Northern Italy Trip

Decisions decisions. I would choose Lake Como over Florence. Milan a huge city prefer the real Italy out of those cities. Ricks Book would be a good indication. Venice is a must see along with Cinque Terre Good Luck

IMHO, you have too many places on your plate. We've travelled multiple times in the area you are about to enjoy. At the moment I would skip cinque Terre currently it's quite a drive and since it's being repaired due to flooding I'd wait for another trip. Flying into Milan it's a natural to go to Como, we're returning there for the 5th time in April. We would from your list then add Florence and using the Rick Steve's guides, really settle in there or on the outskirts and enjoy all that the city has to offer. You could take a day trip to Siena and have fun there too. Wine tasting out of Florence is very doable and fun, also around Siena. Have a great trip. C

david, I also feel that you have too many places on your list for a 10-day time frame. To begin with, I'd suggest skipping Milan. With so little time, I'd suggest picking only three locations. It's important to allow adequate travel times between destinations, as each time you move will require about half a day. You didn't say when this trip will be taking place, nor how you're planning to get around? I don't agree that you should skip the Cinque Terre. Three of the five villages were unaffeced by the floods and will be opening as usual in a month or so. The repairs in the old town section of Monterosso have been progressing extremely well. Lodgings in the new town section were largely unaffected so it should be "business as usual" with those. Some lodgings in Vernazza will apparently be taking bookings on May 1st. The only "question mark" is how many facilities will be operating in Vernazza at the beginning of the season? You might find it helpful to pick up a copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook, as there's LOTS of information there on lodgings, restaurants, transportation, sightseeing, etc. It's a fantastic resource for planning trips to Italy! I often pack the book along, and use it for reference during the trip. Happy travels!

If you're really big wine drinkers and have a car, you might want to spend an afternoon in the Valpolicella area, just above Verona. The Ripassos are excellent and some of the Amarones can hold their own against just about any wine in Italy.

David,
Northern Italy is my favorite place! Am leaving next month for my third trip in three years. I fly into Zurich on Delta and take the train down into Italy (the scenery on this train ride is fantastic...waterfalls, tunnels, villages, etc). I usually spend the first few nights around Lake Maggiorie....I would recommend Cannobio (close to Switzerland town of Locarno) or Stresa...great boat rides available around the lake to visit various islands...would recommend lunch on the island just off of Stresa...can't think of name right now. I would save CT and Siena for another trip...they are far away from the other towns you mentioned. I would recommend Verona or Bologna. They are close to Venice.Milan is huge and not my favorite city. Any other questions, just email me.

karren, "would recommend lunch on the island just off of Stresa" Are you thinking of Isola dei Pescatori, one of the Borromeo islands? If so, I agree that's a great place to enjoy lunch.

We also enjoyed Bologna and Padova on our northern Italy trip. Verona was well worth seeing, but we enjoyed staying in the other 2 cities more. And both are not that far from Venice.

...and don't forget Prosecco Trail in the Veneto and all
the wonderful whites from the Friuli area.

David Agree with previous posters on too many places to visit in your 10 days. And we all know how hard it is to narrow the choices for an itinerary! Also would skip Milan. It would also help if you gave us what town you will be visiting your friend in Switzerland. To better advise you, it would help to know what you like to do besides drink wine! (Note: If you are driving and going to wineries, I think you need to get alternative transportation.)
So, do you appreciate art?; then Florence is a must! If not so much, then skip it. From your options, you obviously like the smaller towns and beautiful countryside. In trying to narrow your choices, I always think of outliers. In other words, those places that are furthest from the other options and/or take a long time to get to. In your case, Siena and Cinque Terre. And I love them both. Concentrating in one large area is a more efficient use of your time. Also, whether driving or training, it is important to keep in mind the time it takes to get from one place to another. Pack, check out of hotel, time to get to train station, wait at train station, train travel time, get to new hotel, check in, unpack, orient yourself to new place, etc. Most of the time, this takes 1/2 day. Believe it! So each time you move, you are losing half a day. Getting to Cinque Terre takes longer from most places. I would leave from Milan and go to your furthest south destination and work back. Good luck on your itinerary! Bobbie

