Italy vs. Italy/Switzerland

[Sue Mannebach]

Have never been to Europe and have never been on ABD trip. Trying to decide between the two trips. Travelling with husband and 13 and 15yo. Would love the scenery of Italy/Switzerland trip, but wondering if there is much to do after the tour each day. Has anyone been on both trips? TIA

 

[Cousin Orville]

Have never been to Europe and have never been on ABD trip. Trying to decide between the two trips. Travelling with husband and 13 and 15yo. Would love the scenery of Italy/Switzerland trip, but wondering if there is much to do after the tour each day. Has anyone been on both trips? TIA

I’ve only been on the Italy/Switzerland ABD. Stresa, Zermatt and Lucerne are all beautiful towns to walk around and enjoy in the evenings. The scenery is spectacular. Out of 5 European ABD’s I’ve done, this was my favorite. I have a trip report on this forum. But for a first trip to Italy, I’d give strong consideration for visiting Rome, Florence and Venice.

 

[OKW Lover]

Have never been to Europe and have never been on ABD trip. Trying to decide between the two trips. Travelling with husband and 13 and 15yo. Would love the scenery of Italy/Switzerland trip, but wondering if there is much to do after the tour each day. Has anyone been on both trips? TIA

We've done both ABDs. We were on the same Italy/Switzerland trip with @Cousin Orville

For both trips, the days are long and full of activities. There really isn't much time left at the end of the day typically. Yes, there are a few days with On Your Own time but at most that would be an afternoon off. So don't worry about running out of things to keep you occupied.

As far as deciding between the two, and I might be biased because that's the way I experienced it, I'd suggest the Rome/Florence/Venice tour first. Great introduction to Europe in general and ABD in particular. You see some really spectacular things in Italy. Not to suggest that the Italy/Switzerland trip is any less interesting though.

 

[2-pointdoe]

We also looked at both of those for a first ABD and family trip to Europe. We chose Rome/Florence/Venice because I wanted to make sure we saw the big highlights like the Colosseum and such. We were on it June of 2018 and it was amazing!

 

[morgan98]

While I cannot speak to the ABD aspect, I know Italy very well. My mother was born there, my husband has dual Italian citizenship and we go there on average, twice a year. I have been to Italy more times that I can count. I am probably going again in March.

Anyway, I think you have to ask yourself what you really want to do on this trip. The Rome/Florence/Venice has a much more city, museum and historical site slant to it while Italy/Switzerland is much more outdoor and natural beauty. I know many are saying that if it is your first time, you need to see the big sites, but I feel that seeing those three cities on one trip is a lot to see and more like checking the boxes for been there, done that. The Alps are amazing and Zermatt is wonderful. That is the one I would prefer, but I am pretty much over the museums at this point. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this one.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

We did Italy/Switzerland as our first ABD in 2015 and Italy as our most recent ABD in 2018. I enjoyed both - but definitely felt the crowds on the Italy trip. Rome, Florence, and Venice were all very crowded. While we enjoyed the group - we noticed the group sizes seem to be creeping over the 40 person cutoff. We had 42 in Italy and a similar number in Costa Rica. ABD seems to be losing their personal touch. The farewell dinner in Venice was amazing, definitely the highlight of all the farewell dinners. But overall we liked the beauty/cleanliness/space of northern Italy and Switzerland more. Zermatt was a definite highlight.

 

[OKW Lover]

Anyway, I think you have to ask yourself what you really want to do on this trip. The Rome/Florence/Venice has a much more city, museum and historical site slant to it while Italy/Switzerland is much more outdoor and natural beauty.

Very good point! That's probably the big distinction between these two trips.