countiz

Hello friends!

My wife and I are traveling from Orlando to Milan in early August. We were thinking of trying to see Northern Italy, Switzerland, and France, but realize this may be too much. So, we are now looking at just Italy and Switzerland. Some places we would like to see in Switzerland:

• Zermatt
• Lauterbrunnen
• Grindewald
• Lucerne

Are all of these too similar or is there enough variety? Is it worth it to add Interlaken or is it more of the same?

As far as Italy goes, we are starting in Milan because that's the best flight option with my FF miles. We'd like to see the countryside of Italy and are hesitant to visit the major tourist centers like Rome. Do you have suggestions for locations in Italy that might be more off the beaten path?

We just started planning, which is why we are so undecided, but have just a few weeks before we leave. Appreciate the advice of the experienced.

Thanks kindly to all!

Melnq8

No, they're not too similar. They're all beautiful in their own right.

I would absolutely not add Interlaken. It's a rather charmless busy small city. Interlaken is situated between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, but there is no reason to stay in Interlaken to visit the lakes.

Grindelwald wouldn't be my personal choice, but it's beautiful. It will probably be crazy busy in August, but so it goes.

Lauterbrunnen is in a valley surrounded by steep mountains and waterfalls - some find this a detriment, but I personally don't. It will give you a nice contrast to Grindelwald. Lauterbrunnen is also a transport hub of sorts, so it's very easy to go further up to Wengen and Murren from there, as well as to the Jungfrau if that interests you. It makes a good base. You can also reach the Jungfrau from Grindelwald.

If it were me, I'd use every one of those 15 days in Switzerland and leave Italy for another time.

countiz

Thanks for the insight Melnq8.

neckervd

Milano Malpensa airport - Gallarate - Brig - Zermatt - Visp - Interlaken - Grindelwald - Interlaken - Lucerne makes sense and can all be done by train.
There is nothing to see at Interlaken. There is no need to stay at Lauterbrunnen as you can visit the whole area from Grindelwald.
If you want to go on to Italy after Lucerne: trains run every hr, journey time up to Milan Centrale 3 - 3 1/2 hrs.

marg

Would you consider taking the train from Milan to Como and having two or three nights there before going onto Switzerland? From Como you could take the train to Lucerne and continue your Swiss travel from there.
We've stayed at Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and definitely prefer Lauterbrunnen. Both nice places with restaurants and shops but Lauterbrunnen seems to offer more opportunities for sightseeing around the valley with trains and cable cars to get to the peaks. If you want to visit Interlaken, it's only about 30 minutes by train. I'd really recommend using the trains rather than driving, gives both people the opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery and the Swiss train system is excellent.

neckervd

"Would you consider taking the train from Milan to Como and having two or three nights there before going onto Switzerland? From Como you could take the train to Lucerne and continue your Swiss travel from there"
THAT WOULD BE THE WORST POSSIBLE SOLUTION, INDEED.
Why leave the airport in the wrong direction (Milan city and Lake Como instead of Zermatt) and backtrack these some 100 miles 3 days later?
If the OP wantS to spend a day or 2 at a North Italian Lake, he can just stop over at Arona or Stresa on the way from Milan Airport to Zermatt or at Lugano or Como on the way from Lucerne to italy.