My wife an I are starting to plan a 15-16 day trip to Italy and Switzerland in September from Charlotte, NC. We have visited Italy on a previous European trip where we spent most of our time on the coast, Rome and some of Florence. We really loved Florence and decided then any return trip would have to include more time there as well as other surrounding Tuscany areas. Right now we are considering a direct flight into Rome and then a return trip out of Zurich or even Geneva. For the first part of the trip (likely 4-5 days) we are likely to rent a car and drive into Tuscany and explore some of the hills towns and enjoy the wine, food and scenery of the countryside. We need a base town but also will want to stay at least a night or two in Florence again as part of that 4-5 days. Following Florence we are looking for help. We know we want to spend at least one day/night in Venice but are not sure if we should do that directly after Florence of travel there via train from say Milan/Turin area. Do we go towards Milan/Turin from Florence first or Venice then towards Milan? Since we are finishing our trip in Switzerland ( maybe 5-7 days) and this is where we get really overwhelmed. Berner Oberland and Berns are considerations but there are others I am sure. At the end of the day we know we cannot see everything so we want recommendations. Train ride through the alps, scenic lifts up the alps and quite B&B still stays are all things we think sound amazing. Tuscany, Florence and Venice are must dos in Italy. Outside of the must do's we are still wide open and looking for suggested itineraries for say around 6-8 days once we are done with the previous mentioned destinations. No flights or plans are permanent yet so I'd love your thoughts.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17580 posts
If you want the best train ride from Italy into Switzerland, one that goes over the Alps instead of under them in a long tunnel, take the Bernina Pass route. To reach the start, head to Varenna on Lake Como, one hour from Milan. Spend a night or two in this charming town. Then head north to Tirano on the Swiss border, changing there to a Swiss train that will take you over the Alps via the Bernina Pass. ( There is a named scenic train with special panoramic cars called the Bernina Express, but you can also take the frequent regional trains that use the same tracks. Stop overnight in one of the towns or villages on the other side of the Pass, such as Pontresina, Samedan, or St. Moritz. From there head to Luzern, a lovely lakeside town. With a couple of nights there, you can do a combined lake cruise/mountaintop excursion on either Rigi or Pilatus.
Luzern is only an hour from Zurich byntrain, so one can usually spend the night there before flying out of Zurich, unless your flight is early in the morning.
If you have time left after this, you can head to the Berner Oberland for a few days. Or cut Varenna and Pontresina down to one night, but keep two in Luzern. You will then have three nights for Lauterbrunnen area.
Posted by
Washington DC
28450 posts
Honestly, with both Florence/Tuscany and Switzerland on the docket, I wouldn't try to squeeze Venice into this trip. I love Venice, but it truly isn't a place to go for one day and night. I think three nights is rock-bottom minimum, or else you will find yourself shoulder-to-shoulder with half of humanity, pounding the pavement (slowly) between the train station, Rialto Bridge and San Marco. Wait until you have time to really see Venice and can experience the back streets and little canals that are nearly tourist-free.
There are lots of other wonderful things in northern Italy that, combined with Venice, will make a fine future vacation: the lakes, the Dolomites, smaller places like Verona, Padua and Vincenza.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17580 posts
I basically agree with acraven, Venice is our favorite place and worth much more theme than you have for this city. And at high Season it is very crowded. But if you can give it two nights between Tuscany and Switzerland, that will give you a taste and you can decide if you want to return.
So the route I suggest would be Tuscany (5 nights) to Venice by direct train (2 nights) then Venice to Milan to Varenna ( roughly 4-5 hours) for 1-2 nights, connecting to the Bernina Pass route for 7 nights in Switzerland.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
I appreciate the feedback. Venice is a must stop for me but all I had heard/read was that a solid day was enough. It is great to get some input. Since our schedule is still so fluid we can adjust our plans to include 2-2.5 days in Venice. Any experience or thoughts in Milan or Turin?
Posted by
Washington DC
28450 posts
I believe not too many Americans have found their way to Turin (I have not), but those who have been there seem to really, really like it. It is on my must-go list the next time I'm in Italy. From all I've read, Turin sounds more engaging than Milan.
Milan is not by any means a bad place, but it's a large city (and with fairly expensive hotels, I believe) that lacks the number of sights you'll find at many other Italian destinations. The Duomo is wonderful; it's worth climbing up to the roof. Enough people want to see The Last Supper (located elsewhere) that tickets sell out very far in advance. Two neighborhoods that sound engaging are Brera and Navigli. Perhaps someone who has spent more time in Milan than I have will be able to comment. I stopped off for just part of a day because my mom wanted to see the Duomo, and that was certainly worth the effort.
Bergamo is a wonderful hill town that is day-trippable from Milan (or you could stop there for one night).
There's also a string of very attractive smaller cities stretching between Milan and Venice: Verona, Vicenza and Padua. Absolutely no shortage of great things to see in that area (or anywhere else in Italy, for that matter). It's a country that really repays efforts to stay in a single area for awhile.
Edited to add: In addition to reading whatever guidebook I'm using for a trip, I try to skim through TripAdvisor's "Things To Do" lists for unfamiliar destinations. There will usually be a lot more on those lists than any single guidebook will cover. True, the information may not be totally reliable, but it may at least alert you to the existence of sights that align with your special interests--things you wouldn't otherwise know about.