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Italy and Switzerland June 2023: your advice needed.

Italy and Switzerland June 2023: your advice needed.

Old Aug 29th, 2022, 01:01 AM
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Italy and Switzerland June 2023: your advice needed.

Hello to all Fodorites!

In 2011, I posted a trip report with the title: ‘three weeks in Italy and Switzerland: when can we go back’? Well, that time has arrived, and I am busy planning for another three weeks in June 2023. The plan is to take my two kids along, as they have never been to Europe with us (my daughter did a school trip to Europe back in 2007 but can’t really remember much).

The travellers will be me (61), my wife (58), my sister 53, my son (36) and my daughter (turning 34 on the trip). I have a suspect knee, which I am working on), but the other four are in good health, if a bit unfit, but that is something that will be addressed. We have enough time for that.

We would like to do some easy to moderately easy hikes and we have also added some places to try and chill out a bit, as you’ll see. We love beautiful places, eating food from the region we are visiting (not foodies though!) and things like museums, churches etc in moderation. We do not want to overextend ourselves physically, as we are not that young anymore.

What I would like today, is your thoughts on our proposed itinerary below: is it doable, what are your recommendations on what to do etc. This is just the outline of what we want to do. I’ll post more detailed questions in later posts.

Here is our proposed itinerary in the order we think it should be done starting around 9 June 2023:

1. Cinque Terre for 4 nights – unsure in which town we should stay

2. Dolomites for 5 nights. I think we should stay in Ortisei and the Val Gardena for the duration of our stay.

3. Lake Maggiore for 4 nights. Should we look at Stresa or Locarno/Ascona, or os somebody have a better recommendation?

4. Lastly Bernese Oberland for 7 nights, probably in Lauterbrunnen or Wengen. I knew we’ve been here in 2011, but I would like the kids to experience the incredible beauty of the BO.

Please note: I really wanted to start with the Amalfi Coast (instead of CT), as it had been on my bucket list since before 2011. The research that I have done so far leads me to believe that it will take way too long getting from the AC to the Dolomites and that everything hinges on being on time for plains, trains and ferries (there seems to be only one direct train from Naples to Bolzano). If there is a chance to start here, I would add a night here.

Please tell me what you think about this itinerary.

Ewoud
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Old Aug 29th, 2022, 09:32 AM
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You should compare the various train timetables to find the route that takes the least overall time. It might make sense for the itinerary to go: Arrive Pisa, Cinque Terre, Lake Maggiore, Lauterbrunnen, Ortisei, depart from Venice? Verona? Also consider your flight options to/from airports at both ends.

Although you can get by without a car in the Dolomites, you'll see much more if you can drive around for a few days as opposed to relying on bus schedules. AutoEurope has offices in both Bressanone and Bolzano, and you can reach both cities by train from the north and the south. Rates this year are crazy and may extend to next year, so try to do a round-trip car rental to avoid a surcharge.

If it was my trip, I'd take a night from the CT and add it to the Dolomites, esp. if you enjoyed the "incredible beauty" of the BO. If you swap the Amalfi Coast for the CT, I feel you need to rethink Lake Maggiore. Maybe visit Lake Garda instead. In which case, arrive Naples-AC-Garda-Ortisei-Lauterbrunnen, depart from Zurich.
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Old Aug 29th, 2022, 12:59 PM
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Can you not fly from Naples to Milan or Verona or Venice? If the AC was my dream, that is what I would do. I have been to the Naples area and the AC four times and love it, thinking to go again soon for a couple of days on route to another location. I have flown from Naples to Milan. It was a short, easy flight and the airport in Naples is easy to Navigate. I love Venice too, so would probably split a week between those two, then continue.

Do the two young people want to relax as much as you? You could stay someplace in Tuscany, do a day trip, even an overnight to the CT, and the younger folks could see more of Tuscany: Pisa, Florence, Siena, etc.

OTOH, you all seem to like hiking, so the CT might fit the bill best.
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Old Aug 31st, 2022, 01:18 AM
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Hi and thanks for the responses.

Jean: our aim is to fly into and out of Zurich airport (out of), which is why we thought of having the BO as our destination. Should have put that in my original post. Thanks for the advice in your last paragraph.

Having a car would have been one of my more specific questions later, but I think you have answered that already. Our aim is/was to do this trip carless, but that would prevent us to visit Tre Cime and even Lago di Braies while in the Dolomites. Rentals still seem to be outrageous, but maybe that will change in the new year.

Would two and a half days in CT be enough?

