HONEYMOON in Switzerland and Italy: Ideas and Help Needed Please
 

Hi Everyone! I am hoping for some help in planning my honeymoon to Italy and Switzerland. My fiance and I will be going June 2016. (Yes I know its far away, but we are both teachers and this will be the best time due to our school schedule and will allow us to take time to enjoy what these countries have to offer. As well as being able to figure out cost ahead of time to save up.

We are looking to make this a trip of a lifetime. We are both in our 30's and looking for scenic beauty, strolling the streets, and sightseeing. A great day for us would be to spend some time just walking around, relaxing by the sea or lake, visiting a spa, some light sightseeing, and a delicious dinner drinking wine.

I have been to Florence, Rome, Ravello, and Capri. My fiance has never been to Europe. We are not interested in going to any kind of museums. I was lucky enough to visit the many beautiful sights in Rome and Florence with tour guides so that is not as important to us on this trip.

We have come up with a list of places we would love to see, however we also know we do not want to rush our trip and try to see too much. I would appreciate some help coming up with possible itineraries for us to think about.

Its so hard to see everything, but these are some places we are very interested in:
1. Switzerland-We are very interested in taking one of the train rides (bernina or glacier express)
2. Lake Como
3. Venice
4. Tuscany?
5. Positano

Any other ideas or cities that anyone would recommend would be wonderful!

I would suggest Salzburg and the nearby lakes

I don;t see where you have mentioned how many weeks you will have in europe. Really need that to make useful suggestions.

I apologize ny! We should have between 2-3 weeks. We would also be interested in the cinque terre/italian riviera if that region made more sense being closer than Positano.

Switzerland is expensive (my multi-millionaire BIL has to breath in pay for a round) so only go if money no object. You can visit the Alps in Italy, France, Austria and Slovenia at sensible prices.

Venice is worth it, book early and get good prices.

I'd also look at the whole PO valley, Padua, Verona, Ferrara, Bologna all lovely places with lots of walking and holding hands potential.

Over in Tuscany there are a whole bunch of which Siena/Florence/St Gim/Pienza will be busy in June, focus on the smaller cities there.

There's a big difference between two weeks and three weeks. You need to either make an itinerary and calculate how much time you'll need to cover the geography and see the destinations -or- you need to decide exactly how many days you have and what you can realistically see in that amount of time.

IMO, you'd need 3 weeks just to cover your #1-5 list.

First, best wishes for your upcoming marriage.

If I were on my honeymoon, I'd want to spend a good bit of the time in Venice. Venice offers you most of what you want; it's a great place for just walking around.

Anywhere in Italy you'll find delicious food and wine.

Even though you've seen Florence, I think you should show it off to your new spouse, so I'd spend some time in Florence and then head off to Tuscany. There is a world of difference between seeing someplace with a tour group and seeing it on your own with someone you love.

Bilbo's suggestions for Tuscany and other areas of northern Italy are all good.

I'm not a fan of the CT and it will be jammed in June anyway, so I'd look a little further north along the Riviera.

Congratulations! You are going to have a wonderful honeymoon in Europe. You are smart to be starting the planning so far in advance. You've made good choices for romance with the places on your list. I've been to all of them except Positano, so I can offer a few thoughts...

Regarding Switzerland, search the boards here for loads of information about the various scenic trains. Lots of great choices. There's also various different rail passes available in Switzerland, which you will want to research carefully to get the best deal for your specific itinerary. Generally, the passes include all rail lines, boats, funiculars, etc, but there are a few exceptions.

If you do opt to spend some time in Switzerland, I'd strongly recommend a few days in the Berner Oberland, in a smaller town such as Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. You will really be IN the Alps here. Glorious opportunities for hiking, walking, and general gazing at scenic beauty.

It will typically take at least half a day to get from one place on your list to another (more from BO to Italy), so you will probably find it difficult to keep everything in. If you end up spending time Switzerland, you might have your fill of mountain and lake views there and opt to drop Lake Como, beautiful as it is.

Regarding flights, be sure to use the "multi-city" option on airline websites so that you fly into one city and out of another to maximize your travel efficiency. Perhaps into Geneva or Zurich, and out of Naples (if you keep Positano in the plans). Though I think it might make more sense to limit the Italian portion of your trip to the north and fly home out of either Milan or Venice. The suggestion above to visit some of the other smaller cities in northern Italy like Verona or Padua is a good one.

