Need help maximizing 6 days in Italy, flying in and out of Zurich, Switzerland.

My mom (55) and I (29) will be in Zurich August 28-31 and then traveling to Italy on Sept. 1st. Neither of us have been to Europe before, and we have only 3 weeks to plan.

Our priorities are getting to Rome for at least 2 days and doing the Cinque Terre hikes either before or after Rome.

Should we stop in Milan if we take the train? Or should Florence / Venice be "must haves" on our Italy trip?

Sept 1 - travel from Zurich to: Milan / Monorosso / Rome (?) by train (?)
Sept 2 -
Sept 3 -
Sept 4 -
Sept 5 -
Sept 6 - travel back to Zurich
Sept 7 - flight departs from Zurich at 10am

Well - why are you flying in and out or Zurich when you want to go to Italy? At a minimum - if you want to see Zurich (which is really a business city and the last place in Switz I wuold go - instead head for the Berner Oberland to see the Alps, gorgeous lakes and cute villages).

If possible fly into Zurich and out of Rome (should not cost any more unless you are getting free tickets) to avoid wasting time backtracking. If you already have tickets check out the cost for changing - might not be more than to get back to Zurich - if you include the hotel night there.

And before we know your "must dos" you have to tell us your interests.

As for the CT - it will be mobbed and many of the easier hiking trails are closed - so are you prepared for the more difficult hikes (if you check the local info it says you need proper hiking equipment and should be experienced hikers).

We do have free tickets through my work, so cannot change the fact that we have to travel in and out of Zurich. We already have a rough plan for Switzerland, but are open to recommendations on day trips from Zurich.
We are both experienced hikers but more worried about having enough time to make all of the hikes if also trying to fit in Rome either before or after.

It's really not enough time to see both Rome and the Cinque Terre. You don't actually have six days; you have four days in Italy and two travel days. I myself would spend the entire time in Rome. It's true that the Cinque Terre will be absolutely sinking under the weight of the tourists at that time of year. There's no point in going there if you don't spend two nights, because otherwise you wouldn't have time to do any hiking.That would mean spending the nights of the 4th and the 5th in the Cinque Terre.

I would head straight to Rome on the 1st; it takes about 7 1/2 hours by train, so you might want to fly, although the train trip through the Alps is spectacular. You can save money on the train fares by buying in advance IMMEDIATELY.

From Zurich to Milan:

http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

From Milan to Rome:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD

You have to use the Italian city names, Milano e Roma.

If you decide to fly, this site is good for budget airlines:

www.skyscanner.net

This would give you only two full days in Rome, which is really too little. I only hope you don't want to see the most popular tourist sites, because they will all be teeming with tourists, and you'll miss entirely the magic of Rome.

>>>We already have a rough plan for Switzerland, but are open to recommendations on day trips from Zurich.<<<

If you are not in Zurich for business, then I wouldn't stay there even if the flights are in and out of there.

I would look at budget flights from Zurich to Rome as it's just too much train travel. Zurich/Milan is 4 hours and Milan/Rome is at least another 3 hours (if you get the fastest train and that is not counting connection time).

Another site to look at budget airlines is whichbudget.com.

Rapperswil, a small lakeside town, is just 30 minutes by train from Zurich. Has castle, deer park, cappuchin monastery, rose gardens. Nice cobblestone town square and outdoor cafes on its small marina. If you can't STAY there, at least worth a daytrip (take the boat from Zurich one or both ways).
Einsiedeln (Black Madonna fame) or Zug (famous cherry torte), lakeside are other worthy daytrips. Lucerne is just one hour from Zurich-spectacular hikes on Mt. Rigi or Pilatus.

Forget Zurich---see Luzern--an hour away.

I would either follow kybourbon's suggestion of flying between Zurich and Rome -or- I would stay the entire week in Switzerland.

Here's what I would recommend:
Sept 1 - travel from Zurich to Monorosso by train (Zurich to Milan -4.5 hr, Milan to Monorosso 3 hrs)You wouldn't have time to stop in Milan, which IMO pales in comparison to Rome anyways.
Sept 2 - Cinque Terre
Sept 3 - Cinque Terre in the morning, then train to Rome late in the afternoon.
Sept 4 - Full day in Rome
Sept 5 - Full day in Rome
Sept 6 - fly back to zurich late in the afternoon and spend the night at zurich airport hotel
Sept 7 - flight departs from Zurich at 10am
Be sure to get a Roma pass. It allowed us to skip the line at some popular tourist attractions.

Thank you all so much for the advice! I booked a flight from Zurich to Rome on Sept. 1st on eDreams.com for $180, so we will have 3 full days in Rome and then can decide what to do while working our way back up towards Zurich.

Revised itinerary:

Aug 28 - work day in Switzerland
Aug 29 - work day in Switzerland
Aug 30 - Lucern day trip (Zurich hotel paid for by my company)
Aug 31 - day trip to Rapperswil (?) (Zurich hotel paid for by my company)
Sept 1 - 7am flight from Zurich to Rome, full day in Rome
Sept 2 - Rome - Vatican City (?)
Sept 3 - Rome - Ancient Rome (?)
Sept 4 - Florence or Cinque Terre (?)
Sept 5 - Florence or Cinque Terre (?)
Sept 6 - train from Florence / Monorosso / Milan to Zurich
Sept 7 - flight departs from Zurich at 10am

We're still deciding between Cinque Terre and Florence after Rome, or to try to squeeze in both cities - any input appreciated!

