I am planning a trip with 3 of my girlfriends for September. Including flight days, we can be gone about 10-12 days. We are interested in seeing Salzburg, Interlaken (Gimmelwald), Provence - perhaps Arles, Florence, and possibly Rome. I say possibly Rome because 2 of the gals have never been there and well. . . it's Rome! I have been to Rome several times and while there is much to see and do, I so prefer Florence. In fact, I love Florence so much that I'd love to end our trip there. I'm having trouble making this work logistically. Would love any tips on where to fly in and out of, what cities to see when and how many days/nights in each. For longer train rides (unless they are truly beautiful), we'd prefer to travel overnight via couchette. Can anyone recommend an itinerary?
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3284 posts
You are having trouble working it because it is not going to work to visit those places in 10 or even 12 days. You have too many places and they are too far apart. Night trains will not work if you include Gimmelwald. Night trains don't go there, or anywhere near.You could take a night train from Munich to Florence, but then you would miss Arles too. So decide on 3. Fly into Munich and out of Florence or Rome, and visit Salzburg, GW, and Florence ( or Rome). OR, fly into France(Paris or Nice maybe) and visit Arles, then Gimmelwald, and Florence. Or skip Italy and visit Salzburg, Gimmelwald, and Arles.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32349 posts
Stephanie, I have to agree with the previous reply. This is far too many stops for a very short 10-12 day time frame. That's an average of 2.4 days per location, with no allowances for travel times. Does the 12 days include your two travel days to and from Europe? Of all the places you've listed, Arles seems a bit problematic, so I'd suggest skipping that on this trip. There are lots of different ways this could be organized. Here's one suggestion.... > Day 1 - Depart U.S. > Day 2 - Arrive Zurich, train to Interlaken Ost and then Gimmelwald > Day 3 - Gimmelwald & area > Day 4 - Gimmelwald & area > Day 5 - Train to Salzburg via Munich > Day 6 - Salzburg > Day 7 - Salzburg - Night train to Florence (depart about 20:00, time 10H:03M, one change, reservations compulsory) > Day 8 - Florence > Day 9 - Florence > Day 10 - Train to Rome > Day 11 - Rome > Day 12 - Rome or flight home? This is somewhat of an "off the cuff" suggestion, so I haven't checked travel times or other details. Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
OP
Marietta, GA, USA
15 posts
Thank you for the tips. Of all the places I listed, I have been to every one except Arles. I would like to visit at least one place I haven't seen before. We could knock off one of the other locations. It sounds like Gimmelwald takes a long time to reach. What if I knock that off the list and add another location? It could be Arles or somewhere else, if anyone has a suggestion. And if Rome is too out of the way, we can skip that this trip.
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
Actually, Arles is the location that is really far reaching. All of the other cities are more central Europe. If Arles is high on your list, then I would either start there or end in that area. You could fly into Geneva then take a 4 hour TGV train to Arles. From there, maybe Rome, Florence then up to Salzburg and fly out of Salzburg. Check this site for train schedules: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
Posted by
Reston, Virginia
403 posts
I agree with the other posters about making cuts. From your replies to the other posters, it appears to be (though I may be quite mistaken) that your real priorities are Arles and Rome, with Florence as a "would be nice" option. My suggestions would be as follows: Day 1 fly into Rome, arriving Day 2. Days 2-3-4 in Rome. Day 5 Easyjet flight to Nice, rent a car and the 4 of you drive to Arles. Base in Arles and explore Provence for the remainder of the time. Return the car and fly home out of Marseilles. Another option, without car, is to Day 5 train to Florence & overnight. Day 6 Train via Genoa to Nice. Nights 6 & 7 in Nice. Then Day 8 Train to Arles and explore Avignon and Nimes by train from your Arles base. Train to Marseilles late on the night before your return flight to the US and stay at an airport hotel.
Whatever you do, I am sure you will have a great time!