Planning is a half the fun of a trip like this! This hardest part will be deciding what not to visit. Have fun and best wishes for a wonderful honeymoon!

Tough call.
You've listed 5 possible destinations in Italy, plus Switzerland. That could be pretty hectic for two people who say they want a "relaxing" honeymoon.

I have limited experience in Switzerland, so I won't comment on that part.

As for Italy:
For me, seeking the kind of vaca you say you want, I'd do 4 days in Venice -- making sure to stroll around at night, as the city takes on a different feel when the day-trippers have left.

Maybe 3-4 days at Lake Como, probably Varenna, a small town with easy access to the bigger, busier cities on the lake.

3-4 days in Tuscany. You may want to rent a vehicle for this part of the trip.

That puts you at 10-12 days, plus a couple of travel days, without even taking in the Switzerland part. If you're talking about 3 weeks, then I'd probably go to Positano as a base and explore some of the Amalfi Coast from there.

"Switzerland is expensive (my multi-millionaire BIL has to breath in pay for a round) so only go if money no object."

NO, NO, NO. Get over this obsession with deciding where to go based on your budget bilboburgler. If someone wants to visit Switzerland, they want to visit Switzerland. NOT somewhere else.

YOU may consider it expensive but that does not mean it is beyond everyone else's ability to afford or that it is only for those for whom, "money no object." Just write, 'I can't afford to visit Switzerland, so I can't comment on it.'

Nowhere compares to the Swiss Alps, the Swiss food and the Swiss culture. They're unique just like everywhere else in the world.

I agree with others Goldengrl that you need to define your time as a start. There are 2 ways people go about planning. Many start with a list of places and then try to squeeze them into the time they have available. They call it, 'to see as much as possible'. What they confuse is the word 'much' with the word 'many', they are not synonymous.

The way to see as 'much' as possible is to spend your time IN places, not in BETWEEN places. In travel as in many things, less is more. The less you move the more you see and do.

other way to plan is to decide how much time you have and then figure out how many places that will allow you to visit. Then and ONLY then, come up with a list of places.

Personally, I don't like to stop anywhere for less than a week. I'd rather see a lot of a few places rather than very little of a lot of places. So for example if I had 2 weeks I would not plan to visit more than 3 places and preferrably only 2. If I had 3 weeks it would be no more than 5 places and preferably only 3. Quantity is not synonymous with quality and in fact is usually the exact opposite.

Sojourn, the OP kinda asked these questions

"I would appreciate some help coming up with possible itineraries for us to think about.

Any other ideas or cities that anyone would recommend would be wonderful!"

I hope I answered them in my own way. Please don't shout at me, I'm just trying to help.

Love and Hugs to all :-)

Bilbo

Thank you all for your kind words. It is very exciting to be planning a wedding as well as a honeymoon.

I appreciate all of your ideas, input, and opinions. I know it is a very good idea for us to start planning early because its going to be difficult to choose only a few places to visit and spend time in. At this point I know we will definitely be able to go on a 2 week honeymoon and most likely will be able to add on a few extra days, so for now I will say we can plan a 14-16 day honeymoon. Planning so early on will give us plenty of time to hopefully add a few more days if possible, but for now, we can stick with that number in order to begin coming up with an itinerary.

Bilbo~Thank you! Verona looks beautiful and Venice is a MUST visit for me. Where smaller cities in Tuscany do you recommend looking into?

DWD~Thanks for the suggestion about visiting Florence again. I would have no problem heading back there. Where would you recommend staying and spending time? In regards to the CT, I would much rather spend time on the Amalfi coast (especially Ravello & Positano) however where would you recommend looking in the northern riviera area?

MSTeacher: Thank you for your suggestions of Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. What is the best way to arrive to these areas? Should we stay in a bigger city near them and then travel there? Or are there accommodations in these smaller cities? (Sorry, i dont know as much about this area but they sure do look beautiful)

Vincenzo~Your idea of Venice, Lake Como, Tuscany, and Positano are where I would LOVE to spend our honeymoon. Where would you recommend in Tuscany? If I have to cut out Positano I would in order to give us more time some where else I would be kind of ok with that. (although i truly love the Amalfi Coast area) But when it comes down to it, I do not want a honeymoon where we are spending more time traveling to the cities instead of enjoying being in them.

SoJourn~I totally agree about how important it is to not spend most of your time traveling to cities...I would much rather be in the cities exploring and enjoying. Where do you recommend staying and exploring in Switzerland?

