afj123

So my family is going to Europe for my mom's bday. We are thinking as of now to do Como and Interlaken for about 10 days.

However, my one hang-up on that is that the weather looks to be about 70-75 high of the day and looks like it can rain at any time.

The scenery looks outrageous, but we don't want to go all the way to Europe to be wearing hoodies in June.

What do you guys think about the riviera vs the alps in June.

frencharmoire

It's not difficult to combine the Italian lakes with the Italian Riviera in the same trip. Would that solve the problem?

StCirq

Your "hangup" is temperatures of 70-75? Why is that a problem?

Of course it could rain at any time. That's true of all of Western Europe, the Americas, and most of the rest of the world. Saudi Arabia sounds like a good destination for you.

frencharmoire

When it rains in the Alps it is a waste of money and time to be there. Also, nighttime temperatures in the high mountains really drop. I would only go to the Alps in July, August and very early September,

On the lakes in can be warm in June and, even if it rains, it is usually still quite beautiful. Along the French and Italian Riviera the train line runs right through almost every town, so if it there is rain, you can take the train to a town where there are things to do indoors.

Needless to say, you need to ignore the aggressive posters, especially the ones in Europe who, when I look at my clock, it seems they start drinking late at night and it shows.

WoinParis

I remember going into a Swiss lake in the afternoon and I had to be helped to get out of the water and frictioned.
I came back at dusk to retrieve my towel but it was stuck in the ice.

kja

I visited the Alps in June and thought it a magnificent time to be there, with wildflowers in full bloom through much of the country, the waterfalls gloriously full, and snow on peaks throughout (not just the highest alps). As others are noting, weather varies... but of course, you would have quite a few options even if it does rain.

StuDudley

We were in Provence the last 2 weeks of June last year, and there was a major heatwave. Then we spent a week in the Hautes Alpes - and it was still hot. Then we spent a week in the Chamonix/Mt Blanc area and it was hot the day we arrived, and then got very cold, rainy, and even snowed one day in Chamonix. Here is a write up I did about the weather in Mt Blanc.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nc-weather.cfm

About 20 years ago in mid Sept, we spent about 5 nights in Murten in the Junfrau - and we never saw the mountain peaks. It snowed in Murten and we really could not see anything at all. No hiking, not much sightseeing, and it was quite cold.

As frencharmoire stated - if the weather is not good - it is a waste of time & money. Luckily, we were in the Chamonix area for a full week so we did have several nice days to go with the several "bad" days.

Stu Dudley

neckervd

There are just 110 miles of motorway between Riviera (Genova Voltri) and the lakes (Arona/Lago Maggiore). Should take about 2 hrs. Up to the Alps (Aosta Valley) it would be 140 miles.

afj123

For those who have been to the Alps, particularly Swiss, and had good weather, was it incredibly spectacular?

I guess it's just a gamble right?

What are the nicest riviera towns closest to Milan?

StuDudley

The Junfrau is "incredibly spectacular". We've been there around 12 days over 4 trips in the past 30 years, and it was spectacular around 35% of the time. Within the past 10 years, we've visited several of the major peaks - Stockhorn, Niesen, Schilthorn, and Sex Rouge. For these latter peaks it was almost always shrouded in clouds 100% of the time in the afternoon. We usually took lifts to these peaks in the early AM & they were spectacular. Once on Sex Rouge, it was perfect when we arrived, but we could not see a thing 1 hr later when we departed.

Here is my wife's Shutterfly book from our trip last year, which included 2 weeks in the French Alps (last part of the book).
https://stududley.shutterfly.com/53
Click Full screen.

Stu Dudley

kja

As I stated upthread, yes, I found Switzerland in June to be incredibly spectacular -- snowcaps, rushing waterfalls, and glorious wildflowers. I did experience a few rainy days, but nothing that kept me from enjoying myself -- and after all, the rain does contribute to those waterfalls and wildflowers. ;-) If you have a plan that allows some flexibility and some indoor options, June can be a spectacular time to travel in Switzerland.

jtpj777

Creating duplicate posts helps no one. I just replied to your earlier one!

isabel

afj - I have been in Switzerland when it was cool and rainy for 5 days and when it was hot (90F) and sunny a few days later. And that happened on two different trips several years apart. And in July both times. Just saying, you will never get guaranteed good weather any time of year, I think June is a pretty good bet. If you ever want to see the Swiss Alps you just have to risk it. Flexibility is the key, stay in a town where there is something to do in bad weather, or even take day trips to other towns that would be "OK" in poor weather, and then take the mountain day trips on the best days. I based in Interlaken one trip to see the Bernese Oberland and in Lausanne another to see the Matterhorn.

