kovsie

I am a South African woman currently living and working in Dubai. I have now decided not to go home in July-August. Would like to spend +- 3 weeks in Switzerland and Italy with my 20year old daughter. This is my first trip to Europe in 30 years, and I know I have left it rather late, so all support and guidance will be most welcome!
To date I have made only one booking: 3 nights in Florence, leaving there 1 August.
Our plans are roughly:
1 week in one small town in Switzerland - possibly Wengen area
1 week in small town in Tuscany
1 week divided between Florence and Venice
I think it will go like this: fly in to Zurich, train to Wengen. Wengen to Venice, Venice to Tuscany, then to Florence (still Tuscany ... I know, but more like a city), fly out from Florence,
I do NOT want to: rent a car, go to a beach, shop (except for food and wine).
I do not need: hotels with spa / turn down service / fitness centre. If I want a chocolate on my pillow I will put it there myself
I love: long walks, rooms with views, nature, history, art ...
I need to find: accommodation in towns with trains and/or buses - preferably small cottages in town. Of course well-run and non-pretentious hotels can also be nice.
My budget: accommodation between 100 and 130 Euro per day (yes I know...)

So, my questions:
I believe that you see more when you do less. However, I think that the train from Switzerland to Venice passes through Milan. If I shave off one day from switzerland, I can stop over in Milan to salute 'the last supper'. Will this be a good plan?
Where to stay in Tuscany and Switzerland? Interesting small town, with railway connections, with budget accommodation, with views, with good walks? Any recommendations?
Venice: it seems as if it can be much cheaper to stay in surrounding areas and travel to Venice every day. However, I think that it will be worth the extra expense to wake up in Venice for four precious mornings. Am I wrong?
PLEASE help me plan! I will be truely grateful for any comments and guidance.

simpsonc510

If it were me, I'd split my Switzerland time and allow for a few days in Lucerne and then a few days in Wengen area. Lucerne is really lovely, scenic, great day trip by rail options and offers lots to do within the city itself. An easy city to walk around (or public trams are great). You can get a fairly inexpensive hotel. Check the Hotel de la Paix. Good location! Basic. Not a hostel. No chocolate on the pillow; no spa...

simpsonc510

Forgot to mention boat travel on the lake at Lucerne. You can go for a day and visit small lakeside towns! On a day with nice weather, it just doesn't get much better!
Carol

kovsie

Thanks - I will have a look! I am trying to avoid - as far as possible - crowds and queues, so thought Lucerne may be very busy.

neckervd

August is mega super high season in Italy (crowds everywhere, highest possible accommodation prices); July would be better. Switzerland is just the contrary: most Swiss holiday periods last from early July until early/mid August.

Accommodation is one thing, food prices are the other one. Public transport is dirty cheap in Italy (as long as you don't take high speed trains) and very expensive in Switzerland. If you travel around Switzerland, you will need a kind of rail pass.

There are cheaper places than Wengen. May be you have a look at http://www.booking.com and surch at distancies of 30 km and more around the places you are interested in.
General rule: St. Moritz/Upper Engadin is very expensive, Bernese Oberland is expensive and Lower Valais is less expensive (you may enter Martigny and a perimeter of about 30 km and you will get accommodation offers at smaller, less known places which are much cheaper than those at top resorts).

You may have a look at
http://www.swisstravelsystem.com/en/home.html
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

Detailed Swiss map:
http://map.geo.admin.ch/?lang=en
http://www.mapplus.ch/

Airports: for Swiss destinations, you may check ZRH, GVA, BSL, MXP (close to Lake Maggiore and Brig area, but less well linked to the Swiss railway network)

mokka4

I stayed last October in Brunnen, a small to mid-sized town(not city) on the shores of Vierwaeldstaettersee (Lake Luzern).
It was well connected by rail and bus and convenient to Luzern (just 30 minutes on train).Beautiful lakeside location ringed by mountains.
Have a look at vacation apartments (Ferienwohnungen), and if desired, click on my name in blue to read my trip report (under Brunnen title).
Happy travels!

mokka4

Forgot to add the link!

http://www.brunnentourismus.ch/de/un...nwohnungsliste

kybourbon

It's difficult to travel around Tuscany by train as most small towns don't have train service. For smaller towns buses are more common, but schedules might not be convenient (little to no service on Sunday).

kovsie

Thanks so much for the replies! I understand that I will miss out on some parts of Tuscany if I do not rent a car, but this what I have decided on for this time. So please, there must be a lovely little town with a train station somewhere in Tuscany? Maybe I must clarify: I see this trip more as a time to rest and clear my mind than an obligation to 'see everything'.
Concerning Venice: I have read about Venice in August, and it seems - in the words of another Fodorite - 'like a zoo'. I am really not good with crowds. Should I rather stay away? or are there areas away from the so-called main sights that are still worthy to explore? PLEASE advise!
Concerning Switzerland: Thanks to you I am now looking at some places that are not that well-known. Please keep the posts coming - I know I have to finalise things within the next few days.

mokka4

ttt

suze

I've been to Venice twice. Both time happened to be in an August. It was hot. But it was not "like a zoo" in my opinion. It's one of my favorite places ever, so no I would not stay away.

The towns I know best in Switzerland are Vevey and Montreux. Take a peak to see if they fit what you are after http://www.montreux.ch/

kovsie

Thanks a lot Suze and everybody else!

ecovanavoce

Your budget is ok for Toscana and Firenze, but for Venezia it's low. In case, stay in Venezia 3 instead of 4 night, but stay in historical centre. Yes, it can seems "like a zoo", but you can't stay away... You can't! Tourist are concentrated in hot spots, you will find your magic niche in Venice!

You will have no problem to Firenze, but there aren't trais for Toscana's villalges! You have to take a bus.
IMO your place is "val d'orcia" (near Pienza). Put it on google images and look. What about it?

marg

We were in Wengen yesterday. It's a very nice little town but not a lot to do unless you intend doing a lot of walking. I'd split my week between Wengen and Lucerne - seems to be more to do in Lucerne and more choices for accommodation and restaurants.
While we were in Lucerne we went to Mt Pilatus and also Mt Rigi and would recommend both - great scenery at both mountains.

ecovanavoce

P.S.:

I think you'll appreciate "Castelnuovo dell'Abate", a little village near the St. Antimo's Abbey in the middle of Val d'Orcia.
It is a good place for meditation, to have some walks, eat good food and drink good wine. It's far from noise.

http://www.valdorciasenese.com/abbaz...vis_4_153.html

love_ch

On the way to Milano you can stop in Lugano. It is a very nice city in the italian speaking Ticino region, Switzerland. It is on the lake shore and is not a big city, it's walkable!
Here a link so you can have an idea:
http://www.luganoturismo.ch/en/32/to...formation.aspx