reb77

If any of you have been reading my posts, i am trying to plan this quick trip to italy switzerland in september.
we will have a 1 yr old with us and we are not looking to spend too much in each place, we want to get a quick glance of these places. we will not be visiting any museums,wineries, etc no spending time eating long dinner, taking realxing boat rides. But please let me know if this plan still looks way too ambitious. thanks!
• Fly Friday night Sep 14 to Rome
• Arrive in Rome Morning of Sep 15
• Settle down, stay 15th night in Rome
• Spend next day in Rome seeing whatever little bot we can and take train to Florence around 3-4 pm
• Arrive in Florence, spend 16th night there
• Spend full 17th and 18th in Florence, visiting little towns around. (rental car? local bus?)
• Train to Lugano 19th morning and arrive in afternoon.
• take a scenic train tour in CH, If the tour leaves in afternoon then we can leave for 3 day 2 night tour on 19th itself
• Otherwise, settle down in Lugano on 19th.
• Leave on 3 day 2 night tour on 20th (or 2 day 1 night tour)
• Come back 22nd night Train back to Milan and flight back to Boston on 23rd OR just fly out of CH to boston directly on 23rd
•

bilboburgler

I think you will find that there is more than enough to do in FLorence for 3 days without having to rent a car etc. If you need a trip somewhere take the local train to Lucca or Pisa (or in fact both).

Still a bit too much especially if jet lagged from the flight to Rome.

Jean

The OP is not spending 3 days in Florence. Only 3 nights/2 days there. And only 2 partial days in Rome.

reb77, unless you've been to Rome and Florence/Tuscany before, IMO this isn't nearly enough time, but it's definitely a 'quick trip.' Have you traveled like this with a 1 year-old before???

Don't come back to Milan to fly home if you can depart from somewhere in Switzerland.

reb77

i have never been to florence or italy as a matter of fact and i agree it is a quick trip but that is the intention. I totally understand i wont be able to see or experience what all a city has to offer but i am hoping to get just a quick flavor.
No, havent travelled like this with a 1 yr old and i am nervous about it. So right now we want to plan this and if we feel like the baby is not co-operating, we'll just have to skip a few things or towns.We did a crazy florida trip with her when she was 7 months and she did great but i could carry her in my ergo carrier while she nursed and napped in there and we were on the go...not anymore

reb77

perhaps this will be a reharsal for the baby since we are going to india for 3 weeks in nov. Only i know how crazy our india trips are: she will be going to 5-6 different places, meeting hundreds of relatives, eating all kind of crazy things, travelling in cars, trains, planes, attending wedding parties, birthday celebrations and what not. And that jet lag is crazy.

annhig

No, havent travelled like this with a 1 yr old and i am nervous about it. So right now we want to plan this and if we feel like the baby is not co-operating, we'll just have to skip a few things or towns.We did a crazy florida trip with her when she was 7 months and she did great but i could carry her in my ergo carrier while she nursed and napped in there and we were on the go...not anymore>>

reb - honestly? - yes. IME you just can't travel in the same way when your children are small. but you are going to places like Rome and Florence where even if you spent the whole week there [which is what I recommend] you would never run out of things to do.

you will have a much better time if you accept the inevitable and make the most of it.

valtor

Reb, you told us what you do not want to do: " we will not be visiting any museums,wineries, etc no spending time eating long dinner, taking realxing boat rides. "

It will be useful if you can tell us what you plan to do, specially in Rome and Florence. Only then we can tell you if the time you plan to spend there is enough.

jamikins

It looks like you have a week...with a 1 year old you haven't travelled with internationally I would highly recommend picking one location and renting a small villa or flat for a week. What if your child is horribly jet lagged for two days? What if you are? How much time will it eat up packing all the kids stuff every time you move and carting it on trains etc?

My friend brought her 1 year old son to Italy and rented a place in Siena and stayed there for a week. They could walk to town for dinner, bus into Florence but could also put the baby to bed and sit outside together and drink wine at night.