Should we cut out Maggiore in total? Our thoughts were to do an easy or laid-back destination followed by a busy one, hence the schedule I posted, but nothing is cast and concrete yet.

Sassafras: I have used Rome2Rio as my guide, and I have done some research on trains, but not enough on flights. I’ll do that shortly.

We loved Tuscany on our previous visit, but I have not really considered it as a stop.

The kids are very laid back and will do what we decide to do, but we have told them to amend the activities in the different places to suit them.

Thanks for the thoughtful advice from both of you. I thought we were kind of set with our itinerary, but you gave me lots to think about. Love this forum!

Greetings, Ewoud
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Old Aug 31st, 2022, 06:15 PM
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There are people here who have posted about their great times in the Dolomites using only buses to get around. You can get around well enough, even apparently to Tre Cime and Lago di Braies, but being constrained by bus timetables and routes would drive me nuts. I don't think there's any comparison between what you can see in 4/5 days with a car and 4/5 days relying on buses. It's not like the BO where you can hop on and off trains that go seemingly everywhere. But I also think that makes the Dolomites feel less developed, less Swiss-perfect, more wild.

If you're starting and ending this itinerary in Zurich, I don't understand how your first destination is the Cinque Terre. How are you getting there?

Starting and ending in Zurich, I would do this order: Zurich, Lauterbrunnen, Lake Maggiore, Cinque Terre, Dolomites, Zurich. A circle with no backtracking. The CT-Dolomites leg would be an all-day slog and Dolomites-Zurich only slightly less onerous.

I'm not all that fond of the CT anymore (just too crowded), but I understand the motivation to visit. Personally, I'd skip it as I think it's an outlier for this particular trip. I'd give another night or two to the Dolomites. Assuming you get to Bolzano (perhaps to rent a car), I highly recommend the South Tyrol Archeology Museum and its exhibit of Otzi, The Ice Man. Fascinating.
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Old Sep 1st, 2022, 01:22 AM
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An alternative that you might like to consider is Amalfi Coast - lake Garda - Ortisei - Lauterbrunnen (via Mals with a stopover somewhere if too long). Perhaps fly into Naples and home from Zurich. I don't necessarily think this is better but it might be worth considering to include Amalfi. To get from lake Garda (e.g. Riva) you can catch a bus to Trento or Rovereto and then train north.

This would swap Amalfi Coast for Cinque Terre (which you want) and lake Garda for lake Maggiore (which you may not). Trains from Naples to Verona are about 5hrs (but of course, you have add on travel at both ends). The journey from Cinque Terre to Ortisei is long. The journey to Lauterbrunnen is much longer than from Stresa but there's a lot to see enroute. And the journey from Ortisei to lake Maggiore is long anyway. Check timetables at trenitalia and sbb.ch, using a date within the next week. Personally, I would not fly from Naples to Milan.

If you are flying in/out Zurich, then I would skip Amalfi coast and focus on the north, where there is more than enough to enjoy.
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Old Sep 4th, 2022, 05:37 AM
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Hi, and thanks for the posts and advice.

My reason for doing the BO last, is not to have to do too much travelling on our last day, plus I want to conclude the trip with what I think is the most beautiful part of our journey. Jean, as for renting a car, I have checked renting from Bolzano, and the rentals are very, very dear. My wife and I had a chat earlier, and we may look at renting a car for a day or two: still expensive, but more manageable. We’ll probably use that to visit Tre Cime and Cadini di Misurina (sp?) if we are going to use Ortisei as our base.

Dreamon, thanks for all your advice. We may decide to cut the CT or AC from our schedule altogether and stay a day longer in some of the other destinations, but we have not made a final decision. Jean and Sassafras kind of rekindled the thought of including the AC, so that is now back on the cards.

What if we end our journey in the AC and fly back from Rome (probably via Zurich) and then start in the BO? I am more than prepared to change my thoughts on where to start. We can then do the BO, followed by Garda/Maggiore, the Dolomites and finally the AC.

Last question: is Garda a better or more beautiful destination than Maggiore, or is it just easier to connect with the other destinations on my schedule? We have had some discussions on choosing between Maggiore, Como and Garda, and picked the former because it is also partly in Switzerland and we can buy a Swiss half fare train card for getting around if staying in Locarno or Ascona.
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Old Sep 4th, 2022, 06:31 AM
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Instead of Dolomites go to Abruzzo!!

Originally Posted by Duvies
Hello to all Fodorites!

