[Anshul]

23 November 2024 at 13:33:50 #2162666

Hello!

I am planning a travel to Europe in mid April next year for ~6 weeks (45 days). I will be travelling with my family – total 3 people. I already made an incredibly wonderful 15-day trip to Switzerland in June this year. This time, my high-level plan is:

1. First 15 days: Austria, Bavaria, and east Switzerland – Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bavaria, St.Gallen and Chur areas
2. Next 15 days: Italy – Venice, Dolomites, Florence, Rome, Amalfi coast, and Cinque Terre
3. Last 15 days: France – French Riviera, Lyon/Annecy/Chamonix, and Paris

Before planning for day-wise schedule, I wanted some advice on the following:

• Is mid April a good time to start this trip? I would love the weather to be pleasant/cold but not hot or rainy. I also like to see the nature at its best with fewer tourists around. Hence, the choice of spring. But different countries may have different months which would be best to travel in. That’s why, I wanted to confirm. With the current plan, I would be in Austria/east Switzerland from mid April to end April; in Italy from early May to mid May; and in France from mid May to end May. Does the sequence of countries for travel looks good from weather and other perspectives? Or would you suggest me to modify the sequence or time of travel?
• How many days are ideal in east Switzerland (St. Gallen and Chur areas) for a relaxed not-too-rushed experience?
• Is there a similar incredibly helpful community like MySwissAlps for Austria, Italy, and France?

I understand my query is not just for Switzerland but was hoping somebody could help. Could someone, please, advice?

Thanks.

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[Anna]

Reply 1 of 10 • 23 November 2024 at 17:07:34 #2162667

Hi Anshul,

That sounds amazing. I think visiting St Gallen and Chur in April is a good choice if you want to avoid travelling in peak season. Some mountain attractions may still be closed but for sightseeing in the city and villages, I think springtime is perfect. You can find useful tips on the best time to visit Switzerland here: https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/best-time-to-visit/

I suggest staying for 3-4 days if you want to include day trips from Chur to Tirano, St Moritz and Arosa. From St Gallen, you can easily plan excursions to Appenzell, Bad Ragaz and the areas around Lake Constance.

You can find information about travel options from Switzerland to France, Germany, Austria and Italy (and vice versa) in the following links:

Travel and ticket options to Italy: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/italy-switzerland/

Travel and ticket options to Germany: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/germany-switzerland/

Travel and ticket options to France: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/france-switzerland/

Travel and ticket options to Austria: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/austria-switzerland/

Best regards,

Anna

[Anshul]

Reply 2 of 10 • 24 November 2024 at 9:45:42 #2162673

Thanks you Anna for your response and helpful inputs!

[dayhikers]

Reply 3 of 10 • 24 November 2024 at 13:44:51 #2163003

For other European countries, try https://www.sloweurope.com/community/pages/home/

The forum has sections specific to most European countries (except Switzerland!).

[User]

Reply 4 of 10 • 24 November 2024 at 22:44:40 #2163005

Thanks dayhikers,

That’s a helpful link you provided 🙂

Kind regards,

Yolanda

[Anshul]

Reply 5 of 10 • 29 November 2024 at 14:23:57 #2176589

Thank you dayhikers for the link!

[Danielsan]

Reply 6 of 10 • 30 November 2024 at 12:32:36 #2178788

Hi Anshul,

As far as other countries are concerned, I don’t believe one can go wrong with TripAdvisor. They are very similar to Myswissalps. But Myswissalps is pretty exclusive to Switzerland, with a few exceptions of some surrounding countries that members (and experts) have some input on. That being said, it’s too bad you aren’t spending more time in Switzerland with 45 days. Have a great trip, though.

Regards,

Danielsan

[Roger Sexton]

Reply 7 of 10 • 30 November 2024 at 13:03:46 #2178789

Hi Anshul

In principle, I would agree with Danielsan.

I would add that Swiss public transport is generally much better than in its neighbours.  And the Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/) , a go anywhere pass valid on all forms of public transport, is (sadly) unique to Switzerland.  With very occasional exceptions, Eurails and Interrails are confined to Trains.  But public transport in Europe is Not Just Trains.  There are numerous tourist destinations in Europe which you can only reach by bus, for example Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites, and St Gilgen and St Wolfgang in the beautiful Salzkammergut region of Austria.

Kind regards

Roger

[Anshul]

Reply 8 of 10 • 16 December 2024 at 13:12:53 #2217528

Thank you Danielsan and Roger!

Apologies for the very late reply. I visited Switzerland for 15 days this June (June 2024) itself wherein I spent ample time in Zermatt, Bernese Oberland and Lucerne region. I was considering to include east Switzerland for few days for the new trip that I am planning. Hence, I have not planned to spend too many days in Switzerland this time. Please let me know if you have some suggestions.

Thanks
Anshul

[Roger Sexton]

Reply 9 of 10 • 16 December 2024 at 18:42:44 #2219069

Hi again Anshul.

For eastern Switzerland, you need to study quite a large map of the area.

In my view eastern Switzerland can be divided into a North-East and South-East.  The North East is basically the cantons of St Gallen, Appenzell and Thurgau.  This area is beautiful rather than spectacular scenery, but there are some quite high mountains in the south.  For this area base yourself in St Gallen CITY, or somewhere nearby, such as Appenzell VILLAGE.  The North-East is close to Austria.  There are frontier stations at Buchs and St Margrethen.

The South East is the geographically very large canton of Graubunden (https://www.myswissalps.com/region/graubunden/), sometimes known as Grisons.  This has a large number of high mountains, and is where many famous mountain resorts are situated, including St Moritz, Klosters, Davos and Arosa.  The best centre for exploring this area is the cantonal capital of Chur.  Graubunden canton has a long frontier with Italy, but that frontier is in very mountainous territory.

The well-known Bernina railway running southwards from St Moritz (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/st-moritz/) ends in Tirano, which is just over the boarder in Italy.   From Tirano there is a scenic italian line all the way to Milan.

There is a regular bus from St Moritz over the Maloja Pass to Chiavenna in Italy.  Chiavenna is the terminus of a branch railway line from Colico, which is on the Tirano to Milan line just mentioned.

There is also a very regular bus (route 811) which goes from Zernez (33 kms, 20 miles east of St Moritz)  over the Il Fuorn pass to Mals/Malles; this is another place just inside Italy.  There is a railway which runs from Mals/Malles to Merano and Bolzano.  Bolzano is on the main north-south Brenner railway from Innsbruck to Verona.

I hope this helps. Above all, study the maps.

Roger

[Anshul]

Reply 10 of 10 • 17 December 2024 at 17:13:23 #2224168

Thanks a lot Roger for your detailed and insightful response! I will try to incorporate it in my itinerary.

Regards
Anshul