Help me decide between 2 itineraries
 

I know this is a crazy question, but here's my dilemma. We fly into barcelona on June 15 and depart from Milan on July 9. We were planning 5 days in barcelona, a flight to Milan where we intended to pick up a car, spend approx 1 1/2 weeks in Switzerland, several days in Munich and several in salsburg. Planning was going to be fairly flexible in case we decide to spend more or less time in a particular place.

My husband has thrown a wrench in the plans and now is suggesting combining barcelona with Rome, and the amalfi coast.

My intention was originally to take a month to do Rome, The amalfi coast and Sicily preferably in May or September when the weather is cooler. We have no intention of spending time at beaches.

I realize that these are two very different trips and we will end up likely visiting both areas eventually. I'm leaning toward Switzerland, only because I think the southern italy trip will require much more time.

Which itinerary would you chose and why?

Rome + Amalfi will take much less "time" than Milan + Switzerland + Munich + Salzburg if you mean transportation time to complete the broad itinerary.

For example;

Rome - Sorrento - Positano - Amalfi - Rome is about 7:15 driving time.

Milan - Interlaken - Munich - Salzburg - Milan takes more than twice as long; 15:15

If by chance you meant to include Sicily in this exercise, then yes, the Italian itinerary would be longer, at about 21:30 hours driving. However you indicated your husband only wanted Rome and Amalfi and you had hoped to do those + Sicily another time and to stay much longer.

I agree with visiting Rome in May or September. Mid-June to July would be too hot for me. We loved our time in Switzerland in the BO during the summer.

My husband will let me ultimately decide on the itinerary and the driving time is irrelevant . He looks forward to driving. I originally chose the Swiss itinerary because I prefer the cooler weather and also because we wanted to include Sicily with the amalfi coast and Rome.

My question really is which itinerary would YOU chose to pair with barcelona and why. We will have just over three weeks in total.

Hi, dgunbug - hope all is well!

Actually, I would not pursue either of the options you outline!

I would pair Barcelona with northern Spain -- as I am currently planning to do ;-) or with central Spain (Valencia through Madrid and surrounds).

I would pair Rome with other parts of northern Italy -- Florence, Venice, perhaps the Cinque Terre and/or Milan -- as I have already down.

I would either pair Sicily with the Amalfi Coast or wait until I could give Sicily at least 2.5 or 3 weeks (I gave it only 2 weeks and regret that decision, and I did NOT include beach time in any of these trips!).

And I gave Switzerland a full 4 weeks and did not come CLOSE to seeing everything I wanted to see/do there. And BTW, I would NOT try to drive in Switzerland -- the public transportation is excellent, comfortable, and convenient, and using it would let the intended driver actually SEE some of the stunning scenery that this country offers.

Hope that helps!

Barcelona does not really fit in with Swiss/Italy. It fits better with Spain or France

I too would pair Barcelona with Northern Spain, the Costa Brava is a fabulous area and has some amazing places to go to. ( we "discovered" this area 4 years ago and will be going back again this year for our 4 th visit in a row ) . The driving is great and you could stay at some lovely medieval villages and tour the Dali triangle.... The coastline us also stunning with some lovely beaches and costal walks. Girona is also a nice city to visit., food wise there is an abundance of amazing restaurants. Honestly we adore this region and really is the gift that keeps on giving....l

I wouldn't want to pick up the car in Milan if you plan to drop it in Switzerland. You should pick it up in Switzerland to avoid a steep cross-border dropoff charge. Could you fly to Zurich, or some other Swiss city, from Barcelona? Or maybe to Munich and drive in a circle from there?

Thank you all for your responses. We fly back to the states from Milan, which is why we are renting a car from milan. I've suggested public transportation to my husband, but he enjoys the driving and having done that pass in the past, wants to do it again.

I know there will not be enough time to fully explore Switzerland, but my husband is of the mindset that many of the small mountain towns are similar so we will just do a cursory over-view to get a feel for Switzerland - not our typical trip of exploring an area more in depth. The impetus for this trip was really barcelona, which we missed on our prior three week trip to Spain and which I have wanted to visit for several years.

Smeagol - The suggestion for northern Spain is a good one, but I think we will save that for another time...perhaps pairing it with portugal or southern France. Kia - my husband has spent a great deal of time already in Italy and I have explored Florence, Venice and a bit of Rome. I've considered cinque terra, but I'm afraid my husband will have some difficulty due to current knee issues. And, I agree with you about devoting far more time to Sicily and the southern Italy region. I've read both your Switzerland and Italy trip reports and they are filled with wonderful information as all your reports are. Did you prefer one trip over the other - Italy vs Switzerland?

Any other opinions?

At that time of year, I'd lean toward Switzerland, but I don't see how our preferences are of any relevance to your dilemma.

"but my husband is of the mindset that many of the small mountain towns are similar "

I felt the same, until my Swiss BIL took me around and showed me how the villages and towns vary by language and Canton.

Don't leave Basilicata and Puglia out of your Southern Italian plans

“kja … I've read both your Switzerland and Italy trip reports and they are filled with wonderful information as all your reports are. Did you prefer one trip over the other - Italy vs Switzerland?”