In 2011, I posted a trip report with the title: ‘three weeks in Italy and Switzerland: when can we go back’? Well, that time has arrived, and I am busy planning for another three weeks in June 2023. The plan is to take my two kids along, as they have never been to Europe with us (my daughter did a school trip to Europe back in 2007 but can’t really remember much).

The travellers will be me (61), my wife (58), my sister 53, my son (36) and my daughter (turning 34 on the trip). I have a suspect knee, which I am working on), but the other four are in good health, if a bit unfit, but that is something that will be addressed. We have enough time for that.

We would like to do some easy to moderately easy hikes and we have also added some places to try and chill out a bit, as you’ll see. We love beautiful places, eating food from the region we are visiting (not foodies though!) and things like museums, churches etc in moderation. We do not want to overextend ourselves physically, as we are not that young anymore.

What I would like today, is your thoughts on our proposed itinerary below: is it doable, what are your recommendations on what to do etc. This is just the outline of what we want to do. I’ll post more detailed questions in later posts.

Here is our proposed itinerary in the order we think it should be done starting around 9 June 2023:

1. Cinque Terre for 4 nights – unsure in which town we should stay

2. Dolomites for 5 nights. I think we should stay in Ortisei and the Val Gardena for the duration of our stay.

3. Lake Maggiore for 4 nights. Should we look at Stresa or Locarno/Ascona, or os somebody have a better recommendation?

4. Lastly Bernese Oberland for 7 nights, probably in Lauterbrunnen or Wengen. I knew we’ve been here in 2011, but I would like the kids to experience the incredible beauty of the BO.

Please note: I really wanted to start with the Amalfi Coast (instead of CT), as it had been on my bucket list since before 2011. The research that I have done so far leads me to believe that it will take way too long getting from the AC to the Dolomites and that everything hinges on being on time for plains, trains and ferries (there seems to be only one direct train from Naples to Bolzano). If there is a chance to start here, I would add a night here.

Please tell me what you think about this itinerary.

Ewoud
HI!
have you ever heard about Abruzzo? This place is like 180 km from Napoli (Pescara) that you can reach by bus in less than 4 hours.
Montains, history, churches, waterfalls and a lot of nature!! This region is considered the lung of Europe because of his 3 national parks where you can observe full of wild animals even wolfs and marsicans bears. Even about local food and beverage , it's land of excellent red and with wine, olive oil and so many local delicacy. You can reach the mountain from the sea in about 45 min. Anyway so many things to say about Abruzzo but unfortunately unknown. I invite you to have a look on this place through internet facebook. Check "la costa dei Trabocchi", "Campo imperatore" Eremi Celestiniani" "Abbazia di San Giovanni in Venere", "il miracolo eucaristico di Lanciano", Vasto, Ortona where you can visit the runs of a Castle but as well "Cattedrale San Tommaso" Cathedrale of San Tomas where are conserved the reliques of the apostle San Tomas... any way so many things to do or see for everybody . If you need some info don't hesitated to ask, even on face book !! Cheers! Traboccato
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Old Sep 4th, 2022, 08:34 AM
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Duvies, it's too soon to be searching car rental rates for June 2023. They may be quite different 9/10 months from now.

Also consider: If you didn't pick up and/or return the car on the bookend days of your time in the Dolomites, you'd have to take the bus between Ortisei and Bolzano. (Check rental office locations as you compare rates.) The bus takes about an hour each way, and after you pick up the car you'd drive back through Ortisei to reach Tre Cime, Lago di Braies, Misurina.... If not back through Ortisei, half of your drive would not be in the mountains but would be on boring highways with a lot of trucks. Starting at the Bolzano rental office, the drive to all three places (without stops) and ending at Ortisei would take 6+ hours, so you'd probably want to get the car the afternoon before your driving day and return it the morning after your driving day. Starting from Ortisei and skipping Lago di Braies, although still a lot of driving, I think it would be a more leisurely day. If you had the car for two full days, you could obviously see a lot more.
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Old Sep 4th, 2022, 11:53 AM
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We have been in these areas many times.
1. Cinque Terre: I would stay in Monterosso as it offers so many other options in lodging, dining, and is at the start of the hiking trails.
2. We loved our stay in Ortisei in Dolomites. This charming town has lifts( gondolas, funicular) up to incredible hiking. Hotel Grones is family owned and run, one of our favorite hotels ever, and has a wonderful dining room.
3.Lake Maggiore. We have stayed in all the lakes many times. A benefit of Lake Maggiore is it’s closeness to Milan MXP airport. You may want to rethink where you fly into and out of for this trip.
Stresa is a place to stay on the lake. We also enjoyed Ranco, fewer Americans, mostly Italians. Our favorite is Lake Como.
We did not enjoy nearby Lake Orta at all.
4. Berner Oberland, one of the most beautiful places on earth! We spent a week in beautiful Grindelwald and visited the other mountain towns including Wengen and Murren. We prefer to rent a car and this worked very well for us. We did not care for Lauterbrunnen , it seemed dark and was down in a valley. We preferred being up high with sweeping mountain views.
We don’t mix northern and southern Italy on our trips there. Rome and north or Rome and south.

