jgreenie

Hi Everyone-
My sister and I will be travelling in February, flying into Zurich and out of Naples. We have been to Italy and have decided to basically go everywhere we haven't been. Our planned route is as follows:

Zurich to Como (stopping in Luzerne)

Como to Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre to Montepulciano (I lived there for a month with school, so I have to go visit) hoping to stop in Pisa and San Gimignano on the way

Montepulciano to Pompeii (staying over after a long drive)

Pompeii to Sorrento (where we will go to Capri and/or the Amalfi coast.

We have already booked a flight, a car and hotels based on guidebooks and the very helpful postings here.

What we are hoping you could help us with are routes (we would like to take country roads and stay off the main highways as much as possible, but not if it means 5 extra hours of driving!) Also, and of course, any recommendations on must sees or out of the way things to see in between all the obvious stops.

thanks so very much in advance!
:0) Joanna and Kara

jgreenie

Sorry, I realized I forgot to put, we are in our mid 20's and arent into bars and clubs. we like to walk, sightsee, eat good food and basically get a feel for the country. while we aren't on a strict, strict budget, we do need to watch what we spend.

all help is appreciated and very, very welcome!

lovisa

I would recommend you train to Luzern and then Como and pick up a car in Como so that you don't have a huge drop-off charge for renting in Switzerland and dropping the car in Italy.

jgreenie

Thanks so much for the heads up lovisa! I had actually already rented a car on expedia and went back and found a hidden charge for drop off. So, I did some research about your idea and it turns out, even though its way more than I thought it was going to be, the deal I got is still the best one. But thank you for letting me know :0)

bobthenavigator

Nice trip potentially, but not in Feb. Your lake and coastal destinations will be bleek that time of year. I would subsitute Lugano for Como and use trains in CH. If you must do a coastal destination then consider Santa Margherita. How much time do you have? Sorrento is only an hour from Pompeii--I would stay there---the drive to Pompeii is less than 5 hours.

jgreenie

thanks very much for the suggestions so far.
the time and the itinerary are locked in so i was kind of hoping you could all help me with what we have already planned!
I know its not ideal for many people, but its when we have time and its where we really want to go.
thanks again!

LoveItaly

Hello jgreenie, be aware that going to Capri and returning during the month of February may be a problem depending on the weather and the water conditions.

hopscotch

I would make a stop in Zug as you drive south out of Zurich.

ira

Hi jg,

Re rental car: Have you checked with www.gemut.com and www.autoeurope.com?

They will almost always give you a lower rate.

For driving route: check out www.viamichelin.com and change the plan from "recommended" to "discovery".

Enjoy your visit.

Steve_James

Hi Joanna & Kara - I've visited both Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast in February and enjoyed both.

With luck weather-wise, these are places you can enjoy in winter IMO. Yes, they will be quiet - but that has its advantages.

On the Amalfi Coast don't miss the beautiful 'Path of the Gods' hike:

http://tinyurl.com/3coedn

http://www.amalfihome.com/member/hikes.html

http://www.giovis.com/sentdei.htm

Hope this helps ...

Steve

sundown

It would help to know the length of your trip and the rest of the details you've locked in. For example, how long do you plan to spend in Lucerne? How much time have you reserved for side trips while driving, etc.?

jgreenie

our plan is:
1 night in zurich
1 night in como
2 nights in cinque terre
1 night in montepulciano
3 nights sorrento

we would be passing through luzerne, pisa, san gimignano, pompeii and anywhere else anyone recommends on the way!

bobthenavigator

That is crazy. You need twice that time for that itinerary.

kleeblatt

Well, she said roadtrip. And it's doable as a roadtrip. Just be aware you will have very little time to actually experience these cities. And that's the magic of Europe. To be a part of it and not just drive by it.

nytraveler

This sounds like a fun trip - but not in February.

Como, Cinque Terre and Sorrento/Amalfi Coast are definitely NOT at their best in the off season. Especially the Amalfi coast - winter weather at a beach resort means many hotels and restaurants are closed, ferry service is curtailed or cancelled (depending on how rough the sea is) and it's perfectly possible you may not be able to get to Capri at all.

