Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Itinerary Help Please!!! SOuth of France, CT? Florence?

Itinerary Help Please!!! SOuth of France, CT? Florence?

Old Jan 21st, 2012, 04:04 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Itinerary Help Please!!! SOuth of France, CT? Florence?

Hello,
I am traveling with six people: three adults and my three children ages 9,7 and 5. They are great travelers but I am really uncertain how to arrange the end of my trip as I am unfamiliar with some of the areas we are thinking of putting on itinerary and very unsure what driving the coast of southern France and possibly Italy will be in July.

Beginning of trip and airline tixx are set. Fly in and out of Zurich July 6-22. Day 1,2 Lausanne Sw to visit with relatives. Next Paris from the 9-16 in an apartment.

AFter that we are down to St Tropez (Gassin) for the 16-18 to visit friends.

Then I am stumped. I can connect back to Zurich from either Florence Italy or Nice.

I am considering a drive to Florence spending two nights in Portofino and two nights in Florence. My concern with this itinerary is that it is too much, not relaxing and we won't properly enjoy it. The pro is obviously that these are beautiful areas that I have never been to and always wanted to.

Option 2 is to head back to SW after ST Tropez and explore Switzerland leisurely. I would love to be on a lake and see castles etc so am not sure if this is the best plan. (HAve never been though so could not say).

Option 3 is to spend last three dys in a different part of the South of France. Would like to be somewhere with some history and a combination of architectural and natural beauty,

Must book soon. Open to any ideas and as always uber grateful for all suggestions!!
hboulos is offline  
Old Jan 21st, 2012, 04:30 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 12,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Did a trip like this by car from Zurich to Nice a couple of years back.viamichelin.com we came back down the Med Coast to San Remo then SML/Porofino www.metropole.it my fav there. We visited CT then went on to www.lucca.info Florence Venice-tourism.com sirmione.com Hotel Eden www.bellagio,info
Residence D'Ulivo Menaggio Lugano Chur Zurich.We snagged the
Marriott Zurich river side $80 bid priceline.com Meridien right at the promenade in Nice.

We had a great time hope you do too.
qwovadis is offline  
Old Jan 21st, 2012, 06:32 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,525
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It seems to me that you are jumping all over the place, and with 6 people to boot. How do you plan to travel? If by van, have you looked at travel times from Paris to St. Tropez? I feel that travel logistics will dictate your feasible itinerary. You need to do your homework on that. Look at www.googlemaps.com
bobthenavigator is offline  
Old Jan 21st, 2012, 07:20 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Agree with bob that you are hopping all over Europe like a ping pong ball, and with 3 fairly young kids to boot. I can't imagine being a kid of that age on this trip and actually enjoying it (or a parent, either). I don't understand, either, why you are flying into AND out of Zurich, as it's nowhere near where you want to spend the last days of your trip - why not open jaw tickets?

Two days in a bunch of places each distant from each other doesn't add up to two days at all in reality. You have to figure in the packing up and moving out of the hotel, the travel to the other place, and the settling in once you get there. You're actually going to end up with one night and a few hours in each of those "two days" places.

I'd start over. The only sensible part of the plan at the moment is the time in Paris.
StCirq is offline  
Old Jan 21st, 2012, 08:10 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,392
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would take the 3 hr TGV from Paris to the Aix-en-Provence TGV station for your Paris/St Tropez leg - and rent a car there. After St Tropez (I would add a day or two to St Tropez), I would spend the remaining time in Provence. Then take either the morning TGV train or the afternoon train from the Avignon TGV station to Zurich. The trip is 5 1/2 hrs in the am & 6 hrs in the afternoon & involves 1 train change.

I would not want to got to Italy. Difficult/time consuming to get there by train, & a long drive by car plus drop off charges. I can't imagine how crowded Florence would be in July - it is far too crowded for my tastes in June & Sept.

Stu Dudley
StuDudley is online now  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
kwalker91
Europe
13
Mar 8th, 2017 11:59 AM
nicoleferg
Europe
6
Mar 14th, 2011 01:13 PM
travelatte
Europe
45
May 3rd, 2007 01:21 AM
sk_whong
Europe
4
May 13th, 2005 06:52 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -