Hi Guys,

So, I'm coming from Toronto, and the first 3 "legs" of my trip are set. The order of them, however, is up in the air, and i'm trying to think of the most "efficient"/smartest way to order them.

I will be spending 6/7 days in italy with family, so my access to Roma/Milano will be no problem. I want to also go to Switzerland (somewhere close to hiking, so Zurich?) and Croatia (likely Dubrovnik). I know that there is a good ferry from bari->dubrovnik, but how do I order these??

Fly to Zurich, then go to Italy, than Croatia?
Fly to Italy, then do Croatia, then go back through rome (by ferry) and Train to zurich??Fly to zurich?

HELP

Look at budget flights between Zurich/Croatia, Milan/Croatia.

www.whichbudget.com
www.skyscanner.com

The train between Zurich/Milan takes about 4 hours.

Hi canadia2013,

Zürich is a big city, so, no, it's really not the best bet for some hiking. Particularly not if you want to see/hike the mountains.

I would suggest you try Luzern, which is ringed by some mountains and which lies at the foot of a system of lakes. You can easily get out of the city to get to Rigi, Pilatus, or Titlis for hiking, or you can take a ferry ride on the lakes and walk along the lakeside.

More information at

www.luzern.ch

Have fun as you plan!

s

Are you fully committed to including Croatia in this trip? Getting there would mean spending a chunk of time in transit, only to see a very limited range of Croatia's wonderful locations. (Croatia is gorgeous - its just worth so much more than a week or so! I spent 3 weeks there, and skipped a LOT that I would have liked to see) With so many wonderful destinations closer to Milan and Zurich, it might be worth thinking through some other options.

Swandav2000: Is this still accessible from Zurich? Contrary to the other guy's "funny" post, I obviously am willing to travel FROM Zurich to access lakes/trails, it's just that my flight enters into Zurich. How would I get to that area? And is it somewhere to stay for a few nights?

Kja: I'm actually not. I was intending on seeing it for 3-4 days, but you're right, it's over 9 hours of ferry each way, and I'd have to access it from rome. I'll be going from Switzerland, then to Italy for 6/7 days...where would be nice to go AFTER Italy? I'd prefer something adventurist/scenic (versus a big city/nightlife type destination). That's why I thought Croatia would be nice and peaceful. Any other recommendations? I'll go anywhere easyjet can take me!

> where would be nice to go AFTER Italy? I'd prefer something adventurist/scenic

Honestly, there are so many places in Italy and Switzerland that would likely fit your interests that I personally wouldn't try to add another country. I'd choose something near my other destinations to avoid wasting precious travel time. To each his/her own!

You might get a good guide book on the area to see what captures your interest. The Lonely Planet series generally provides a lot of information on options for active travel.

Luzern is about an hour from Zurich by train. Usually when I fly in to Zurich, I train immediately to Luzern to get over jet lag. There are trains that leave right from the airport to Luzern.

Hi canadia2013,

Yes, Luzern is an hour from the Zürich airport by direct train.

The train station is in the basement of the airport. Just put your bags on a cart and wheel it down to the basement using the escaltors (the carts are designed to go on the escalators) or the elevators. You can stop at the middle levels to browse in a grocery store, bakery, or cafe, to buy some food to bring with you and enjoy on the trip.

You can use ticket machines (English functions) or the ticket counter to get your ticket.

Exact schedules at

www.rail.ch

and your departure point is simply "Zurich airport."

Have fun!

s