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-   -   Italy and Switzerland itinerary - 2 weeks - is it doable?? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/italy-and-switzerland-itinerary-2-weeks-is-it-doable-773360/)

Steppenwolf Mar 16th, 2009 06:56 AM

Italy and Switzerland itinerary - 2 weeks - is it doable??
 
Hey Fodorites!

I have tried to browse through the forums to see if there is another post dealing with this, but I only found one, and it was a bit inconclusive to boot, so could you folks help?

I am planning a trip to Italy and Switzerland in the second half of May, about two weeks long. Trying to shoot two birds with one stone; a bit of Italy and a bit of Switzerland.

Here is the rough draft
Day 1 - Day 4 ----------> Rome
Day 5 - Take a train to Florence for two days
Day 7 - Take a train to Venice for two days
Day 9 - Take a train to Lake Como OR Lugano for a day (?)
Day 10 - Take a train to Lucerne for a day
Day 11 - Depart Lucerne for Zurich for two days or so
Day 13 - Return home

Two questions:
1. Is the itinerary doable or is it too much? Am I shortchanging any places? I think it's okay, but I would like to confirm with those that have been there, and have a good idea of distances.
2. I am deciding between Lake Como and Lugano. Considering that I won't have a car, is it worth going there at all, i.e. would I be missing out on the lakes, etc.? And is one day enough?

Folks, I would appreciate all feedback and comments.

Many thanks in advance!

SW

Mimar Mar 16th, 2009 07:35 AM

1. I'd skip Como and/or Lugano. You'll see mountains and lake at Lucerne. That gives you an extra day. (Most of which would have been been traveling anyway.)

2. And I'd go direct from Rome to Venice, then to Florence, and from Florence to Lucerne. Florence to Lucerne is slightly shorter than Venice to Lucerne. Have you looked at the train times and changes?

3. And I'd spend more time in Lucerne than Zurich. Unlike many others, I like Zurich, but Lucerne is more scenic. You can take the classic Mt. Pilatus trip: steamer on the lake to Alpnachstad, cogwheel train to the summit, then gondola and ski lift back down into the suburbs of Lucerne. The total Swiss experience in one day.

Wayne Mar 16th, 2009 08:35 AM

You didn't say, but I assume you are flying into Rome and flying home out of Zurich, so that is fixed. With that in mind, I would change to the following:
Rome 4 days as planned
Florence 3 days
Venice 2 days
Locarno 1 day
Lucerne 1 day
Zurich area for overnight before returning home

To me, Locarno is a more appealing stop and is also a lakeside town where palms grow along the south shores of the hills. I haven't checked any train schedules, but I have to believe that will not be a problem. I see no significant appeal in Zurich. Good luck.

nytraveler Mar 16th, 2009 08:58 AM

Agree to skip Como/Lugano and either spend more time in Lucern or spend a couple of days actually in the mountains (perhaps one of the small villages near the Jungfrau). Zurich is basically a business city, and while there is a cute old town area - not the best place for tourists.

Big_Red Mar 16th, 2009 08:59 AM

Here is your proposed itinerary retyped:
Day 1 - Arrive (8:00 to 9:00am), check-in, deal with jet lag, learn the hotel neighborhood. Sightsee if possible.
Day 2 - Sightsee in Rome
Day 3 - Sightsee in Rome
Day 4 - Sightsee in Rome
Day 5 - Take a train Rome to Florence
Day 6 - Sightseeing in Florence
Day 7 - Take a train Florence to Venice
Day 8 - Sightseeing in Venice
Day 9 - Take a train Venice to Lake Como/Lugano for a day
Day 10 - Take a train Lake Como to Lucerne
Day 11 - Take a train Lucerne for Zurich
Day 12 - Sightseeing in Zurich
Day 13 - Return home

Each time that you pack up and relocate will take a half day minimum (plus there may be cab costs, train costs, etc.). You can do this trip but on a 13 day trip, you have only 6 days that are whole sightseeing days (days without packing up and relocating). You current plan has three straight days of packing up and taking a train ride.

There is no reason that you can't start in Rome, end in Zurich and insert one or possibly two stops in between.

RufusTFirefly Mar 16th, 2009 09:01 AM

I do it:
Rome 4
Florence 2
Venice 3
Switzerland 3
Return home

Steppenwolf Mar 16th, 2009 11:59 AM

The great thing about Fodors is that you can always count on its good members. A big thank you to Mimar, Wayne, Nytraveler, Big_Red, and RufusTFirefly for the feedback.

I am indeed flying into Rome and departing from Zurich.

The travel time between Florence-Lucerne and Venice-Lucerne is identical.

The only reason that I wanted to stop in Laka Como/Lugano is that the trip from Florence to Lucerne is a seven-hour trek, so I wanted a stopover in between, but on a second thought...

I tweaked with the itinerary a bit and here is what I came up with.
Day 1 - Arrive in Rome (assuming I arrive in the morning)
Day 2 - Sightseeing in Rome
Day 3 - Sightseeing in Rome
Day 4 - Sightseeing in Rome
Day 5 - Train departure to Florence
Day 6 - Sightseeing in Florence
Day 7 - Sightseeing in Florence (inc. Siena, perhaps?)
Day 8 - Train departure to Venice
Day 9 - Sightseeing in Venice
Day 10 - Sightseeing in Venice
Day 11 - Train departure to Lucerne
Day 12 - Sightseeing in Lucerne
Day 13 - Sightseeing in Lucerne (I am thinking of a trip to Berne)
Day 14 - Train departure to Zurich, do some sightseeing
Day 15 - Depart Zurich and return home

Better?

mjknycmjk Mar 16th, 2009 12:05 PM

Just throwing a wrench in this, have you thought about visitng the Interlaken/Jungfrau area instead of Lucerne? I've been to Lucerne twice, and it is a lovely town (much more interesting than Zurich, for sure). But nothing has overwhelmed me as much as the Swiss Alps. Two years ago we stayed in a lovely hotel in Wengen up the mountain, and it was awe inspiring. And, like others have said, skip Locarno/Lugano. I thought they were nice for a day, but nothing that changes your life.

bobthenavigator Mar 16th, 2009 12:06 PM

Perfect---nice recovery.
Bear in mind that, depending on your flight departure, the train from Luzern only takes about 1:30 to the Zurich airport.

Steppenwolf Mar 16th, 2009 05:03 PM

Mjknycmjk and Bobthenavigator - thanks to both of you.

Mjknycmjk - I have never been to Switzerland before, so I have decided to stick to Lucerne.

Thanks to all for the advice!

swandav2000 Mar 16th, 2009 10:09 PM

Hi Steppenwolf,

I think you'll love Luzern, and I'm not sure that seeing Bern will be better than spending that time in Luzern. There are three mountains to ascend (Rigi, Titlis, Pilatus), the old town to explore, the lake to cruise, and two or three lakeside villages to discover. I think Bern is a lovely architectural and medieval gem, but with so little time now, you may want to save it for another trip.

The train from Luzern directly to the airport takes about an hour, almost exactly an hour.

Here are some sites for you to explore:

www.luzern.org

www.lakelucerne.ch

www.rigi.ch

www.pilatus.ch

www.titlis.ch

www.weggis.ch

www.rail.ch (for train schedules)

Have fun!

s

Steppenwolf Mar 17th, 2009 04:43 AM

Thank you!


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