Itinerary Ideas for Holiday Trip?

Perhaps Turin? I haven't been there yet, but everyone seems to like it much more than Milan, and as a big city it will have lots of indoor sightseeing possibilities.

You haven't really allowed much time in Basel, given that you want to go to Colmar and Strasbourg. Those two shouldn't be combined into a single day, so when are you going to enjoy Strasbourg itself? In addition, there are the little wine towns down around Colmar, though I don't know what they're like around the holidays. If you're watching your budget at all, you might consider spending some of your nights down in Colmar or Strasbourg; I suspect lodging there will be less expensive than what you've found in Basel. (Or maybe not; I've never priced hotels in Europe over the holidays.)

I enjoyed Nancy (about 1-1/2 hours beyond Strasbourg). It's the home of French Art Nouveau.

Hey Jena,

I have some suggestions of places you might consider going below:

Day 1: Arrive in Zurich, train to Basel, overnight in Basel
Day 2: Overnight in Basel (visit Basel, Strasbourg and Colmar - recover a bit from jetlag)
Day 3: Overnight in Basel (visit Basel, Strasbourg and Colmar)
Day 4: Train to Lucerne, overnight in Lucerne
Day 5: Overnight in Lucerne
Day 6: Train to Milan, overnight in Milan (we try to avoid 1 night stays but we really only want to see the Duomo/Christmas lights and we want to be in Florence for Christmas so timing wise, we decided to break our "no one night stands" rule)
Day 7: Train to Florence, overnight in Florence
Day 8: Overnight in Florence
Day 9: Overnight in Florence

Head to France in the Cote D'azur region after Florence to work your way back up to Zurich to fly out. The weather in the French Riviera is beautiful year around.

Day 10: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS (Train to French Riviera and stay in Antibes)
Day 11: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS (Antibes - Day trip to Nice and Cannes)
Day 12: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS (Antibes - Day trip to Villefranche Sur Mer and Menton)
Day 13: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS (Train from Nice to Geneva, overnight there)
Day 14: OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS (Geneva / then train to Zurich in Afternoon)
Day 15: Overnight in or close to Zurich to fly out next day

What are the dates of days 7 - 9? I suspect Dec 24-26, which means most of the time you are in Florence is holiday time and very quiet from a tourism point of view. You will find plenty of restaurants (make reservations!!) and churches open, but starting at noon on the 24th shops and museums may shutter. At least that was our experience in Rome for Christmas. The 26th — check websites — museums will probably be open. My point is, you may want another day in Florence and maybe even a couple more days so you can get out into the countryside.

From Florence, I would head back to Switzerland and the Berner Oberland, particularly the Lauterbrunnen Valley for 3 or 4 nights. It is a winter wonderland and you can enjoy winter wandern on groomed, easy trails (all you need are sensible boots comfortable for walking on packed snow). The villages are beautiful at Christmas and you can ride the lifts and mountain trains for fabulous views. Get a Berner Oberland Regional Pass and make lodging reservations ASAP as it is a busy time. We spent 4 nights there one January (New Years Day - the 5th) and enjoyed it immensely. Check train times as you may need to go to Zurich the night before your flight,