Hello. I will be traveling to Europe with my husband and 2 teenage children mid-March until the first week in April- 14 days total, not counting travel days.
What we know:
We fly into Paris and are spending 3 nights there. This is the only lodging booked at this point.
We plan to fly to Bern, Switzerland next to stay for ? nights as a possible base to day trip.
My son wants to see/hike the Alps, which I have seen likely won't be possible this time of the year. Any suggestions on how this would be doable (lower elevation) would be great. Open to Swiss or Italian side.
This leaves between 8-10 days in Italy, depending on where and if we do the Alps. We are thinking we'd like a mix of big cities, maybe Milan and Florence, but mainly stick to the smaller hill cities in Tuscany and Umbria. Also considering heading to Sorrento to explore down there. My thinking is if we could find some great hikes to satisfy my son, we could just see the Alps from afar.
We fly out of Rome.
For our Italy travel we are open to train/bus with a combo of day car rentals to explore the countryside, or car rental the whole time.
We enjoy adventure, but also like to have our relaxing time so I don't want to push it and be too ambitious. However, it may be our one Europe family trip so I'd like to see as much as we can.
Thank you in advance!
Posted by
Chicago
7917 posts
There is no airport service to Bern from Paris, take the train
https://en.oui.sncf/en/train/route/paris/bern
If you are staying in Bern you could take a train to Lauterbrunnen Valley where the famous Bernese Alps (Jungfrau, Monch, Eiger, Schilthorn etc.) are as a daytrip. There are some great hikes and scenery from the valley and higher elevations there. Or stay in Lauterbrunnen or one of the lower elevation mountain villages like Wengen and take a daytrip to Bern (that is what I did my last trip).
From there you can get a train to Milan and then the Tuscany area and so on to Rome; but I don't think it is a good idea to cram Sorrento into the 8-10 days. It is not that close or easy to get to.
Posted by
San Diego, California
4898 posts
From Bern, you could train to Lucerne, a beautiful town on the lake. From Lucerne, take the one hour ferry boat to the Mt Rigi stop, and then take the cogwheel train [30 minutes] to the top of Mt. Rigi. On the way to the top, there are 2-3 stops, where folks get off to hike up/down. Or- go all the way to the top, enjoy the view [weather cooperating], and ride the train down a stop or so, and hike down. An alternate route involves a gondola to/from Weggis. If you have the Swiss Travel Pass, all this transportation is covered. Of course, a night or so in Lucerne would be very pleasant!
We did this in December, [based in Basel], and were so lucky to have incredible weather: it was cloudy on the ground, but sunny above the clouds. We weren't hiking, but there were plenty of folks who were.
Safe travels!
Posted by
San Diego, California
4898 posts
P.S.
If you are taking the train from Paris to Switzerland, stopping off in the Strasboug / Colmar area would be very nice. Just so many wonderful options.....
Posted by
Paris
6924 posts
Let's see...as you may know your schedule is tight.
I'm assuming 14 days = 15 nights on the ground, since you excluded travel days.
I suggest the following
- 3 nights in Paris
- 3 nights in Luzern, a good base to see the Alps (day trips possibilities include Mount Rigi, Mount Pilatus, and the lake. Hiking possible on Mount Rigi, but risks being snowy or muddy)
- 1 night in Milan
- 3 nights in Florence
- 2 nights in a town of your choice, I would say Perugia
- 3 nights in Rome
All of this by train.
It's a very fast paced trip, in particular Paris and Rome will be tight. But I don't see many other ways to combine your wishes!
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for all of the great suggestions. We may cut out a stop and add a night in on one of the stops to make it a little less hectic. My list was a wish list, not a must do. Do you think it would be beneficial to get a rail pass, or just pay city to city? I've priced out both ways and it seems like the city to city would be cheaper, but any insight on this would be helpful.
Posted by
San Diego, California
4898 posts
In Switzerland, you'll most likely need either a Full -Price Swiss Travel Pass or a Half-Price Pass; I believe there are also a limited number of Super Saver tickets sold.
Posted fares assume that one has at least a half-price pass. Check the SBB site. The Swiss travel system is a marvel in dependability and efficiency.
In my experience, in touring around Switzerland, the Full Price pass had made the most financial sense, plus it's the most convenient/flexible, as you don't need to buy tickets or validate in advance. Once you have your itinerary, price your routes, to determine which pass meets your needs.
Have a great time!