Kisaroo

Would really love some help from all of you experienced travellers out there. My husband and I are arriving in Zurich the morning of September 25th. We've had a few suggestions but would like your input. Here's my rough draft of what I've put together. We are totally open to moving things around, other than the end of our trip will be spent with family in a villa in a vineyard around the Siena, Italy area.

Day 1 - Morning arrival in Zurich. Travel to Liechtenstein by car/train (?) and tour the castle and have lunch. Then travel to St. Moritz or Davos to stay for the evening.

Day 2 - Catch the Glacier Express to Zermatt. Spend the evening in Zermatt. Need hotel suggestions with views of the Matterhorn. What else should we see or do here?

Day 3 - Travel to Monaco? I know it is quite a distance from Zermatt. How long and how would you suggest we get there? Any places to stop and stay over along the way? Is Lake Como doable?

Day 4 - Monaco...recommendations for hotels and things to see and do. Of course we will visit the casino. Is there a dress code?

Day 5 and 6 - Travel the French and Italian Riviera toward Rome. Need suggestions for stops, things to see and do and where to stay.

Day 7 and 8 - Rome. We have reservations at the Hotel del Sanato. Anyone know if this hotel is good? I've been to Rome before so I can handle the what to see and do here.

Day 8 - Travel to the Amalfi Coast and arrive in Sorrento. I was looking at the Hotel Antiche Mura...any thoughts? From here we will visit Pompeii, Isle of Capri and Positano.

Day 9 - Still in Sorrento.

Day 10 - Travel to Siena by car. Any stops or things to do or see?

Days 10-15 will be spent in the Siena area. I've been to Florence for a day, but would welcome many more suggestions of day trips from Siena including Florence and any villages or festivals that may be occuring.

We're not "touristy" people and love to explore things off the beaten path, unless it is a "must see".

Thank you so much for taking time to help us if you can!

swandav2000

Hi Kisaroo,

Your first few days sound awfully hectic. Are you coming from the US or another non-European origin? If so, you may be underestimating your recuperative powers. Coming off an overnight flight and then taking on two long-distance train rides sounds like a disaster to me. Your train ride on day 2 is 7h40, and then the trip to Monaco is 8-10 hours by train.

Are you locked into flying into Zurich? If so, I would go to St Moritz and then do the Bernina Express over to Poschiavo and to Tirano and leave Zermatt for another trip.

s

Kisaroo

We have our flight into Zurich from stateside. Although I think it could be changed as we are using frequent flyer miles. After speaking with my husband we are not dead set on visiting Liechtenstein or Monaco, just want to get the most of our time in the Switzerland area before heading to Italy.

touristblob

slow down you are moving too fast ,you will spend too much time traveling. try to cut out monaco and lake como its just too rushed and spend the time in rome and the amalfi coast[better than monaco] .its a big trip back to siena in one day with stops whereas the train is quick and easy and you will arrive fresh.try all the hill towns in tuscany just wander and discover whats around the corner.

Kisaroo

My husband is not a big history buff, so we will only be spending a short time in Rome (2 days max). The Amalfi Coast I have already set 2 1/2 days aside for and thereafter we are in Siena (Any day trip ideas?). I would love to get suggestions on our itinerary before we get to Rome. My husband definitely wants to see the Matterhorn and stay in a hotel with the same view. Other than that we are open to suggestions for where we go from Zurich. Thanks!

swandav2000

Hi kisaroo,

Well -- if you have to see the Matterhorn enroute from Zurich to the Riviera, I have no good alternatives! Is there any way you could convince your husband that sandwiching a single night between seven- and ten-hour train rides isn't the best way to see it? That he might enjoy it more (and remember it more clearly) if he spent time in the village, walked trails on the mountain, or took a ride up to the Gornergrat?

Hope someone has a good idea --

s

Intrepid1

Getting to Liechtenstein by rail: be aware that rail service into Liechtenstein is somewhat limited (but doable). From Zurich you can almost count on a change of trains in Buchs and then taking a local which makes a stop at Schaan-Vaduz. The trip from Zurich can be made in a couple of hours.
I think you really need to evaluate whether or not this stop-off is worth the effort.

I agree that you are trying to cover a lot of territory but if seeing the Matterhorn is an absolute priority (no argument there) then you'll have to go to Zermatt to do so. Lots of hotels there have a view of the peak but be aware that seeing the summit is not guaranteed since it all depends on the weather conditions. It can be obscured once you get to higher elevations.

Many folks go to Zermatt and take either the 45-minute Gornergrat railway trip up from the village or the aerial tramway to Kleine Matterhorn. Both offer spectacular views of some of the highest peaks in the Alps. The rail trip up to Zermatt from Brig is also scenic.

I've taken the Glacier Express three times and always enjoy it but for what you want to do I'd skip that this trip.

One possibility would be to arrive in Zurich and train to Zermatt..you'll be tired when you get there, if not before. Stay in Zermatt two nights and then leave by rail for Italy. I would save Lake Como for another trip and go straight to Rome, then the AC. Backtracking to Siena wouldn;t be worth it for me...there would be plenty to see and do in the places just mentioned.

Good luck.

Kisaroo

Thank you for your replies. I think at this time we've decided to nix the idea of Liechtenstein altogether.

