I am planning a trip to Europe in about two months, accompanied by my husband, our daughter, her husband and their three teenage daughters. My husband and I have been to several countries in Europe a few times, but we usually concentrate on Switzerland and primarily the Alps because we love to hike there so much. We want to take them there, of course, (Zermatt and the Jungfrau regions, plus Geneva and Lucerne) but as this is their first Europe trip they want to do lots of historic sightseeing besides.
We had planned to fly in to Milan and skip Rome, concentrating on Florence, Venice and the Cinque Terre before heading north out of Italy, but we now think we will fly to Rome and begin there. We really hate concentrating on big cities because we find them more stressful to navigate with the big crowds, but we also want to get in some of the great, ancient historic sights so we are willing to compromise. Keeping in mind that we prefer the charm of the small, picturesque villages and the glories of nature, I am finding it difficult to get in more of those things and streamline our itinerary. I hate being constantly on the move, but I don't see any way not to be if we wish to include so much.
We will leave in late May and return home in early July, after attending a wedding in a North England castle. In between we will obviously be in Italy and Switzerland, plus Paris and Chamonix (we wanted to take them to L'Aiguille du Midi). I’d like opinions on whether we should forgo Florence since we are now doing Rome, to cut out some of the big city stuff so we have time for more small, quaint villages. Also, how many days does it take to do the major sites in Rome, Venice and Florence? Are there recommended tours to possibly simplify the sightseeing in those cities?
My husband and I drove thru southern France 12 years ago and loved Les Baux, Rocamadour and Carcassonne, and we loved spending a day in the Valley Verzasca in Southern Switzerland with the amazing ancient Italian villages. I had also hoped to include a bit of Austria (Salzburg because of The Sound of Music and Mozart sites), Hallstatt because of Rick's recommendations of its beauty, and a bit of the Rhine River in Germany with all its castles. I've been to Heidelberg and Rothenberg and we are all very interested in Reformation history.
I'm certain this is way too ambitious and want advice on where to cut, or if there are quaint towns that are easier to get to from the big sites where we plan to be. Need help immediately!