My husband and I are celebrating our 40th anniversary and taking the Rick Steves My Way Trip 12 day Alps at the end of August. We end in Chamonix France and will be taking a mediteranian cruise from Venice 7 days later. During this seven days we will make our way to Ravenna Italy and would like recommendations for out of the way affordable places to stay and highlights between Chamonix and Ravenna Italy. We will have hiked alot in the alps and these 7 day we'd like to find a few places to stay that we can recharge for the next adventure on the cruise. Someplace not too crowed but with interesting sights and good food. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you!
Posted by
1 posts
Geneva is lovely. Smaller city with big international flare. Great restaurants and fabulous shopping. Easy to navigate.
Posted by
459 posts
Geneve is quite a distance in the opposite direction and not usually discussed in "Money Saving" forums...
Food, and in the right direction, would be Bologna probably for the last 2 or 3 nights before the cruise (and make sure you lnow exactly how to reach the ship). Bologna also fits whatever means of transport you use.
What comes before Bologna depends on how you will be travelling
Posted by
Chicagoland
2478 posts
In about 5-6 hours you could be in Baveno or Stresa on Lake Maggiore.
After a few days on the lake you could move on to Bologna, 3-4 hrs.
From there you are less than 90 minutes to Ravenna.
Posted by
Arizona, USA
117 posts
Take a look at the towns (small cities) of Lecco, Bergamo, and Verona. They each have their own history and settings.
Posted by
Irving
3605 posts
Pack as light as you can if crossing the French/Italian border via cable car on the Panoramic Mont Blanc: https://en.chamonix.com/activities/practical-information-about-the-lifts/panoramic-mont-blanc-cable-car. If you don’t, you may want to take a direct bus from Chamonix to Milan, IT (3h 45m).
Renting a car in one European country and dropping it off in another is outrageously expensive. Taking the route mentioned above is more scenic.
If you take the bus from Chamonix to Milan, sleep in Milan for three nights and see the sights the next day. On day two take a direct train from Milano Centrale to the Varenna-Esino station (1h15m) then hop on a passenger ferry to Bellagio. When you’re done strolling the hilly steps that path Bellagio’s lanes, take the ferry back to Varenna and walk around it’s short pristine walkway.
The next day, take a direct train to Venice’s Santa Lucia station (end of line where everyone gets off).