Florence rocks! If you have not been there do it - the Cinque Terre will still be a mob scene at that time of year.

For discounted train tickets check www.trenitalia.com and www.italotren.com - booking weeks early can nab one of the limited in number discounted tickets on trains that do sell out often weeks in advance.

Changes and refunds have restrictions so be sure of your dates and times - for lots of neat info on trains in Italy and Switzerland check these fine IMO sites: www.seat61.com - great info on discounted train tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Raileurope in the U.S. (www.raileurope.com) now can be as cheap or even cheaper than trenitalia.com - so check that one too for discounted tickets.

>>>Sept 1 - 7am flight from Zurich to Rome, full day in Rome <<<

I would not count this as a day in Rome. You will have to get up in the middle of the night to make this flight. If you booked with a budget airline, they are very strict about check in times. Depending on where your hotel is in Zurich, you might have to leave for the airport quite early. I hope you booked a non-stop flight. Assuming your flight arrives Rome FCO, it will take about an hour to train into Rome.

I would keep an eye on the strike listings for Sept. 6. They usually post them several weeks in advance.

PQ gave you a bad train link. The link he meant to give for Italo is at .it link, not .com. Italo does not use the main train station (Termini) in Rome so if you book with them, the station Italo uses (Tiburtina)is a bit further out.

http://www.italotreno.it/en/Pages/default.aspx

If you need rooms for Rome (you are late booking), post a budget and we can make suggestions. You will want to stay very central with such a short amount of time. I think by now, you will find much of the CT already booked as those towns are small.

the main train station (Termini) in Rome so if you book with them, the station Italo uses (Tiburtina)is a bit further out.>

It is however, Tiburtina station, much MUCH easily managed than Termini with its zillions of trains coming and going - Tiburtina is so realxed and easy to get taxis right out front - no mobs to elbow thru to get out like at Termini often

And from many hotels Tiburtina may even be closer than Termini - there is no minus to Tiburtina's location for most - the metro serves it - I would prefer to use Tiburtina and fares tend to be cheaper than trenitalia.com. Take whatever one is cheaper but there is no detriment but only a plus IME usinga more relaxed Tiburtina station. Trains also get there from the north quicker than to Termini as trains to Termini often stop first at Tiburtina before making a big loop into dead-end Termini. so all in all a taxi to your hotel can be much quicker from Tiburtina.

I second the suggestion to visit Florence instead of Cinque Terre. It's a beautiful city and really should not be missed.

Lucern is also wonderful! It sounds like you're working out a nice itinerary. You might want to look into a budget flight from Florence to Zurich.

PQ gave you a bad train link. The link he meant to give for Italo is at .it link, not .com.
not at all -

www.italotren.com is indeed the official site of Italo Tren but it is only in Italian - check out the links next time before calling them erroneously a 'bad' link.

On that site they use www.italotren.com

It is exciting to see that you are narrowing down your itinerary. No idea about Rapperswil, but I highly recommend Bern. It's the capital city of Switzerland and a beautiful medieval town dotted with clock towers, only an hour away from Zurich. My favourite Swiss city out of the few I have visited. Ha! Hope this doesn't confuse you even more .

It depends on how much time you want to spend in Lucern. If you want to take the boat cruise to Weggis and cable car up to Mount Rigi and back (included in Swiss pass), this can take the whole day. If you are only checking out the famous bridge at the old town, a couple hours will do. Then, you can take the train to Bern and see the clock towers. You can google the pictures and decide.

PQ - I did click your link before I posted and it's not the official website. This is what you get when someone clicks your link and the links listed on that site are not Italo.
http://ww38.italotren.com/

This is the official site links in Italian or English. Both are .it, not .com.

http://www.italotreno.it/IT/Pagine/default.aspx

http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx

This looks like another "dry martini" tour where the barman quickly waves the vermouth bottle over the glass of gin. In other words, that is too much turf in too short a time. Look carefully at your logistics, i.e., transport schedules and terminal locations. Two days in Rome? Mon Dieu! If you want to see Rome park yourself there for the time you have. Do the other places on your next trip. When flying from Zurich to Rome get a seat on starboard. You might be able to see Mont Blanc above the clouds. That is one huge ice cube. For an illustrated introduction to trains see http://tinyurl.com/eym5b.

Everyone has different travel style. I did Rome in two and a half days because that's the weekend time I have when I studied aboard in Europe. I did Ancient Rome in one day, Vatican on the other day. The last half day I was there, I revisited some sites that I saw before (since major museums are closed that day.) Rome is very spectacular and I really enjoyed my entire time I was there. Overall, I feel that I have seen enough to not go back for a long time. The friend I went with feel the same. However, I also have another friend who said she wanted to see more even after spending a week in Rome.

I know that I generally get bored after three days in the same city, unless I day trip somewhere else. You would know yourself better. A lot of it depends on how much you are interested in Roman history.

katyeii is I think an average traveler and that's what many average travelers do - get tired of some city after three days or so and want to move on. Fordorgarchs however are often veteran travelers who forget what they did as younger first-time travelers when they did the same but now often say 'you gotta spend a week in each place like Rome, Paris, London, etc to do it justice.

Yes as the French saying goes 'Chacun a son gout' (paraphrase) each to their own taste - neither is right or wrong - two full days in Rome can indeed show you the main sights, clustered together in Rome's rather compact city center.