Thank you all for your replies! Looking forward to hearing more of your opinions and using your help to plan our trip!

Tuscany has the big drawers of
Florence, Siena, St Gim, Volterra, Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino. Nothing wrong with any of them, but they can be a bit crowded especially at midday, all are much better in the evening when the coaches depart.

Smaller towns/cities
Colle di Val d'Elsa, looks like a modern city but the upper town (access by car or a lift) is pretty splendid and includes covered walkways which were restricted to women (as the men had to go on the main street where they were allowed to kill each other...), (stories vary depending on how much you have drunk ;-) )

Montopoli, tiny little hill top place, built around a half bowl of fields hidden away off the motorway. Looks like nothing but still very splendid for a couple of hours (or an overnight (multiple night stay) if you want a well placed town for trips and very old buildings. Needs a car to make it work.

San Querico; very much the small walled city closer to the plains than a hill fort. Nothing much to see (I think a rose garden is its high point) but I could imagine growing old here)

Buonconvento; another plains based walled city, close to one of the more important monestries in Italy (just to the East in the hills), again a good base for a car trip

Chiusi (old town), a very old town again on a hill with Etruscan foundations, a Roman tower built over a well (go figure) and a nice square, fine views towards the west. Not many tourists come here, despite the motorway being relatively close.

Then there are spa towns, some further south which I know nothing about, but others might. My favorite is a bit touristy but you can vist for a day and rent space in the pool or go and bathe (au natural) at the bottom of the cliff. Bagno Vignoni even has a hot pool in the market square (contact with water best avoided)

http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allt...uscany-part-2/ this may help if it interests you. Italians generally have rules about wearing plastic hats in their spas (I know it is like another country :-) ).

And there are others. Basically, if as a city, you survived during the period of Siena's or Florence's expansion you had to have walls and a defensive position. As a result you can see when the city was finally captured by those two larger cities (as development more or less stopped then) and the old buildings often still stand.

What I would recommend is, if you are going to Italy in June then you need access to a pool. It can get very hot and damp, no matter what A/C you think you are getting, nothing helps like getting into a pool.

Something you may not have spotted yet about Italy is the passeggiata have a look at http://www.fodors.com/news/story_4117.html which makes even the smallest town come alive in the evening.

Golden, there are some real experts on Tuscany (I'm not) who normally come on (maybe over the weekend they will pop out) some have already contributed above but there are some more. I'd keep this tread bubbling over the weekend to see who else can give you some ideas.

Hi Goldengrl,

It's good to see you are reading through all the advice and taking it all on board. As for the Swiss portion of your trip, you would travel by rail. Trains in Switzerland are efficient, comfortable, and fast. In fact, that's true for Italy too. The only portion of your trip where you might want to rent a car would be for driving around the Tuscan countryside. But for the rest of your trip, trains will likely be the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to travel (with maybe an occasional bus).

And yes, you would want to stay in a town like Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, or Murren in the BO. The nearest larger town (I can't really call it a city) is Interlaken, so you would take a train to there, then another to Lauterbrunnen. Some people enjoy staying in Interlaken, which has two beautiful lakes, but personally I would prefer to stay in and among the main attraction... the glorious mountains. Google some pictures and you'll get the idea.

On a separate note, I just want to make you aware that the Amalfi coast and Cinque Terre are not your only two options for coastal beauty in Italy. Both can get very crowded, and can be difficult to get to/from quickly. Italy has miles and miles of coastline. Depending on the rest of your itinerary, you might find some other places, such as Tuscan beaches or Ligurian coast, more convenient and relaxing.

So I think the first big decision you will need to make is which places on your wish list are realistic to keep and which to save for another trip (yes, there will be another trip). No matter how you do it, I think you'll end up with a nice variety of scenery and have a lovely honeymoon!

Try Sesti Levante. Haven't been but looks good on tripadvisor.

I also would prefer the Amalfi Coast. I think that area and the Bay of Naples are more scenic and there is more to do than the Italian Riviera.

"Where do you recommend staying and exploring in Switzerland?"
What are your interests?
Where will you land: in a Swiss or in a Italian airport or somewhere else?
You may have a look at
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

Thanks again for all your suggestions!!

Taking into consideration the fact that my fiance and I would like to visit Switzerland as well as Italy, it seems to me that we leave the Amalfi coast for another visit. I just think it does make more sense to concentrate on more of the northern Italy areas this time. So with this in mind, there are a few places I have ALWAYS wanted to spend time in.

