Honeymoon Itinerary - Switzerland/Italty/Greece - Sept-Oct

Just a bit more info on the above as there wasn't enough room in my original post. This is both of our first times to Europe. We're set on the stops in Switzerland and the Amalfi Coast, but are fairly flexible with the rest.
We're not huge art-buffs, but love food, wine and beer. We like meeting friendly faces and seeing new places. This is our honeymoon, so we want to relax, unwind, see some beautiful scenery, architecture, hillsides etc. Right now we've booked the first stop in Switzerland and plan to book one or two more stops and leave the rest open in case we feel like adding or removing a stop or extending/shortening a stay at one of the stops we already have - is this a good plan?

Lisa, First of all, congratulations! Your Itinerary looks reasonably well sorted, but I have a few comments...... > Sept. 24 - unless there's something particular you'd like to see in Milan, I'd press on and go directly to the Cinque Terre, even though it will be a long trip by train with 3 - 4 changes. > Which of the five C.T. towns are you planning to stay in? Even for travel in September, I'd suggest getting something booked SOON. > Sept. 28 - Tuscany? Where in Tuscany are you planning to stay? > Oct. 6 - Unless there's something particular you'd like to see in Naples, I'd suggest pressing on to the Amalfi Coast. You'll be hauling luggage, so it may not be convenient to wander about Naples. Where in the A.C. are you planning to stay? > Oct. 16 - Have you considered taking a flight from Santorini to Athens? Check the Aegean Air website. IMO, that's a more efficient use of your travel time (unless you really want to travel by Ferry). > Oct. 18 - You won't really "gain a day flying home". You'll usually arrive on the same day you departed, which means you'll have breakfast in London and supper in Vancouver on the same day. As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. Refer to the country-specific Guidebooks to plan sightseeing, hotels, transportation, etc. in each of the locations you're visiting. Have you researched transportation in Europe? Especially in Italy (and apparently now in Switzerland as well), there are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. Are you planning to use rental cars in any locations? If you need details, post another note. Happy travels!

Ken, thank you so much for your reply - I've added a few responses below: > Sept. 24 - on skipping Milan: I was originally planning to press right on through to the Cinque Terre, but didin't know how do-able it was (I know it will be a long day of Travel). I've just reserved a room in Riomaggiore which seems quite nice (reserved from Sept 24-28 - thanks for the advise of booking now!) > Sept. 28 - On where I'm staying in Tuscany: I havne't booked a location yet, but was thinking Southern Tuscany (need to do a little more research on this) > Oct. 6 - On Naples: The only thing I wanted to do in Naples was eat pizza. Silly maybe to make a whole stop just for that, it's just something I wanted to do! On where I plan to stay in the A.C. - I was thinking Ravello or Sorrento > Oct. 16 - On flights from Santorini-Athens - Thanks for the Tip! I'll have a look at flight costs/times My friend just lent me Europe through the back door! I have to do MUCH more research on the transportation. I have done basic research on how to read train schedules, and the lenth of time it takes to get from one place to another by train, but haven't done a lot of research on cost or pre-booking tickets/rail passes etc. This is my next step! We plan to rent a car for our stay in the A.C. and most likely Tuscany.

Have you researched the Corfu-Santorini flight? I was curious, so checked Aegean Airlines and it will put you in Athens overnight: 20:10 Corfu>21:10 Athens
05:30 (or 10:45) Athens>Santorini Unless you've found a better flight ... or are determined to see Corfu ... it might be better to fly from Rome>Santorini and use your Corfu days on an island near Santorini (perhaps Milos, Naxos, or Paros). Right now Aegean has 2 seats left at 103 euros from Rome>Santorini on Oct. 8, which would also save you the cost of the gasoline to Bari and the ferry ticket. Leave Rome 11:00, arrive Santorini 19:55.

After you read the section on Switzerland in Rick's book you will see he likes the Lauterbrunnen Valley area much better than the resort town of GrINdelwald. He really like GiMMelwald better. So depending on your reason for planning on staying at GriINdelwald many on this site will give you reasons to stay in Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Wengen instead. Just ask.

