Tadpole11

Hi folks

I am planning one week vacation to europe with my wife and my 1 year old.

We have to travel to India and plan to take our vacation as "break in journey". We will be flying from US. We wanted some suggestions.

We can either fly to London, Paris, or Zurich. Our idea of vacation is to get the feel of europe. We are not too crazy about big cities. We prefer to get some cultural experience as well as some scenic beauty. with this idea, I was thinking of the following:

1) US to Zurich, rent car--> Interlaken or Lucerne X 2 days--> on car to Milan X 1 day ---> Then to Nice, france X 3 days ( See montecarlo, monaco)----> back to Zurich, return car and fly to India

2) US to Zurich, rent car---> Interlaken X 2 days---> Milan---> Venice--->Back to Zurich

I would appreciate your input about the above mentioned trips. My only worry is my one year old and would not like to make this trip very exhaustive.

Rental car to us make sense since we will be carrying big bags to carry forward on our trip to India and would be tough as well as costly to travel in trains.

Any other suggestion would also be welcome. I also thought about Paris---> Avignon--> Nice. In this case I will have to take the train. Similarly travel to Italy from Zurich also needs trains.

Thanks

halothane

I definitely would not attempt to visit all of those places in a week with a 1 year old. Slow it down some and enjoy Europe.

Welcome to Flyertalk,
Halothane

tom911

With only a week, and your interest in Switzerland, I'd be tempted to get an 8 day Swiss train pass and hit the mountain regions there (Zermatt, St Moritz/Pontresina, Interlaken/Wengen/Murren/Jungfrau), as well as places like Vevey and Lausanne (Olympic Museum). You'll have no problem occupying a week. I have photos of all of those areas linked below. I wouldn't be bouncing around an assortment of countries with such little time.
http://tom911.smugmug.com/Travel-Europe/Switzerland

Aviatrix

If you rent a car in Switzerland you may not be able to take it into Italy - Italy is deemed "high risk" and I know that some (though possibly not all) rental companies have restrictions on taking cars to Italy.

Travelling with a baby you probably want to travel by car rather than rail (because of all the paraphernalia you have to carry for the little one) but I agree with others that your schedule is somewhat over-ambitious for a week... so why not just stick with Switzerland, or perhaps include a neighbouring region of a neighbouring country, such as the French Alps or the Black Forest in Germany?

JoostvD

It is a common mistake that people think auto rentals and use in Europe are as cheap as their home countries. Fuel costs in Europe are much higher than in the US and some other countries, and costs for a good car are not cheap.

If you are flying on to India, there is no reason to carry all your baggage with you all the time. In Switzerland, you can ship your baggage ahead to your final destination (in Switzerland) or simply store it while you travel around. You can read more about that here: http://bit.ly/bHMhCh

I have travelled with a baby (I have two children) and never had a problem with baggage on the train. Simply pack sensibly - baby supplies are easy to pick up along the way in supermarkets or other shops.

Tadpole11

Thank you all for suggestions. The more I think the more I agree with you all. With baby it may be impossible to travel all the areas. Its best to stick to one place and enjoy.

Do you think South france can be combined in some way? I didnt know rental restriction of taking car through italy?? That means I simply cannot travel to South France from Zurich. I will have to take a train.

I would love to see South france if possible. Landing in Paris--> Train to Avignon--->Nice---> back to Paris to fly off. But here two problems. I will have to take train. what is the best way to come back to paris from nice.

Jack Napier

I don't know about restrictions from Switzerland to Italy. There are definitely restrictions when traveling with certain rental car classes to the east of europe. Check the T&C with your rental company about that.

As already stated, I'd stay around the city you'll be landing into. Paris and London itself offer more than a weeks programs.

Aviatrix

We rented a relatively modest car in Nice about three years ago and were not allowed to take it into Italy. Three years ago is fairly recent, so I think it's worth checking out.

And for the OP - you can easily get from Switzerland to Southern France without going through Italy. The two countries have a common border.

thijsseh

Why not .
Zurich > Geneva > Into France. Or South of Lake Geneva you can get directly from Switzerland into France as well (for instance at St. Gingolph).

No need to pass through Italy if there is a problem with that.

kendalcottages

Head for London and venture capital to explore other parts of the UK, be it the West Country, the Lake District, the Northumbrian coast, the Cotswolds, the Peak District, etc. There are so many beautiful places to discover...

daregale

I'd recommend renting a car and then driving to a rental apartment for the week to use as your home base, perhaps somewhere in a smaller village. It will be much more comfortable for the baby (and for you) not having to deal with changing accommodations, especially as the baby works through the jet lag.

A home-like atmosphere just makes everything easier--plus, you get a much better sense of the local culture if you're living in it rather than staying at a hotel. You can cook for yourselves with local ingredients you pick up at the market, if you like.

I'm partial to the Italian Lakes region, but the Swiss Alps, the Black Forest, and southern France all have a lot to offer and you can't go too far wrong. Some culture, good food, natural beauty, and a slower pace can really make it feel like a vacation.

I've traveled with my boy (now 2) several times in Europe--in the Austrian Alps, Berlin, Heidelberg, Amsterdam, and a vacation planned for the end of the month with a week in Barcelona and a week hiking in the Pyrenees--and when we've done it like that is when it's been the most enjoyable.

rudy.viae

Just a note, be aware there are VERY cheap flights from Geneva in Switzerland to Nice, with Easyjet, that's the option I'd take if you really want to go to Nice in your week, it's a quick flight. Two years ago I was lucky to get a 21 Euro ticket, a friend went there more recently for about 90Euros return. And it's only a one hour flight.

florin

Huh!? India?!? While technically speaking, the continents do move very slowly, it will be a VERY long time before India becomes part of Europe.