I would really like to spend some time in Venice. The Belmond Cipriani looks beautiful (my parents stayed there on their honeymoon many years ago) Does it make sense to stay here or in the main areas of Venice?

I also have always wanted to stay in Portofino. At the Hotel Splendido. Any advice on this area?
I also think the Imperiale Palace in Santa Margherita looks lovely.
Which city/hotel would you choose?

I do love the beauty of the lake area in Italy as well. Specifically Lake Como. The Grand Hotel Tremezzo really caught my eye.

I do love Tuscany as well, but if we do not have time for this area that is ok for this trip.

Bilbo~ Thank you so much for all your input. I think if we are able to visit Tuscany this trip, I would like to visit one of the larger cities. Which would be your suggestion?

msTeacher~ When we visit that area of Switzerland, what hotels would you recommend? Thank you also for all your advice! Although it is hard to decide between all the wonderful places in Italy, I know I needed to begin eliminating. The places that I mentioned above are all beautiful areas I would LOVE to see if possible. And if this is possible, how many days in each area would you recommend? We may be able to cut out the Italian lakes area if we spend some time in Switzerland and see that beauty.

So sticking to Switzerland and Northern Italy, I would love to begin coming of with a few different itineraries if you all could help?

Thank you all again for your help!!! I, along with my fiance really appreciate it!

Golden,
Florence; stay here if you are using the train system only to get around and want to wander around looking at fine art but happy with a lot of people being present day and night.

Siena; stay here (probably with a car) if you like the idea of being on the top of a small mountain but get rooms with a view and chill out with some walking to little restaurants. The better restaurants will need to be booked but the places in the main square you just queue up for (mainly), use this for a base to see some of the countryside and the town around.

St Gim,
Volterra, treat these two as the same, since they are such small towns you can book into farm/country park type places around and walk in or stay in the centre. Each is only really worth a day's study but as part of a relaxed summer holiday might fit in well. Volterra is a bit further away from other sites.

Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino.

Three cites, more or less in sight of each other. While all are old, Pienza is a bit odd as a Pope had it built over 20 years and it is basically flat, unlike the other two hill towns. I prefer Montepulciano. All three have agritorismo (i think this is spelt incorrectly) nearby if you want a more countryfied stop.

For me Siena is wonderful, but I've never stayed there. Florence; I rented a medieval house for a week away from tourist town and found the locals very friendly and helpful.

I'd focus on these 2, especially Siena which is where I'd have spent my honeymoon if I hadn't gone to Lecce in Puglia.

Bilbo~ Thank you! If we are able to visit this area, I believe Siena would be our pick to enjoy some relaxation as well as some wonderful food and wine. Can you suggest any hotels?

I have been doing a little more research on Switzerland. We are considering flying into Zurich and heading to Lucern. How many days should be spent here?

There is one attraction that is a must for us. This is the ZipRider in Grindelwald. Knowing we want to do this, where should we stay in this region of Switzerland? We would also like to take one of the well known train trips into Italy. How can we make this work? How much time should we give ourselves in Switzerland if we would like to visit in Lucerne, the BO, and take a train to Italy?

Looking forward to more help! Thanks everyone!

IMO, that's a week.

Thank you Jean!

Golden, sorry try tripadvisor

You keep using the word 'cities' and that has me a bit concerned. Some of the places being suggested are small towns or even villages. What is it you actually picture yourself doing in these places?

It's not hard to understand a place like Venice. You'll walk around, take a gondola ride, shop, explore smaller streets and look for little local restaurants perhaps.

But in a place like Wengen, Grindelwald or Murren in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland, those things will be done in a day. You go to those places to go hiking for a day, ride the trains up to Jungfraujoch, visit Balenburg, rafting on a river or tandem parasailing maybe. Outdoor activities primarily. So it all depends on what you are interested in seeing/doing.

With only 14-16 days, I would suggest only staying in 4 places maximum. Again, moving is lost time. So you need to be clear on what you expect to get out of your time in terms of your interests. Suggesting a city like Venice is much different from an alpine village like Murren or Wengen.

You wrote, "So sticking to Switzerland and Northern Italy, I would love to begin coming of with a few different itineraries if you all could help?" Getting 43 suggestions of places just leaves you more confused than you already were. People tend to promote their favourite places and all that does it gets you the 43 suggestions, not help in reducing the number.

