Morcote is a lovely spot!

Well, here I am again. I've got to quit posting so late at night. I think I may be more visible to everyone during the day time! Anyway, jw: Do you really think this is too much?? There are lots of 2 and 3 day stops. I have done those escorted bus tours before, and tho they are mostly 1 and 2 night stops, they keep you on the go. You do see a lot, but not very thoroughly. I think the CT and Venice will be ok for us in 2 nights as we've been before, but how about the lakes? I'm trying to use my treadmill daily, but will that and your advice be enough???? I keep trying to remember our friends have not been before. Bob the Nav: We were thinking of Levanto in the CT. We stayed there once before. Other suggestions? We are still working on Tuscany. We'd like to find a farm that will allow less than a week and not too far south so that our drive to Venice will not be too long. We'd like to see Montepulciano and Montelcino tho.Do you have any great suggestions? What is your opinion as to what we are packing in? Thanks. TT

Traveler, I envy either of your two itineraries. It seems to me that you have a gorgeous selection. As I mentioned, most of my trips have been via the trains, but one of the two driving-through-Europe-trips I took quite a few years ago worked out just fine, and we hopped about quite a bit (in fact, it was mostly two-nighters). As I get older, I grow more and more fond of staying in one place 3 - 5 nights and savoring the neighborhood. But, hey, your plans are a winner, especially because--as you said--a couple of your friends have never been to those magnificent places before. So maybe you should throw caution to the winds, keep Venice in, and savor every moment. (By the way, I assume your four includes a couple of skillful and fearless drivers?) And one more question: Can you tell me something about Hohenfurch? The name doesn't ring a bell, and I'm interested. You might want to make your last day on the road an easy one, because you could be just a wee bit tired by then. Keep in touch. J. (I'm back to school tomorrow, so you'll be exempt from my input until next weekend.)

Hello Traveler, Levanto is OK but since you have been there before I would suggest going down to Portovenere. Good access by boat to the CT and a great destination unto itself. Search and find Grand Hotel Portovenere or Albergo Paradiso. For Tuscany, if you want to see south Tuscany then search and find the Hotel Posta Marcucci in Bagno Vignoni. A 3 star spa hotel in a great location for that area. It will take you about 5 hours to Venice from there.<BR>Hard to go wrong with this itinerary. Pray for good weather-all the difference

I think this itinerary is finally falling together thanks to the great advice this site has offered! JW-hope you get this. If not, I'll try later in the week. You mentioned the need for skillful drivers. A couple of us have driven through Italy before. Can Switz be much worse? What is it like driving thru those mountains? I got the info on Hohenfurch from Wes on this site. I don't have my map out, but it is 45 minutes south and west of Munich. He suggested what sounds like a wonderful hotel there...$50 per night including breakfast and no English spoken. It appears to be a great location for the Bavarian sights. He emailed me some great info on the area. Bob the Nav: Can you tell me how far you think Portovenere is from the La Spezia area? I have relatives about 30 min from La Spezia. Would it be more inconvenient? Does the train run from there to the Cinque Terre? Do you know of any farms in the Tuscan area you mention? About how long a drive is Bagno Vignoni from the CT area? I can plug this stuff into the Michelin site. Thanks.TT

Traveler, Portovenere is 7 miles from La Spezia on the tip of land at the entrance to the gulf of La Spezia. It has no train, but it is the gateway to the CT by boat--the best way to see the coast. The boat stops at 4 of the villages and runs all day.<BR>There are dozens of farm places in the south Tuscany area, but many require a weekly rental. That is another story.

Traveler,<BR>You mentioned looking at a website that was in Italian. You can go to http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn<BR>key in the URL and it will translate. Not great, but you can usually understand it.

Hi Traveler!<BR><BR>Your itinerary seems to be great. A few words about Swiss mountain roads: Driving in Switz is much more easier than in Italy. I'd recommend to take the pass routes from Bernese Oberland to the Lakes - Susten (2224 m)and Gotthard (2108 m). I did it myself and it was great. The roads are perfect.<BR><BR>After you've seen the Bernese Oberland you could be some disappointed about the Salzburg area and Bavaria concerning the countryside. To my mind the Grossglockner road for example is not worth to pay a charge of 25 $.<BR><BR>

Hello Traveler, Thanks for your reply. Plans sound better and better. I look forward to checking in each Saturday to see how you are progressing. J.

Hi All! Oops, I think I got carried away again and this will appear twice--sorry! Our itinerary is shaping up-<BR>BO 3 nights<BR>Lake area 2 nights<BR>Portovenere 2 nights<BR>Tuscany 3 nights<BR>Venice 2 nights<BR>Mondsee 3 nights<BR>Hohenfurch 2 nights<BR>Dielsdorf 1 night<BR>We are going to meet and fine tune some more, but in the meantime, do any of you have suggestions for things we should not miss in the BO for 2 1/2 days. We will arrive in Zurich just before noon on Thursday and depart sometime on Sunday. We will be staying in Gindelwald. We were thinking of the Schlithorn and some hiking--other suggestions? We will, then, travel to the lake area and are thinking of staying at Bob the Nav's suggestion of Stella d'Italia. Will will drive there on Sunday and depart on Tuesday. I know the time is short, but what sightseeing would you suggest? Thanks alot. I will be back in touch as we work through this. The Traveler

