Switzerland/Italy in Summer

hckaczyn

Hi girls - I'm hoping some experienced travelers can give me some advice.

I've never been abroad. FI has been one on school trip to Ireland. We would love to go on a European honeymoon; I love Switzerland and we both want to go to Italy (Tuscany region). I have a friend living in Lucerne, Switz., that'd I like to visit - I also wouldn't mind staying there a few days because everything she's told me about the city sounds awesome. She's given me lots and lots of pictures and travel brochures for her area.

FI and I have also played with the idea of visiting Bern, Geneva, Tolochenaz, and Rome, to name a few. I know we can't do it all, but it's tempting to try to fit everything into one overseas trip! We have $6k saved for this trip, but I don't know how reasonable that is. We haven't spoken to any travel agent yet but we have researched flights.

IOur wedding is in July of next year, which puts us right in the middle of expensive European flights. know that summer is high season for these areas, which I would  much rather avoid, but I may start a graduate program in August that would prevent me from traveling for 3 years. I'd rather take this trip now and put up with the inconvenience than put it off for the next 20 years.

Q's: Can we do these two countries for $6k? How is Tuscany in the summer? (I hate being hot!) What was your experience navigating the train system? Where should we save/splurge? What are some must-see places?

If you have any bit of experience in either of these places I'd love to hear - anything and everything! Thanks a million.

kmjarvey

I know this would be a little bit unconventional but if you wanted to get away from expensive flights, you could try to do the trip in May/June. This would lower the temperatures and costs. I think your budget sounds reasonable depending on your travel style. I went with my mom and sister and we averaged about $200/day for the 3 of us for food/hotels/trains plus the cost of the plane ticket.

The train system is very convienient to use. We just got a Europe-wide pass but I know Italian trains are pretty cheap. Check out raileurope.com and eurail.com and you can pretty easily figure out how much it will cost.

We used Rick Steves guidebooks and they were amazing. He's a good starting point for figuring out hotel/food/entertainment costs. Bern was a fun city. The river flowing through the city is super clean so people float down it on hot summer days. I also loved the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland and Cinque Terre and Venice (this one is expensive) in Italy. Good Luck and have fun!

Ginabean2011

We did an escorted tour by bus in Italy so I can't speak for the rail system but I will say that it was very easy and we could sit back and relax without worrying about any logistics. Try Gate1travel, they have lots of multiple city itineraries at reasonable prices. It was HOT in August but I like hot weather. Tuscany was beautiful and amazing (of course!), it was the food highlight of our whole Italy trip.

LaFemmeRousse

How long would you plan to go for?  Depending on the length, it definitely sounds doable with your budget.  If you're concerned about the heat, though, July might not be the best time to do Italy (Switzerland will be ok).  As you said, it is high season for tourists in Italy at that time of year, and it will definitely be very warm.

For the most part, trains in Europe are very easy to use and cost-effective.  In Italy specifically, they were great.

I haven't been to Switzerland, but in Italy we visited Rome, Florence and surrounding countryside, Venice, and Cinque Terre.  I would skip Venice (not worth the hassle to get there).  It would be easy to do Florence and the Tuscan countryside, and it's pretty easy to get to Cinque Terre from there as well, and CT was my favorite part of Italy! 

As far as what to save/splurge on, that's something that you and your FI will need to decide for yourselves.  What do you like to do the most?  Do you like gourmet food, private tours of the museums, luxurious accommodations, first-class transportation, wine tasting, etc?  Both of the countries you're considering are expensive, so I do think you'll need to make some decisions here ahead of time.  Personally, I found it easy to eat well in Italy without spending a lot.  Go for smaller local restaurants and *always* order the house wine- especially the chilled reds they do in the summer heat   The Rick Steves guidbooks are also a great suggestion.  They have self-guided walking tours (for Italy, at least) for all the most popular tourist sites that can save you a lot of money instead of paying for tours at museums and such.

FWIW, we are also getting married in July and I am also starting a graduate school program three weeks later in August, and we will be taking our honeymoon this year over winter break in December/January- this was the best solution for us and I'm really happy about it.

hckaczyn

Thanks all. I will look into getting the Rick Steves guidebooks. I've already been looking at his website and there is a TON of info there!

At the moment we don't know what my school schedule could be. It's a year-round program and since I don't know which one I may get into, I can't plan very far ahead.

We would go for as long as we could; two weeks is about what we were hoping. We aren't looking for a lot of luxury things, just some above-average accomodations. The rest we would just do self-guided tours of the area, some hiking in the mountains, visit historical places and experience the culture. We like to be outside which is why I was worried about the heat - also heard that A/C isn't as common in Europe (?) Mostly, I want to relax, see the sights, and eat Italian food ;P

Did anybody learn some of the local language ahead of time? I'm taking an Italian class in the fall, mostly for fun, but also so I would have a least a cursory knowledge of the language. I know they speak English widely in Switzerland, but is it common in Italy?

Thanks so much! It's awesome to hear firsthand experiences!

kmjarvey

The Rick Steves hotel recs should help you. He gives recs at all different price points and everywhere we stayed was great. It's worth a little extra to stay right near the things you want to see. A/C definetely isn't as common but it's not nonexistant either. You could ask hotels about it if it's something you really want.