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Old Sep 6th, 2022, 07:54 AM
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Hi Everybody,

We had a quick chat about the Lakes region and the Dolomites. If we can do them in succession, the general feeing is that we should rent a car for the whole period. It opens a lot of new doors for us. Should we decide to follow this route, it will open lots of possibilities as we can rent accommodation further from the city centres and/or train stations. But, like Jean says, it is too early to commit on a rental now. Hope the quotes go down soon!

Happy Trvlr, you have given lots of information to use, thanks for that. And we are looking at staying in Wengen this time, although we really enjoyed Lauterbrunnen in 2011. Can you please give a bit more clarity on what you mean by us having to review where we fly into and out of?

Look, at this stage I can say that the BO and the Dolomites are not negotiable and that we’ll definitely visit them for the major part of our trip. I am going to start posting more in-depth questions about them shortly.

I am still struggling with the other two destinations and ask your patience in helping me make the right decision. Let’s start with the lakes region and let’s forget about the AC . Given the information above, how would you structure it?

Maybe the following is doable?

1. Fly into MXP/Verona and drive to Ortisei (6 nights)

2. Drive to Stresa (four nights)

3. Train/bus to Monterosso (it was on our radar as the town to stay in) for three nights

4. Train to the BO (7 nights) then fly back from Zurich

If we cut the CT out in total, what would you do with those three (four, as we plan to stay for 21) nights? Don’t really want to do that, but it is an option.

So many options….

Thanks for your continued patience.

Ewoud
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Old Sep 6th, 2022, 10:55 AM
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I hope you're not trying to get from Malpensa to Ortisei in one shot after (presumably) an overnight flight. It might be faster and fewer changes if you flew into Munich.

It's not clear to me where you're picking up and returning the car. A one-way rental would trigger a surcharge which (recently, at least) has been rather high. I think this is one part of rental rates that won't be changing much, if at all, by next year.

I guess you realize the journey from Monterosso to Lauterbrunnen/Wengen will be an all-day, multi-connection, slog. If you picked up and returned the car in Verona, you could train to Monterosso, then train to Stresa, then train to the BO. More efficient routing IMO.

If you dropped the CT, what you could do with those days would depend on whether or not you had a car, how much time you are willing to spend detouring, etc. Obviously, there are many options city-wise reachable by train. Others destinations are better explored by car, esp. if you only have only 2 full days.
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Old Sep 6th, 2022, 01:37 PM
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Can you fly into Pisa? Or Florence? And visit Cinque Terre first? Personally, I'd exclude Cinque Terre for this holiday as it's a fair way off track for your other destinations.

If you fly into Milan and don't want to drive on arrival, you could take the bus to Stresa and start your holiday there. I agree that Munich makes good sense if your first destination is the Dolomites. There are easy trains southwards and you could hire a car locally (and return it locally), or use local transport.


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Old Sep 7th, 2022, 02:28 AM
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Good day All,

The quick thought on a rental car was that we pick up in one place and drop in a different one, and then do Ortisei and Stresa in succession. We would thus have a car for those two stays. I think we’ll spend some time exploring picking up and dropping it at Bolzano and then travel by train to Stresa and do the same thing there. Maybe that would save us a bit of money.

Never even gave München a thought at all! My brain somehow thought that you should fly into an Italian airport when visiting Italy. This is the reason why one should always use forums such as these before they travel.

Since you have now started my brain working, let’s change the one part of the itinerary totally. München to Bolzano is an easy travel (thanks Jean and Dreamon) and we would not have to drive that part. How about I forget about CT (and AC finally!) and do our first three/four nights in either München or Innsbruck?

Our trip will the look like this:

Munchen/Innsbruck – 4 nights

Ortisei – 6 nights

Maggiore – 4 nights

Wengen – 7 nights

This way, our longest travelling day will be from Ortisei to Maggiore; about 8 hours and with not too many changes.

