find it much better to stay in the center of Rome and see a lot just walking around as opposed to taking long trips back and forth by public transportation. Add up the money you'd spend on public transportation and the precious vacation time eaten up. An inexpensive hotel in the Centro Storice might not cost so much more. And when you're traveling with a 62-year-old and a 12-year old, your mother might get tired and want to go back to the hotel for a rest while the 12-year-old is still raring to go. In general, it's really nice to have a nearby hotel to drop back to or to meet up at when you split up.

The exception to this rule is Venice, which is pretty small and walkable. A place away from the Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Market is more relaxing and interesting. But NOT a hotel outside the city in Mestre or the Lido. You lose the wonderful experience of a city with no cars or trucks.

If your budget allows it, look at getting a single room for your mother, at least some of the time. European hotels do offer singles at some saving from doubles.

3gentravel

Thank you to all! We have eliminated Pisa from the itinerary, decided to take a train in Italy vs renting a car. We will rent a car later, maybe Switzerland. We are now moving on to the lodging in Amalfi/Sorrento area, and I am researching suggestions here, especially those referencing Rome/Venice. These 2 areas seem the most confusing to book!

Again, thank you. You all have helped this itinerary come so far in such a short amount of time!

Viajero2

I agree with Mimar-- if you are limited by time, which you are, you NEED to stay as centric as possible, not the opposite. You seemed to have conflicting expectations of this trip and you need to recalibrate pronto. Three weeks? then four homes base MAX. Day trip from there. Suggest Rome, Venice, Spietz, and Fussen. Whatever day trip sightseeing you can do from that home bases is IT; Trains in Italy and car on the Germany/Swiss portion. The rest is the next trip.

3gentravel

Viajero, I like the home basing idea of Rome, would we lose a lot of time traveling to the AC area? Could this be done quickly via train?

Viajero2

I would say the farthest south you could stretch from Rome for a day trip via train is Sorrento. I got on a train from Rome once to do just that but change plans mid-air and stayed in Pompeii. BTW, I think your 12 years old will get soooooo much more out of a day trip to Pompeii.

charnees

Rome to AC and back to Rome is a long, long day (think 12 hours with touring time) and exhausting, IMO. You'll have to make a choice, here. Considering your interests, I would stick with the 3 days AC, 3 days Rome, 2 Venice.

3gentravel

Viajero & Charnees: Thank you! Just knowing from experienced travelers of the area stops me from second guessing some of my ideas/choices! Thank you!! This will help with the itinerary immensely!