My wife and I are in the early stages of planning a 4 week holiday in Sept 2026 (we have 5 weeks total, but allocating that to travel time and stopovers from NZ). Our current thinking is approx a week each in France, Switzerland and Italy, starting in Paris. Any advice much appreciated, we are already getting a bit concerned with costs in Switzerland. We are both early 50s and enjoy hiking. It's my first time to Europe (wife went 30 years ago) so want to see a few main sites. But would like to mix in some smaller places as well. Open to other suggestions for destinations as well.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3551 posts
Hi mandysteve100, Welcome to the forum! Reserving accommodations as far in advance as possible can cut costs considerably. I would recommend checking when special events/conventions are calendared for Paris and other cities you’re considering. Then start building an itinerary that avoids peak times in the locations you’re eyeing so you don’t find yourselves breaking the bank staying in cities during times of peak demand.
Apartments with kitchens are a great way to save money over hotels and having to eat every meal out,
I’m wrapping up a one-month trip in Europe this weekend. Most of the past 27 days have been spent in apartments throughout Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. In Switzerland, “Ferienwohnungen,” or holiday apartments, with more reasonable rates and kitchens can be found on the websites of Tourist Information offices for the towns of the Berner Oberland such as Murren, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. The website www.muerren.swiss is a good place to start.
If Swiss prices just seem too exhorbitant— consider going to the Italian Alps in the Dolomites east of Bolzano and west of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Buying long distance train tickets on the high-speed trains well in advance is a key money-saving strategy as European train tickets—like airline tickets—rise in price with the passage of time. The website www.Seat61.com is a great resource to understand train ticket discounts in any country you’re considering visiting.
Posted by
424 posts
I prefer the French Alps and Italian Dolomites for mountain and hiking activities simply due to the fact that they are about 25-35% cheaper. However, the Berner Oberland is stunning. Maybe 3 nights there.
Chamonix is a great hiking base as is Ortisei in the Dolomites. Each can be done for 5-7 days without a car. Both have easily accessible trailheads, either from town lifts or by public transport, whereas Cortina may require a lot of driving to avoid long bus lines that are currently prevalent due to its popularity. Even our hotel owner in Cortina said crowds are so bad that he doesn't hike until mid September anymore.
Posted by
9309 posts
Are you interested in just hiking or will you tour historical and cultural places as well?
France and Italy are loaded with history, art and culture.
My favorite areas of France are Normandy, the Rhone Valley down to Provence and the Alsace area around Strasbourg.
You can't do them all and Paris in a week. Since you want to do Switzerland and Italy, I suggest focusing on Strasbourg area and/or the Rhone Valley down to Provence, then heading into Switzerland.
You could start with Geneva, then the Interlakken area. Lucerne is great as well.
One week in Italy, you can't see Venice, Florence and Rome, that would take a couple of weeks.
You could migrate from Switzerland into Milan and move to what you wish to see in Italy.
Great advise already, book your lodging in advance. I love TripAdvisor.com that has a feature with a map that show the location of each available hotel or lodging in your city of choice. Also, it has reviews that can assist you in picking a good place.