What do the experts think of this change??
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Old Sep 7th, 2022, 03:04 PM
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Can I come too?

btw, with ferries and buses on and around lake Maggiore, you may find that you don't need a car there. Depends on what exactly you want to do.
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Old Sep 9th, 2022, 06:45 AM
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Of course Dreamon! You just have to do the driving for us.

We are looking at Salzburg for the first few days; seems like it is a better choice than Innsbruck. 2024 is my wife and sister's 60th and 55th birthdays respectively. Maybe we can do the AC then. Or Spain or Portugal or ...
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Old Sep 9th, 2022, 10:15 AM
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Originally Posted by Duvies
Hi and thanks for the responses.

Jean: our aim is to fly into and out of Zurich airport (out of), which is why we thought of having the BO as our destination. Should have put that in my original post. Thanks for the advice in your last paragraph.

Having a car would have been one of my more specific questions later, but I think you have answered that already. Our aim is/was to do this trip carless, but that would prevent us to visit Tre Cime and even Lago di Braies while in the Dolomites. Rentals still seem to be outrageous, but maybe that will change in the new year.

Would two and a half days in CT be enough?

Should we cut out Maggiore in total? Our thoughts were to do an easy or laid-back destination followed by a busy one, hence the schedule I posted, but nothing is cast and concrete yet.

Sassafras: I have used Rome2Rio as my guide, and I have done some research on trains, but not enough on flights. I’ll do that shortly.

We loved Tuscany on our previous visit, but I have not really considered it as a stop.

The kids are very laid back and will do what we decide to do, but we have told them to amend the activities in the different places to suit them.

Thanks for the thoughtful advice from both of you. I thought we were kind of set with our itinerary, but you gave me lots to think about. Love this forum!

Greetings, Ewoud
I would say if you're going to cut out anything, it would make most sense to cut out Cinque Terre because that is the most furthest out from the other 3 destinations you listed in the original post.

Cinque Terre hikes are not easy. They challenge both your cardio vascular fitness as well as your joints and back. They do have an easy coastal hike or they used to but mudslides have closed it for almost a decade now. The other hikes you're climbing and climbing. But even descending, that's harder on your joints and feet. Get good, well-fitting hiking shoes.

But you don't have to go for these hikes though, you can have a good time just walking through the villages, though one of them, to get to you have to go up a few hundred steps from the train station. You can also take the ferry between the villages too, more costly than the train but less crowded.

Or you can take day trips to Portovenere. There is also a nice coastal flat path between Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino too.

But like I said the CT is harder to reach from the other places.

I've not been to Lake Maggiore but I believe it has similar weather to other northern Italian lakes such as Como and Garda. It sounds like you've already booked your flights. Be aware that a lot of services, especially cable cars and mountain trains, start services for summer around the end of June, not the start. I once went to Val Gardena in early June and found a lot of cable cars were not yet open.

So if you for instance take advantage of the Val Gardena card or the Super Dolomiti Summer Pass, you want as many of these cable cars to be open as possible.

Generally, weather is very unreliable around the Alps in the summer. That means you have to be aware if the expensive cable car tickets you buy can only be used on a day where the weather isn't clear. Not talking just about lack of sun but clouds where you can't see the peaks so when you do reach the peaks, some after a journey of an hour, you may find that you can't see the beautiful lakes or villages below because typically by early afternoon, clouds roll in and block the views.

That's assuming there isn't a downpour that makes going up to the mountains a loss. I've done so, where it was overcast when I boarded a gondola but was pouring by the time I got off at the top. That was in Ortisei BTW.


My strategy generally has been to buy passes for 5 days or so and hit as many cable cars as possible. That means I'm not hiking down, which is what a lot of people do, take the cable car up and hike back down. I still put in a lot of steps and floors climbed on my Fitbit though, if I can visit 2 or 3 different cable cars in a day.

BTW, Tre Cime di Lavoredo and Lago di Braies are close to Cortina d'Ampezzo than they are to Val Gardena. It would be a very long drive to get to those places from Val Gardena.

I just spent 5 nights in Cortina this past week. I paid €150 for a 5 out of 7 day Super Dolomiti Pass so I drove to places to get the most out of those passes. That meant going to Marmolada, which is the opposite direction from Tre Cime.

I also skipped Lago di Braies because the parking situation there is really bad and you have to reserve a full day parking pass at 10-20 Euros. I only wanted to spend a couple of hours there so I didn't go.

