Hello,

We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.

Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.

I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.

Avtar

I have found Italians to be very good drivers (generally) unless you see a
very old man with a hat and an antique car (or Ape) That seems a uiniversal
problem.... Italians drive fast, but seem to be very alert. The times I have
made mistakes, like not looking the right way in a circle (coming from a
left-hand drive country) they have always reacted promptly and avoided an
accident. In the smaller towns I have found then to be patient beyond
reason. In cities anywhere in the world you have to know where you are
going, to cope. In the cities I use public transport!


"Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> Hello,
>
> We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
> two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
> to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
> in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
>
> Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
> preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.
>
> I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
> Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
> driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
> nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.
>
> Avtar
>

Much faster than in Canada, in all cases avoid driving in Rome and Naples !
Forget about the drivel associated with Italy, they are also normal people
and don't want to die.
Very few automatic cars, get prepared for manual shift


"Avtar" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message de news:
[email protected]. com...
> Hello,
>
> We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
> two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
> to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
> in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
>
> Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
> preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.
>
> I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
> Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
> driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
> nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.
>
> Avtar
>

"Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
> Hello,
>
> We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
> two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
> to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
> in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
>
> Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
> preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.
>
> I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
> Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
> driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
> nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.
>
> Avtar
>

The speeds on the highways may be faster than you are accustomed to,
but the people are excellent drivers. Public transport inside the cities
is recommended, however, especially in Venice :-)

Fred

Make credence recognised that on 30 Mar 2007 21:11:02 -0700, "Avtar"
<[email protected]> has scripted:

>Hello,
>
>We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
>two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
>to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
>in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
>
>Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
>preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.
>
>I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
>Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
>driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
>nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.

Try to get an open jaw flight starting in Geneva and ending in Rome.
You really have no limit on the amount of nature, mountains etc. that
you will find. Avoid Milan though!

Driving isn't that bad, but be prepared to see some serious speeding
in Italy.

n.b., I had an Italian tell me yesterday that the Swiss have no idea
how to drive, which I took as meaning they observe the road rules.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

On 31 Mrz., 06:11, "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
> two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
> to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
> in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.

Two weeks is not to much for those two countries,
best probably is to concentrate on a small number
of sites or regions you are specially interested in.

Be aware that July and August is vacation time -
avoid travelling to vacation resorts or even any
of the main N-S routes between Friday afternoon
and Saturday evening.

> Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
> preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.

For mountains, consider the region between lake
Geneva and St.Moritz in Switzerland, or nearby
Montblanc area (upper Aosta Valley) in Italy. By car,
region ENE of Lake Geneva (up to Bernese Oberland),
Grand St-Bernard region (Martigny to Aosta),
Central Switzerland (Andermatt and the mountain
pass roads around) or Engadine Valley (St.Moritz
being the best known resort) are probably the most
interesting (better by motorbike or bicycle ....).

Many "historical sites" in Switzerland, but Italy
is imho the better choice

> I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
> Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
> driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
> nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.

Driving in Northern Italy is not really worse than
say Montreal area (Montreal plus plenty of
scooters). But: driving in most larger cities
in Europe is a mess, parking worse and expensive.
Many cities tend to restrict car traffic, especially
acces and parking for non-residents. Depending
on places you plan to visit, combining car and
public transportation might be the best option.
Consider passes such as "Swiss Pass" available
only to non-residents for part of your trip in
Switzerland, rent a car when planning to visit
small, remote places, use public transporation
for any tourist town in July in Italy. And I would
avoid any major Summer vacation resort in Italy
during July and August peak vacation time.

"Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...

<< I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.>>

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P.../world009.html

On 30 Mar 2007 21:11:02 -0700, "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Probably to start off
>in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.

Be avare that renting a car in one country, and returning it in
another, carries a heavy penalty. Make sure that you know what
the fee is, before renting.

On Mar 31, 12:11 am, "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
> two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
> to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
> in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
>
> Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
> preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.
>
> I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
> Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
> driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
> nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.
>
> Avtar

We've taken a similar vacation a couple of times. Once to Switzerland/
Italy, and once to Austria/Italy. Both make a nice combination.

Try to avoid the temptation to cover too much territory in a two week
period. I suggest you limit yourself to northern Italy. And keep in
mind that you're travelling in high season to regions that are popular
vacation spots for Europeans, so you might consider getting hotel
reservations. For Switzerland, I'd suggest basing yourself in
Interlaken and exploring the Bernese Oberland district for a few
days. Lucerne is also quite nice if you have the time. Then drive
over the Brenner pass into Italy. In Italy you could either go west
to the lake district, which is spectacular, and fly back out of
Milan. The airport in Milan is well outside the city, so you
shouldn't have any problems driving there. Or. you could head east to
the Dolomites in the Alto Adige region; then down to Venice. You
could fly out of Venice, but likely with a connection in one of the
hub cities.
A third alternative is to fly in and out of Milan. This would give
you the option of visiting the IItalian lake district, the Dolomites
and Venice, but not Switzerland.

