We are a family of 5 that just made a last minute decision to go to Europe for 2 weeks. We are flying into Paris (6/23) and out of Zuruch 7/7. Think it would be more fun (and economical) to rent a house for 7 days each somewhere (but what region...thinking Montreau) in Switz & 1 week somewhere around Italian lakes. Please help!!!

i do not mean to be discouraging but it is very late to be looking for a house with little more than a month to go....you might get a cancellation however....or something new to the mkt...all the good ones will have been rented long ago...good luck

The Dordogne in France? Umbria region in Italy? (Those would be two of my top choices for areas to rent.)

Could you tell me a little about both? I really appreciate it...

I just bought the 2004 edition of Alastair Sawday's French Holiday Homes: Villas, Cottage, & Aoartments. Seems like a great book. You might want to check it out.

The website www.rentvillas.com has the property Villetta Rosina (click on Lombardy, then on Como) for most of June.

And slowtrav.com shows Switzerland properties handled by www.drawbridgetoeurope.com among other agencies.

Best wishes,

Rex

I suggest you take Rex's excellent advice and stick to the Italian lakes region and Montreux. You've got enough decisions to make already without starting the "hop around because somebody said so" routine. You've made excellent choices already and I assume, unlike some others, there were good reasons for those choices. Good luck.

Ok, I was able to move my flights from June to 8/3-18.
I have checked out rentvillas.com but they do not list Switz rentals. Any ideas of other websites that are good that do?

interesting article in today's (5/13th) Wall Street Journal personal section exactly about this...

I've not used their service, but

http://www.interhome.ch/index.asp?us...=/ch1000en.asp

seems to have a large number of Swiss properties. Don't exclude the possibility of an apartment, as some chalets seem to have them.

Look at www.cottages4you.co.uk - a number of listings in the Italian lakes, nothing in Switzerland.

For Switzerland have a look at www.interhome.ch

Looks quite lousy for Montreux, though. Most properties are in the mountains (Villar-sur-Ollon e.g.)

You may want to contact the Montreux tourist office for information. www.montreux-vevey.com

Here is a link to an apartment in Montreux-Territet for 4 persons, maybe they have an extra bed for a child:
http://www.holiday-home.com/objekt_e.asp?OBJ=741

Or do a search on that website for Montreux and surrounding area.

Ingo