jrose1367

Family vacation - 4 of us going to Italy at end of May early June for 10 days. Kids are in their early/mid 20s. My son loves nature/mountains hiking and wants to see the Swiss Alps. My daughter wants to see Venice. Everyone loves food and architecture. My wife and I have been to Rome so skipping that. We really want to see Tuscany. We have both been to Florence but will see it again so the kids can see one of the major Italian cities as Rome is out. We were thinking Florence, Sienna, San Gimignano maybe Cinque Terra. Would like to see Parma if possible.

Does going up to Lake Como and then a day to see the Swiss Alps/villages make sense? Or are we better going to Venice and then maybe a day trip to the Dolomites? Not sure if the mountains will be possible with 10 days but wanted some input and suggestions...maybe other sites instead of those listed although Florence is a must.

dreamon

You have more places in your post than you could ever possibly hope to visit and enjoy in ten days so you'll obviously need to be selective.

A possible but very busy option might be:
Florence or Siena (visit the other as a day trip and perhaps a day somewhere else in Tuscany) - 4 nights
Somewhere in the Dolomites (if your son is happy with Italian alps instead of Swiss alps) - 3 nights
Venice - 3 nights

You could visit Swiss alps from lake Maggiore or lake Como but I'm not sure that that would be a better experience than the Dolomites and would be more travel (and thus, less time for hiking in nature).

If you have 10 full days (11 nights), then add a night to one of these destinations.

Definitely fly into one port and home from another using a multi-city ticket, rather than back tracking.

Jean

I say plan the trip you and your wife want to take and then ask the children if they want to join you. If you want to go to Tuscany and the CT, then go there!! If you're picking up the tab, they can accept the offer/itinerary or not. If they're paying their way, they can be with you for part of the trip and then split to see what they want.

Although dreamon's suggestion touches everyone's first choices, it really short-changes the wishes of the parents who I suspect are paying for the trip. Transfers between the three points would take at least a half-day each. Any significant exploring of Tuscany beyond Florence and Siena requires a car, and a short trip into the Dolomites is better by car. All of this is not to say you couldn't as a family enjoy this fast-paced itinerary... as long as everyone realizes how much you won't see everywhere.

Can you easily fly into and/or out of Florence or Pisa or Venice? If each city would require a connection, before finalizing the itinerary order check your flight options for fewest connections, best connecting times, most convenient arrival/departure times, etc. I like to have the least appealing/convenient connection at the end of the trip in case things go sideways. I don't mind getting home later but would hate to lose any time at the beginning of a trip.

yorkshire

Would son be content with Italian mountains? Venice and the north of Italy or Switzerland are a great fit for ten days, as is Tuscany, but not both. With ten days, somebody's wishes are gong to be quashed. The only wrong track is rushing and trying to fit too much. I can see either saying "our dime our plan" OR doing what the kids want since it might be their last parent-funded trip (and Switzerland is expensive), so you all will have to come to a meeting of the minds about it.
It is not clear to me if Venice is being considered a must for this plan so far.

Jean

"... last parent-funded trip..."

Obviously if the parents are financing the trip, they can do whatever and try to please everyone. I look at it as the young adults have a few decades ahead to travel where they want.

Venice is a "must" if the parents want to please the daughter as much as the son.

yorkshire

I agree with you, Jean, just trying to suss out the whole picture, as something will have to go. Any of these places would make a great trip, all of those places would make a not so great trip.

Swiss_Sights

In Tuscany, I would definitely visit Florence, Sienna and Pisa with its leaning tower. From Lake Como, it would be possible to visit the mountains around Lugano like Monte Bre or Monte San Salvatore or to go to St.Moritz and visit mountains like Diavolezza.

I hope this helps
Martin

goghgough

Hi Swiss Sights! I was beginning to lose hope of any replies . I appreciate your input. However, we aren't headed to Tuscany. We've been to Tuscany on previous trips and are focusing on areas we haven't been before, i.e., Milan, Torino, Lake Como area, and Piedmonte region. We are really novices in those areas. I'm afraid I have my logistics backwards in terms of which town/city to start and where to end up, etc.

Melnq8

Lugano probably makes the most sense. Lots of direct trains from Lake Como. Or Locarno.

A bit more ambitious is Soglio, Switzerland, but not particularly straight forward by public transport - a short bus ride from Chiavenna, Italy, which is a short train ride from Colico, Italy, which is a 1:45 ferry ride from Lake Como.

I don't know the driving logistics, just tossing it out there.

Soglio is beautiful. We've been several times.


Soglio, Oct 2019

Although, I think you have enough on your wish list already, without putting Switzerland into the mix.

Swiss_Sights

Hi goghgough! In Piedmont, I would recommend visiting the beautiful old town of Alba, Asti or Bra. Then there are many other smaller places to visit in the area such as Priocca or Agliano Therme. You can also just drive through the beautiful hilly area and find automatic beautiful places ;-) As a hotel in Piedmont, I can recommend the beautiful Sunstarhotel in Villa (Isola d'Asti). In northern Italy, a visit to the old town of Bergamo is a must. Near Lugano there is the Swissminiature, where you can see at the sights of Switzerland in mini format and gather ideas for a trip to Switzerland.

Have a great trip
Martin

lavandula

Hi goghgough, once we had a holiday where we stayed at a small town (Carlazzo) between Lake Lugano and Lake Como, close to Lake Piano. We visited all the lakes of course, but also drove up to St. Moritz one day and the men had a skiing day while my sister-in-law and I went for a long lunch at a fancy restaurant. It was the middle of winter and Lake Piano was frozen over so that we could walk on it, but no snow in northern Italy or Lugano. It was quite a fun holiday and even in winter absolutely beautiful. So you can do Switzerland from those parts. We only had about a week but we did not try to do Venice, Tuscany, etc although we did have a day in Milan. There is enough to see and do in the area of the lakes to fill that week completely without being too ambitious. We actually drove straight to Carlazzo from Germany where we were living at the time, but you could fly in and out of Milan; I would definitely also hire a car.

Lavandula