Hi guys,

Everyone on this forum , as truly been helpful in my last swiss trip. But I have only 2 days , to plan this whole trip. So kind of confuse , with the itineary planning. I have plan this much so far.........

March 13 : Arrive in Zurich and move to Lucerne

march 14: Lucerne ( see mt titlis )

march 15: Move to zermatt

march 16: zermatt

March 17: back to zurich , to move to italy.

this is where i am stuck now. me and hubby have been to lucerne, zurich, zermatt, montreux, lugano on our previous trip. so hubby want to visit italy this time ,and i want to see a new part on swiss. maybe st moritz. we both really like hiking and doing scenic walk. i have no clue on where to go in italy. i have 10 days in ,from march 17 upto march 28. we are open to even going to france , since we have whole 10 days in our hand. can someoone pls tell ,me what are the most scenic places to see in italy and france and help me plan a itineary. budget is not an issue , but time is . pls help urgent.

thks

Where do you have to be on March, 28? In Zurich again? How do you think to move from Zurich? Plane? Train? Rent a car?

Some helpful scenic Train info

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...srailjourn.htm

hi , thks for the prompt reply. yes my flight is out of zurich on march 28. so i have 10 days , and how should i spend it. i love scenic beauty . so how to combine swiss and italy? which is the most scenic part of italy? this will be second time to swiss , but first time to italy. thks

Hi M,

You might wish to consider:
Zermatt, to Lake Como or Lake Lugano or Lake Maggiore to Skt Moritz to Zurich.

Or, you might want to spend 3-4 nights in the Bernese Oberland around Interlaken.

Get a car in Zermatt and drop it in Zurich, OR train schedules and prices are at
http://www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm

Enjoy your visit.

10 days is better than nothing, but starting from Swiss and wiht the constrain of departing from Zurich, IMO it's better you're going to stay in Swiss itself and Northern Italy, procrastinating the visit of most scenic part of Italy (Tuscany and Central Italy) to another specific trip.
From Swiss you can easily reach the Lake District (Como and Maggiore, but also Lago d'Orta), then Milan and his surroundings (are you interested in art, nature or shopping?), but also Liguria (Cinque Terre, Portofino...) or Veneto (Venezia, Verona...) are feasible. It depends on what you like. If you need more info, I'm at your disposal.

Maurizio - Italy

Hi everyone ,

Thank you so much for prompt reply. Me and hubby finally got our itneary together. He wants to see Rome , Florence and Venice. And I still have my heart set in Swiss. So we compriese , and this is what it looks like ;

Itineary:

Itineary

13-Mar-09 Arrive Zurich, travel to Lucerne, sleep in Lucerne
14-Mar-09 Activities in Lucerne, sleep in Lucerne
15-Mar-09 Travel to Zermat, sleep in Zermat
16-Mar-09A ctivities in Zermat, sleep in Zermat
17-Mar-09 Travel to Zurich, for Rome. sleep in train
18-Mar-09 Arrive Rome, activities in Rome, sleep in Rome
19-Mar-09 Activities in Rome, sleep in Rome
20-Mar-09 Travel to Pisa, sleep in Florence
21-Mar-09 Sleep in Florence
22-Mar-09 Travel to Venice, sleep in Venice
23-Mar-09 Acivities in Venice, sleep in Venice
24-Mar-09 Travel to Bernese Oberland , sleep in BO
25-Mar-09 Activities in BO, sleep in BO
26-Mar-09 Activities in BO, sleep in BO
27-Mar-09 Activities in BO, sleep in BO
28-Mar-09 Activities in BO (1/2 day), travel to Zurich,
29-Mar-09 Flight to Mumbai


Now this are my questions:

1. Which is a good hotel in rome , venice (with a view), and florence?And which are should i stay in each of this cities?

2. Is a florence a good base , or so I choose another base in tuscany region.

3. What are " not to be missed sight" in rome , venice and florence. I only have 2 days in each town.

Would be great if one can help me plan my itineary with things to do in italy. i have no clue of what to do and see in each town. i am leaving next week ..........preety panic.

thks . liberosette thks for opening ur dooors for help.

<b>ROME:</b> The area aound the Pantheon and points west toward the river are ideal, IMO.

If budget is truly not an issue - go for the St. George! It is in the best possible location, very central, and on the prettiet street in Rome. http://www.stgeorgehotel.it/luxury-h...me_302_ENG.htm It's a true four star hotel but the location is key.

One step down is this VERY popular 3-star (right next to the Pantheon!) http://www.albergodelsenato.it/

A third option if both are booked is http://www.hotelteatropace.com/

<b>FLORENCE:</b> Central Florence area is smal and has many, many hotel options that are well located. FLorence is a good base for the region, but you might consider dropping it and adding a day to both Rome and Venice. Here are just a few fine Florence hotels . Any of them would suit you just fine:

http://www.hotel-pierre-florence.com/

http://www.hoteldavanzati.it/

http://www.anticatorre.com/


<b>VENICE:</b> For a 2-day visit, consider staying within a 10 minute walk to St. Mark's Square. Hotels in Venice are notoriously expensive. Here are a few with view:

http://www.hotelondra.it/ (serious $$$$)

http://www.locandavivaldi.it/ (more typical price)

http://www.hotelmonaco.it/


What to do? Start here:

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...ure_30003.html

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...ure_30003.html

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...ure_30003.html

thank u so much bardo1 , u done my research for me . i truly appreciate all the help , since i am runining out of time. if u were me , u like nature and something relaxing, which 2 places would u choose in italy ? would be rome , florence or venice ? coz i have 6 night , n i think need to choose only 2 places like u said.

what do u think if i were to choose venice and the tuscany region? maybe rent a car rent for tuscany region . is the tuscany region really very scenic and picturques.

YES! Skip Rome this time. Stay in Florence and in Venice. One of the days in Florence you can take a day trip by car or bus to rural areas in Tuscany. The Tuscan region is very scenic but it is a large region and you need to choose the prettiest areas. Chianti area is close to Florence and would be good. Much more beautiful is southern Tuscany near the towns of Pienza and Montepulciano. You could visit this area in a long day with a rental car. I would recommend doing this.

Rome is just to far out of your way. Spend more time in less places and you will have a much better trip.

I've done it both ways and can speak from experience!

thank u so much ekscrunchy. yes we have decided drop rome and do only venice and tuscany region. could please help me plan intineary for 6 days . i don't have much time to search. and like i said as for tuscany region , i want to see the real beauty that everyone talk abouts. if that mean a little more driving , we are game for it.

it will be really nice if u can plan day wise . thks so much .god bless u for this

monica

are you traveling by train from Venice to BO?

STOP PLANNING. STOP RIGHT NOW. When you get to Switzerland, book a hotel in Italy for three nights, buy a train ticket and go there. Then make another booking. We did this for three weeks, just winging it, and it worked. If you have ten days, stay in no more than three places. Use trains.