We are an energetic group of 6 people, 3 couples in our 40s. We are foodies, love beautiful scenery and mountains, history and may be even some hiking.
We want to do a trip in September 2017, for about 10 -14 days, Northern Italy and going north to Austria or/and Switzerland or/and Germany.
Start in Milan, Italy, may be rent a van and end up in Munich, Germany. I know it cost $500.00 extra to drop the car off in the different country but we are ok with it.
We wanted to do a food and countryside exploring but still see Milan and Munich
Some of the sight we want to see and know: Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Lake Garda
Can you recommend an itinerary?
Posted by
NSW Australia
703 posts
sounds like a very good trip. milan and lake como would be very good options, depending upon how much time you want to spend in Italy, then Lake Garda might be out of the way ( if going to Como). then head north generally into Austria and southern Germany and finish in Munich. very doable. there are lots to see in the austria/bavaria/ salzburg area. lots and lots of options.
do a search on the top of the screen and read the earlier posts of places in that area.
switzerland is great but much more expensive than surrounding countries, so 'perhaps' avoid staying? if time is limited.
the extra cost of drop off is really nothing (divided by 6) for the advantage of seeing some spectacular sights.
if you love mountains then I would ditch CT in lieu of spending more time in the alps.CT is a very nice place(if you like crowds) to visit but if you only have 10 days etc then there is SO much to see north of Milan. ( ie instead of driving south and back north again)
we have driven through a lot of the area you intend to go ( and are returning there in May for a month or so) driving around is very doable. just remember to organise a vignette for switzerland ( can be costly) and for austria ( much cheaper) if you are using toll roads,. once again read all about these in earlier posts.
hope this helps
Posted by
Ohio
171 posts
I agree with glennlorrainer that you should skip Cinque Terre on this trip. Here is a suggested route that would take you from Milan to Munich while seeing some beautiful locations with lots of mountains.
Milan 1N - reserve a viewing of "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci (if you want to see it) now - it is frequently fully booked for months in advance! Spend the first day recovering from jet lag by seeing the cathedral.
Bellagio or Varenna on Lake Como 2N - either is a perfect spot with Bellagio being a great place for silk shopping. Choose Varenna if you are nervous about driving on extremely narrow roads or take the car ferry from Cadenabbia or Varenna to Bellagio. Lake Como should be explored by ferry. There are many pretty little towns and palaces around the lake.
Grindelwald 2N - Spend the day exploring the Jungfraujoch (if you have perfectly clear weather) and/or some of the little towns by cog railway or gondola. Grindelwald is a little bit out of your way but the Bernese Oberland is probably as beautiful a mountain area as you will find.
Fussen 3N - View Neuschwanstein from Marienbrucke. Check the interior of Wieskirche, it's beautiful. Also spend a half day seeing Linderhof Palace - fabulous setting.
Salzburg or Berchtesgaden 3N - Drive from Fussen to Berchtesgaden along the Alpenstrasse. The towns of Salzburg and Hallstatt are very pretty and interesting and can occupy a day of sightseeing. Near Berchtesgaden is the Documentation Center (a museum covering the Nazification of the Berchtesgaden area) and the Eagle's Nest ( a fabulous viewpoint if the air is clear) which will occupy another day.
Munich 3N - My favorites in Munich are the Marienplatz, the Residenz (Palace), Nymphenburg Palace, the English Garden (take a look at the surfers!) and Beer Gardens. You can add the BMW Welt if you are a car nut,
One other thought. I would reverse the sequence - Arrive in Munich and return from Milan. But only because Lake Como is a great place to decompress after a fun filled trip.
Posted by
NSW Australia
703 posts
we have been to all of the places listed ( we are going to lauterbrunnen this May), and the proposed list sounds good.
we did the factory tour at BMW Welt ( you need to book tickets in advance for the factory tour) it was very good.
we enjoyed looking around BMW Welt buildings/museum etc. something a bit different, even if your not into cars.
we enjoyed the area around Berchtesgaden/salzburg so much we are going back there again.
with a car you can alter what you see at a moments notice, due to weather etc, so perhaps start looking at options along a 'general' route, as suggested.
hope this helps.