Thank you all for the replies and great information. I apologize for not providing more details so I will attempt to fill in some blanks for you. Travel dates: Mid May ending early June.
Main mode of transportation: Rail systems, although I understand a car in the countryside works well. Location in Switzerland: Laussane, southwest corner of Switzerland. I have the 2012 Rick's guide books, so do not fret. I always like to hear from travelers that have also experienced the area. I find it beneficial to have a great trip. Things we love: Local culture, arts, food, wine, relaxation, photography. We are very easy travelers and try to go with the flow as much as possible. I do plan pretty heavily to make the most out of my trip. I would agree I have too many places on the list and I did not plan to make them all. Just like everyone suggests, it is better to spend time in a region than hop all over the place. Makes the trips more enjoyable. My thoughts regarding Switzerland is to finish there since I can take a direct flight into Milan. Flying to Zurich and catching a train sounds beautiful, but not the best regarding efficency of time. I look forward to hearing from you all, and thanks again!

First of all, my wife and I are insanely jealous! Secondly, if this is your first time to Italy and you DON'T go to Florence, your trip will be wasted! I'm only partially joking with you :-) Sitting atop the Piazalle Michelangelo watching the sunset with a glass of wine in my hand is how I want to die! In all seriousness, go to Florence! It is the perfect combination of everything you described and is a great home base for the surrounding Tuscan vineyards. To your other potential destinations: I can't speak to Milan because I've never been there, but it would seem natural to at least check out the Duomo if you're flying into/out of there. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Lake Como or it's surrounding areas. I would imagine late May/early June to be ideal times to visit that beautiful area. Talk about relaxing! Venice is magical of course (albeit insanely overcrowded), but it doesn't seem to fit with what you're aspirations are for your trip. It may be more trouble than it's worth. Likewise with the Cinque Terre. I would not skip it due to the flooding, but I would seriously consider crossing it off your list simply out of time constraints. Oh, and lastly, GO TO FLORENCE! Have a glass of wine for the rest of us poor bums that can't go, and have the trip of a lifetime!

Only parts of Venice are "insanely overcrowded." It's very easy to get away from the crowds, if you just do it. Here's a collection of photos from our trip to Venice in May 2011 to show a little bit of what uncrowded Venice looks like. Happy travels.

David, My wife and I have done 6 Italy trips and will do a 7th in late May, 2012. Unless you have specific wineries to visit you will be fine to drink Italian wine wherever you find it, as the 2006-09 vintages have been very good to great. Florence needs at least 3 days, but you can stay anywhere in Tuscany and also drive to Siena (half day including evening) and Montalcino, etc easily. No need to go to Switzerland unless you want to experience the wonderful train/alpine world - if so, we loved the Berner Oberland and Murren for 2-3 days. If you arrive in SZ take full advantage. Lake Como (Bellagio or better Varenna is a most relaxing 2 days on foot and ferries. Milan can be done in a half day (Duomo, la Scala, etc). Our upcoming trip will allow 3 days for our 1st visit to Venice, and no car is needed there. The CT (we've been twice and stayed 4 days overall) is still recovering from October extreme flooding and I'd not visit this year. Car rental in Italy is better if you rent and return in Italy, and not cross borders. Overall, northern Italy and Amalfi/Sicily are our best trips to that wonderful country. Good travels.
Cheers, Tom

David: I assume your plans are not already set. Italy is best not visited in July or August; it's even hotter than a red clay South Georgia cotton field. From The Maynard/Hartsfield Airport, your nonstop flights are into Milan. Venice will require a stop @ JFK or Amsterdam. Pisa is the other big international airport, and Delta stops at Paris before ending there. For many of my European vacations, I've tried to drive as far as my car would take me, and attempting to see too much. Big mistake! Italy is somewhat of a culture shock, and something best taken slowly. At $8.35 per gallon gasoline, my April travel will be by train from city to city. We'll explore Chianti by car for 5 days. You've got good advice above from experienced travelers. I would bypass Milan (unless your a high fashion buyer) and Cinque Terre (this year.) It's no more expensive to travel open jawed; Fly into Venice and out of Zurich. I would suggest the following: Venice 3 days (I love the place.) Florence 3 days (take a wine tour to Chianti) Siena 1 day (1 hr. bus trip Stay in Florence) Travel to Lake Como 1 day Lake Como 2 days (Rent a car to see the mountains) Travel to Switzerland 1 day
Switzerland 3 days Just keep one person to be a designated driver.

