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Europe tour

Posted by on

Hi All,
I am planning a trip to Europe in May. I fly into Rome on 2nd may '17 at 7 am in the morning. We are 2 adults and 1 child (6 years). This is our first time into Europe and probably wont be coming back to North Italy again.

I want to spend my time in the following places:

Rome, Vatican (day trip), Florence (with a day trip to pisa), venice and maybe 1 night somewhere else before I proceed to Zurich.
My dates in Italy are 2nd may - 9/10th may. after which we leave for zurich.

The current plan is:
3 nights Rome.
Take a train to florence from rome
2 nights florence with a day trip to pisa
2 nights venice (do i take a train to venice from florence or drive down ?)
The main issue is: Is it possible to drive down from Venice to Zurich? My husband loves to drive and we would like to fit in 1 road trip somewhere. I have seen the train options from Venice to Zurich but find it a little tedious with all the luggage.
The next question is, If we decide to drive, do we halt for 1 night at some place enroute to Zurich ? or do we drive directly from venice to zurich and explore cique terre or some other place (suggestions required) on the way to zurich?

Our friends will be joining us at zurich after which we plan to stay 2 nights in zurich, 4 nights in grindelwald, 3 nights in paris and 2 in amsterdam. We then proceed to London from amsterdam and then back home.

Awaiting your suggestions to help me plan better. Thanks in advance.

Posted by
28462 posts

If you are considering driving any leg of this trip, I recommend taking a look at driving time and cost projections (which do not include car-rental fees) on the ViaMichelin website. Folks who have driven in Europe (I have not) seem to find VM's time estimates optimistic, and of course they do not include stops for meals, gas, toilets.

From Venice to Zurich the train takes 6 to 6-1/2 hours, whereas VM estimates a driving time of 6 hr. 12 min. You can pack a picnic to enjoy on the train, which would make it more pleasant for me. A bigger issue with driving that leg is that renting a car in Italy and dropping it off in Switzerland will probably incur a very high drop charge (on the order of hundreds of euros).

I like to use the Deutsche Bahn website for train schedules, though you'll have to go elsewhere to buy your tickets. I think you'll find that the train will be much faster than the projected driving time for Rome-Florence-Venice. If you are able to lock down your itinerary ahead of time, you can probably save some money by grabbing non-refundable/non-changeable train tickets now. I say "probably" because the early-May tickets have been on sale for some time. As the promo-priced seats are purchased by others, only more costly seats will be available.

If you want to take a look at the current rail fares for your travel dates, check out TrenItalia. You'll need to use the Italian station names:

Roma ( Tutte Le Stazione )
Firenze ( Tutte Le Stazione )
Venezia S. Lucia
Zurigo (for Zurich)

If you're flying into Rome from the US or Canada, I'd recommend adding your extra Italian night to Rome. Most travelers are seriously sleep-deprived and jet lagged on their arrival day, so having 3 nights in Rome only gives you two full days and some fog-bound walking-around time.

Cinque Terre is a bit awkward to get to, and inserting it between Florence and Venice would effectively cost you more than one day.

Posted by
11851 posts

Trains are definitely the way to go. Much less pressure, easy to relax, and if you buy in advance in Italy they are quite inexpensive.

Your two nights in Florence translate to only one or one-and-a-half days. I would not spend that day going to Pisa. Just enjoy Florence where there is ever-so-much to see.

"All the luggage?" We travel for up to two months with only a 21" rollaboard and a day pack each. Pack light, do a little laundry once a week, rinse things out in the sink. Travel life is MUCH easier when you are not dragging suitcases. There's lots of info on this site and in Rick Steves' books about packing light.

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