Thank you for your kind words, dgunbug, but I fear you are giving me credit where none is due. I didn’t post a report on either of my trips to Italy (unless you count a very brief post on the restaurants in which I ate in southern Italy).

I did not have a preference – I found all three of these trips absolutely magnificent!

“my husband is of the mindset that many of the small mountain towns are similar”

FWIW, I can’t disagree more. I found the differences between the French-speaking, Italian-speaking, Romansch-speaking, and German-speaking areas of Switzerland both profound and fascinating.

Kja- thought I had read posts from Italy...oh well...I did read your Switzerland report and your china report was invaluable to us.

I'm still leaning toward Switzerland as u really want to go to Italy when we have more time. If you had only 1 1/2 weeks there, what cities and towns would you hand pick?

@ dgunbug : That would explain it -- I do POST on destinations I've visited, whether I've written a trip report or not. :-)

With only 1.5 weeks for Switzerland, you might be able to see as many as 3 areas, but you will need to be VERY selective! In the French-speaking area, I found Lausanne an absolute delight, but it may be too urban for your interests. If so, you might look at Vevey or Montreux, but of course you have other options. For the Italian-speaking areas, you might consider Ascona (on the outskirts of Locarno) or Lugano -- the former might make more sense if you need to get to Milan; the latter might make most sense if you choose to go into the Engadine. For the Romansch-speaking areas, maybe Pontresina or Scuol -- but for that region, you should probably choose a base in light of your aspirations for the area. For the German-speaking areas, wow, SO many options! Lucerne is gorgeous and can be a great base, but IME, it is becoming increasingly overrun by tourists (if with good reason). I adored Berne, but if you want to see the magnificent Bernese Oberland, then consider Lauterbrunnen or Wengen. You should be able to take a LONG day-trip from there to Berne. The "problem" with Switzerland is that you have a true wealth of wonderful options. :-)

If your husband is unmovable on the question of public transportation (and even if he isn't!), then get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide ASAP -- I think you will find it extremely valuable as you plan and once you get there.

<<Which itinerary would you chose and why?>>

Given- Arrive Barcelona June 15 (Stay 5 nights), Depart Milan July 9. You have 19 nights to plan.Hubby likes to drive.

Hubby's itinerary of Rome+ Amalfi coast needs one more stop. Not enough time for Sicily. Cinque Terra is out. Tuscan countryside near Pienza would work.I sense you and Hubby have been there.If not you could fly Barcelona to Naples, visit Amalfi coast and work your way north Rome-Tuscany-Milan.

Your itinerary does not have the issues of Hubby's and has a good flow Milan to Milan. Your itinerary might look like this:

Barcellona- 5 nights

Fly to Milan, pick up car, drive to Lugano (Italian Switzerland) for- 2 nights.

Grindelwald (Bernese Oberland)-4 nights

Montreux/Vevey (French Switzerland)-3 nights. Note: take Hwy 11 route Grindelwald to Montreux/Vevey.

Appenzel- 1 night

Munich-4 nights

Salzburg-3 nights

Verona-1 night

Milan-1 night

Fly home next day

I would not wing it with hotels. I would have hotel reservations for this time of year.

Kia and Dugi
Thank you both for your helpful comments. I've already told my husband that we will be postponing our italy trip till next year when we can do it properly and when it will be cooler. I've been lazy in planning this trip, so I'll have to get busy.

Just curious - how did you compare the French areas to the rest of Switzerland?
Which areas of Switzerland did you enjoy most?

The German areas of Switzerland are my favorite. All other areas are a distant 2nd. I am probably biased since my maternal grandmother was born in northern Switzerland and spent her adult life living in southern Germany near Lake Constance.

For June and July, I would do your original itinerary.

At the risk of seeming to skirt your question, I honestly can't articulate what made the French-speaking areas seem different to me than other parts of Switzerland -- they were simply more, well, French. ;-) I'm sure my impressions were influenced by facial and other nonverbal expressions and the pace of others' movements and differences in the arrangements of produce in markets and flower baskets and architectural details, but I don't have words to express the differences. All I can tell you is that it certainly FELT different to me.

I found much to treasure in each of the parts of Switzerland I was fortunate enough to see and I sincerely enjoyed every area. But then, you probably know that I plan my trips to take advantage of the things that each place that I visit offers. My mind seems to return to the Lower Engadine more than other parts, so clearly that region captured me in a special way. But if you haven't spent time in the Alps, and if that is your goal, I think the Bernese Oberland would be a great choice and would fit with the general itinerary you seem to be shaping. (And yes, my mind goes there quite often, too! :-) )

BTW, I think dugi_otok has suggested a very interesting itinerary. Especially if you'll have a car, you might want to substitute Locarno for Lugano because my impression -- from a few bus and taxi rides -- is that driving in Lugano would be more challenging. I could be wrong. But either would be great; you could decide based on what else you want to see / experience in the area. And I was glad that I stayed in Lauterbrunnen rather than Grindelwald, but there are varying opinions on those two options in the Bernese Oberland and neither would be a bad choice. And again, there are a slew of other options before you, so if you can, spend some time exploring them before you commit.

Again, sorry I can't articulate the differences I experienced.