You will do much better saying 'We would like to visit 43 places in Switzerland and northern Italy but since we can't do that in 2 weeks, which 4 places would you choose?' So far this thread is only getting you a LONGER list.

Here's my suggestion.
Fly to Zurich and immediately (same day, arrival day) take a train to Interlaken and lake steamer to the Hotel Giessbach. Book a suite with a view of both the lake and the waterfall.
http://www.giessbach.ch/en/grandhotel-giessbach.html
Look at the home page picture, it is a truly unique hotel. that's the way to start a truly memorable honeymoon. The lake ferry docks at the hotel's own private funicular which then carries you up to the hotel. You can see it in the picture.

At the train station in Zurich airport, go to the The SBB travel centre which is located below the Airport Center in the Check-in 3 area. The ticket counters are open from 06:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Buy a 3 day Flexipass. This will get you fully paid travel on any 3 days you want during the next 30 days and will get you discounts on all other days. Use the first full day for the train to Interlaken and the lake steamer to Giessbach. Use it for discounts (not full fare) while you are staying in the area.

Day 2: Still a bit jet-lagged, don't overdo it on this day. Take a hike up the falls with a picnic lunch packed by the hotel for you. Keep going past where most will turn back, get right up out of the trees onto the hillsides above with a view over the lake. Have lunch, lay in the sun. Head back to the hotel and enjoy a well earned drink on the hotel terrace. Day done.

Day 3: Ask at the front desk, what the weather for the day is predicted to be and in particular if it is expected to be clear at Jungfraujoch. If it is steamer and train to there is the plan for the day. If it isn't, steamer and bus to Ballenberg is the plan. Jungraujoch only makes sense with clear skies, otherwise there is no point going if you will be on top of a mountain in the clouds and can't see a thing. So you need to keep the option open as to which day you will do that on. Return to hotel for a glass of champagne on the terrace.

Day 4: Jungfraujoch or Balenburg as appropriate. If you can't make it to Jungraujoch because of cloud on both days, you just have to wing it for the day. Visit Interlaken, Wengen, Grindelwald perhaps. Return to hotel........

http://ballenberg.ch/en/Welcome

http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/tourism/de...e/experiences/

Day 5: Check-out of hotel and use pass for full day to travel by ferry to Interlaken and then train to Locarno in the south of Switzerland.

This is a part of Switzerland that no one expects. You can stay in Locarno or take a bus to the smaller town of Ascona, my favourite in the area. I like the Hotel Tamara, right on the lakeside promenade.
http://www.hoteltamaroascona.com/de/galerie
Did you know you can find palm trees in Switzerland?
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/ascona.html

Check-in to your hotel and relax at a table outside on the promenade while you watch the people walking by and the ferries coming and going on the lake. Stroll the promenade and choose a restaurant for dinner.

Day 6: After breakfast, go to the ferry dock and check the times for the ferry to Brissago island. Buy a ticket that will get you there for lunch. Stroll around the old town's narrow streets in Ascona till it's time to catch the ferry.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/ascona.html
Return from the island and relax with a glass of wine, Frascati is popular in the area. Time to think about where you will go for dinner.

Day 7: A relaxing day doing nothing but wandering around town and maybe buying a few little things for yourself. Last time, my wife bought 3 cashmere sweaters (she couldn't make up her mind which she liked best) and I got a new battery put in my watch(that's about the usual division of spending). Browse, stop for lunch, browse, sit on the promenade with a glass of wine and listen to the street musicians play, some are very good, they have to pass an audition to get a permit to play there.

Day 8: After a leisurely breakfast in the hotel, use your railpass discount to take a bus to Locarno and then a bus up the Valle Verzasca to the village of Lavertezzo. If you're adventurous, take your bathing suit. Hop on and off the bus coming and going as you please.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Verzasca_Valley
Return to Ascona sometime in the late afternoon and yes, enjoy a glass of wine on the promenade. Isn't this exausting? Now you have to struggle with the decision of where to have dinner again.

Day 9: Check-out and take the bus to Locarno and train to Venice. Arrive in Venice and take a water taxi to the Cipriani.

I'll leave it there for others to cover your time in Venice and one other location in Italy.

I missed saying that it is when you actually start working out just what you might do in any given day and just how it will fill your time, that you see how quickly your days fill up. That's what I am trying to show you in the above.

> Nowhere compares to the Swiss Alps, the Swiss food and the Swiss culture.