And I suspect Lago di Braies would not have been great because they've had a drought there and I visited Lago Misurina and Auronzo di Cadore and the lakes there seemed shallow. Especially Misurina, you didn't see that beautiful turquoise water that is in photos taken years ago. Still beautiful mountains all around but I spend like 30 minutes there before leaving rather than paying for longer parking.


You have the same option in Bernese Oberland, to buy the BO Pass to potentially save money on all the gondolas and cog wheel trains.

But you really need good weather for like 3 or 4 consecutive days in order to take advantage of it.

I would definitely visit all the famous mountains but some of the best views I've seen have been overlooking the lakes, so Rothorn out of Brienz is great. That is the 1 hour train that I took a couple of years ago. Beautiful views of the Brienzee below. But within 90 minutes of arrival at the peak, the clouds rolled in and you couldn't see the lake below.

The trains were packed though, because it was the first sunny day after 3 days of pretty heavy rain. They put out extra trains to handle the demand.

Also liked Niederhorn and Niesen, on opposite sides of Thunersee, as well as Harder Kulm, all overlooking the lakes. The boat ride from Interlaken to Brienz is great too on a clear sunny day.

But definitely don't miss out on the heart of the BO, up to Wengen and beyond, Murren, etc. Jungenfrau if the weather and budget permits.




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Old Sep 9th, 2022, 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Jean
I hope you're not trying to get from Malpensa to Ortisei in one shot after (presumably) an overnight flight. It might be faster and fewer changes if you flew into Munich.

It's not clear to me where you're picking up and returning the car. A one-way rental would trigger a surcharge which (recently, at least) has been rather high. I think this is one part of rental rates that won't be changing much, if at all, by next year.

I guess you realize the journey from Monterosso to Lauterbrunnen/Wengen will be an all-day, multi-connection, slog. If you picked up and returned the car in Verona, you could train to Monterosso, then train to Stresa, then train to the BO. More efficient routing IMO.

If you dropped the CT, what you could do with those days would depend on whether or not you had a car, how much time you are willing to spend detouring, etc. Obviously, there are many options city-wise reachable by train. Others destinations are better explored by car, esp. if you only have only 2 full days.
Yeah I've looked at car rental options between Austria and Italy for the past couple of years.

One way rental between these countries were prohibitively expensive, that was even before pandemic caused shortages and surges in pricing.

So the best I've done is fly in and out of Austria, rent a car there and drive into Italy and then drive to Innsbruck from Val Gardena and return car there and fly out of INN.


I just did a 11-day rental out of Venice city, not airport. Originally I paid over $1400 back in May. But a week before I departed for the trip in late August, I checked and found another supplier for $750 or so. I canceled the first rental and the second one went well.

So this summer was really crazy. Not only all the flight delays and cancellations from huge surge in demand but it made car rental prices ridiculous.

I was considering going on a trip to Lake Maggiore and Lugano but I waited too long and the airfares and car rental prices got out of hand so I didn't book it.
scrb11 is offline  
Old Sep 9th, 2022, 10:01 PM
  #19  
 
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Did I miss something? You don't need a hire car in Germany or Austria for this itinerary. If it were me, I wouldn't bother with one at all for any of this trip.

In case it's of interest, I believe there is a direct bus from Venice airport to Cortina but I'm not sure how often it runs. Easy enough to find out though and would be another alternative.
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Old Sep 20th, 2022, 05:40 AM
  #20  
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Apologies for only posting now, but life happens, and I was rather busy over the past two weeks.

Dreamon and scrb11, I’ll try and comment on some of your comments and questions.

Firstly, no plane tickets have been bought, we’ll probably do that in December/January this year only.

It looks more and more likely that we’ll cut out the CT. However, my co-travellers have thrown me a curve ball and have asked if we can’t include Dubrovnik for three or four full days at the start of our holidays (instead of the CT or Salzburg)… Seems like it is possible with travel time of about nine hours with layovers. They all love the sea and feels like it should be included somewhere in our itinerary. Please tell me if this is workable? Man, they can keep me busy!

If I don’t have to rent a vehicle at all, it would be okay with me, but if I have to rent one in the Dolomites, I’ll do so. More on that in a later post maybe.

I have started exploring the various cards and or passes for the different regions, but I’ll probably post a new thread on this sometime soon. In 2011, we used the STP but I have been eying the BO pass, so we’ll probably purchase that.

Great advice about the re-opening times of the cable cars. I’ll do some research on that.

Again, thanks for all the advice and pointers; I really appreciate you taking the time to do so.

As indicated, I’ll post some more specific questions on some of our destinations in future and I’m going to need your help even more.
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