can we do the following and what would be the best sequence. we will be flying in and out of milan.
cinque terra, tuscany, venice, lake como; then to interlaken, lucerne and berne, switzerland.
how many nights in each town/area? what sequence to make the best use of time. is it too many to try to visit?
thanks.
Yes, it is way too many to visit.
Keep in mind that 2 nights in a place equals only one day to see it on the ground. You already have too many places to spend 2 nights each in unless you plan to do nothing but drive by or through some of them. You don't say when you are going. The weather at the time of your trip could affect everything.
I would cut Switzerland completely (partly because of the expense) and concentrate on Italy. Remember that Tuscany, and the CT for that matter, are areas, not cities or towns. We have been to Venice. I love it. My husband hated it and couldn't wait to leave. We both loved Lake Como. It was much better than we expected. We haven't been to the CT and since hiking is a big draw there, we are not likely to go. We both loved staying in Florence exploring the countryside and hill towns around it -- by vehicle, not only on foot.
Use Google Maps to get directions to all the places you want to go and look at how long it is going to take to get to them. That should help you zero in on what's important in terms of the time needed to get to it, check into your lodgings and actually see and learn something about the place.
Good luck with your planning.
Why by car? You can easily do Venice, Lake Como and the CT without a car. In fact a car is a detriment in Venice and the CT. I agree with the other poster about skipping Switzerland this time (or you coudl skip Italy and go only to Switzerland, but since you are flying into Milan....)
Is this your first trip to Italy? Have you been to any of these locations before? Assuming "no" to these questions, and assuming it is during the period April-October, I would do this:
- Arrive Milan and go directly to Venice by high speed train. 3 nights. Great place to recover from jetlag.
- Venice to Lake Como, 2-3 nights
- Lake Como (Varenna?) to CT and again 3 nights (if it is not during Apr-Oct, skip the CT)
If you have 3-4 more nights, pick one town in northern Tuscany and make it your base. Reserve one night for Milan as you will need to sleep there the night before your departure.
thanks for the replies. we are planning an october trip. why by car. we want to travel the countryside especially in tuscany and a car makes more sense then the train, we believe. we have been to italy before and have been in Florence, Siena, Lucca, Volterra, Pisa, Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento and the coast. so this time we wanted to see the northern areas.
we did stay in Colle Val d' Elsa before and loved it and wanted to make that our base for Tuscany and some more hill towns.
i did read that a car is impossible in and around venice, but thought we could park outside the city in one of the garages while we are there.
our initial plans were 2 nights in La Spezia. 3 nights in Tuscany, 2 nights in Venice, 3 nights in the lake Como area to include a quick visit into Switzerland. and 1 night in Milan. you still feel that it is too much to handle?
Sounds pretty impossible to me.
What did you want to see / expect to see in Bern? It is the most distant of your 3 distinct regions of Switzerland for your little jaunt.
If you go to Interlaken are you not planning to go up into the mountains, and only stay on the flatlands? What did you expect to do in Interlaken on your Swiss jaunt?
2 nights in Venice is only one full day. Is that tiny amount of time what you really had in mind? What can you do in only one day? What did you have in mind?
I go to Venice every year at least once, never for less than 3 full days, usually 5 - I've barely scratched the surface.
One thing that can affect your plans is weather, if any of your activities are weather-dependent, depending on the time of year.
By the same logic above, 3 nights in Lake Como (where? - which town you pick will make a huge difference in how you enjoy it) is only 2 days. So how will you shoehorn in any time enjoying your location on Como, taking whole or half day boat excursions, walking the gardens, enjoying the slow pace of life - - while you are doing a three day trip to Switzerland? I just don't see how it adds up....
What had you planned for the Como portion?
Lots of good advice here, already. Do trim down the list to make the trip more relaxing. I have driven in all those places with no problem, but you will have to pay for parking and will usually choose to leave the car parked during your stay in any of the towns listed. We more often recommend using a car just for Tuscany and trains for the other destinations on this list.
I often tend to do whirlwind trips, but this might even be a bit much for me. You will spend lots of time driving. I would probably cut Switzerland this trip as well, and add to Tuscany or one more day to Venice. I question the two days in La Spezia. It's not a very attractive town...or are you just staying there because of your car, then taking train to CT? I have driven to CT and it is a bit challenging, but I would try to figure out another plan rather than stay in La Spezia.
wow! thanks everyone for your responses. obviously it looks like we were trying to do the impossible. now we have to figure out which town/area we should remove so we can fit it all in.
thanks again.
