Honeymoon Itinerary Check (Interlaken to Florence): Is This Feasible?

Posted by RobCalkins (Chicago, IL) on 04/18/24 02:20 PM

Hello, my fiance and I are planning our honeymoon for 11-12 days in Switzerland and Italy this September. We are both in our early 30s, and typically are 'go-getter' type travelers that have a hard time relaxing and sitting in one place because we are so eager to explore new cultures and cities.

Our current plan is to fly into zurich and explore a few cities in Switzerland (Grindelwald, Zermatt) and then travel (likely by train) to the Tuscany region, where we'd like to rent a car so we can explore smaller towns there easily. The one thing tripping us up is the travel day we must have when we decide to go to Tuscany from Switzerland - I believe it will be 8 hours on a few trains. We are not sure if this is worth it, considering we have just 11 days for our honeymoon. And we've been trying to search for any examples of people doing this kind of trip and recommending it.

Ultimately - I want to ask this group - Will the itinerary below facilitate a beautiful trip for a couple on their honeymoon - or is it really pushing us to do too much?

Here's our tentative Itinerary now: (no flights have been booked yet, but we hope to do that soon)

Days 1-4 (Stay in Grindelwald - maybe include a day trip to Jungfraujoch)
--- Fly into Zurich
--- Train into Grindelwald (3 Hours)
--- Stay in Grindelwald for 4 Nights

Days 5-6 (Brief Stay in Zermatt to See Matterhorn)
--- Train into Zermatt
--- Stay in Zermatt for 2 Nights

Days 7-11 (Stay in Tuscany - Mix in a few day trips from a resort that's a little outside of Florence)
--- Train to Florence
--- Rent a Car in Florence
--- Drive to a Hotel/Resort in the Countryside
--- Stay in Tuscany resort for 5 Nights

Day 12 (Trip Home)
--- Return Rental Car in Florence
--- Fly Home from Florence to Chicago

Thanks in advance for any comments or advice!

Posted by wanderweg

Nashville, TN

04/18/24 02:56 PM

612 posts

It's doable, but you will lose a day of your trip moving there because of the construction work they're doing on the quick route to get there. Have you considered maybe doing the Italian speaking portion of Switzerland on a lake like Locarno or Lugano? Or the southern French speaking wine region part of Switzerland instead like Montreux? That way you wouldn't have to rent a car and you'd gain back a day.

If you're an on the go couple you might be able to even hit a couple additional spots like one of these ideas....
Grindelwald 4 nights, Zermatt 2 nights, Locarno 3 nights, Luzern 2 nights (fly home from Zurich, easily reachable from there)
or
Grindelwald 4 nights, Zermatt 2 nights, Locarno 3 nights, Lake Como or Bellagio 2 nights (fly home from Milan)
or
Luzern 2 nights, Grindelwald 4 nights, Zermatt 2 nights, Montreux 3 nights (fly home from Geneva)

Posted by PhilaLady

East Coast USA

04/24/24 11:03 PM

65 posts

I am guessing you like the mountains, since your Switzerland part of the trip is focused there. By the way, Grindelwald is classified as a village, and Zermatt is a town. For me, a true city experience is Rome, Paris, London, Madrid, etc., where one can stay days there and still just be at the introductory stage.

Okay, I was in Grindelwald last month, and we are going to Zermatt in December, but that is because my husband is a dedicated skier. The scenery is also quite gorgeous with snow everywhere in the Winter. Do you like to hike? That is why many people travel to the mountains in the warmer weather. As a non-skier, I found Grindelwald quaint but a bit small--certainly the trips to Jungfraujoch (pricey) and Gornergrat would be worthwhile to catch some great views, as long as the weather cooperates.

I am also a bit surprised that you would go all the way to Florence and then just head straight to Tuscany. Do you not have any interest in seeing historic architecture, famous museums, and lovely works of art? Staying in the countryside can be done anywhere, in almost any country, and really, why travel all the way to Italy and just see farms? Also, why rent a car if you are just going to stay in the same place? (And what about Rome?!)

Well, husband and I are a bit older than you and still very much "go-getters," but for our honeymoon I tried to balance both romance and sightseeing. We rented a car and drove all around France for three weeks, staying in gorgeous converted castles, and enjoying long, elegant dinners every night (Relais and Châteaux). A car is most useful in Europe for places that are a bit off the beaten path, as the train systems are so great everywhere. I also recommend to rarely consider driving a car into a city! (By the way, I am multi-lingual--remember not everything is in English when you drive!)

I agree that going to a lake area in either Italy or Switzerland might be more romantic, and much more interesting and scenic.

I would also sit down and look at the budget, and see what is the best use of your money (and your time) for the most worthwhile honeymoon memories experience. You will have plenty of future trips to plan in life, and I always say, 'Now I am going on my 5th year honeymoon, my 10th, my 15th, my 20th," and so forth!!.

Best wishes!