Sorry Travelbug, I reserved 9/14/11. So far we reserved the post trip extension as well, but I'm not

Am having trouble locating escorted tours of ONLY Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy. Has anyone visited these three areas with a tour company? We will either fly in and out of Zurich or we could fly into Frankfurt and out of Zurich. We're interested cheap tickets flight search results in seeing Salzburg (2 days), Innsbruck (1 day), Interlaken (1 day), Venice (3 days), Verona (1 day), Neuschwenstein (?) Castle area (1 day), and the Lakes region in Italy (Lake Como and Maggiore) (2 days). Would this itinerary be hard to do by train on our own? Is the weather better in May or October (want to miss the heavy tourist time)? Any suggestions to add to this itinerary would be greatly appreciated.
We spent 4 days in Lauterbrunnen (near Interlaken) and wished we'd had more time. The Berner Oberland cheap tickets flight search results is rich is places to see and things to do. Some consider it to be the most beautiful part of Switzerland.
You could cut to 18 if you plan well. This is a nice loop that you could do either direction. You may need a car for Bavaria and Salzkammergut. I have done all of this--more than once---and it is a fabulous itinrary.
bobthenavigator: Being you've done the area, I'm glad you liked my itinerary. Unfortunately, cheap tickets flight search results Munich is not an option as my available flights are either Zurich cheap tickets flight search results or Frankfurt. Can this loop be done by trains?
bettyk and bob: I don't think I need to see all the Italian lakes. Is there one or two you would suggest as being the best and most picturesque? Or are they all so gorgeous that I'd need to see them all?
BTW, would anyone recommend which month to travel in these Alpine areas. I don't want to go during a heavy tourist month, but I do want to ensure shops, restaurants, etc. are open. Thanks for your help.
This is another recommendation for Lauterbrunnen. We stayed there for three days last year and would love to go back for a week or so. We stayed at the Hotel Staubbach which had views over the valley and the waterfalls - absolutely beautiful.
We went in mid May and the weather was good. Some of the hotels and restaurants in the higher elevations, such as Murren, may not be open until June. I can't comment on October since we haven't been to Switzerland that late in the year.
Just wanted cheap tickets flight search results to say October is our favorite time to travel in the Alps. Switzerland once and Bavaria/Austria/Dolomites (N.Italy) a few times. Each trip had similar weather (although you can't predict it!), daytime in the 60' to 70's and early am and nights in the 40's to low 50's with very little rain. I'd choose October every time.
Thanks for the info Paul. Since I've never been to Europe before, cheap tickets flight search results I'm hoping this itinerary is giving me a taste of Europe's cheap tickets flight search results best scenery, castles, architecture and food. Yes, food is important, and I'm looking forward to sampling northern Italy's local cuisine. Since I'm basically only in Lake Como, Verona and Venice, can anyone suggest good restaurants in either of these three areas.
I agree with Bob once again. You are doing this a bit backwards. Number of days (even if you're flexible) come first. Then see what fits to your timeline. The only thing you've established is Zurich and Franfurt as your options cheap tickets flight search results for arrival/departure points.
Thank you for your comments. It would be so much easier if I could just find an organized tour that covered many of these areas. To do it all on my own is so overwhelming. Once I have the itinerary down, I'll post.
Everyone is correct...get your dates and #nights figured out first. Don't worry about restaurants until the end. We had no plans for specific restaurants and ended up having THE BEST FOOD EVER just by asking locals and our B B persons and following our noses! We ate in Italy, Austria, Germany but not in places where all the Americans eat. We ate where we were usually the only Americans...and we loved it!
Thanks suec1. I'll check out their website. And TAW...I've given my friend the brochures for the river cruises and asked her to decide if she'd rather do Italy or a river cruise. I wish Italy had river cruises. That would be ideal! Too bad. Thanks for asking.
Okay, after much searching for the perfect tour, I think I found it. It's a northern cheap tickets flight search results Italy 14 day tour by Odysseys Unlimited. It covers Florence, Venice, the Lakes region, and Milan with only four different cheap tickets flight search results hotels used. I like a slower pace and staying in one place for a few days. We'll fly into Zurich and take the train to Milan where the 14 day tour starts. After the tour, we'll head back to Zurich and perhaps do some side trips. Has anyone been on the Odysseys Unlimited tour? Could you please tell me what you thought of it?
Thanks bettyk. Appreciate the response. It seems there's good and bad in all tour groups. At least Odysseys only have 18-24 people per tour, where Trafalgar is more like close to 50. Anyone have any suggestions on side trips around Zurich?
We have just reserved Northern cheap tickets flight search results Italy for September 2010. Whenever I have read reviews about Odysseys Unlimited they have been very good. I liked the pace and the small group as well and can't find it on any other tour, so we're going with it! They run Alumni tours for some very good schools and have been for some time. Please let me know what you find out. Thanks.
VivianK, I've read good and bad about each of the tour groups including the most expensive ones like Tauck. I think we're going with the Odysseys Unlimited tour too, as the itinerary looks closest to what we want. Since you'll be on it next month, cheap tickets flight search results would you mind letting me know how it was when you get back. Quality of hotels, tours included, etc. I'd really appreciate cheap tickets flight search results it.
Sorry Travelbug, I reserved 9/14/11. So far we reserved the post trip extension as well, but I'm not enamored with the Dei Dogi. It is the Boscobel Dei Dogi and Trip Advisor reviews are not terrific.Are you taking the extra days in Venice? When are you going?
Sorry my error. We were planning on booking for May 2011. So I guess I'll be going before you. I'll let you know what we thought when we get back. I wasn't enamored with the Dei Dogi either, cheap tickets flight search results but it's only one place. Fourteen cheap tickets flight search results days for us is max already, so we won't be taking the extra days. Wish we could!
I've done the Tauck Alpine tour, and it was fantastic. It is especially good for those who don't want to have to worry about making transportation arrangements. They are the only tour company I will use. Tauck also has a Northern Italy tour similar to the one you described, but it does not go to Florence. It does visit Milan, cheap tickets flight search results Lago di Como, Lago Maggiore, Bologna, Verona, Venice and a few other areas. They also have a shorter cheap tickets flight search results tour that visits the Dolomites, Bavaria Venice.
Delaine: We have taken several Tauck Tours. The hotels and guides are always wonderful. We found there was not enough independent time and way too much time spent on eating. I'm looking forward to lunch on our own and some afternoons doing our own thing. We also find the prices getting prohibitive, but no doubt you are getting great service etc.