Driving on the Italian highways and secondary roads is quite easy;
easier, in fact, than driving the 401 highway through Toronto. As
others have mentioned, the Italian drivers are quite competent. I
would absolutely avoid driving into any large cities in Europe because
of the congestion and lack of parking. This is a problem even in mid-
sized towns; I usually just park in the first public parking lot I
see at the edge of town and walk in (or take a bus) to get my
bearings. Most rental cars have a manual transmission, but you can
reserve one with automatic, at a significantly higher price. Be sure
to get air conditioning if you're travelling in July.

A good guidebook will help you set up a more specific itinerary. A
good website with a large Italy section is http://www.slowtrav.com/

It sounds like a great vacation....
cheers...Sangio

ff wrote on Sat, 31 Mar 2007 01:29:36 -0700:


f> "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
f>
news:[email protected] oups.com...
??>> Hello,
??>>
??>> We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning
??>> of July for two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to
??>> Italy but would also try to see if we can see a bit of
??>> Switzerland also. Probably to start off in Switzerland
??>> and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
??>>
??>> Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and
??>> culture. My preference would be to stay in historic
??>> hotels or BB.
??>>
??>> I would appreciate if somone could provide any
??>> information. Especially, I would like to know how a driver
??>> from Canada would find driving in Italy. I have driven in
??>> all US big cities. I am little nervous about driving in
??>> Italy. Thanks in advance.
??>>
??>> Avtar
??>>
f> The speeds on the highways may be faster than you are
f> accustomed to, but the people are excellent drivers. Public
f> transport inside the cities is recommended, however,
f> especially in Venice :-)

It does take a little while to get used to the higher speeds on
the through ways but, with care, it need not be too exciting.
Important things are use your mirrors and turn signals and
return to the inner lanes after passing. You really have to look
carefully before pulling out to pass since there may be traffic
travelling over 180 kph, legally in Germany and actually in
Italy.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

James Silverton wrote:

> ff wrote on Sat, 31 Mar 2007 01:29:36 -0700:
>
>
> f> "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> f> news:[email protected] oups.com...
> ??>> Hello,
> ??>>
> ??>> We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning
> ??>> of July for two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to
> ??>> Italy but would also try to see if we can see a bit of
> ??>> Switzerland also. Probably to start off in Switzerland
> ??>> and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
> ??>>
> ??>> Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and
> ??>> culture. My preference would be to stay in historic
> ??>> hotels or BB.
> ??>>
> ??>> I would appreciate if somone could provide any
> ??>> information. Especially, I would like to know how a driver
> ??>> from Canada would find driving in Italy. I have driven in
> ??>> all US big cities. I am little nervous about driving in
> ??>> Italy. Thanks in advance.
> ??>>
> ??>> Avtar
> ??>>
> f> The speeds on the highways may be faster than you are
> f> accustomed to, but the people are excellent drivers. Public
> f> transport inside the cities is recommended, however,
> f> especially in Venice :-)
>
> It does take a little while to get used to the higher speeds on the
> through ways but, with care, it need not be too exciting. Important
> things are use your mirrors and turn signals and return to the inner
> lanes after passing. You really have to look carefully before pulling
> out to pass since there may be traffic travelling over 180 kph, legally
> in Germany and actually in Italy.
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>


Also make sure that you get complete insurance coverage for damages to
your vehicle and the other vehicle. Then remember that they really do
not want their fancy car scratched. Watch out for the occasional
clunker though.

On 30 Mar 2007 21:11:02 -0700, "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Hello,
>
>We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
>two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
>to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
>in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
>
>Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
>preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.

There are mountains all over Italy, as well as history and culture.
Would you prefer to stay near the Swiss border? Are you interested in
climbing? Do you want to stay mostly in the countryside or do you want
to also see cities such as Rome, Florence and Venice? Help us narrow
it down a bit.

>I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
>Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
>driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
>nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.

I am originally from the US, but now live in Italy. I have had no
problem with driving here. Don't try shenanigans on the autostrada,
and be careful on winding roads, as some drivers cut curves and pull
to the right at the last minute.


--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

On Apr 12, 11:48 am, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> On 30 Mar 2007 21:11:02 -0700, "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Hello,
>
> >We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
> >two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
> >to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
> >in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
>
> >Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
> >preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.
>
> There are mountains all over Italy, as well as history and culture.
> Would you prefer to stay near the Swiss border? Are you interested in
> climbing? Do you want to stay mostly in the countryside or do you want
> to also see cities such as Rome, Florence and Venice? Help us narrow
> it down a bit.
>
> >I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
> >Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
> >driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
> >nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.
>
> I am originally from the US, but now live in Italy. I have had no
> problem with driving here. Don't try shenanigans on the autostrada,
> and be careful on winding roads, as some drivers cut curves and pull
> to the right at the last minute.
>
> --
> Barbara Vaughan
> My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
> I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Thanks Barbara and everyon else.

