October Alsace region, then to Florence help please

Strasbourg is a beautiful city. We then stayed in a wine village , Riquewehr, and much preferred it to Colmar.
Yes, you get your IDP at AAA. They will take your photo too. It is good for a year. I got mine last week.

Thanks Suki. I seem to remember that I need to book my travel insurance within a week or so now that I've booked my flights and need a basic idea of my itinerary, so my mind won't slow down until I've got that much done. It's funny how traveling is so exciting, yet stressful all at the same time!

Very easy to get from Zurich to Colmar and you don't need to book it in advance. www.sbb.ch/en will show you all the available trains. Basically, a train to Basel, then change to a local train to Colmar. Same going from Colmar (or Strasbourg). Same going back to Chur, you take a local train to Basel, then change to a train to Chur. There are several direct trains from Basel to Chur, and with a single connection at other times. No need to book in advance.

You need a reservation to ride the actual Bernina Express to Tirano, but there are also regular trains without the reservations (or the panorama cars). It is a local train from Tirano to Milan, with no reservations needed or offered. Train goes once per hour.

I'd rent the car in Colmar, as Strasbourg is not a very car-friendly city. Trains between Colmar an Strasbourg are very frequent.

Milan to Florence should be done with a high speed train that should be purchased in advance. Tickets like these are like airline tickets, good only for that specific train and come with a seat reservations. The sooner you buy, the lower the price. There are 2 train companies that run trains, Trenitalia and Italotreno. Italotreno is often a little cheaper and the trains are excellent.

Thank you Sam. I had a chance to look at the Bernina Express website and it looks like I can't book that ticket for a few more months yet, so that's one less thing to worry about today. I appreciate the explanation about how easy it will be to get from Alsace to Florence. That's a relief!

I reached out to the owner of a charming Airbnb I stayed in just feet from the Duomo last year and I think I'll be able to stay there again, so that part of the trip will be just a matter of deciding which little towns I want to visit while I'm there. That leaves me free to focus on the time from touch down in Zurich to leaving Alsace. Oh, and I went ahead and purchased my travel insurance too, so that's checked off my list as well.

I've had a busy day of planning and not surprisingly, things have already changed a bit from what I'd initially envisioned. This is my plan so far:

Land at Zurich airport 12:30 October 11 and since it's apparently pretty easy to catch a train from the airport I'll go straight on to Strasbourg arriving early evening to check into the Airbnb where I'll be staying until the morning October 17. Does anyone know if I can get train tickets that day rather than in advance in case there's a flight delay?

I've rented a car all day October 16, (picking it up at the train station in Strasbourg, so hopefully it won't be too hard to get out of and back into town safely), so that's the day I'll be wandering the wine route going from cute little town to cute little town. Other than that, I'd like to wander around Strasbourg, see Colmar and maybe a few towns in Germany the other days. I welcome ideas and input!

From there, I'll take the train through Switzerland (I have lots of questions about that, but I'll turn to the Switzerland forum with those), working my way toward Florence.

I grew up in a rural area outside a little town where I've lived all my life. I never went on vacations and never went more than 2 hours from home until I was almost in my 20s, so even with two solo trips to Europe under my belt now, planning a trip like this is desperately out of my comfort zone, so I welcome any input that can help me feel more in control. Thank you!

Nothing going to Strasbourg needs to be booked in advance. Swiss trains don't work that way. You just buy a ticket and then take any train you want that day. The train from Basel to Strasbourg is a French TER, a regional train that does not reserve seats.

Thanks Sam!

I lived in a village outside Colmar for several years, and just wanted to throw my two-cents worth in. The Unterlinen is a former Dominican monastery converted into a museum of mostly art from the Middle Ages. The cloisters are peaceful and lovely, and not to be missed is the Issenheim Altarpiece. The Unterlinden, in my opinion, is one of the best small museums in Europe. You probably won’t spend more than an hour there. Across the square the Dominican Church is worth a quick visit, if for no other reason than to see the masterpiece of Martin Schongauer, Madonna of the Rose Bush.

You can easily rent a car from the train station in Colmar for exploring the Alsatian countryside, which I think is a must to appreciate the area. Riquewihr is an excellent village to sample, but you will have time to see notable others: Keyersberg, Ribeauvillé, Hunawihr (see the small fortified church). All these villages follow along the Route de Vin, a bucolic road that makes its way through wine country and connects the villages I’ve mentioned. In October, the vineyards will likely be showing off their fall colors. For an overview of the Route de Vin, check out https://www.wineroute.alsace. You might also consider letting someone else do the driving while you can feel free to sample the local wines. Here’s a possibility: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g187073-d11475642-Alsace_Half_Day_Wine_Tour_from_Colmar-Colmar_Haut_Rhin_Grand_Est.html.

