Father coming for 2 week trip, help with itinerary please :)
 

My father will arrive in Bologna on December 27th to spend a couple weeks with me here. This is the itinerary I came up with, please let me know if it is feasible. I want to make sure he has a great time :)<BR><BR>Day 1 - Bologna<BR>Day 2 - Afternoon train to Venice<BR>Day 3 - Venice<BR>Day 4 - Morning train to Vienna<BR>Day 5 - Vienna<BR>Day 6 - Vienna/Salzburg<BR>Day 7 - Morning train to Prague<BR>Day 8 - Prague<BR>Day 9 - Prague<BR>Day 10 - Morning train to Munich<BR>Day 11 - Morning train to Zermatt<BR>Day 12 - Zermatt<BR>Day 13 - Train to Lugano (have family here)<BR>Day 14 - Lugano, night train to Milan<BR>Day 15 - Milan (he flies out that morning)<BR><BR>Some explanation: Having been to Venice I am confident that we can see the neat stuff there in 2 days. The half day in Munich is basically for a beer and some wurst at the Hofbrauhaus ;) And Day 11 is basically just for training through Switzerland, which I hear is amazing.<BR><BR>So what do y'all think?

If your father is a retired train conductor or engineer he'll probably love your itinerary since most of the time you'll either be in or on your way to a train station. I'm sure he'll love unpacking every night and repacking early every morning to get back on a train. Cut out half the places on your shopping list of cities and take the time to actually see a part of Europe.

Well first off, I have taken the trains in some of these regions and consider them to be part of the fun of such a trip. The scenery you see on the train can be outstanding. And most of the train trips are relatively short (ie the bologna-venice, zermatt-lugano, lugano-milan). The long ones are the Vienna-Prague and the Day 11 train trip (that train ride being the entire point of the day).<BR><BR>Or am I crazy and stretching time too thin? :)

<BR><BR>Message: My father will arrive in Bologna on December 27th to spend a couple weeks with me here. This is the itinerary I came up with, please let me know if it is feasible. I want to make sure he has a great time :)<BR>My notes are these.<BR> <BR>Day 4 - Morning train to Vienna. There is none. The afternoon train is Venice Santa Lucia 1314, Vienna 2101, and the best choice by sleeper is Venice Mestre 2219, Padova 2243 to 2306, Vienna 0848<BR>Day 5 - Vienna<BR>Day 6 - Vienna/Salzburg<BR>Day 7 - Morning train to Prague. A complex trip. It reads Salzburg 0500, Linz 0615 to 0716, Summerau 0830 to 0849, Prague 1259. So I think you might leave your bags in your hotel in Vienna, take a day trip on day 6 to Salzburg (Vienna West 0705, Salzburg 0957 to 1705, Vienna West 2155: restaurant car both ways), then on day 7 travel Vienna South 0625, restaurant car train, Prague Holesovice 1050<BR> <BR>Day 10 - Morning train to Munich. A long run: Prague Hlavni (beware pickpockets) 0625, Nuremberg 1121 to 1130, Munich 1309. Both trains have restaurant cars. So I prefer a sleeper, board at Prague Hlavni about 2120, leave 2208, Munich 0629.<BR> <BR>Day 14 - Lugano, night train to Milan. An evening train, I think: the trip takes 90 minutes.<BR>Please write if I can help further.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR>

Thanks Ben that is a lot of useful info. I think the Salzburg trip will be cut out, was just a small idea I was pondering and not something all that important. The extra day in Vienna would probably be nicer than two 3 hour train rides in one day ;)