3gentravel

Ok, I need the help of all you travel master minds!!! This is what we are hoping to be our itinerary. We haven’t entered what we are doing for each place, but I think you get the idea. Besides, those items are not completely defined!

I don’t consider us arriving in Munich on Day 1 as I think we will have an overnight flight.

This itinerary is based on work giving me more days off work (2). So, if you had to cut anything out, what would it be? I know the obvious is Madrid but we can't cut it-we are visiting family there.

Thank you in advance and I am awaiting your feedback!

Day 1: Fly Cleveland to Munich
Day 2: Arrive Munich; Check-in, Family’s castle tour, dinner (HOTEL)
Day 3: : TOUR NEUSCHWANSTEIN AREA (Somnerrodelbahn), 1hr castle tour, Marienbrucke for pics-bus to bridge.
Day 4: Drive to Aeschi. Stop for meal in Austria on the way (HOTEL in Aeschi or Speiz)
Day 5: Travel Aeschi for family cabin
Day 6: Travel Switzherland (Travel to top of at least one mountain)
Day 7: Travel Switzerland
Day 8: Check out Aeschi-drive to Venice (HOTEL) (Possible Dolomites?) (Venice night ghost walk)
Day 9: Venice touring/Gondola ride
Day 10: Check out Venice-Fly to Naples, Bus to Sorrento (HOTEL) -Walk around Sorrento, no evening plans-relax.
Day 11: Capri day trip (Blue Grotto & Mount Solaro)
Day 12: Pompeii/Vesuvious Day trip (Climb to top of Vesuvious?)
Day 13: Amalfi/Positano/Ravello day trip (private driver)
Day 14: Check out Sorrento: Train to Rome abut 1.5hrs (HOTEL)-Arrive approx 1400, Evening sightseeing
Day 15: Rome travel: TREVI FOUNTAIN, COLLOSEUM, SPANISH STEPS, PALETINE HILL, SISTINE CHAPEL, PANTHEON. (Some can be done on day 16, or maybe 1 night added to this portion-cut from somewhere else in trip)
Day 16: Day trip to Florence (1.5 hr train ride) (Piazzale Michelangelo)
Day 17: Rome Leave afternoon/evening flight. About 2-3 hr flight to Madrid
Day 18: Travel Madrid
Day 19: Travel Madrid
Day 20: Fly Madrid to Cleveland

Venezia123

I would cut out Florence & Positano & Ravello.

jamikins

Keeping in mind that you lose at least 1/2 day each time you change locations - with 20 days I would pick 5-6 bases only. You have way too much and will spend the whole time in transit.

How are you travelling - train, plane, car? Keep in mind that if you are planning to rent a car it is very very costly to pick up in one country and drop it in another.

I think you need to cut about half the places on this list.

There is really no point in going to Venice for an overnight, you will spend more time getting there and settling in than you will actually spending time there. I would also cut either Rome or Florence as you really arent spending anytime there. Add those nights to the other parts.

logandog

Way, way too much.By day ten you will be dizzy and tired.
Slow down.Cut out at least one third of those cities.

jamikins

I see you actually have 2 nights in Venice - that is the very minimum to make it worth it.

3gentravel

We plan driving the first part of the trip, Germany all the way to Venice. However, if there is a better means of travel (faster) from Switzerland to Venice-we are willing to do it faster. Florence is an easy cut-allowing 2 full days in Rome, after accounting for travel time. Trying to get Mom to slow down on this trip is hard. We have lengthed the trip and cut out 3 cities already. She says this is the only trip she will get to do this! So, she has this urge to "do it all". How do I get her to slow down?

3gentravel

Also, flying from Venice to Naples seemed faster than taking a train. If taking a train is better-we are willing to do that too. We are only back tracking in Italy and not going to Rome first because the flights from Rome to Madrid are so much cheaper than leaving from Naples. Otherwise, we'd go from Venice to Rome then down to Sorrento area.

jamikins

How old is your mom? I would definitely slow down and cut about half the places if you are travelling with someone older.

Tell her she will spend most of the time viewing these places from a car/train window on an autoroute, and not spending any time enjoying the places you are actually visiting.

Doesnt she want to sip wine in a piazza rather than rush to the train station/airport to spend 3-4 hours travelling to the next destination?

Every time you move you have to get up, check out, eat breaky, travel to the train station/airport or drive out of town, do the actual travel to the next destination (and the freeways are not that attractive) find the hotel, check in, drop luggage BEFORE you can even start to SEE the place you are in.

I would really limit your bases to 4-6 places and actually see and enjoy the places you choose rather than rushing around spending all your time in transit.

I think once you look up how much the drop off charges are you may want to rethink picking a car up in one country and dropping in another. My understanding is it can run several hundred euros just for the drop off charge...

jamikins

The flight time might be - but dont forget you have to get from Venice to the airport (I cant remember exactly but on the alilaguna I think it takes about 45-60 mins) and you need to be there at least 1 hour before the flight (so thats 2 hours out of your day and you havent even flown) plus flight time, then time to get from the Naples airport to Sorrento and then find your hotel...

You can see how long it takes every time you move...and you havent seen anything yet but the airports!

3gentravel

She is 62, but far from that as she is very active. Right now she is headed out of town for a month on a stateside trip to see family. Nothing stops her! I'm fortunate enough to have an active mom! However, this does cause for some stressful planning on my part! LOL

jamikins

Its also not about age and whether she is active - it just takes more time the more people you have to organize and get ready every day

3gentravel

Just when I thought I had it ironed out! Back to the drawing board LOL

jamikins

I actually like the planning almost as much as the trip itself hahaha - Enjoy!

CathyM

If your mother insists on a trip at this pace I'd suggest taking a tour. I'm not at all a tour person but the pace of this is so frantic the only time you'll get to sleep is when you are traveling.

Realistically I'd cut the 18 night trip (once you factor in the traveling time) to a couple of countries at most and 4-5 cities as bases. You could easily spend the entire trip in Italy.

3gentravel

Jaminkins-I do to but I already feel like I'm on the trip-running in circles haha

CathyM-Unfortunately-there is no way to cut out Switzerland-we will find family there (hopefully). Germany I thought was a good starting point-slow start-jet lag. Also the Neuschwanstein castle is one I used to visit & my daughter is completely excited to see it. Original plan was to take her to 4 places in germany I had been-we cut out 3 because they were more out of the way. Spain is also another slow start or end, we are seeing family there too. So that's not really about seeing Madrid-more about seeing family. though I know they will take us around a bit.

so, it comes down to planning our trip very carefully-getting to point A, B, etc the easiest & fastest.

jamikins

So you need to do Munich area, and Madrid and Switzerland. Limit yourself to those areas and maybe Venice and you have a nice trip.

Missme

3gentravel, I totally relate to the "see everything"...

But, as others Fodors folks have said ,..think about slowing down a bit and enjoying each place. Tell your mom that the money you will save on transportation costs can be applied to future travel to Europe and promise to plan an all Italy trip for the next adventure.

If you do stick with your plan outlined above I would suggest using the service of Francesco Marrapese for hotel transfers and day trips in Italy Naples area.