Help with Switzerland, Italy, French Riviera Itinerary
Feb 2nd, 2009, 07:22 AM
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Help with Switzerland, Italy, French Riviera Itinerary
Hello! I was hoping for some help, suggestions, feedback, on planning an itinerary for a mid-April anniversary trip. I'm thinking of flying into Switzerland (Geneva or Zurich?) and then driving through some combination of cities down to Italy and then west across the French Riviera, ending in Marseille where we will fly home from. Cities I'm considering are Bern, Luzern, Venice, Torino, Parma, Bologna, Modena, Nice, Monte Carlo, Marseille. I need advice on which are "must see's" and which are not worth it. Any suggestions on how many nights to spend where, or cities I'm missing would be great also! Thank you so much in advance!
Feb 2nd, 2009, 07:36 AM
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You don't say how much time you have.
Off hand, Venice might be too far east. Parma, Bologna, Modena perhaps too far south.
You'll be in beautiful mountainous and coastal scenery so I'd suggest that the focus be less on "cities".
Off hand, Venice might be too far east. Parma, Bologna, Modena perhaps too far south.
You'll be in beautiful mountainous and coastal scenery so I'd suggest that the focus be less on "cities".
Feb 2nd, 2009, 07:55 AM
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My time frame is 12 nights. My focus is really the french riviera and the towns in Italy I mentioned, but I was trying to add in some scenic Switzerland if possible??? Thoughts?? If not possible, then I will change the itinerary to fly in or out of Venice and Marseille.
Feb 2nd, 2009, 08:31 AM
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The vacation you outline is more like 3 weeks - not 12 days.
In 12 days you should have 3 stops/hotels - where yuo land, one in between and one where you leave.
If you try more than that you'll spend the bulk of your time in bus/train stations, finding hotels, checking in/out and un/repacking.
In 12 days you should have 3 stops/hotels - where yuo land, one in between and one where you leave.
If you try more than that you'll spend the bulk of your time in bus/train stations, finding hotels, checking in/out and un/repacking.
Feb 2nd, 2009, 08:55 AM
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Only you know your preferences - is the act of driving what thrills you, or do you drive to get from one place to the other, with the idea that you stop and look and stay in and enjoy those places?
With your intended schedule it can't be both.
To help with a reality check, I suggest you bring up online maps and use the To-From Directions link umpteen times, from each of the cities you listed to the next.
Make a list of the times and distances involved, google each city on its own to get a sense of what's there for you to see, and mark off the time each deserves.
Now mark off the nights you need to spend and where you need to spend them to make sense of this emerging itinerary.
Then drop out what's not possible, and reduce the itinerary to what's feasible.
Factor in the following:
~ A cross-border one-way drop-off car rental can cost unreasonable amounts. Much cheaper to rent in one country at a time.
~ Mid-April is the proverbial month where nasty surprises in the weather can throw your plans off course - three seasons in one morning is typical. Mountain passes may still be closed, other roads become unpassable or excruciatingly congested, days are still fairly short so you don't get to see as much as a couple of months later.
~ Much of the trip you outline can be done by fast trains, more easily and possibly more cheaply, too - if you add up the expensive petrol (gasoline) and tolls on expressways (not in Switzerland, there they get you with the mandatory "vignette" road-tax sticker).
So I'm just outlining some food for thought - over to you! Happy planning.
Maps and customized point-to-point itineraries at http://maps.google.com
More maps etc. at www.viamichelin.com
Trains in Switzerland at www.rail.ch
Trains in Italy at www.ferroviedellostato.it
Trains in France at www.voyages-sncf.fr
With your intended schedule it can't be both.
To help with a reality check, I suggest you bring up online maps and use the To-From Directions link umpteen times, from each of the cities you listed to the next.
Make a list of the times and distances involved, google each city on its own to get a sense of what's there for you to see, and mark off the time each deserves.
Now mark off the nights you need to spend and where you need to spend them to make sense of this emerging itinerary.
Then drop out what's not possible, and reduce the itinerary to what's feasible.
Factor in the following:
~ A cross-border one-way drop-off car rental can cost unreasonable amounts. Much cheaper to rent in one country at a time.
~ Mid-April is the proverbial month where nasty surprises in the weather can throw your plans off course - three seasons in one morning is typical. Mountain passes may still be closed, other roads become unpassable or excruciatingly congested, days are still fairly short so you don't get to see as much as a couple of months later.
~ Much of the trip you outline can be done by fast trains, more easily and possibly more cheaply, too - if you add up the expensive petrol (gasoline) and tolls on expressways (not in Switzerland, there they get you with the mandatory "vignette" road-tax sticker).
So I'm just outlining some food for thought - over to you! Happy planning.
Maps and customized point-to-point itineraries at http://maps.google.com
More maps etc. at www.viamichelin.com
Trains in Switzerland at www.rail.ch
Trains in Italy at www.ferroviedellostato.it
Trains in France at www.voyages-sncf.fr
Feb 2nd, 2009, 09:09 AM
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> I will change the itinerary to fly in or out of Venice and Marseille. <
I think that's what you should do - basically travel east-west. You can veer northward to take in The Italian Lakes and the southern Alps above Lake Garda. Add Vicenza, Verona and maybe Mantua if you'd like.
You'd have to keep the car in Italy to avoid the cross-border one-way drop-off referred to by DalaiLlama.
Perhaps drop the Freanch Riviera and fly into/out of Milan.
I think that's what you should do - basically travel east-west. You can veer northward to take in The Italian Lakes and the southern Alps above Lake Garda. Add Vicenza, Verona and maybe Mantua if you'd like.
You'd have to keep the car in Italy to avoid the cross-border one-way drop-off referred to by DalaiLlama.
Perhaps drop the Freanch Riviera and fly into/out of Milan.
Feb 2nd, 2009, 09:47 AM
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Thank you for all the feedback so far. I have been doing exactly what you've suggested, on viamichelin.com, I guess I'm just having a hard time deciding what to eliminate. To focus in, which of the towns in Northern Italy do you recommend as "must-see's" and which to skip over.
Feb 2nd, 2009, 12:19 PM
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> which of the towns in Northern Italy do you recommend as "must-see's" and which to skip over. <
My opinion...
Try plotting this route, starting with Venice - Vicenza*, Verona*, (Mantua*), Malcesine*, Riva del Garda, Merano, Glorenza/Glurns, Zernez, Chiavenna (visit Soglio*), Varenna*, Bellagio*, Lugano*, Malpensa airport.
* indicates "must-see's"; the others are points on the map.
This is a driving route that takes you through "some scenic Switzerland" (very scenic!) and allows you to hire and return the car within Italy. It includes some wonderful Northern Italian towns and villages and the Italian Lakes.
My opinion...
Try plotting this route, starting with Venice - Vicenza*, Verona*, (Mantua*), Malcesine*, Riva del Garda, Merano, Glorenza/Glurns, Zernez, Chiavenna (visit Soglio*), Varenna*, Bellagio*, Lugano*, Malpensa airport.
* indicates "must-see's"; the others are points on the map.
This is a driving route that takes you through "some scenic Switzerland" (very scenic!) and allows you to hire and return the car within Italy. It includes some wonderful Northern Italian towns and villages and the Italian Lakes.
