Help!! Need Suggestions for Northern Italy!

Venice would be a must in my book, if you've never been there.
Verona or lake Garda or the Dolomites would also be nice.
Italy would be a bit of a detour in your case, I would consider visiting Austria (for example Salzburg) instead.
Be aware of huge international drop off fees if you pick up the car in Switzerland and return it in another country.

I too agree that Venice is a must see if you've never been there.

An alternative would be Trieste, at the end of the Adriatic--NE of Venice. You could go northeast of there to Bled.

allyson,

To begin with, are you planning to drop the car in Bled? As Roberto mentioned there could be HUGE charges for renting in one country and dropping in another. One other point is that some car rental agencies have "issues" with taking their cars into some countries in eastern Europe.

Venice would be a good choice if you haven't been there, however I suspect it could be VERY touristy in July/August. I'd suggest booking a hotel WELL in advance. The car won't be of any use there so it will sit in a lot gathering dust while you tour Venice. Especially at that time of year, I don't think you'll find too many places in Italy that aren't "touristy". Some other places you could consider....

• Verona - it's a beautiful and historic city, however that will be Opera season so it will be very busy.
• Padua
• Stresa - beautiful town on Lago Maggiore. While there you could take a day trip by train / boat to Locarno, Switzerland.

There are lots of possibilties.

Good luck with your planning!

I think Venice might be best saved for another trip as it's a little out of the way and doesn't fit into the "hidden gem" category. I agree with Roberto and think that Salzburg could be a good choice. Salzburg might be considered touristy but it has a lot of charm.

I like Ken's suggestion of Verona.

Look at Googlemaps or Rome2Rio to plan a route that makes good use of your time.

Ljubljana near Lake Bled is wonderful as is the village of Radovljica.

We were in Trieste in October and liked the city very much, but I don't think it fits what you're describing.

If you can look at leasing a car versus renting is so much better.
Just completed 3 months driving Europe on a lease it was so much better than renting.
We spent a night in Rovereto and it was lovely and there some beautiful gardens near lake Garda.
Verona is great for a couple of nights. Lake Como was great.

Try Hallstatt versus Salzburg, much nicer.

On Lake Maggiorie: Stresa and Cannobio are my two favorite cities. You can take boats to the islands in the lake.
Lake Garda: I like Sirimonie.
Verona: Love this town. Lots to see and do but very crowded until opera season is over in early September.
I have hotel and restaurant recommendations for these places too. If you want them, PM me and I will send them.

I would try to make it to Venice on the 3rd Sunday of July so that you could take part in the "Festa del Redentore" It's an amazing festival celebration the end of one of the worst plagues that ever hit and the whole city celebrates with music, wine, dancing, fireworks it's truly amazing.
As for a hidden gem, try the northern end of Lake Garda in the Riva del Garda Reiff and Arco area. It's so picture perfect, the people are wonderful, the food is fantastic and all the valleys around it are covered with medieval castles.