Hello Lisa. I like Charlene's suggestion. Fly from Rome to Santorini. You will do much traveling in this trip. I think eliminating the travel to the east coast of Italy, and eliminating the ferry boat ride to Corfu is a good idea. People like the island Corfu, but it is not typical of Greek islands. Santorini is in the Cyclades islands group. You could ride on a ferry boat from Santorini to the island Naxos, and fly from Naxos to Athens airport. Naxos is different from Santorini. Naxos is more lush, open space in the interior of the island. I think Naxos is a good island for being on a Honeymoon. And Naxos has beaches that are much better than any beach at Santorini. The weather will probably not be cold at Naxos in October. I was at Naxos. I would like being at Naxos for four days, or more. I recommend flying with Olympic Air from Naxos to Athens. Olympic air is a better airline, having more comfortable airplanes, than Aegean Air, in my experience.

Lisa, You can research rail journeys using either the bahn.de (German rail), trenitalia.com (Italian rail) or sbb.ch (Swiss rail) websites. I had a look at the trip from Switzerland to the C.T. (using an arbitrary date) and one of the easiest would be a departure from Interlaken Ost at 08:00, arriving Riomaggiore at 15:39 (time 7H:39M, 4 changes, reservations compulsory on some legs). While it has four changes, that's pretty much unavoidable. Be sure to have a look at the "Rail Skills" chapter in ETBD so that you're familiar with changes. The Italy Guidebook has information on the best Pizza restaurants in Naples. Taking a Taxi from Napoli Centrale may be the best option, but be sure to also read the "cautions" regarding Taxi's in Naples. Sorrento makes a good "home base" location for the Amalfi Coast. It's easy to take day trips from there to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Positano or Capri. To get from Napoli Centrale to Sorrento, you'll need to use the Circumvesuviana commuter train. It's quite inexpensive, but be sure to watch your luggage when riding on it and wear a Money Belt! If you plan on renting cars in Italy, note that EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! These must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. and are valid for one year. You can obtain an IDP at any BCAA office. You'll also need to be careful to avoid the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas, as hefty fines will result, which you won't know about until several months after you've returned home. Continued.....

Lisa - Part 2..... The suggestions to choose an island other than Corfu are something to consider. Corfu is in a different group of islands, so transportation times will be longer. You could look at Naxos or Myknonos, depending on what type of "island experience" you're looking for. For flights in Greece, look at either Aegean or Olympic Air. I haven't flown with Olympic but have with Aegean, and they're a real "class act" (IMO). For travel in Greece, you may find it helpful to have a look at Matt Barrett's excellent Greece Travel website. There are good descriptions there on the various islands, transportation, etc. If you decide to use a route that involves multiple Ferries, you might consider using one of the Greek Travel Agencies recommended on the website. They will also be able to give you good suggestions for hotels, and arrange all transfers. I've used that method, and it has worked well. Have you researched which hotels you might want to use in Greece? It's not always necessary to pre-book train tickets. In some cases this is not possible (ie: Regionale tickets in Italy), but in other cases there can be considerable savings with pre-booked tickets. However, that means you'll lock yourself into a specific train and departure time. If you miss the train you've booked, you'll have to buy new tickets at full price. I'll send you a PM with my usual "boilerplate" on the trains in Italy. Cheers!

2 thoughts - why are you going into and out of London? It looks like you don't intend on spending any time there or visiting London. On arrival it seems it is only as a springboard to Bern; on your return it seems that it is only to get you between Athens (is one day enough in Athens?) and Vancouver. Why not fly open jaws into Switzerland and out of Athens? It would save you all that intermediate travel and travel takes time. Surely even if it is slightly cheaper going via London that savings will be eaten up with the relocations? Secondly - it looks like your jet lag on 19 and 20 October is at the wrong end of your trip. Most people suffer with jetlag flying eastbound and not westbound. That wasted day on 20th September should be devoted to anti-jetlag measures.

Thank you to everyone for your responses, it is really great that there are so many of you willing to help out and make suggestions - it is all very much appreciated! I am beginning to look into the transportation side of things in more detail now and appreciate your tips on where to look. I like the idea of flying from Rome into Santorini and agree that this looks like a better option.