Well, I have spent 20 or 25 weeks of my life in Switzerland talking with Swiss citizens, and this is true, their culture is really unique. They are Europeans, they are very well informed, they are very interested in running their country in the best way and will be very vocal about it. But you really have to talk to them a lot to understand, it is unlikely that a tourist will have the chance.

The food is good, but frankly as an Italian I find that it is nothing really to write about.

Alps are Alps. Some zones like the Berner Oberland, the Dolomites, Aosta valley are more scenic but there are a lot of just-a-little-less-scenic places around.

So in my experience I have came to the conclusion that Austria offers most of the experiences you can find in Switzerland, and some other on his own, at a better quality/price ratio. I suggested Salzburg in the very first post of this thread as the country is dotted with very romantic little (but not really so little) country inns that I would find very appropriate for an honeymoon. The corresponding Swiss inns will be much more expensive and rooms are not so well decorated and comfortable as Austrian ones. Just have a look to their balconies. Swiss are a practical people and will spend some but not too much in flowers that are just a decoration. Austrians are a traditional people and having a beautiful balcony with a lot of geraniums will be a matter of home pride.

Switzerland is expensive, much more so that the SFR is as strong as it never was before, but this is also due to the structure of pricing. Swiss people do not want hidden prices and prefer to pay upfront, so that the price is transparent. When I need a prescription for a long term treatment I phone to my physicians and he will leave the prescription in his letterbox for my to pick. He is paid by the Italian health system and the prescription is free of charge. When my Swiss friend needs a prescription he will phone his physician that will leave in his letterbox a prescription and a SFR 12 bill for the time spent in a "phone consultation". My Swiss friend will pay and file a request for a refund to his private health insurance. It looks that the Swiss system is more expensive, actually I will be paying my physician with heavier taxes. It is more a matter of perception, as at the end of the day my Swiss friend, paying for his physician but getting more money than me for the same work and paying less taxes, will be probably better than me.

After looking at many websites and researching today, my fiance and I still have our hearts set on visiting these cities/villages/places....whatever they may be called.

Lucern~ How many days here? Hotels?

We want to do the Zip Line in Grindelwald Switzerland. Where should we stay in order to do this? Wengen seems beautiful as well.

We would then like to head to Italy. This is where I am having a hard time. I would LOVE to see so many areas, but of course that is just not possible. We have come up with three ideas for Italy:

1. Should we go to Venice and the Lake Como area?
2. Lake Como and Portofino or Santa Margherita?
3. Fly from Milan to Naples and go to Amalfi Coast

Looking for feedback please! Thank you!

As others have said, different people have different preferences. You say you aren't interested in museums and that you've already seen Florence. In that case, my vote is for Venice and Lake Como - Venice has lots of opportunities for strolling and eating and has a unique beauty that I haven't seen anywhere else I've traveled.

Of the three, Venice is the only place I'd bother to see twice. Hope that helps.

There are all lovely places. It really comes down to what YOU want to see and experience. Some questions to consider...

Given that you will have already been to Swotzerland, do you think you'll have had your fill of mountain lake views? If so, maybe leave Lake Como for another time. But if you are crazy for this kind of beauty (and it is beautiful!) then it might be for you.

Venice is beautiful and romantic. It's also crowded, and probably rather hot in June. This bothers some people and not others.

Is including a beach destination a high priority for you?

I don't know what the transportation options are between Venice and Santa Margharita, but it seems like if the transportation were to work out, the combination of Switzerland, Venice, and SML would make a really nice honeymoon with a lovely variety of 3 unique locations.

Thank you all!

I like the idea of Switzerland, Venice, and SML. I feel that would give us a wonderful combination. I would like to try to have some time at a beach destination. As much as I would LOVE to go to Positano, I just cant see how it would make sense to go there when we will be spending most of our time in areas far away from Amalfi.

I feel like I still need help with our Switzerland portion. I know we will fly to Zurich and go to Lucern. We want to do the zip line in Grindelwald. We also would love to do one of the train rides. I have heard the bernina express is great. Any others? What would be the best place to stay in order to hop on the train??

Venice I would like to stay at the Cipriani. Has anyone ever stayed there? Is it somewhat easy to get to St Marks area? Is a trip to Murano/Burano a must? Any restaurant recommendations?

