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Trying to plan Europe trip

Posted on 12/29/24 at 9:12 am
Posted by Shotgun Willie
Member since Apr 2016
4182 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 9:12 am
Wife has three week sabbatical and we were gonna take it at start of June due to stuff with our 12 yr old during summer. Trying to decide where to go, we would like to stay in coast area of Italy, see Florence and possibly go to Switzerland. Most likely doing trains the whole time. We did Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Rome this past June. Would be flying from KC. Any suggestions appreciated.
Posted by nugget
Abrego Garcia Fan
Member since Dec 2009
15674 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 11:04 am to
This is very difficult without knowing your interests. If you’re really wanting to stay in that area, which isn’t bad, I’d check out Venice and then ferry over to Croatia. Croatian islands are beautiful along with the coast. I’d then look at going to Montenegro. They both have a bunch of beaches, nightlife, national parks, natural beauty, outdoor activities, etc.
Posted by jsquardjj
Member since Oct 2009
1398 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 11:49 am to
Three weeks is a good time frame for that. I would probably do it like this:

Fly into Zurich and spend a week exploring Lucerne/Grindelwald.

Train to Florence and spend a week there. Rent a car for at least one or two days to do Tuscany small villages. You could also squeeze in Lake Como in between Switzerland/Florence for two nights.

Last 5 days on the Amalfi Coast.
Posted by Shotgun Willie
Member since Apr 2016
4182 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 4:36 pm to
After looking more think we may do Dolemite area instead of doing Switzerland. Wife now says she doesn’t want to go back to Cinque Terre but wants to do lake como etc. Any of you have preference if flying into Milan or Venice?
Posted by AUFANATL
Member since Dec 2007
5084 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 6:01 pm to

You're probably going to need to rent a car if you're doing the Dolomites. Switzerland is very well-connected by a series of trains, buses and cable cars. The Dolomites, not so much.

Posted by purpgold718
Amsterdam, NL
Member since Sep 2008
763 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 8:13 pm to
Seconding this thought.

If you want an in between option that will offer Swiss-esque Alpine vibes (without the high pricetag) but still be accessible to nature areas with public transport, then I recommend basing yourself out of Innsbruck and day tripping around the are (but without having been to Switzerland my gleaned understanding is that Austria won’t be quite as well connected as to nature via train as Switzerland)

This post was edited on 12/29/24 at 8:19 pm
Posted by purpgold718
Amsterdam, NL
Member since Sep 2008
763 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 8:25 pm to
One option could be -

Fly into Rome take the train down to Puglia and visit Polignano a Mare for seaside Italian vibes (with a friendlier pricetag than Amalfi) if you wanna explore the Puglia region further you’ll need to rent a car.

From Puglia double back on the hi-speed Freccia train to Florence (you’ll have to transfer at Rome) enjoy a few days in Tuscany (Florence + Siena) from Tuscany head to the Veneto and check the out Venice, Verona and Sirmione on Lake Garda, then catch the train to Innsbruck area and explore the Alps of Tirol, from there head to Munich and fly home from there
Posted by geauxpurple
New Orleans
Member since Jul 2014
16619 posts
Posted on 12/29/24 at 8:31 pm to
If you fly in to Milan you could go to the Lake Region- Lake Maggiore, Lake Como.
If you want a taste of Switzerland, you could stay in Lugano which is right across Lake Lugano from the Italian border. That is where we stayed when visiting the lake region.

We love Venice. If you fly in to Venice you can stay there for a few days then take an easy train ride to Florence. You won’t need a car unless you want to spend days exploring the Tuscan hill towns.

If you don’t want to go to the Cinque Terre and you don’t want to go back to Rome, you could take the train to Naples and go to Positano which you could use as a base to explore the Amalfi Coast by ferry.
Posted by Nole Man
Somewhere In Tennessee!
Member since May 2011
8689 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:59 am to
Not what you asked for, but you could mirror a trip we did a few years ago. Flew into Venice, rented a car, and drove to Croatia. Stayed in the coastal town of Opatija. Then went to the amazing Plitvice National Park. Then spent 10 days in Slovenia. If you like a "mountainy Alps" kind of vibe, Slovenia has it all!

Selected Photos

I'd also vote for Lugano Switzerland! One of the prettiest places I've been to.
This post was edited on 12/30/24 at 11:01 am
Posted by BlackenedOut
The Big Sleazy
Member since Feb 2011
6029 posts
Posted on 12/31/24 at 12:41 pm to
Highly recommend Lake Garda, specifically the town of Riva del Garda. Easy to trash from either Milan or Venice as your landing site. Spend 3-5 days there on the water, hiking, exploring. OT travel sleuths may find the town of Riva del Garda must have been inspired by Rosemary Beach.
Posted by ArmydawgMD
Member since Sep 2020
717 posts
Posted on 12/31/24 at 3:33 pm to
I have been here and my thoughts are to decide what regions you want to hit. I have done a lot of travel in Eastern Europe and I'd say to break it up like this:

Czechslovakia trip-Prague &-Bratislava: 4-5 days
Austria-hungary trip-Vienna-Budapest: 5-7 days
Upper adriatic: Venice-Slovenia-upper Croatia: 5-6 days
Lower adriatic: Dubrovnik-3-4 days
Northern Italy: Cinque Terra-Florence-Milan/Lake Como: 6-8 days
Southern Italy: Rome-Capri: 4-5 days
Southern Germany: Stuttgart-Munich-Austrian alps: 5-7 days
Netherlands-Belgium trip-Amsterdam-Brussels, Bruges-Luxemborg: 5-6 days

And many more. The point is there is a lot to be seen in all areas of Europe. I opt to see the highlights and several off the beaten path things and then move on to the next place. It has been doable to fit these trips into 4-5 day weekends, although the tempo will vary. For cheap intercity connections, typically Flixbus>Train>Plane, but all are relatively cheap vs. American travel
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