On Friday some hiking should be good. Take the gondola from Grindelwald Grund to Maennlichen, hike to Maennlichen (15 min), enjoy the splendid view. Then hike via gondola station to Kleine Scheidegg (1.5 h). There you have to decide if you maybe go up by train to the Jungfraujoch, or hike down to Grindelwald (3 h). Or you can hike down to Wengen (2 h) and take the train back to Grindelwald.<BR><BR>Saturday you can do a hiking tour, too, or you do an excursion to Thun. Hiking: Gondola to First, hiking via Lake Bachalpsee to the Faulhorn mountain and down to Bussalp. Back to Grindelwald by bus. If you did not go to the Jungfraujoch, you can take the train to Lauterbrunnen (change in Zweiluetschinen), funicular to Gruetschalp, train to Muerren. Take the cable car to the Schilthorn mountain and back to Muerren. If there is enough time, hike down to Stechelberg, go by bus to Lauterbrunnen and by train back to Grindelwald.<BR>Excursion: train to Interlaken, boat to Thun (look at the castles on the shore of Lake Thun!). Shopping in Thun (nice old town) and visit the castle on the hill in the centre of the town. Back to Grindelwald by train. Or you go by train to Bern, the capital of Switzerland and UNESCO world heritage of mankind. Wonderful old city, good shopping, sightseeing. Perfect for a rainy day, too.<BR><BR>Ingo<BR>

Hey, Ingo have you been peeking at my journals? Good suggestions. It reads like a "what we've done" for my stays in Grindelwald.

Much better itinerary !<BR>One last suggestion--consider staying on the Wolfgangsee rather than Mondsee. It is very close but nicer and more to do and see. I like St. Gilgen best, and it has train and bus service into Salzburg. Your trip looks great !

Bob the Nav and Other Experts, We are now attempting to firm up accomodations for this itinerary. You suggested Stella d'Italia as an option in the Lake area, Bob. Do you this is the best spot for our 2 day stay in the area? As you know, we will be traveling from Grindelwald. I have been to Lugano a couple of times, so we will probably venture on to other things. Is there another hotel/B&B that you would suggest, or is this one the best? Also, please give me some suggestions of what we might do---travel by boat around Lake Como? What do you think of Varenna? Moving on to Tuscany...We will travel there from Portovenere and after 3 nights will move on to Venice. We are looking for a rather central location. I know BobTN suggested something south. I am interested in seeing more of the southern area as saw San G, Volterra before, but I don't want to be too far off the track from Venice, and we may want to go in to Florence. Suggestions, please. Thank you all. The Trav

Hi Traveler, I'm mostly sending this back to the top for you, but I'd like to second Ingo's recommendations of Thun and Bern. If you spend an afternoon on one of the lakeboats, there's also a lovely small castel at Oberhofen. Or, if you are interested in the variety of Swiss domestic architecture, there's the Ballenberg outdoor museum near the east end of Brienzersee. Brienz is a dandy little town if you can be there early or late after the tour buses. p.s. promise me that you'll touch base with us again after your trip. I'm especially interested to learn how Dielsdorf worked out (did you check out the Loewen?) as a last-nighter and if Regensberg is worth a wander). J.

Hi! Thanks for the addl comments, jw. If we stay in Grindelwald, how does one day to the Schlithorn and one day to Thun sound? Perhaps we can spend some time around Grindelwald on the afternoon of our arrival? Yes, we have been in touch with the Loewen. I emailed them prior to Christmas and just need to confirm it. We will be doing all of that in the next couple of weeks.<BR>I still need advice on the Lake area. What is the best bet accomodation wise considering traveling from Grindelwald and then on to Protovenere? Is Stella d'Italia best?<BR>Also would like central Tuscany accomdation suggestions. Will a stay in Montepulciano area put us too far distance wise from Portovenere and Venice/ We are squeezing lots into these days. Thanks. The Traveler

Hello!<BR><BR>if you have only two nights in the Lake area, you should not choose the hotel Stella d'Italia in San Mamete. It is in my opinion not central enough located.<BR><BR>Of course it depends on your budget, but I would prefer a hotel closer to Lugano.<BR><BR>Hotel Elvezia al Lago, Lugano-Castagnola<BR>Fischer's Seehotel, Lugano-Castagnola<BR>both right on the lake, quiet, bus and boat stop nearby.<BR><BR>Ingo

Hi Ingo! Thanks for the input. As I mentioned, I have been in Lugano a couple of times. Would you still choose something closer to it for accomodations? We are driving from Grindewald and will have two nights. What highlights do you suggest we see, and do you still feel the Lugano location is best? We are ready to make reservations, so your help will be greatly appreciated!

Bob The Nav and others: Bob--you mentioned the St. Gilgen area near Salzburg. Do you or others have accomodation suggestions in that area? Thanks. The Trav

<BR>Hi,<BR><BR>One day Schilthorn and one day Thun sounds great. I am sure you will have enough time to spend some time in the afternoon walking around Grindelwald. You should leave G. not later than 11 am on Sunday. I former recommended to drive via Susten and Gotthard passes, but on a Sunday you should drive via Grimsel and Nufenen passes (less traffic). By the way, the scenery is really fantastic. Have lunch on the Grimsel pass.<BR><BR>Well, if you have been a couple of time to Lugano, I change my recommendation although there are still many things to explore around Lugano: What about the Swiss part of Lago Maggiore, Locarno and Ascona? Have you ever been THERE? I stayed there a few times and enjoyed it really. To be able to recommend some hotels you should give me an idea of price range.<BR><BR>I will give you advice on the sights when you decided where to go, o. k.?<BR><BR>Ingo<BR>