Trip from Milan to Paris, 20 days Dec 27-Jan17

We just took the Bernina Express which goes over the Alps. We started in Chur Switzerland and ended in Tirano, Italy. There has been an interesting thread about Turin. Its now on my list of places to visit.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/turin-bbf4f20b-936b-4cf7-8768-27a56c9762c8

2019???

Milan to Lugano Switzerland for New Years Eve 29, 30, 31
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/lugano-the-sunny-side-of-switzerland

Lugano to Bolzano to visit Otzi the Ice Man at the Archeological Museum. 1,2
https://www.bolzano-bozen.it/en/bolzano.htm
https://www.suedtirol.info/en

Bolzano to Innsbruck. 3, 4, 5
https://www.austria.info/us/austria-a-singular-journey-a-lifetime-of/tirol-innsbruck

Innsbruck to Zurich. 6, 7, 8

Zurich to Lausanne. 9, 10, 11
https://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/

Lausanne to Beaune. 12, 13, 14

Beaune to Paris. 15, 16, 17

Or skip Bolzano and Innsbruck and head to Lausanne directly from Lugano.

Zermatt is very picturesque with gondolas and local small trains to high huts for coffee and or lunch for non-skiers. Other ski regions, like the Dolomites around Bolzano, the Stubai and Ziller Valleys near Innsbruck, etc all have lots of winter activities and cafes/stube for non-skiers, or for skiers on non-ski days.
https://www.stubai.at/en/
https://www.zillertal.at/en.html

I will be in the Dolomites myself in January - skiing.

Have fun.

I like NickB's suggested itinerary, but IMO, Zurich is not nearly as interesting as other destinations in Switzerland. You might consider Berner Oberland and/or Luzern and do day trips. From Luzern, consider Bern, Basel, or the mountain excursions from Luzern.

Not to argue but IMO:

https://www.aelplibarzueri.ch

You just have to get off the main streets in Zurich...

What do you folks think of this:

Arrive from Miami, FL
1
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
1 night Sun. Dec 29 - Mon. Dec 30
2
Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland
2 nights Mon. Dec 30 - Wed. Jan 01
3
Sankt Moritz, Graubunden, Switzerland
2 nights Wed. Jan 01 - Fri. Jan 03
4
Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland
2 nights Fri. Jan 03 - Sun. Jan 05
5
Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
2 nights Sun. Jan 05 - Tue. Jan 07
6
Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland
2 nights Tue. Jan 07 - Thu. Jan 09
7
Bern, Bern, Switzerland
2 nights Thu. Jan 09 - Sat. Jan 11
8
Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
2 nights Sat. Jan 11 - Mon. Jan 13
9
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
4 nights Mon. Jan 13 - Fri. Jan 17
Fin
Fly back to Miami, FL

Several thoughts:

Two nights in each place really only gives one full day of touring - Lots to see in each place too. And it will be winter weather - highly variable in the mountains so maybe build in some slack in the travel expectations if there is a "stay indoors" day.

The Christmas School Holidays in Europe usually last through January 6 (Epiphany) so ski areas like St.Moritz and Zermatt will be extra busy and expensive and crowded then. Book as soon as possible if you decide on this option.

Interlaken is the entry point to the Bernese Oberland, but is down on the lakes, not up in the beautiful mountain valleys, which is probably what you really want to see, like Lauterbrunnen, or Murren. The Oberland is also a major ski region.

Although Geneva and Basel can both be fascinating, I would think dropping one and putting the other as a stop on the way to Paris might be simpler. Redeploy those days to add time in other Swiss destinations.

Have fun.

I would spend some time watching videos/tv shows and reading guidebooks about Switzerland. Just about every city is beautiful. BUT, some are nicer than others. Lower on my list would be Zurich, Geneva and Interlaken. High on my list for Switzerland would be Luzern, Lauterbrunnen/Murren, and Vevey/Lausanne. Places like Bern and Basel are lovely, but I would concentrate on the other areas and consider them for possible day trips. Also know that Switzerland can be very expensive and accommodations in Zurich and Geneva even more so.

EDITED TO ADD: Take Nick's suggestion about length of stay to heart. If you stay in the places for just a short stay, you could end up not even seeing the mountains since the weather can be kind of iffy in terms of visibility. We traveled in January and stayed 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen, we had one clear day.

This would be easier. If I were going to ride the Glacier Express, I would fly in and out of CH, not Milan and Paris. If you do follow my suggestions, you’ll need to purchase RSEs guidebooks to appreciate it. You can download electronic versions from his app.
29Dec – sleep in Milan two nights.
30Dec – train to Varenna (1h) www.bahn.com for the day and include a boat ride to Bellagio and explore there too. Sleep in Milan.
31Dec – direct train to Nice (5h) and make this your home base for five nights.
1Jan – explore Nice
2Jan – take a 10m train to Villefranche-sur-Mer and explore.
3Jan – take a 30m train to Monte Carlo for the day.
4Jan – take a 15m train to Eze-le-Village for the day.
5Jan – take a direct 4h train to Avignon and make this your home base for a week.
6Jan – explore Avignon.
7Jan - take a 15m train to Arles for the day.
8Jan – day trip to Pont de Gard (you’ll need to arrange a tour. Check out RSEs recommendations).
9Jan – tour the Côtes du Rhone wine road and follow RSEs recommendations.
10Jan – day trip to Les Baux (RSE recommendations).
11Jan – day trip to Roussillon (RSE recommendations)
12Jan – day trip to Vaison-la-Romaine or try to combine these into one or two.
13Jan – take a direct 3h train to Paris.
14Jan – Paris
15Jan – Paris
16Jan – Paris
17Jan – back to reality.

Southern France is an interesting idea, but this will be mistral season, so I am doubtful that Provence is prudent. However, I'm not a winter traveler, so what do I know? The eastern Riviera would be safer, weather-wise. Menton, over near the Italian border, is the warmest place in France during the winter. It has an atmospheric historic district (overrun in May; perhaps not so in January?) and a couple of nice gardens. Nice is the place if you like art, though, because it has so many art museums. Eze-le-Village requires a bus; the train only goes to Eze-sur-Mer.

I can't speak to the south of France. I'm not sure I'd go to Varenna for just one night. I also do not see the appeal of staying in Milan. For some people, the "Last Supper" and the Duomo would be appealing. Other than that, it's just a big city. I would look at staying in Turin which is close to Milan.

We spent 4 days in the winter in Berner Oberland staying in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We spent some time in Gimmelwald and Muren. We went up to Schilthorn but also rented some sleds and sledded in the ski area.