We are thinking about travelling to Tuscany this October. Our plan is to fly into Zurich, visit my husband's mother, then take the train to Italy. We want to visit Florence and several other small towns. We hope to have about 2 weeks total.

1 - Can we just purchase a Swiss rail ticket from Biel/Bienne (where his mom lives) to Italy? Or do we have to purchase a seperate ticket for entry into Italy? What city do you recommend we begin with?

2 - Hotels in Florence look pricey. Should we stay in a smaller town, and any suggestions?

3 - We will fly out of Italy - which is better, Milan or Florence?

Thank you for any advice.

Hi SC,

>Hotels in Florence look pricey.

What's your budget?

I'd like to find something for under 100 euro per night.

As to which city to start with, I recommend Venice. But then I always do.

For a shorter train trip, possible stops are Lugano or Locarno in the Italian-speaking Swiss canton of Ticino. Or Stresa just over the border into Italy. Lugano is on Lake Lugano, Locarno and Stresa are on Lago Maggiore. If going to Locarno, look into the Centovalli train from Domodossola, one of the most scenic rides in Europe.

Regarding question #3, where will you be flying to? There are more trans-Atlantic flights from Milan. Florence has a very small airport. Check Pisa instead; it's an easy train ride from Florence.

We won't be going to Venice this trip. We're staying in the Tuscany area.

We would be flying back to Raleigh.

Anyone else?

Thanks!

ttt