NGatorsT

Hi Group-
My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon which will be in mid-December for 10 days (including traveling to and from the US). We are thinking about Switzerland and Northern Italy. We are fine flying into Italy and out of Switzerland (or vice versa). We haven't been to either place. We would enjoy seeing the sites, skiing, and food! We are less into shopping (though an afternoon of it would be fine).

We were thinking about several places, but not sure which and how long to spend in each site. These are the places we were thinking: Bolonga, Venice, Milan, the lake region, Zurich, and somewhere in the Alps for skiing Does anyone have suggestions?

We appreciate it. Thanks!

Infotrack

You can pretty much do all of those things by just staying in the northeast part of Italy. You would be in easy distance to Venice (if you stay there, stay IN Venice, not Mestre (on the mainland). Then if you really wanted to, you would be closer to Innsbruck which, in my view, is more interesting than Zurich (and smaller). With 10 days, keep the driving to a minimum (or train travel). I personally would also skip Milan. I don't know how the lake region would be in the winter. Closer to Venice than Bolonga is Verona.

Just a few ideas off the top of my head.

Big_Red

For skiing, St Moritz is not difficlut to get to from the Milan/ Lakes area. I think Pontresina, Switzerland is also a popular ski resort. Pontresina is also easy to get to from the Milan/ Lakes area. There are lots of ski lifts in that area so you have options besides Switzerland.

December is definately the off-season for this area, so you should be able to get some nice accomodations for your money. Be aware however that many hotels and eating places will simply be 'closed'.

We were in Bologna in June 2009. Bologna is one of Italy's great but less visited cities.

Venice is fantastic, regardless of the season.

Other than skiing, what 'floats your boat' for this honeymoon?
What city would you be flying out of? Have you heard of the slow-food movement?

bobthenavigator

With that little time I would keep it simple and see 2 destinations well. Venice is a must for honeymoons, and some of the best of the Alps is the Val Gardena in the Dolomites of northern Italy. Skip the lakes that late in the year Here are shots of both from last Sep.

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...ser=20&cat=500

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=4441

NGatorsT

I agree that we would rather see 2 places (max 3 if the third place is not that far away) rather than many places. On our honeymoon, we would like to go skiing for a day or so, see some of the historic sites and immerse ourselves in the culture. We enjoy eating good food (and my fiance is of Italian decent) so we are really looking forward to eating good Italian food. While we really want to see a lot, we also do want some relaxing time.

We are familiar with the slow-food movement. While I know it is very popular in Italy, I am not sure what region/city that would bring us to. We were considering Bologna because of food (though I am sure you can get good food in other cities).

Do other people agree to see Innsbruck instead of Zurich?

bobthenavigator

Why see either Innsbruck or Zurich? Neither is worth your time. Stay in a compact area in NE Italy and add Verona if you want a 3rd destinaiton. The Val Gardena has some of the best skiing in all of Europe. Look at a good map and do not forget you only have a short time and it is winter.

swandav2000

Hi NGatorsT,

To ski in mid-December, you need to get to a place with a lot of altitude -- so yes the St. Moritz area would be a good choice. You can get more information here:

www.engadin.stmoritz.ch

I don't like cities much at all and use them only as gateways -- but I've been to Innsbruck a few times (I live about an hour away by train) and it seems boring to me. But which one you choose really depends on why you want to be in a city and what you want to do there.

Have fun!

s