lbaz95

Hello,

My husband and I are going to Europe for 3 weeks in June for our 25th wedding anniversary. We have been to Italy many times. We fly into Rome. We are going immediately to Naples and the Amalfi Coast for the first time. We are then going to revisit the Italian Lake District. (We are obviously going to fly from Naples to Milan to get up to the Lake District.) We are then going to try to cover the high points in Switzerland (i.e., perhaps Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne, and Zurich). Is it worth it to go to Lyon, France? We are going to be flying out of London back to the US.

Where else would people recommend going? We have already covered the French and Italian Rivieras, Belgium, Amsterdaam, Munich, and Paris. We have not seen anywhere in France, Germany, or England other than Paris, Munich, and London. We have also been to Austria. We are willing to fly to another location. We really prefer to PACK IT IN, to use my husband's words, and to go to more places, rather than fewer, even if we miss things because that way we go back again to the places we really like (as we are going back to the Italian Lake District).

Things we like to do: Shop for home decor items and art; visit art galleries, eat; see scenery; see how the locals live. Places that we have really liked obviously include the Lake District; Italian Riviera; St. Paul de Vence and Eze in French Riviera; Venice and Florence, London, etc. We like to go see the major sites (the Colosseum; the Louvre; la Sagrada Famila; Pompeii; the chocolate museum in Barcelona; the Holocaust site near Munich, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel), but we do not want to go to every single more minor site. We like taking sightseeing trips, participating in chocolate making or other food making classes.

Give me your suggestions: Where should we go before we head to London?

Thanks so much.

kja

I'm pretty sure our ideas of "packing it in" are pretty different, but FWIW, I felt hard pressed to see what I wanted to see in Naples and the Amalfi Coast in just 10 days. Get a decent guidebook to make sure you know your options.

I spent a month in Switzerland, and while I enjoyed the cities you mention, I'm surprised that you are considering ONLY that country's cities.

You have a ton of options. Please go to a library or bookstore to consult some guidebooks, or browse trip reports here on Fodors.

For starters, here are the reports on my month in southern France (including Lyon) and Switzerland.
A stellar month in southeastern France
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...thanks-983126/

Good luck!

SusanP

I agree, it's difficult to give suggestions when there are so many choices, and it seems that you already have enough stops to fill the time you have. Are you spending any time in London? You will need to be there at least the day before you fly out.

KayF

You've got 3 weeks but already have 3 countries - Italy, Switzerland and the UK. I'm guessing you'll spend some time in London or elsewhere in the UK? If it was me, I'd spend more time in one of those countries rather than adding another one. Even doing that, you won't see much at all. You'll lose a day or so from jetlag on arrival and each time you move on, you lose most of a day even if the journey is relatively short. You could spend months in London alone, we had five weeks once in Italy and only saw part of the country. With roughly a week (?) in Switzerland would you have a day in each of your five cities? That seems crazy, why not pick one or two places and see some of the incredible scenery there. Lucerne and Montreux are both beautiful.

Also you mention you haven't seen anything of France other than Paris but then say you've seen the French Riviera. Maybe a typo?

Kay

dfrostnh

I flew into Naples last September for 10 days on the Amalfi coast. Then took the train to Rome. Are you planning on taking train from Rome to Naples? Sorry you aren't going to spend time in Rome. I very much enjoyed a cooking class with InRome Cooking. During our 10 days on the Amalfi coast we visited a water buffalo farm near the ruins in Paestum. The farm also had a wonderful restaurant where we had lunch.

bvlenci

I myself wouldn't fly from Naples to Milan. There are direct fast trains from Naples to Milan, that leave you right in the center of the city. The train takes 4 1/2 hours, and the flight takes only 1 1/2. But you have to be at the airport 1 1/2 hours before departure, and two of the three airports that serve Milan are more than an hour away from the center.

