Trip to Europe- need help/tips

Yes trust your instincts; do Switzerland on another trip. Don't travel all the way from Italy just to stay for 2 nights in Lucerne when you could also include the Berner Oberland Alps.

Have you bought the flight yet? If not you may want to fly into Rome and back from another city near Innsbruck so you don't have to back track so far.

Yes- already bought. It was a great deal to and from Rome, so I grabbed it!

What is the attraction of Innsbruck? wondering why not just stay in Italy if you are flying from Rome?

That's a good question- I love the beauty of the alps and hiking the mountains, & I've never been, but we could change our plans. I have time, so what would you recommend?

9/20-9/23 Tuscany (stay in one town San Quirico d"Orcia and travel
from there w/car)
9/23-9/24 Cinque Terre ( drop car and take train)
9/24-9/26 Lucerne,

Just a thought about Cinque Terre. If you aren't arriving until sometime (noon? afternoon?) on the 23rd, and then you have to take a train to either Lucerne or Innsbruck on the 24th, when are you going to have time to actually visit the 5 villages? If you decide to elminate Lucerne, perhaps you could add another night to CT before heading to Austria.

good question- we're staying in Vernazza, and wasn't planning on visiting all 5...maybe hike to 1 or 2 closest to Vernazza, but that's a good thought, as well.

Here’s a thought — If the only reason you are visiting Innsbruck is to see the alps, have you considered visiting the Italian alps instead? There’s terrific hiking and great views near Castelrotto (Kastelruth), and you wouldn’t need to leave a Italy, which would shorten your travel distance and time.

If you really want to see and hike in the Alps - do it! If you're set on Lucerne - do Lucerne and Lauterbrunnen - and skip Innsbruck.

Also consider to instead go to Valle d'Aosta in northern Italy. You can see the "other" side of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. Even make a day-trip to Chamonix via the Monte Bianco Skyway (from Courmayeur). Also, the region's countryside is dotted with medieval castle and fortresses. Consider to rent a car from Genoa, Torino or Milano.

I also like the idea to add a full day in Cinque Terre

So, scrub out Innsbruck, extend your Cinque Terre stay, and add Switzerland or Valle d'Aosta:
9/17-9/20 - Rome
9/20-9/23 - Tuscany
9/23-9/25 - Cinque Terre
9/25 - 9/28 - Lucerne and Lauterbrunnen OR Valle d'Aosta
9/28 - back to Rome (plan on 6-7 hour train ride)
9/29 - fly home

I would try to add more time in Cinque Terre. We got in later than planned and only had a half day followed by a full day and it was not nearly enough.
With your many stops I can’t stress enough to pack light. I did but my husband did not so I added some of his stuff to my luggage and it has been brutal maneuvering the trains and cobblestone streets with too much stuff. I actually thought about just leaving some of it behind or shipping it back.

Congratulations on your 30th and enjoy your trip. You will love Italy!!

This is great! I am checking out Valle d' Aosta...maybe we'll stay in Italy! Keep it coming and thanks so much!!!!

You don’t have to go as far as Valle d'Aosta to get into the Italian Alps. From Cinque Terre, head to Turin. Just west of Turin is the Val di Susa, chock full of Alps between there and France. I highly recommend Avigliana and Sacra San Michele, a 1000 year old pilgrimage abbey. A unique and wonderful place to stay is an ex-monastery halfway down the mountain between the abbey and the town, Certosa1515

As a bonus, the fast train from Turin to Rome is quick and easy. Though you’d likely travel via Turin from Aosta, you’ll save a lot of time by being closer to Turin to start with.

I highly recommend cutting back the geographical extent of your trip. I think listing the destinations as you have, with the same day assigned to two different places, is giving you a false idea of how much time you'll have at each stop. This is what your original plan comes down to:

Rome 2 days (I don't count the jetlagged arrival day); maybe a few hours on 9/28
Tuscany 2 days plus a few hours (no time for Florence)
Cinque Terre a few hours
Lucerne 1 day plus a few hours
Innsbruck 1 day plus a few hours

I think five destinations (and six hotels stays) is too many for an 11-night trip. I'd definitely put all the Rome time at the end of the trip to eliminate one hotel change. Hop on a train the day you arrive and head to Tuscany or some other Italian destination. And I wouldn't want to fool with a flight to get back to Rome, either, so I'm all for getting your Alpine fix in Italy.

Thank you ALL so much. I'm excited to scrap my original plan and stay in Italy. I didn't want to pack too much in one trip and said I wasn't going to, but it's so hard when you want to see everything, and who knows when we'll be able to do this again. Please keep sending any other ideas. This forum is great! Thanks, Lou

I have looked at Valle d'Aosta and found a small hotel that I can't get out of my mind. it's beautiful- called Auberge de la Maison, but I like the simplicity of traveling to the alps near Turin from Cinque Terre, and taking a quick train back to Rome. Does anyone know of a hotel/ B&B, similar to Auberge de la Maison in the alps near Turin?

Well if Certosa1515 isn’t for you, there’s a pretty B&B In the historic center of Avigliana that I looked at but at have not stayed in, al Pianofolle. Avigliana has commuter rail service to Turin, and a day in the city would be well spent. The rail line also heads further west if you want to just see mountains and more mountains.

Avigliana has some great sights and restaurants, but above all, I recommend that you go up the mountain to Sacra San Michele. One of my favorite memories of that trip.

Edit: just remembered another B&B that is highly recommended. It's more rural, I'm not sure if you'd need a car or not. I know you can get as far as Pinerolo, the nearest town, by train. Again, I haven't stayed here, but I know people who have and they were wowed with the people, location and food. The wife is American, the husband Italian. I follow her blog and Facebook page but have never met them. It's on my someday list. Bella Baita

ok- how does this look?

9/16- Fly to Rome
9/17-9/20 Rome
9/20-9/23 Tuscany
9/23-9/25 Cinque Terre
rent car & drive to Valle d' Aosta (4 hours)
9/25- 9/27 Valle d' Aosta (Courmayeur)
drive to Milan (2 hr 17 min)
9/27 Milan (somewhere close to train)
train to Rome (3 hours)
9/28 Rome (we want to get there early because we're staying at Rome Cavalier)
9/29 Fly Home
Does this look better to give us more time by skipping Lucerne & Innsbruck?

It's looking good, but I think you could still make this easier on yourselves. As suggested above, sometimes it feels better to scoot on out of Rome to your first stop on arrival day. Save all your Rome days for the end of the trip so you can relax and eliminate one hotel change.

Another tweak is I don't think you need to spend a one-nighter in Milan. Drive from Aosta to either Turin or Milan, drop the car and immediately take the train to Rome. Spend 4 nights in Rome, all nights at one place. Hotel changes are a pain and don't really contribute to the fun part of your vacation.

What about this?
9/16- Fly to Rome, train right away to wherever in Tuscany you're headed
9/17-9/20 Tuscany (where?)
9/20-9/23 Cinque Terre
9/23 rent car & drive to Valle d' Aosta (4 hours)
9/23-9/26 Valle d' Aosta (Courmayeur),
9/26 drop car in a city with fast train connections to Rome (Milan 2-ish hour drive, Turin 1.5-ish hour drive, your choice)
9/26-29 Rome
9/29 Fly Home

All 3-night stays, only 4 hotel changes, much less stress. A nice variety of countryside / oceanside / mountains / big city.

I think Nelly's routing looks good logistically, but it's just two days in Rome. I still feel as if there are too many destinations for the available time, but I am a slow traveler.