My husband and I are planning a trip in late Sept - early Oct. How does this itinerary appear? Too ambitious? We found a pretty good flight deal , now I'm just filling in the trip. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Fly into Amsterdam (4 nights);
2 hour train to:
Antwerp (2 nights);
3.5 hour train to:
Paris (4 nights);
6.5 hour train to:
Interlaken, then to Grimmelwald (4 nights);
3.5 hour train to:
Milan (3 nights);
Fly out of Milan
I would consider skipping Antwerp, add another city in Italy (Venice, Florence or Rome) and stay one night in Milan before your flight home.
I don't think it's too ambitious at all.
Skipping Antwerp is certainly reasonable if you want to add another destination in Italy, but Antwerp is worthwhile, so it would depend on what your goals and priorities are and where else you have traveled.
I'm aware of Gimmelwald and Grindelwald in Switzerland, but not Grimmelwald. :)
I have not been in Milan (except to transfer from the train station to the airport), so I can't make a personal recommendation about it, but it doesn't seem to be on the top of many lists for favorite destinations in Italy. So maybe staying somewhere else before you head to Milan for your outbound flight would be worth considering. Maybe the lake district? But again, it depends on what you are looking to see and do.
Great itinerary although I am not a fan of Gimmelwald. It is VERY tiny and you would have to leave it for almost everything you do, including many meals. I think it is fine for a night or two, but with 4 nights, I would stay in Lauterbrunnen or Muerren. (I am making the great assumption that you want to do some hiking.)
I am not sure of a Swiss mountain stay as it gets into October. I know from my experience through a quick passing stay many years back. I would stick to the lakes/cities.
I would take a night from Milan (giving one full day) and give it to Antwerp, allowing separate days for Bruges and Ghent.
Fly into Amsterdam (4 nights)
train to Antwerp (3 nights)
train to Paris (4 nights)
train to Lausanne (2 nights)
train to Luzern (2 nights)
train to Milan (2 nights)
Fly out of Milan
Or maybe build in some flexibility in case of bad weather resulting in a mountain washout.
Break the long travel day from Paris with a Bern overnight and then just 3 nights in the Alps - but staying in the valley (Lauterbrunnen).
Fly into Amsterdam (4 nights)
train to Antwerp (3 nights)
train to Paris (4 nights)
train to Bern (1 night)
train to Lauterbrunnen (3 nights)
(perhaps make a day to Luzern if you strike poor weather)
train to Milan (2 nights)
Fly out of Milan
David in Brisbane (and OP), we have had two great trips to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in late September and mid-October. It was not warm, but it was not terribly cold, either. We did the Jungfraujoch in September on a lovely sunny day, sat outdoors for lunch more than once. We had very little rain, some clouds.