So now that we are heading to Zermatt straight from Zurich, I know you recommended travelling by train, but are there any places you would recommend as a stay over on the way? Why skip the Glacier Express?

You've recommended several options for exploring the Matterhorn. Is any one better than the other? Are there specific hotels in Zermatt you would recommend?

Now that we've cut out a bit of travel time from the initial part of our trip, would you think we'd still have time to spend some time in Monaco before heading down the Riviera to Rome? We have 7 days before arriving in Rome.

swandav2000

Hi Again --

Why skip the Glacier Express?

Travel time from Zurich airport to St Moritz is 3h45, then travel time from St Moritz to Zermatt (on Glacier Express) is 7h40, for a total of 11h25.

Travel time from Zurich airport to Zermatt is 4h45.

Spend your time IN Zermatt, not getting there --

s

Michael

I had the impression that the castle in Lichtenstein could not be visited. At any rate, the best or maybe the bulk of its fine arts collection is now in the Lichtenstein Palace in Vienna.

taxatty

I highly recommend the Schweizerhof Zermatt Hotel--an excellent hotel a short walk from the train station--some rooms face the Matterhorn. If you want a stop in between Zurich and Zermatt--Bern (a little over an hour away) would be a good choice--a good 1/2 day wandering around would show you its high points.

simpsonc510

Another possibility for a stop over on the way to Zermatt would be Lucerne. I can recommend the Grand National Hotel which is right along the lake side and a gorgeous grand old (though expensive) hotel. Have stayed there numerous times. Get lake side w/balcony!
Try dining at La Fenice in the old city, a short walk from Grand National. Great Italian food and nice ambience.

Cicerone

I live in Zurich. Given the places you want to see, if you can change your flight, I would fly into Geneva rather than Zurich. You can spend 2 days or so in the Vevey/Lausane end of Lake Geneva, which is so beautiful, and you can see the Chillon Castle which is quite interesting and fun. You can then take a train from Lausanne to Zermatt in 3 hours, with one change required. (From Zurich, the trip to Zermatt is at least 4 hours and some trains require several changes.)

From Zermatt, I would take the night train to Rome and spend a few days in Rome. (Some changes, but not late a night, last change is at 11:30 pm, train then arrives into Rome at 7:30 am). You can then train or drive down to Naples, and from there, head up to Sienna. I personally would take the train everywhere except in Siena. You do not need a car on the Amalfi coast, as you can take ferries or the bueses everywhere. You might consdier hiring a car and driver to meet you in Naples, take you to Pompeii for a few hours, then continue down the coast to your hotel, from then on use ferries or the buses. I personally would stay in Postino, Priano, Ravello or Amalfi rather than Sorrento. After seeing the coast, I would take the train from Naples to Florence, rent a car in Florence and go to Sienna, then return the car in Florence. Don’t know where your departing flight is from, but you could fly from Florence to Rome or Milan and then connect to your US flight. If your flight is out of Geneva or Zurich, you can take a train to Zurich in about 6 hours, or you can fly, although you may need to connect through Milan to get to Switzerland.

I was just in Zermatt this weekend, and have been several times, mostly in ski season. Don’t know your budget, but two hotels I would recco are :

Rifflealp 2222m (go to www.zermatt.ch/riffelalp or http://www.seilerhotels.ch)
Riffleberg (www.matterhorn-group.ch.
Romantik Hotel Julen (go to www.zermatt.ch/julen)

The Rifflealp and Riffleberg are great if you want to spend all your time IN the mountains, as it is not in town but is up on the Gornegrat, you need to take the little train up the hill, the price is bout US$30 each way without any discount card (the Rifflealp hotel includes your arrival trip up and down as part of the room price). Stunning Matterhorn views from both. The Riffllealp is 5 star, lovely luxury hotel, great food and great walks from there. The Riffleberg is a 3 star, I have only seen the restaurant (which is good), but I sure it would be fine. If you want to be in town, then the Julen is the better choice. We stayed in one of their top-floor junior suites (Room 404) with two balconies which each had great Matterhorn views, but their double rooms looked nice as well if a bit smaller. They have a nice spa/wellness area with indoor pool (as does the Rifflealp) and a good restaurant. The Rifflealp and Julen have a copious and good breakfast buffet included in the room rate.

Other luxury hotels to consider in town are the
Hotel Monta Rosa (go to http://www.seilerhotels.ch) or
Mount Cervin (go to http://www.seilerhotels.ch)

I would skip the Glacier Express as I did it earlier this year and did not find it all that interesting, esp compared to the Bernina Express which is really interesting, but given your itinerary not really feasible for getting to the Italian part of your trip.

I also would skip Monaco and spend more time in the Almafi coast area, 2 days does not really do it justice. With 9 nights days before Siena, if thsi were my trip, I would

Arrive in Geneva, train to Vevey/Lausanne (1 hour), 2-3 nights in area
Train to Zermatt in morning, 1 night in Zermatt (2 full days)
Night train to Rome, 2-3 nights Rome
Train to Naples, 2-3 nights in Amalfi area
Train to Florence, get car and go to Siena


If you want hotel reccos in the Vevey/Lausanne area, write back with your budget.