Looking to plan a 10-14 day trip for Northern Italy and Switzerland in September of 2026 and ideally would like to have 2 "home bases" that we can travel out from to sightsee. Thinking of Milan for sights in northern Italy (Milan, Lake Como, maybe Cinque Terre) and looking for a base in Switzerland. I've heard good things about Wengen as a base? Any other suggestions?
Posted by
Nashville, TN
1178 posts
What do you want to do/see in Switzerland? Hiking? Museums? Shopping? Restaurants? Lakes? Adventure sports? This affects the answer.
Posted by
Michigan
573 posts
We stayed in Murren in an apartment for a week last September, and it was beautiful! We loved the village, and enjoyed exploring Gimmelwald and Allmendhubel easily from Murren. Our weather was changing while we were there - sunny and 70's at the start of the week, then rain, and then 5 inches of snow at the end. We went to Allmendhubel 3 times because we really liked it there!
We did spend a lot of time on transportation to explore the whole region because we wanted to get the most of our pass. So from Murren, we had many "across and down and then up the other side" kinds of journeys, which we didn't mind. If we have a chance to go again, we might choose to stay in Wengen to be on that side of the valley for more exploring.
On another trip, we flew into Milan, and used the trains to explore the region. Visiting the roof of the Duomo in Milan was really dramatic and memorable. We stayed in Stresa on Lago Maggiore and took a day trip to Orta San Giulio, which was lovely and quiet. We especially enjoyed the walk around the peaceful Isola San Giulio. The Borromean Islands near Stresa were fun to explore, especially Isola Bella with the tiered gardens and white peacocks. Also on that trip we had a few nights stay in Torino, and really enjoyed that city. Beautiful arcades, delicious foods and aperitivo places, and a great cafe culture there. Plus gianduja!
On the My Way Italy tour, we went to Lake Como and stayed in Varenna at Villa Cipressi. There are beautiful gardens on that property, and it was a wonderful place to stay. We took a tour of Lake Como from Varenna, and had a stop at the Villa Balbianello - would recommend this for the history, movie location, and the beauty!
So many beautiful places to explore in that region - how nice that you will have a long time for your vacation!
Laurie
Posted by
USA
895 posts
then 5 inches of snow at the end
In September? I did not consider that when planning my own September trip, although I will be there at the beginning of the month. Still, this is a good reminder to keep checking the weather right up until its time to fly out.