You could easily do the same in Rome or Florence. I think you have too much for an adult only trip - add the baby and I think you are highly underestimating how long you are going to spend in transit and how little time you will spend seeing anything at all.

StCirq

I have loads of experience traveling in Europe with babies, and this sounds like a nightmare in the making to me. It's bad enough as an adult to shuffle around all over the place in such a short period of time; add a baby into the mix (and all the baby paraphernalia that must be accounted for), and all you're doing is tiring everyone out.

I would a) stay in one country, probably in one city only, and b) rent an apartment or villa.

hazel1

The OP has gotten numerous opinions on her many flights of fancy and doesn't seem inclined to take anyone's advice about slowing it down, or taking into account that an infant of that age might actually change one's way of travel. So be it - it's her trip, and they'll find out for themselves, but it seems obvious that the OP doesn't actually want to hear that YES, it is entirely too ambitious, given her situation.

reb77

hazel1 sorry you felt that way, that wasnt my intent. I am certainly reading thru all the responses and trying to understand how i need to tweak my plans, thats exactly why i posted it. I was hoping someone with my travel style and a baby would see this and say it is doable but obviously not. I greatly appreciate all the ideas and responses.
thanks!

uhoh_busted

How you (all) survive the first 48 hours of this trip will probably tell you what the rest of your vacation should be. Good luck!

reb77

i agree. That is why we wanted to do a night flight so that baby could get sleep on the flight and get sleep adjusted the next two day when we are in rome. This might mean no site seeing in rome and we are ok with it.
someone had asked about what we are planning to do: basically drive around or take trains with take quick stops in little towns etc. So its mostly visual stuff we are after, seeing beauty and thats about it for this trip. museums, food, realxing, culture is for some other time.

socaltraveler

Look, the real problem with trying to solicit advice from someone with 'your travel style and a baby' is that each trip is unique and nobody's child is yours. Many who have traveled with children have told you to slow down, especially with one week and jet lag, rent a villa, have a vacation, enjoy your child. You tell us you want to run around and see things, even with jet lag, one week, a baby and baby luggage.

The answer to your question is: yes, plan B is overly ambitious. Only you can decide, but it sounds like misery to me - packing, unpacking, moving here and there, on trains, off trains.

mamcalice

Hazel and the other posters are right. You can do the trip you have planned but it is not likely that you can enjoy it. If you can't accept the feedback from Fodorites, perhaps another forum will have people who can relate to your travel style.

reb77

thats fair! i get your point. Let me tweak it a more and come back hopefully with a better plan. Honestly i was convinced last friday that we should just do a tuscany vacation but my husband convinced me otherwise. We have never stayed in one town more than two nights even with a 7 month old baby. We travel to india a lot and jetlag never bothers us enough to slow down but i agree it might be different with a baby. She is a good baby but she is a baby afterall and i need to respect that.

ira

Hi reb,

>i wont be able to see or experience what all a city has to offer but i am hoping to get just a quick flavor.
No, havent travelled like this with a 1 yr old and i am nervous about it.<

As well you should be.

You are not on your own backpacking and couch surfing as the spirit moves you.

Infants need to be cared for. Hopping from place to place is not a good strategy.

reb77

mamcalice i am not sure why people are thinking i am here to reject advices. I know my plan is crazy and everyone hates i but please read my comments i have never said i disagree with anything. I am just here to show what i have in mind and why and asking for advice. I KNOW I am having a hard time figuring out a real plan but thats why i am asking for advice.

LSky

Rome is worth 3 days, I didn't really even like Rome all that much but it's worth 3 days.

I have no opinion about traveling with a baby but if I were you I'd listen to the moms.

Most of the people on this board love to travel, we love to think about it, answer questions about it and ask about it. So, it’s not that anyone may be thinking you are trying to reject their ideas, they are simply passionate about the subject.

It's an obsession that we are frankly, foolish about. If we weren't foolish we'd be trying to talk people out of traveling. "Only 3 countries in a week? Come on you can do at least 4 or 5"

lincasanova

One thing I would not do is take a tour with other people and a baby.