Here are some further details as you mentioned:

Mountains: No climbing but do like driving up if possible - tour or
self drive. (Last year we drove up to Mt. Shasta, Lasen Volcanic
park, Crater Lake, and Mt. Hood). Love to take photographs of
mountains, especially mountains and lakes together.

Site seeing: We do want to see Rome for sure. Other places that we
would like to see if Venice, Milan, Naples, Florence. Perhaps it
might be too much to do in two weeks. As far as staying, we would
like prefer to stay in historic hotels or BB. But in Rome, we would
like to stay as close to the major attractions/sites as possible.

Another question. If I decided to chicken out and take a tour
instead, would it be cheaper to fly to London and then take a tour
from there? It is four of us that and my older daughter is counted as
adult now! We are from Richmond Hill, Ontario. Thanks in advance.

Avtar

On 14 Apr 2007 19:00:42 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, "Avtar" <[email protected]> arranged
some electrons, so they looked like this:

... On Apr 12, 11:48 am, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
... > On 30 Mar 2007 21:11:02 -0700, "Avtar" <[email protected]> wrote:
... >
... > >Hello,
... >
... > >We are planning on trip to Europe this summer (beginning of July for
... > >two weeks). Mainly, we would like to go to Italy but would also try
... > >to see if we can see a bit of Switzerland also. Probably to start off
... > >in Switzerland and end in Italy and fly back to Canada from there.
... >
... > >Our interests are in nature, mountains, history, and culture. My
... > >preference would be to stay in historic hotels or BB.
... >
... > There are mountains all over Italy, as well as history and culture.
... > Would you prefer to stay near the Swiss border? Are you interested in
... > climbing? Do you want to stay mostly in the countryside or do you want
... > to also see cities such as Rome, Florence and Venice? Help us narrow
... > it down a bit.
... >
... > >I would appreciate if somone could provide any information.
... > >Especially, I would like to know how a driver from Canada would find
... > >driving in Italy. I have driven in all US big cities. I am little
... > >nervous about driving in Italy. Thanks in advance.
... >
... > I am originally from the US, but now live in Italy. I have had no
... > problem with driving here. Don't try shenanigans on the autostrada,
... > and be careful on winding roads, as some drivers cut curves and pull
... > to the right at the last minute.
... >
... > --
... > Barbara Vaughan
... > My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
... > I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
...
... Thanks Barbara and everyon else.
...
... Here are some further details as you mentioned:
...
... Mountains: No climbing but do like driving up if possible - tour or
... self drive. (Last year we drove up to Mt. Shasta, Lasen Volcanic
... park, Crater Lake, and Mt. Hood). Love to take photographs of
... mountains, especially mountains and lakes together.
...
... Site seeing: We do want to see Rome for sure. Other places that we
... would like to see if Venice, Milan, Naples, Florence. Perhaps it
... might be too much to do in two weeks. As far as staying, we would
... like prefer to stay in historic hotels or BB. But in Rome, we would
... like to stay as close to the major attractions/sites as possible.

Tricky feat. The major attractions/sites are scattered all over the place. You can walk
from one to another if you are fit, but expect to walk 10-15 Km/day.

... Another question. If I decided to chicken out and take a tour
... instead, would it be cheaper to fly to London and then take a tour
... from there? It is four of us that and my older daughter is counted as
... adult now! We are from Richmond Hill, Ontario. Thanks in advance.
...
... Avtar

On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 10:25:08 +0200, Magda <magda@eu> wrote:

>On 14 Apr 2007 19:00:42 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, "Avtar" <[email protected]> arranged
>some electrons, so they looked like this:
>
> ... ... in Rome, we would
> ... like to stay as close to the major attractions/sites as possible.
>
>Tricky feat. The major attractions/sites are scattered all over the place. You can walk
>from one to another if you are fit, but expect to walk 10-15 Km/day.

Actually, I disagree. The centro storico of Rome is fairly compact. If
you stay in the former Ghetto area or near the Campo dei Fiori, you
can easily walk to all the major attractions.

A very conveniently located hotel is the Arenula:
http://www.hotelarenula.com/

You can walk to the Vatican, the Spanish steps, the Colosseum,
Trastevere, and nearly anything else in less than half an hour from
there.

If you go to the ViaMichelin website, you can see that from Largo
Argentina (just next to the Hotel Arenula) to Villa Borghese is 2 km
(about 1 1/4 miles). Largo Argentina is near the southwestern border
of the centro storico and Villa Borghese is outside the walls. That is
about the longest distance you would ever have to walk to see any of
the major sites. The walk to St. Peter's Square is 1.8 km. The
Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum, Colosseum, and
Piazza Navona are all even closer.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup