Looking for feedback on itinerary
May 21st, 2009, 05:41 AM
#1
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Looking for feedback on itinerary
Hello all,
I was wondering if I could get some feedback on a tentative itinerary. Our intention is to see a little bit of Germany, possibly hike in Switzerland, and see the basics of Italy.
Here's what we're planning on so far.
Day 1 - Dublin Frankfurt (Fly into Dublin early then take late Ryan Air flight to Frankfurt)
Day 2 - Frankfurt - Rothenburg OTD (take afternoon train from Frankfurt to Rothenburg, spend night in Rothenburg)
Day 3 - Rothenburg - Heidelberg (check out Rothenburg before tourists, take midday train to Heidelberg, take late train to Interlaken)
Day 4 - Interlaken - Spend day in Interlaken - possibly hike
Day 5 - Interlaken - possible day trip out of Interlaken
Day 6 - Interlaken - Venice (possible overnight train?)
Day 7 - Venice
Day 8 - Venice
Day 9 - Venice - Florence (afternoon train to Florence)
Day 10 - Florence
Day 11 - Florence - Rome (late train to Rome)
Day 12 - Rome (City, Pantheon, Spanish Steps....)
Day 13 - Rome - (Museums, Vatican City)
Day 14 - Rome - (Forum, Palentine, Colosseum)
Day 15 - Rome - Dublin (morning Ryan Air flight to Dublin, stay over night in Dublin)
Day 15 - Dublin - US
We left an extra day in Interlaken in case we wanted to spread out Germany a little more, as it is jam-packed. (Frankfurt isn't as appealing to us for some reason though.)
Any thoughts? I'd appreciate ANY feedback.
thank you
Jim
I was wondering if I could get some feedback on a tentative itinerary. Our intention is to see a little bit of Germany, possibly hike in Switzerland, and see the basics of Italy.
Here's what we're planning on so far.
Day 1 - Dublin Frankfurt (Fly into Dublin early then take late Ryan Air flight to Frankfurt)
Day 2 - Frankfurt - Rothenburg OTD (take afternoon train from Frankfurt to Rothenburg, spend night in Rothenburg)
Day 3 - Rothenburg - Heidelberg (check out Rothenburg before tourists, take midday train to Heidelberg, take late train to Interlaken)
Day 4 - Interlaken - Spend day in Interlaken - possibly hike
Day 5 - Interlaken - possible day trip out of Interlaken
Day 6 - Interlaken - Venice (possible overnight train?)
Day 7 - Venice
Day 8 - Venice
Day 9 - Venice - Florence (afternoon train to Florence)
Day 10 - Florence
Day 11 - Florence - Rome (late train to Rome)
Day 12 - Rome (City, Pantheon, Spanish Steps....)
Day 13 - Rome - (Museums, Vatican City)
Day 14 - Rome - (Forum, Palentine, Colosseum)
Day 15 - Rome - Dublin (morning Ryan Air flight to Dublin, stay over night in Dublin)
Day 15 - Dublin - US
We left an extra day in Interlaken in case we wanted to spread out Germany a little more, as it is jam-packed. (Frankfurt isn't as appealing to us for some reason though.)
Any thoughts? I'd appreciate ANY feedback.
thank you
Jim
May 21st, 2009, 05:57 AM
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Jun 6 - June 21
Not really looking for festivals.
I understand we are going to very touristy places, but we'd like to see some authentic portions if possible.
I'm pretty familiar with Rome. I'm not familiar with Germany or Switzerland at all. We've done some research on the trains, and logistically, the trip cane make sense. My only concern is that we'll feel too rushed in the beginning.
I was also wondering if a day trip out to Cinque Terra would be out of the question. Any if so, what could we give up.
Not really looking for festivals.
I understand we are going to very touristy places, but we'd like to see some authentic portions if possible.
I'm pretty familiar with Rome. I'm not familiar with Germany or Switzerland at all. We've done some research on the trains, and logistically, the trip cane make sense. My only concern is that we'll feel too rushed in the beginning.
I was also wondering if a day trip out to Cinque Terra would be out of the question. Any if so, what could we give up.
May 21st, 2009, 06:07 AM
#5
Look, I don't really like Switzerland, all too twee and clean (until you meet the actua Swiss) but if hiking in the woods is your thing ok...
Venice is ok, Florence ok as well but why not fit Sienna in by adding another day
How many hours on the train is this anyway? You going to take a hamper?
Venice is ok, Florence ok as well but why not fit Sienna in by adding another day
How many hours on the train is this anyway? You going to take a hamper?
May 21st, 2009, 06:11 AM
#6
You might prefer to spend a bit of time on lake constance or pop up the mosel for a night. There used to be a flight out of Frankfurt (ryanair's franfurt) just south of the Mosel which could take you to italy faster and probably cheaper. Yep you could fly to Pisa and then train around from there
May 21st, 2009, 06:45 AM
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thanks for the feedback. I'll give it some thought.
I was incorrect. We're taking a Lufthansa flight from Dublin to Frankfurt. That said, we're sort of stuck with heading to Germany. I'm ok with that even if we're in a train the whole time. We'd just like to SEE Germany, not necessarily soak it in. I guess the age-old question is then Rothenburg, or Heidelberg?
My wife saw a couple pictures of Interlaken and now skipping that is out of the question. It seemed like there would be a couple good places to take a day hike out of that region, but doing that isn't necessary.
I'm pretty satisfied with the Italy portion. We may have to do Cinque Terra another time.
I was incorrect. We're taking a Lufthansa flight from Dublin to Frankfurt. That said, we're sort of stuck with heading to Germany. I'm ok with that even if we're in a train the whole time. We'd just like to SEE Germany, not necessarily soak it in. I guess the age-old question is then Rothenburg, or Heidelberg?
My wife saw a couple pictures of Interlaken and now skipping that is out of the question. It seemed like there would be a couple good places to take a day hike out of that region, but doing that isn't necessary.
I'm pretty satisfied with the Italy portion. We may have to do Cinque Terra another time.
May 21st, 2009, 06:56 AM
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I'm okay with your itinerary. Wouldn't spend more time in Heidelberg. It is lots of train time, but I love sitting on a train, watching the scenery (especially Swiss scenery) flow by. One problem: I don't see any overnight trains from Interlaken to Venice. Nothing with fewer than 2 changes. Have you researched your putative train trips? www.bahn.de is good for all Europe.
May 21st, 2009, 07:07 AM
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Thank Mimar, it's nice to get a little affirmation as we are leaving relatively soon. We were thinking the same thing about the train travel.
I have researched the trains. Although I spent minimal time looking at the Interlaken-Venice one and I may have overlooked that. I did notice it was going to be multiple stops and a lot of time. But it seems like a lot of "scenic" time.
Bilbo brought up a good question. laundry. we haven't looked into it yet, but we were hoping a hotel around the halfway point may have a laundry place around.
What's anyone's experience with this?
I have researched the trains. Although I spent minimal time looking at the Interlaken-Venice one and I may have overlooked that. I did notice it was going to be multiple stops and a lot of time. But it seems like a lot of "scenic" time.
Bilbo brought up a good question. laundry. we haven't looked into it yet, but we were hoping a hotel around the halfway point may have a laundry place around.
What's anyone's experience with this?
May 21st, 2009, 07:14 AM
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Your trip isn't bad, really. IMHO, though, you aren't seeing much of Germany for all the time spent traveling there. Honestly, I don't think you are even going to "see" Germany on this train trip. There are a few pretty areas, but your view from the train in this situation and in that area, is not worth so much time.
With two weeks, I would limit the trip to visiting only two countries, especially since one of the countries is Italy. Italy has so much to offer. It would be a shame to miss Siena when you are in Florence.
If you want great hiking, why not fly into Piza and visit the Cinque Terra for a couple of days, rather than Switzerland?
On the other hand, if Interlaken is a must, just go straight there and skip Germany altogether this trip.
By skipping Germany, I mean go straight from Frankfurt since you are already locked into stopping there. At any rate, I would definitely visit either Switzerland and Italy or Germany & Italy, not all three, and I would drop one day from something and extend Florence by a day for a visit to Siena.
With two weeks, I would limit the trip to visiting only two countries, especially since one of the countries is Italy. Italy has so much to offer. It would be a shame to miss Siena when you are in Florence.
If you want great hiking, why not fly into Piza and visit the Cinque Terra for a couple of days, rather than Switzerland?
On the other hand, if Interlaken is a must, just go straight there and skip Germany altogether this trip.
By skipping Germany, I mean go straight from Frankfurt since you are already locked into stopping there. At any rate, I would definitely visit either Switzerland and Italy or Germany & Italy, not all three, and I would drop one day from something and extend Florence by a day for a visit to Siena.
May 21st, 2009, 07:20 AM
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There are flights out of Germany to Genoa, which would put you in a good position to see Cinque Terre, and proceed from there. My inclination would be to go from Cinque Terre to Rome, then up through Firenze to Venezia, and fly out.
As has been mentioned Pisa also has an airport, and puts you in striking distance of le Cinque terre. You might prefer hiking on the Monte Portofino (stay in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure) if you want fewer tourists.
I like Switzerland, but if that stays in the mix, rather than go to Interlaken, go to Spiez, a bit closer, and from there down into Italy via Milan.
As has been mentioned Pisa also has an airport, and puts you in striking distance of le Cinque terre. You might prefer hiking on the Monte Portofino (stay in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure) if you want fewer tourists.
I like Switzerland, but if that stays in the mix, rather than go to Interlaken, go to Spiez, a bit closer, and from there down into Italy via Milan.
May 22nd, 2009, 07:46 AM
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Rick Steves is good for laundromats. We went to one he listed in Interlaken and met all the other Steveites there.
We also went to Schynigge Platte, didn't really hike, just walked around. It was early June, probably a bit early for all the flowers. I rememeber a good view of a lake from up there. Brienz?
Also the little antique train that went from Interlaken up to Schynigge Platte made me understand how (the mostly late and lamented) train compartments arose. Originally they just stuck together coaches, stage coaches, on end. So the exits were on either side. Later they added a corridor.
We also went to Schynigge Platte, didn't really hike, just walked around. It was early June, probably a bit early for all the flowers. I rememeber a good view of a lake from up there. Brienz?
Also the little antique train that went from Interlaken up to Schynigge Platte made me understand how (the mostly late and lamented) train compartments arose. Originally they just stuck together coaches, stage coaches, on end. So the exits were on either side. Later they added a corridor.