The time may work out to be about the same, but the train is spacious and comfortable, and the hassle factor is far, far less.

dreamon

I too would take the train from Naples north. Possibly faster when you take into account all the extra time over and above the flight itself and much more relaxing. And I agree that your itinerary sounds hectic to the point of not being enjoyable. If you haven't booked flights already (or they are changeable) then I wouldn't fly back from London. Swiss cities are fine but the best of Switzerland is it's countryside. If I were to want to visit only cities, I wouldn't choose Switzerland. If you must stop enroute between Switzerland and London, I'd choose to take the train or ferry across to London, maybe stopping somewhere like Dijon.

StCirq

Another vote for the train. I won't comment on the itinerary, because it is the exact opposite of the way I travel, except to wonder how you manage to "see how the locals live" and "see scenery" on such trips.

isabel

One more vote for the train.

For the "Amalfi Coast" in addition to Positano/Amalfi/Ravello there are several other smaller towns you can visit, and lots of hikes between them. In addition to Capri you can do Ischia and Procida. In addition to Pompeii you can do Herculaneum. Then there's Salerno and Pasteum. And of course Naples and Sorrento deserve some time. So I would plan at least 10 days in the region probably with more than one base. I would plan at least 10 days even if you do like to 'pack it in'.

Then you say the "Lake District" but don't say which lake. There are several and it would take 3 weeks just to visit all of them. I assume you were only planning on one or two but even that you could easily use another week. Any time in Milan itself? I didn't visit it till I'd already been to Italy numerous times but it really is an interesting city. Plus there are other places in the region (can be done by day trip from Milan if you want) such as Bergamo and Pavia. There's lots of others but those are my two favorite towns in the region. Off the beaten bath a bit from the other places you are going. Lake Lugano is another place half in Switzerland.

And you won't have time for all those places in Switzerland even if you give it a full week. Of the cities you mentioned I found Geneva and Lausanne the least interesting. I love Bern and Lucerne but they are very touristy. But what about the mountains?

I also use London as a stopover on the way to/from other places in Europe and usually give it at least three nights (even though I've been there more than a dozen times) and usually do some day trips.

I travel 'faster' (pack it in more) than some of the people who have already responded to you and I could not do all that I just outlined in 3 weeks. I do understand your theory about visiting places somewhat briefly and then planning return trips if you like them, I do that kind of travel myself. But the three areas you identified (AC, Lakes, Switzerland) have SO much in and around them that I don't think you'll be bored.

neckervd

Which places do you plan to visit along the lakes north of Milan?
As you plan to visit cities only, the easiest itinerary might be:
Train: Salerno dp 13.22 - Lugano ar 21.00 (change at Milano). Spend a few nights at Lugano, in the middle of the 3 big lakes and continue then to Lucerne - Interlaken - Golden Pass train - Montreux - Geneva - Lyon. Stay a few days at each place. Go then by direct train from Lyon to Lille, the charming Flemish city where General de Gaulle comes from (3 hrs journey) and finally from Lille to London (1 1/2 hrs journey)..
Some legs around Lucerne, Interlaken and Montreux - Lausanne - Geneva can also be done by boat.

lrice

After the Lake District you could fly from Milan to Geneva and spend your second week between Chamonix, Annecy, Colmar and Strasbourg. Then head to London and spend your third week there (Bath, Oxford).

Have you been to Edinburgh? We absolutely loved it!

bvlenci

When I've gone to Switzerland from Milan, I've taken the train, because it's a beautiful trip through the mountains. I've only gone as far as Lucerne by train, but it's worth spending some time there also. There are some nice day trips, and the city itself, on beautiful Lake Lucerne, makes a nice base.

neckervd

"After the Lake District you could fly from Milan to Geneva"

The train ride from Lake Maggiore (Stresa) to Geneva takes just 3 hrs.
Count at least 4 hrs for a train or bus ride from Lake Maggiore to Malpensa airport, check in and security check, flight to Geneva, baggage claim and Geneva city transport

neckervd

BTW: The OP never came back since more than 2 weeks

lbaz95

Hi. I'm still here, and I'm reading all of your information. I do very much appreciate them. We had a family situation that had to be addressed, so I haven't had a lot of time for me to come on the forums to say thank you.

kja

While many of us appreciate acknowledgements that you are paying attention, don't worry -- responses are not required.

Best wishes for you and your family!