|
|
Post by jparrock on Jun 7, 2009 9:16:17 GMT -5
So I am planning on flying in to Spain to run w/ the bulls on July 8th. I need to be in Paris on July 16th at which point I plan on catching a train to Chamonix to hike Mont Blanc with some friends. From there I have a car to get to Zermatt to hike the Matterhorn then no more car. I would like to see another city in Switzerland before flying back to the states. I have not decided whether I will be flying into Barcelona or Pamplona as of yet and have not researched the trains from any of these points. So I could use alot of suggestions such as... Is flying into Barcelona to far out of the way? How should I get to Paris from Pamplona? What city would u recommend after Zermatt that would be feasible to fly back to Washington, DC from? ANY tips on how to do this on a reasonable budget would be fantastic! Thanks so much to anyone who takes the time to read this long a** thread  At this point I'm still open to some significant changes in my itinerary. |
|
|
|
Post by herrbert on Jun 7, 2009 14:17:14 GMT -5
It depends on where you are coming from if Barcelona is the best option or not. If you come on an intercontinental flight, Barcelona and Madrid are usualy the only options. If you come from inside Europe you could try the airport at Bilbao or San Sebastian.
If will take a while to go from Barcelona to Pamplona, and if you go there for the running, be aware that finding accommodation this late, will be very difficult. Maybe in some of the surrounding cities you might have more luck (check San Sebastian and go to Pamplona as a daytrip.) To get from Pamplona to Paris, it depends on the speed you want to be travelling with. If you want to catch a flight, in many cases it is best to return to Barcelona or Madrid, and fly from there (but not with Ryanair). If you have a little bit more time, you can travel from Pamplona to Biarritz and Bordeaux and take a train (TGV) there.
From Zermatt, I think you have a couple of options. But it depends on the airline that you fly with. (Basel-Mulhouse, MIlan, Lyon are all pretty close, and have big airports.) If you have some time to spend in a place, I would go for Munich. A bit further away, but a nicer place to spend a few days.
|
|
|
|
Post by jparrock on Jun 18, 2009 8:44:25 GMT -5
Herrbert thanks so much for the quick reply... On that note I have made major changes! Complete restructure. I decided to add sightseeing days post mountain climbing instead of the running of the bulls pre mountain climbing. So! the new plan is that I will begin in Zermatt on (roughly) July 26th and have to fly home August 5th. I need to figure out a nice travel route in between those days. Im guessing I'll be able to visit 2 maybe 3 cities w/out rushing myself. I would like to visit Cinque Terre and Venice and 1 city in Switzerland (possibly Gimmelwald, Interlaken, Zurich?). My main goal was to maintain a relatively tight circle so as not to spend all my time traveling. I found a good priced flight home out of Venice and Zurich so those were 2 of my final destination ideas. What do you think? Any suggestions on which places to visit? I don't know about how crowded it might be in Venice or Cinque Terre or availability of hostels yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by herrbert on Jun 18, 2009 12:44:29 GMT -5
I am really the Spain specialist, and not so much an expert on Italy. But there are others that can help you. But you are travelling in peak season so expect it to by busy.
But on the route I can probably give you some directions.
I think it would be nice to fly out of Venice, as you can do a tour from Zermatt to Gimmelwald, to Cinque Terre to Florence to Venice. I think that is a very nice trip in the 10 days that you have. With not too much travelling in between the destinations. That at least means you will not be losing days because you are travelling. (an important thing, when you have just a short amount of time.)
|
|
|
|
Post by madamtrashheap on Jun 19, 2009 23:12:48 GMT -5
jparrock, with regard to your city choices, there are a few things to consider:
Cinque Terre - deserves 2 full days minimum, depending on what you wanted to do (hike, lie in the sun, sit in cafes and watch the world go by...) but as your trip is not very far away, you may find accommodation issues as it's a busy place in Summer. Worse case scenario, you could stay in La Spezia and travel to CT (it's just a few minutes up the track) towns as required. See what accommodation is still available in each of the 5 towns, but the places in Manarola and Vernazza will likely be well booked out by now.
Venice - again, 2 full days would be a good amount of time here.
Florence - if you throw at stay here in to your itinerary, it will depend on what you want to see/do here. If not Florence, then consider perhaps another Tuscan town like Siena.
Train travel in Italy will be your best choice of transport as the distances between the above places aren't long at all.
For Switzerland, I'd choose either Gimmelwald or Interlaken to stay in for 2-3 days rather than staying only in Zurich. Lots to see, do, hike, bike and paraglide over in either place. Then perhaps spend the night in Zurich before you fly home if that's you're eventual route. Otherwise, travel from Switzerland to Italy by train will be simple enough.
|
|
|
|
Post by jparrock on Jun 21, 2009 18:55:25 GMT -5
Madam, thanks so much this is exactly the type of info Im looking for! Herrbert helped narrow down some places for me. I definitely want to spend some time in Cinque Terre so I'll start scowering for accomocations. The official travel plan is take off from Zermatt-Interlaken-Cinque Terre-Venice-fly home. I'm still iffy on whether squeezing in Florence is a good idea because I don't want to feel rushed at all so I may play that one by ear.
Other than that if anyone has had any good pointers for any of these places as far as accommodations, sights that were really enjoyed, or experiences they loved (I particularly like the paragliding idea) than I am all ears. Thanks!
JP
|
|
At this point I'm still open to some significant changes in my itinerary.