For the Ligurian Coast, should we stay in Santa Margharita OR splurge and spend a few nights in Portofino?
In Santa Margharita should we stay at the Grand Hotel Miramare OR the Imperial Palace? Or any other recommendations??
In Portofino if we decided to stay there, we would spend the money to stay at the Splendido.

Thanks for all the help so far!

>>Venice I would like to stay at the Cipriani. Has anyone ever stayed there? Is it somewhat easy to get to St Marks area?<<

No, I haven't stayed there. But I do know they have a private water taxi that goes back and forth to the San Marco area.

>>Is a trip to Murano/Burano a must?<<

Depends on how much time you have in Venice. Murano/Burano will take up a full day, counting travel. Yes, they're worth it, especially Burano, but again, time is the factor.

Any restaurant recommendations?

Budget? We like a little place called Trattoria da Fiore, in the Sam Marco district and not to be confused with the much more expensive Osteria da Fiore. Good cicchetti. Don't miss the artichoke hearts if in season.

Thank you Vincenzo! I have no problem spending money on great food and wine. Dinner time will be a highlight for us. We are very much looking forward to the italian food and wine. We Love all different types of restaurant scenes.....so if there are very well known restaurants that are a must to visit we would love to enjoy them. Whether they are big crowds or small quant we love it all. I think a few times during our trip being that it will be honeymoon, we will have no problem spending more on dinners.

Hi GoldenGirl1028,

I've skimmed the posts above but haven't read them carefully -- how long is your trip? And will Switzerland be first or last?

To do all that you want to do in Switzerland will take at least 10 days: Luzern, Grindelwald, Bernina Express. (Remember that every time you move bases, you lose about half a day of "outside" time due to the chores of packing up and checking out, then checking in and unpacking again -- so limit the number of moves).

So I guess you definitely want a few nights in Luzern. Grindelwald is too far to see as a day-trip, so you should plan to spend a few nights there as well.

The Bernina Express is on the other side of the country from Grindelwald -- it runs from St Moritz to St. Moritz then over the Bernina Pass to Poschiavo and onward to Tirano in Italy. It IS one of the most scenic train rides I've ever seen, and it's a great way to move from Switzerland to Italy. However, it will take about 6h or 7h to get from Grindelwald to St. Moritz. So, after that long train ride, you ought to spend a few nights in the area, or else you'll end up sitting on a train for 10 hours. So that means 3 or 4 nights around St. Moritz.

So, that means Luzern 3 or 4 nights, then Grindelwald 3 or 4 nights, then St Moritz area 3 or 4 nights.

For that reason, I recommend you just skip the Jungfrau region (Grindelwald or Wengen) on this trip. The Jungfrau region is very popular with first-time visitors to Switzerland, but I've heard Swiss residents say "The Jungfrau doesn't have the best mountains, just the best PR." It does have great tourist infrastructure. But if you just want to see some glorious mountains and mountain villages, then you can find that easily in one of the villages or towns around St. Moritz -- Sils, Silvaplana, Pontresina, Samedan, or Celerina.

So, I would recommend that you leave Luzern and head for one of those villages and stay for 4 or 5 nights -- there's plenty to do there. Then take the Bernina Express to Tirano and then continue to the Italian portion of your trip.

Have fun as you plan!

s

I fully agree with swandav:
If you only want to see high snow mountains and glaciers, there is no need to go to the Bernese Oberland, there are plenty of them along the Bernina Express Line:
http://www.diavolezza.ch/en/
http://www.corvatsch.ch/en/

If you absolutely want to go to Grindelwald-First for the Zip line thing, you may choose between the following solutions:

Train Zurich airport to Grindelwald (3 hrs ride, trains every 30 min).
Train - Grindelwald - Meiringen - Lucerne (2 1/2 hrs ride, trains every hr).
Train Lucerne - Chur (2 hrs ride, trains every 30 min, for example Lucerne dp 6.10 - Chur ar 8.22)
Bernina Express Chur dp 8.32 - Tirano 12.45/13.30 - Milan ar 15.40

It's also possible to travel by PosstBus from Grindelwald across the Swiss Alps:
Grindelwald dp 8.44 - Grosse Scheidegg Pass - Meiringen- Grimsel Pass - Gletsch - Furka Pass - Andermatt 14.50/15.45 - Gotthard Pass - Airolo ar 16.45. Trains:
Airolo dp 16.59 - Milan ar 19.35
Andermatt dp 15.27 - St. Moritz ar 19.55 resp Chur ar 18.01