Is February fixed? This seems like a great trip for May or June - with everything open, warm, green and flowery (not covered in ice/snow/sleet or rain - and many places shut).

jgreenie

I have to tell you, that as much as I love Fodors and typically find the people here incredibly helpful and friendly, I found most of you to be real bummers.
I wrote several times that this trip is already fixed and all you do is tell me how horrible its going to be?
I asked for help planning around what is already planned, not sure why "if you didn't have anything nice to say you didn't say it"
I'm looking forward to this trip, my sister and I have done things like this before and had a great time. If there is anyone out there who is willing to help us instead of judging us, I would be very happy to hear from you.

hopscotch

Chill out jgreenie. You had loads of helpful advice. Ignore it to your own frustration. For a newbie you sure do have an attitude.

i_am_kane

jgreenie,

Of course, you are right...the trip is already planned. And, as you wrote, you have already been to Italy, so this isn't your first trip.

I understand completely your reaction to some of these comments, and I have ignored some of the "sage advise" given on this board when I posted a question. This isn't like sitting down at your kitchen table with people planning out a trip. Some replies are like sound bites. Just pick and choose what suits you.

Go with your gut instinct...it's your time and your money. Basically, you are looking for advice with your routes. I'm assuming you don't want to use the highways - nothing I can help you with because we use the trains.

Hang in there and don't throw the baby out with the bath water! You might just hit the jackpot with some good replies.

kleeblatt

From Zürich to Lucerne, take the autobahn towards Chur. Get off at the Einsiedeln exit. Go to Einsiedeln and visit the huge churche. Drive back through Rothenthurm to Lucerne. Take the road through Goldau, Arth, Küssnacht, Meggen and Lucerne.

Park your car in the train station parking garage and go for a walk. Have a meal at the Manor restaurant in the old city. Have a beer at the Pickwick pub next to the bridge on the old city side.

Get back on the Autobahn and drive towards the Gotthard. You'll have to go through the Gotthard tunnel. Continue until you eventually get to Como. I wouldn't stop in Lugano because I don't think you'll have time.

Good luck and pray for no snow storms while driving on the road.

toni_g_b

Hi jgreenie,

My husband and I have done three road trips in Italy covering much of area you're planning to explore - some on the autostrada, more on secondary roads. Some suggestions that will follow your route are S62 which runs parallel to A15/E31, south of Parma to the coast. S62 follows the original Via Francigena,
http://tinyurl.com/39mrrd , the middle ages pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome. If you stop in the small village of Cassio (from which my family came), try the torta fritta - a fried bread dough that my Nonna used to make and the only place I have ever seen it available in Italy.

Another secondary route to consider would be S2 going south from Florence to San Gimignano and on to Montepulciano. Monteriggioni is worth a stop on the way.

Or south from Florence on S222, the Chianti Road. Amazing views!

If you continue east before going south, to Perugia, S146 to S71 to S599 was lovely.

If you go south from Perugia outside the town of Terni is the Cascata d. Marmore - incredible waterfall but probably pretty cold in February.
http://www.cascatedellemarmore.it/ From there S3 to Narni, quiet hill town with a huge Roman bridge. Going south of Narni still on S3 when I didn't have my eyes closed (mild fear of heights), the views were simply stunning.

South of Rome before Naples, consider a stop in Caserta.
http://tinyurl.com/2t6su6
The town itself is somewhat industrial, but the royal palace and garden are said to rival Versailles. I can't compare since I haven't been to the latter but the former was pretty jaw dropping to me.

We entered the Amalfi coast from the Salerno side which afforded us a longer experience of the views as well as putting us on the mountain side of the road - I found it more comfortable than the cliff side given my earlier mentioned fear of heights.

Please keep in mind all our travels were in August so I can't comment on how things will be in February.

One other suggestion would be the train from Zurich to the lakes (we were headed for Lugano not Como). The views were just as stunning as they could have been from a car if you want to consider foregoing the drop off fee for a rental car in another country. From Lugano we headed to Milano to pick up the car; it couldn't have been easier.