We didn't know any language and got around fine. Even with a women we rented an apartment from in Cinque Terre who didn't speak Engish. Otherwise, someone spoke English pretty much everywhere we went. Just ask someone if they speak English first so you don't come off as a rude American.

AmoroAgain

Heya!  I lived near Tuscany for 2.5 years, and the train system is extremely easy, and surprisingly efficient.  It's practically the only thing in Italy that does work! haha

Anyway, if you don't like being hot, here's what you should know.  It's HOT in July in Italy.  Think around 30C. Italians don't believe in AC.  They think it makes them sick (they have a special phrase for it and all!) so make sure to check that any hotel or apartment you are staying at has AC.  Most restaurants and stores will not have AC either, so sitting outside to eat is always a good thing.  Speaking of food- it takes a LONG time to eat in Italy.  Don't expect the waitstaff to be there every moment, or that your food will take less than 15 minutes to come out.  Restaurants open for dinner around 7 or 8.  In Italy, you order a primi which is pasta, and if you're very hungry, a secondi which is the meat dish.  Insalati (salads) come last, then desert, and then the digestivo, an espresso, of course!   Before dinner, you should definitely hit up apperitivo, which is a nation-wide Happy Hour (so to speak) where you can go to almost any bar or cafe, buy a drink, and have access to all the little nibbles your heart desires.  So.Awesome.  Definitely try Prosecco!  It's a sparkling white wine, and italians drink it all the time, and especially for apperitivo. 

Things close for siesta time in all of the smaller cities.  If you're in Florence, you should be fine, but smaller towns- most definitely closed anywhere from 12-4.  It's very staggered. 

If you want to do Tuscany, definitely check out this tiny, beautiful town called Arezzo.  Most peope don't visit it, but it's the birthplace of Piero della Francesca, and played host to Vasari for awhile, so there is some really incredible art in the churches there.  Arezzo also was featured in the movie "Life is Beautiful" because it's medieval center (and most of the town, really) hasn't been changed in hundreds of years. 

As for the language, you can certainly get around without knowing any, but it's always nice to know a little.  Italians appreciate the effort, considering their language is spoken by, uh, well, them. lol...   While you can be forgiven for some tourist blunders (having a cappucino after 11, for one!), I always try to make myself rather ingratiating to help smooth the way. 

The website for italy-specific trains, is trenitalia.com.  Remember that most of Europe does the date in a dd/mm/yy format, instead of the way we do it.  In all but the smallest train stations, there are kiosks where you can purchase your tickets, and you can put it into English, so as to understand better.  We always bought tickets this way because Italians hate credit cards, and this was the one time we used them so we didn't have to carry around wads of Euros.  Don't forget to have your ticket validated at the little yellow machines, or you'll get fined!  If you want a small phrase book, the one I found to be most accurate, and easy to use was actually the "Italian for dummies".  My uncle gave it to me as a joke, and I also received one from LonelyPlanet.  The Dummies one was so much easier to use!

Going in July, while more expensive flight-wise, will mean that you probably will have an easy time of finding places to stay.  Most Italians leave during August, so you should be a-ok.  It sounds like you really want to take this trip, so I say go for it.  You've got the money, you've got the drive, and now it's just planning!

Ginabean2011

Amoro has some great tips, I agree with all of them!
I do want to say that I would NOT skip Venice if you can help it, it's a stunning city and we are going back there for our honeymoon next summer. It's my favorite city in Italy.

jemali_2003

You could totally do the trip for for budget you have.  My family and I went for a month from mid-June to mid-July and the total cost for airfare, food, transportation, and food was $3,000 per person.  We went to 12 cities in Italy and 1 city in Switzerland.  It might have helped that I studied abroad in Italy the year before and knew the country really well. 

I would definitely take advantage of the train systems in Italy.  They are very efficient and pretty inexpensive.  I would suggest not getting a eurorail pass because from what I know you still have to pay a fee for a ticket and you have to go to the train station to purchase the tickets from a ticket agent.  If you don't know the language, this can be difficult.  You can easily purchase tickets from trenitalia.com.  Choose your destination, time, print out the confirmation and use the machine and the train station to print your tickets. 

Italy, especially Rome can get very hot in Rome.  Make sure your hotel room has air conditioning (check reviews to make sure the ac does work and is not just a fan.)  When my family went to Italy we used venere.com to book our hotel rooms.  It shows you where the hotel is located and we were always able to find online promotion codes to get a bigger discount.

I love the Tuscany and central area of Italy.  Like some people mentioned about Cinque Terra is amazing!  It is so beautiful and the hike between the villages gives amazing views of the villages below and the ocean.  If you visit Florence you would need at least 2-3 days to visit the museums and walk around the city.  Pisa only needs a few hours since the leaning tower is the only thing there.  The park that it is in is really pretty and you could go into the basilica, but that's about it.  Siena is really pretty, but that could also be just a day trip.  I love Venice, and especially in the summer, the weather will be perfect.  It really isn't that difficult to get to.  There are trains that go directly from Florence to Venice and that takes about 4 hours or so.  If you are coming from Switzerland, that would be a great first stop in Italy.  

I could write so much more, but don't want this to be any longer than it is.  It was want more tips or anything just send me a message. 

hckaczyn

Thanks everyone!!

becknuts

We did two weeks in Europe for under $6K.  We stayed at "high end" hostels and splurged on food. 

Gimmewald in Switzerland is the most beautiful place we went to on the entire trip.

Tuscany was also great!