Travel Review: Luxury Italy & Switzerland Tour, Cinque Terre, Bellagio, Chianti, Wengen, Cheese Farm Visit, Truffle Hunting, Hiking

Review by traveler

Tom J.

11.1.2019

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Italy

Switzerland

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

- Excellent responsiveness in the planning stages of trip.
- Initial disconnect on trip's final details and itinerary quickly resolved.
- This was our early retirement trip of our lifetime.
- Local guides selected for us were mostly all excellent.
- Hotels selected for us were all excellent with great locations and service. The hotel in Wengen Switzerland had breathtaking views of the mountains and glacier. Hotel locations in Bellagio and Chianti were also incredible.
- Activities arranged for our interests were wonderful (Truffle hunt with dogs in Chiant; day trip to Cinque Terre; hiking in the Bernese Oberland mountains; visit to a working cheese farm; Mt. Pilatus trip; ATV trip to another farm; visit to Ventian islands (Murano, Burano and Torcello); multiple wine tastings and luncheons; and more...).
- Arranged transportation by boat to and from Venice airport was excellent.
- Train travel throughout Switzerland was easy overall but be aware that large luggage is somewhat difficult to maneuver on and off trains.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

- Wengen Switzerland was amazing. Very easy to walk with all amenities you need within this small town with amazing views. Great location to use a a staging point for hiking trips in the Bernese Oberland with easy access to Lautenbrunnen, Grindewald, Mirren, etc.
- Trip to Mt Pilatus was great as low clouds below mountain tops made view at the top even more spectacular. our guide was great
- Trip to working cheese farm and interaction with workers and farm animals was excellent guide was great)
- 13 mile hike through Bernese Oberland with guide was fantastic with incredible views all along the trails!
- Day trip to Cinque Terre with driver and guide was excellent. Arranged for boat ride off coast and swimming in the coastal waters.
- Truffle hunt with dogs was awesome. Interaction with the dog owner and guide in the forest in Chianti made for a great day.
- Cooking class in Chianti was very good and enjoyable since we ate our work!
- Boat trip to islands off Venice was very nice with opportunities to watch glass blowing and purchase glass in Murano; buy lace and tour the island of Murano as well as walking Torcello. Guide was excellent but we cannot recall her name)
- We enjoyed the activity/adventure tours/hikes the most. City walks/history guides were good but not as stimulating as the activities.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

- More activities that are adventuresome and less scheduled city walking tours. We could have done these on our own with help on hotel concierges.
- Little more relaxation time. Our itinerary was very heavily scheduled and we did not have much downtime at all (even though we thoroughly enjoyed being busy).
- Reconfirm guide's arrival ahead of time. We had one no show in Wengen (Jungfraugh trip) and had difficulty reaching our tour operator to correct on short-term notice.
Spend more time in small local areas in Switzerland like Wengen to enjoy and immerse ourselves in the local culture and less time in larger cities.

Photos

Travel Review: Luxury Italy & Switzerland Tour, Cinque Terre, Bellagio, Chianti, Wengen, Cheese Farm Visit, Truffle Hunting, Hiking

General Info

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

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