Lisa, For from Rome - Santorini flights, your best option will likely be Aegean or Olympic. I checked Aegean and they have a departure at 11:00, short layover in Athens and then another flight to Santorini, arriving at 19:55 (time 7H:55M). Current fares indicated at €164 PP. I checked Olympic, and they offer much the same schedule, but more expensive. Unfortunately, EasyJet doesn't start their Rome - Santorini runs until 7 July, as they likely would have had cheaper fares. Note that many budget airlines in Europe have fairly restrictive baggage policies, so be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully. If you think your checked luggage may be over their allowable limit, it's usually cheaper to "buy" more weight at the time of booking, rather than at the Gate. Also, many airlines in Europe only allow ONE carry-on item per passenger. That doesn't mean "one plus a personal item such as a Purse or Laptop Case", it means ONE ONLY of the approved size (and they will usually check the size). For your flights TO Europe, the least expensive option will probably be Air Transat from YVR / LGW, if you can fit their flight availability (charters will be scaling down for the year at about that time). Gatwick is an "easier" airport than Heathrow (LHR), as it's smaller. The best flight availability will likely be Air Canada, but unfortunately they only use LHR. You could also check KLM. Once you've decided on international flights, you may want to consult a Travel Agent to make the booking (there will be a small service charge). I'd suggest Maritime Travel (offices in Surrey and Langley). Also DON'T forget Travel Medical Insurance! You can check with Maritime, BCAA or Pacific Blue Cross. Cheers!

Ken - I don't know how to thank you enough for how helpful you've been! It's making this process much less daunting and a thousand times more fun!! We were planning to book Air Transat because of the significant price difference (this is why we chose to fly into and out of London). Plus they offer direct flights which is nice. From Rome-Santorini - do you think it will be too late to book the flight in the summer? We won't actually be travelling until mid October, so EasyJet my have their flight schedules by this time? I think I have some global medical insurance covered through my work plan (Blue Cross), but I'll be sure to look into that further and buy extra if necessary. Thanks again!!

Lisa, congratulations, and how exciting to be going for the first time. The only red flags I see are your transitions form place to place, some of which you call "layovers." Not sure what that means but those days look terrible and with a little planning they should not be necessary. You don't like London? Fine, but in that case skip it! Fly into Zurich, adding the extra day in the Alps for your jet lag. Fly home from Athens. Really, it's a special trip. Don't tie yourselves in knots with unproductive layovers to short for sightseeing in places you do not care about! Generally I think you should think carefully about all your travel days. How long will things really take? Where will you sleep? Will you need to spend the next day recovering? It is great that you know what you want to see and do. Now just figure out the most efficient way to get to all these great places!

Lisa, For your flight from Rome / FCO to Santorini / JTR, you'll have to use Aegean Air as EasyJet only operates on that route from about 7 July to 1 September (seasonal flights only). I just had a brief look at Aegean flights, and they have fares currently listed for 15 October at €81 or €67 PP. Be sure to read the Terms & Conditions carefully, as the cheapest tickets with budget airlines are usually non-changeable and non-refundable. If you think something might change, you could consider Flex Fares, which cost more. Check their website for details. Note that budget airlines often operate on a "sliding scale", so the seat prices will increase as the flight fills. Those that book early get the best prices. Air Transat is a great choice, although you'll be seated in "sardine class". They've recently re-invented themselves with new interiors and new features. If your budget will allow, you might consider paying extra for Economy Comfort (or whatever they call it). That provides more leg room, more comfortable seats and a few other perks. As your work medical is with Pacific Blue Cross, you may want to check with them first for travel medical, as they'll know what's covered with your employee plan and what isn't (Call 1-800-873-2583 - have your Group No. and other details at hand). I've also signed up with them for my travel policy this year, as I learned something VERY important recently. Some travel medical policies use Extended Health plans as the "first payer" and only when that is depleted will they begin paying. That would affect my retirement benefits. Blue Cross handles that differently, and their travel policy will be the "first payer", so my retiree benefits won't be affected at all. Cheers!