Hi all! What do you think of this itinerary? My husband plan on going next April/May 2013.


April 25th 1505 Leave MSP
April 26: Arrive in Rome 0935
April 27: Rome
April 28: Rome
April 29: Rome
April 30: Day trip to Pompeii via tour
May 1: Florence
May 2: Florence
May 3: Pisa 1/2 day, then train to La Spezia then Vernazza-Cinque Terre
May 4: Cinque Terre
May 5: Venice
May 6: Venice
May 7: Venice
May 8: Travel Day: Venice to Lucerne, Switzerland
May 9: Switzerland
May 10: Switzerland
May 11: Switzerland
May 12: Switzerland
May 13: Switzerland
May 14: Switzerland (travel to Paris on evening train)
May 15: Paris
May 16: Paris
May 17: Paris
May 18: Paris
May 19: Day trip to Versailles
May 20: London (take early chunnel 0700, arrive at 0830-2hr travel time)
May 21: London
May 22: London (1/2 day at Windsor Castle)
May 23: London
May 24: Salisbury & Stonehenge (either stay in Salisbury or travel on to Bath for night)
May 25: Bath & Lacock (stay in bath;train to airport early AM)
May 26: Arrive in US! Depart 1230 Arrive 1530

May take a day from Switzerland and Cinque Terre or somewhere else, what would you suggest? I still have research to do on that. Thank you for your input!

I meant: take a day from Switzerland and ADD it to CT or somewhere else.

I'm exhausted just reading it!!

If I understand correctly you are planing to stay 7 nights (five full days) at Lucerne. This would leave many options open. Here a list of the greatest places you can visit:
- Traffic Museum - www.verkehrshaus.ch -, alow at least four hours.
- Glacier Garden - www.gletschergarten.ch -, alow at least three hours
- Old town Lucerne with the mediaval city wall and it's towers - see www.luzern.com open the map and see where all the attractions are -.
- boat tour on lake Lucerne - www.lakelucerne.ch -
- Mt. Rigi Roundtrip - www.rigi.ch - (my recommendation train to Arth-Goldau, cogwheel train up to Rigi-Kulm, visit the peak by the smooth path (better view), walk down to Rigi-Kaltbad (1 hour easy walk) or take the red cogwheel train, cogwheel train down to Vitznau, boat to Lucerne. This is how I would do it. There are other options.
- Mt. Pilatus golden round trip - www.pilatus.ch -. I recommend you start by bus to Kriens and go up by gondola/cable car and the other side down by the steepest cogwheel train to Alpnachstad and from there boat back to Lucerne (if you like with a stop at Hergiswil where you could visit the glas factory and museum - www.glasi.ch -.
- Stanserhorn - www.stanserhorn.ch - from Stans. Enjoy the hostiric funicular and (in the upper part) the brand new and unique Cabrio cable car.
- Mt. Titlis and Engelberg - www.titlis.ch -.
- Walk from Klewenalp - www.klewenalp.ch - to Stockhütte (1 1/2 hours easy walk). Bus or boat to Beckenried, Cable car up to Klewenalp, walk to Stockhütte (follow the realtive signs), caböe car down to Emmeten. From here you have a choice of tow optins
A: Bus up to Seelisberg, Funicular down to the historic restaurant of Treib, boat to Lucerne, or
B: Bus to Beckenried, boat to Lucerne.
Alternatively you could train to Berne for a day and visit the Kambly factory - http://kambly.ch/switzerland/kambly-...xperience.aspx - at Trubschachen on your way back to Lucerne.
etc etc etc
Have fun
pore
I think your time would not alow you to do more.

It's exactly the same as the last itinerary you posted and not very different from any of the other itineraries. They're all very busy schedules.

What type of feedback are you looking for, apart from the advice you've already received.

Why are you leaving London on May 25 but not arriving home until the 26th? Is this correct?

Just so you're aware you're going to be in Switz kind of early in the year and it can still be quite cold with a lot of snow in the mountains. We love Lucerne and have stayed there and Interlaken and done a bunch of day trips - but in late May or June, when weather is less cold overall.

For a railpass look strongly at rhe 3-country Eurail Select Saverpass - valid on trains in Italy, Switzerland and France. More info check out these sites - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com (click on this site's commercial link to Rail Europe for current prices and if booking Man in Seat 61 gets a deserved cut of the commission from Rail Europe!

Or you may want to get a Swiss Pass which has far more benefits in Switzerland than does a Eurailpass - like in the Jungfrau Region or if going to Zermatt and also gives 50% discounts on often expensive lifts to mountain tops.

Twin that with online discounts from www.trenitalia.com for Italy and www.voyages-sncf.com for France or trips involving those two countries. But these are train-specific and are sold in limited numbers so you must book really early and then lock yourself into a specific train at a specific time and often impossible to change - but doing that with a Swiss Pass may be your cheapest way to go.

If you desire flexibility to decide which trains to take once there then fully flexible at will tickets can cost a fortune so then consider the Eurail Select 3 Country Saverpass I first mentioned.

It depends on where you are going in Switzerland as the Eurailpass covers most trains in that country except generally in some Alpine regions but if going to base in those regions then a Swiss Pass will probably be a good deal versus regular tickets plus convenience to just hop on any train any lake boat any bus anytime.

Early May is between seasons in Switzerland. Hotels close and they do maintenance on the lifts, funiculars, etc. So you won't be able to go easily everwhere.

There's no train direct to Heathrow except from London Paddington. There are buses from Bath to Heathrow but they don't leave early enough for you. Consider busing to LHR the previous evening and staying at an airport hotel.

Thank you for the info about the rail cards.

@Adrienne- if you read the 3rd revised itinerary there is an additional day for Switzerland and two days for London. This also is 6 days longer than the first itinerary I posted. I think you have established your opinion that you think it is a busy schedule. The purpose of me posting this itinerary is to garner useful feedback and tips about my plan.

@Adrienne- I am curious to know how you would plan out 30 days of travel in Italy, Swiss Alps, Paris and London, what would your itinerary look like if you had to do it this way. Thanks!