I've got to say, I like David from AL's itinerary. I've been to most of the places and it seems right on target. I also agree with skipping Milan (personally I wouldn't shop designer stores anyway and I'm not going to Europe to see a big city ) and yes Cinque Terra was a place that was so beautiful but you aren't going to get to see it in its' most beautiful state so I would skip it this year. I noticed that you liked photography and those quiet neighborhoods in Venice are fantastic. We were there May 25 and the area around San Marco was very busy but other areas were not. It was great. Don't stay away because it is a touristy town, just explore. Like RS says, it's an island you can go too far! Florence, most people absolutely LOVE it. I'm not one of those fans. It was fine, but I much preferred Siena. If you like art museums then you will probably be one of the lovers, but for quaint village ambiance another town may rank higher for you. I think it all depends on personal preference. No matter where you choose, it will be an awesome trip.

This is all wonderful information and you have helped me eliminate some areas that will not be as important to me this trip. I will look at flying into Florence and working my way up. Will spend 3-4 days in the area as we will want to hit the smaller towns outside of florence. This will be our only time using a car. Train travel will be used for the remainder of the trip. Will still do venice and will probably bypass Milan and head to como. i will take advice on cinque terre and save it for next time. From como, will make our way to Lausanne and fly out of either Geneva or Zurich.

David: The big Italian airports are Milan, Pisa and Rome. Out of Atlanta, you'd be better served flying into Pisa on Delta. Then, take a 1 hr. train over to Florence into the intercity. That's how the Italians travel out/in Tuscany. You cannot easily get into the very small Florence airport, as you'll have to fly to another big city and change planes for Florence. It's just a hassle.

David, thanks for the tips. No matter how I cut it, I will have to make a stop into CDG to get to Florence. Only direct flight is to Milan. I am going to take everyone's advice and start south heading north east to Venice. Will let you all know as plans come together. Thanks again.

David: Atlanta is also my home airport. Do NOT fly through CDG. Some group at CDG is always on strike. It took us over 25 hours to get home once, due to strikes and missed flghts. Our last Italy trip we did ATL to Milan, rented a car, drove through Bergamo (beautiful) and used a B&B in Montichiari for our base during our first 7 days. From Montichiari, we visited Sirmione (Lago de Garda), Bologna, Verona, Venice (by train), Modena (Ferrari factory), etc. We then travelled to Levanto and used a B&B there as our base, for 3 days, to explore Cinque Terre. At the train station in Levanto, you can buy a daily pass that lets you get on and off at will amongst the five cities. In Riomaggiore, we bought a boat ticket to travel along the Cinque Terre coastline (at sunset) back to Levanto. We did fly home out of Milan.

Hi all. I am finalizing plans and was stuck on number of days for Tuscany and Como. This is what I have so far: Florence: 3 nights Tuscany: 3-4 nights Venice: 2 nights Como: 2-3 nights?
Switzerland: 2-3 nights? Will probably make Siena or the surrounding areas my home base for Tuscany but will have a car so will use that time to check out the other towns and areas. Appears we are close to the coast and would love a day trip over to the coast if anyone has any suggestions.

Hi David,
If you do visit Lake Como (which is a great place to relax, especially the villages of Varenna and Bellagio), I would advise taking the train from Milan to Varenna. While there, instead of renting a car, just take the local public ferries to explore the surrounding towns. If you do want to explore the mountains, then I guess you would need a car, but there is more than enough to keep you occupied and happy without a car. Parking might be a problem.