If you find yourself at the Colmar cathedral, consider ducking into the cafe L’Amandine. Sit outdoors if it’s nice. Have a tarte flambé and a glass of Pinot Gris or one of their luscious looking desserts and a coffee.

I am jealous of your trip. Alsace, especially the area around Colmar, will always hold a special place in my heart.

Beth, thank you for the suggestions!

Something that didn’t occur to me until today is mosquitoes. Will they be an issue in October? I was reading a review about Venice in October and it sounded like they were kind of bad, which means I’ll need to prepare.

October is a little late for mosquitos, but they could be around. However, it should be cool enough that you don't need to keep the windows open at night. My only recollection of them is late May at our favorite room at our favorite Venice hotel. The room has a beautiful terracotta veranda full of potted plants. The staff keeps them watered religiously, which turns them into little mosquito breeding nests, as we learned.

No way they are as bad as Wisconsin mosquitos.

In the time that I lived near Colmar, I don’t recall a single mosquito at anytime of the year!

Whew! I'm glad to hear that since both the place I'm staying in Strasbourg and in Venice are on the water. Now back to figuring out excursions.

Hi again KRS,

I just thought of something. You mentioned excursions and perhaps a trip over into Germany. From Strasbourg, you’re only 45 minutes or so from Baden-Baden where you can take in at least a half day at the thermal baths. As you’ve probably heard, some are swimsuit optional but not all, or some have completely separate nude areas. I don’t have a particular one to recommend there, but out of Colmar, I used to go to Bad Krozingen (https://www.bad-krozingen.info/en). Aside from the thermal pools, you can tack on additional services like massages or Turkish baths, but I just generally went for just the pools. Pools only are around 20 euro for the entire day. It’s not a glitzy experience, like you might think. Just every day folks, at least at Bad Kroz. You might find glitz at some spas in Baden-Baden. It’s really a worthwhile “European” experience, if you’ve got the time and the inclination.

Beth

Beth, that's definitely not something I would have thought of doing, but it might make a really fun, unique memory. I'll have to look into it more. Thank you!

Hi yet again!

Some other random thoughts:

There are two remarkable villages just a bit north of Strasbourg, where they’ve been making pottery from local clay since the 12th century (I think). I wish I could post photos here to show you some of the things I picked up. Even though pottery might not make for the easiest souvenir to lug around for the rest of your trip, the history behind the villages and their craft is very interesting. You can read about them here: https://www.my-weekend-in-alsace.com/pottery-soufflenheim-betschdorf/. Most of the smaller studios will only take cash.

You won’t be far from the Black Forest in Germany. If you’ve always wanted a real, handmade cuckoo clock, this is the place to go. Triberg is the town to aim for. To get there, you’ll likely drive through the quaint small city of Freiburg. Daily open air markets around the cathedral. Lots of good restaurants and shopping.

If you decide you want to do the thermal baths, send me a DM. There are some tips and tricks to make it a seamless experience.

Or DM me about anything else. I’m going to sign off from your post now so I don’t dominate it! :)

Oh, one last thing (I promise)…you mentioned maybe spending a night in Milan. If you can get a reservation (a requirement), go see The Last Supper. Seeing this iconic masterpiece in its original setting was transformative for me.

Beth, I'm enjoying your suggestions, so please don't stop. I've only rented a car for one day, so will probably just drive in France, primarily along the wine route so I can see all the smaller villages, but I'm planning to take a train into Germany. I love the idea of a genuine cuckoo clock and pottery is right up my alley as long as they're willing to ship it for me since I'm doing carry on only, so thank you for those ideas. It sounds like the villages north of Strasbourg could be the starting place for the day I'll be driving.

I've adjusted my plans so that Milan will only be a train stop between Varenna and Venice, although I had considered getting a locker at the train station long enough to see the cathedral and wander around the city a bit before heading on to Venice. The problem is that I want to see and experience everything, which of course isn't realistic. If I could, I'd probably travel every few months!

I love the idea of a genuine cuckoo clock and pottery is right up my alley as long as they're willing to ship it for me since I'm doing carry on only, so thank you for those ideas.

Yes, the clock shops in Triberg will ship it to your home.

Re: pottery shipping. There are larger terra cotta shops in Soufflenheim that likely would ship for you. I don’t know about the smaller shops in Betschdorf. I’m guessing not.