itinerary - Italy --> Switzerland --> France

Posted by mentarium on 03/07/17 04:14 AM

Hi!

I'm planning a road trip to go starting from Italy then around Switzerland and then France and back in Italy (Milan). I was wondering if there might be any experts out there who might give me some advice on where to go. We're planning to rent a car, so it'll be helpful if there are nearby cities that are cheaper to stay in rather than staying in the actual touristy city itself. As of right now, I would love to visit Lake Como or Lugano and then up North to Lucerne (Pilatus), west to Interlaken, then Lausanne and then crossing the border to reach Lyon and then Marseille and Nice before returning to Milan via Genoa.

If there are any worthwhile/ out of the tourist trap cities that are along the way (or mildly out of the way), I would love suggestions! We hope to do some sightseeing, eat some great food, enjoy the local culture and tradition, some wine-tasting and some very mild hiking in Switzerland if time permits and weather is good (We're looking at end of May/ beginning of June)

I look forward to hearing from this community!

Thanks so much :)

Posted by Sam

Green Bay

03/07/17 05:26 AM

21159 posts

Tourist Trap City: Interlaken.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

03/07/17 11:52 PM

16895 posts

Are you planning the trip with Rick's guidebooks? These are his reviewed towns to sleep in near (not in) Interlaken, from the Explore Europe link, above. There are others, some with even more tourists, and some further from the mountains (e.g., along the lakes).

▲▲▲ Gimmelwald Wonderfully rustic time-warp village — and good home-base option — overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

▲▲▲ Mürren Pleasant resort town near Gimmelwald, midway up the Schilthorn cable-car line; a good high-mountain home base for those who find Gimmelwald too small and rustic.

▲▲ Kleine Scheidegg Small resort area with breathtaking views of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks; several hotels and restaurants; and train station for pricey ride to the high-altitude Jungfraujoch.

▲▲ Lauterbrunnen Small town in the middle of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. From here, a cable car goes up to Grütschalp (with connections to Mürren and Gimmelwald), a train runs up to Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg, and the PostBus goes to Stechelberg (with connections to the Schilthornbahn lift).

▲ Interlaken Big town between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, at the "entrance" to the Berner Oberland.

Posted by mentarium OP

03/08/17 03:59 AM

2 posts

Thanks Laura!

We have a car so definitely want to leverage that to our advantage to steer away from tourist traps and cities that are populated with tourists! I will definitely check out those that you've mentioned! I understand that the rides to the different mountains are very expensive (especially to Jungfraujoch! and Wengen and Murren) so I was planning to drive to maybe Lauterbrunnen, park there for a few hours and check the town out instead of taking the cable up to the mountains. Would that be sufficient, or are there other mountains/ lakes we should check out that would be worthwhile?

Would you be able to recommend whether going to Pilatus from Kriens/ Lucerne is worth it? The cable ride is much cheaper than the ones near Interlaken and we would like to spend time/ money on things that are more value. Thanks again!

Posted by Laurel

Forest Grove, OR

03/08/17 04:47 AM

11778 posts

I was planning to drive to maybe Lauterbrunnen, park there for a few hours and check the town out instead of taking the cable up to the mountains.

The very reason for going to this area is to take the gondolas and narrow gauge railway up to see the mountain vistas. I love Lauterbrunnen, but we stay there to make access to the mountains on both sides of the valley easy. I would skip Lucerne in favor of the Berner Oberland and specifically the Lauterbrunnen Valley. You really do not need a car AT ALL in Switzerland. Drop the car and spend the money on trains and lifts. Everywhere on your list is accessible easily by train.