Our best of Europe Part 1 trip itinerary

I would stay in Murren vs. Gimmelwald. It is an easy walk down to Gimmelwald or a short gondola ride if you want to see it. Murren offers far more opportunities for lodging, transport, restaurants.

Given the amount of travel time required (both in and out) and the opportunities for local sightseeing and day trips, I think 3 nights is awfully short for the Riviera. I wouldn't do it.

Two nights in Venice (just one full day and some extra hours after you deal with airport shuffle) is really painfully short and will probably mean you need to spend most of your time as part of the mob around Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Market--not the best way to enjoy the city.

I'd make an adjustment so you can more fully enjoy one of those places rather than rushing through two of them.

I'm sorry I can't help with lodging in the Dolomites. Those towns have a summer (hiking) season as well as a winter (skiing) season, so it's possible what you are seeing in typical. If you haven't already done so, see what's available on booking.com, then go to individual hotel websites to see whether you can beat booking's prices. (I usually cannot, but you never know.)

1) We fly from Nice to Venice on EasyJet - is this airline reliable ( in terms of timeliness etc ) ?

Our last experience with them was pre-Covid but they were fine, got us on several flights where we were to go and on time.

One thing to know about a budget carrier like EasyJet is they mean every single rule. Size and weight for the small cabin bag. Size and weight for a large cabin bag, and fee for it to be allowed. Check-in rules. When the doors close for boarding. As long as you read and follow them you'll have a smooth experience. Travelers used to the more casual rule enforcement of US carriers on domestic flights are the ones that have issues and post complaints.

I agree the trip sounds rushed. If this is all the time you have then I'd trim the number of stops. And drop the one-nite stays. Each change in location, especially the larger ones, consumes at least half a day. By the time you check out, get to the train station with some time to spare, then get to the next hotel and drop your bags, it's likely to be noon or later. On your 2-nite stays that leaves a few hours and the following day, rinse and repeat. To me the pace of travel you're planning would not be very enjoyable. Of course others differ and are happy to say they've been-in/seen X, Y, and Z.

@ Carol now retired - 100% agree. I actually have also booked in Murren (Hotel Edelweiss) for exactly the reason you mention. We stayed in Gimmelwald 15 years ago ( forget the place - a nice person called Walter ran it, I think - he passed away a couple of years back), so were partial to re-visit and stay there.

Will finalize where to stay in a few weeks.

Thanks for responding.

@acraven - agree. I think we may land up skipping Nice area and head from Paris to Venice (via Milan) directly and add days to Venice and Dolomites.

I added Nice to the itinerary for 2 main reasons - I wanted my kids to experience travel on a TGV in the French countryside and I think the train trip along the coast will be awesome. Second - I really dont know when we will back to europe - we last visited 17 years ago and then life happened. So really the journey is more important than do stuff in Nice.

I will keep ur suggestion in mind and finalize over the next few weeks.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

@John -

I agree with this comment - "to me the pace of travel you're planning would not be very enjoyable"

My wife also is saying its too much. She is already exhausted thinking about the planning etc.

We might just cut the stops and if we do - the trip would be

Paris - Dolomites (via Venice) - Milan (lake Cumo and Duomo) and Gimmelwald

I, on the other hand, am saying - we promised we will get back after our first trip in 2003. Its 2022 now. So knowing we may not make it back again anytime soon, I wanted to show as much as possible to my kids early on and then they can explore leisurely on their own.

Let's see - I will have to think about this seriously over the next few weeks.

Also - thanks for ur insight on EasyJet - that is good to know - the fare I paid was really cheap, so wouldnt mind shelling out more for baggage etc.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Considering all you want to do in Paris, I would add one more night there so that you have 3 full days. We spent a week in Paris in 2014...our second time there. The 1 hour RER train ride to Versailles and taking a tour of the Palace and the grounds took us the better part of a day. You might want to visit Montmartre to see Sacre-Coeur...the view over Paris from the Dome is amazing, although it is quite a climb up to the top. You may also enjoy one of the boat tours on the Seine...our son really enjoyed that. The Musee d’Orsay is wonderful...I enjoy it even more than the Louvre.

thanks for the suggestions. We also like M'Orsay over Louvre - Monet's paintings were fascinating. We did not make it to Montmartre to see Sacre-Coeur the last time we were there, so will try to fit that in this time (along with the river cruise).

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

"noticed several hotels are booked completely the first 3 weeks of Aug. Is it unique this year or this is just the peak season?"
Yes, this is peak season travel for Europeans. Unlike US schools that begin summer vacation around Memorial Day, European schools break up for about 6 weeks at the end of July. So prices will be higher and places much more crowded. All of Europe is on vacation it seems in August! Easyjet is just fine if you follow every rule. If your check-in luggage is over dimensions for Easy Jet, then I would check your luggage on their website/app before you arrive at the airport. (Prices will be a lot higher if you wait). I agree that Murren will offer much more the Gimmelwald for your 14-year-old. I would also tell you to skip the south of France and concentrate on Switzerland and northern Italy. So much to see there. You can't do it all. If you are like me, I plan big and then narrow it down to a realistic pace.

I understand your concerns about wanting to share as much as possible with your daughter and when you will be back. However, those are the reasons to carefully curate your trip. You want the memories you share to be of high quality times together, not rushing from place to place.

Following. We're doing the Loire Valley to the South of Rome tour, followed by Best of South italy, but with a 10 day break in between. We're flying EasyJet from Nice to Venice, and have had to change our flight once when their Saturday flight changed to an unacceptable arrival time (Midnight???? I don't think so.)

“ plan big and then narrow it down to a realistic pace..”

This is why the forum here is like a gathering of friends..