Stu - I love your shutterfly books. I've used Blurb and like their books but can't seem to be able to put them on line to share with others. How does it work with shutterfly - do you create the book and then pay to get a hard copy? Do you have to pay to have it on line? Also, do you find the mechanics of creating books easy to use? Thanks

StuDudley

>>Shutterfly.... do you create the book and then pay to get a hard copy?<<<

Yes

>>Do you have to pay to have it on line?<<

No - not yet, anyway


>>Also, do you find the mechanics of creating books easy to use? Thanks<<

(Stu's wife here....I make our Shutterfly books).....There are 3 basic levels of mechanics to make books.
1. SF can literally create your books for you. You provide some parameters via a Q&A and they make the book. You can edit the book before ordering it if you want some changes.
I have never had Shutterfly make any books, so can't say if it is a good option.
2. SF offers a "Simple Path" option whereby you 'make' the book, but you use SF's page layouts and other pre-set choices. I'm not sure how much customization of page background colors, etc you can do since I have never used Simple Path myself.
3. "Custom Path" is the most flexible (and I guess you could say "complex"). While you can use their layouts and default page color backgrounds and embellishments, you literally have complete flexibility if you want it (you click on "advanced editing" when wanting this mode: page layouts, colors, caption size and placement, embellishments, etc. This is the way I always make books. It does take some time to get used to the mechanics, but with the most recent software release, the site is more professional and somewhat easier to use. You might find it kind of confusing when you first try it, but, like anything, it gets easier with more practice.

Having said all that, in the 10 years I've been making books, there have been 3 major software upgrades (the introduction of Custom Path being one of these) and there are sometimes issues with forward and backward compatibility between versions. There are books I created many years ago with Version A which cannot be opened now, books created with Version B which have problems with captions displaying properly, and obviously Version C (current version) works OK.

All in all, I'd suggest that you go to the Shutterfly site and literally 'play' with making a book and see which version (1,2,3 above)best suits you in terms of flexibility and ease of use.

isabel

Thanks Stu's Wife. I have been to the shutterfly site. I've been using Blurb Books for years but their 'share' feature was sorely lacking so I was interested in what you thought of shutterfly. They actually look pretty similar and Blurb seems to have improved the share feature so I'll probably stay with them but it was nice to hear your impressions of them. Your books look great.

afj123

My mom is now thinking Rome, because her friend said that Lake Como isn't very kid friendly. She said we could do Rome, then Siena, make our way north.

Rome and Siena don't sound more kid friendly than Como to me... am I wrong?

My thought right now is to fly into Milan, definitely do 3 days in Como, then depending on the weather either go Alps, or Mediterranean for 4-5 days.

That sounds way more spectacular than Rome and Siena, and way more unique, but what do you guys think?

TheBevitts

Hi, depends what you mean by kid friendly and how old your kids are and how many? all places in Italy tend to have cobble stones, stairs, narrow pathways, some hilliness - which can be difficult if you need a pram etc, but it is all doable (we did 6 weeks travelling all kinds of 'difficult' towns in spain and france with a baby and stroller and managed well). the Italians seem to always be friendly and welcoming towards kids. the town of Como itself is fairly easy to walk around and has many 'flat' areas, more parking and is more of a mini city/town with facilities, cafes/restaurants options, a department store, museums and 'entertainment' all more easily found- other town/villages around lake como- like Bellagio for example might be more difficult as it is smaller, much hillier, but if you are arriving to Bellagio by boat as a day trip'visit' from your base in como for example it is definitely doable. If your kids are older and entertainment and 'things to do' is the issue then larger cities like rome and siena could have more to offer (although the lakes really are spectacularly beautiful - but sienna and rome are very impressive towns- still with many cobble stones/stairs etc to navigate if you have a stroller.)

Big tip- if you need a pram- take an ultralight and hardwearing stroller like a maclaren- so it can easily be picked up all in one even with baby in it to go up flights of stairs or difficult cobblestones etc- and also take a babycarrier.

HappyTrvlr

Kid friendly? Ferry boat rides are fun for kids and that is how you get around the lakes. Kids ages are important to know.
We have combined Lake Como and Santa Margherita Ligurie on tne Italian Riviera, easy to do. Also went to Switzerland from the Italian Lakes. Works well too. We did a loop-Milan,Lakes, Grindelwald, Pontresina, Lake Como, Milan MXP.
You asked if Switzerland is "incredibly spectacular." Yes it is! Breathtaking. The downside is that the culture and food don't match Italy or France...but to see this beauty is a must sometime in your life.
Rome would great for the kids too but it is exhausting sightseeing in a big city with children. You have to pace yourselves. And it may be hot. Lots to consider.