u/Justageekyengineer

Hi everyone! My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy from October 8–14, after spending some time in Switzerland.

We’re planning to spend 4 days in a coastal region (Oct 8–12) and then 2 days in Rome (Oct 12–14) before flying home.

We’re currently torn between:
Amalfi Coast — Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, etc.
Ligurian Coast — Cinque Terre / nearby towns

Our main concern is the weather in early/mid October. Is October still a good time to visit the coast, or does it start feeling too gloomy, rainy, or “off-season”? We’re not expecting peak-summer beach weather, but we’d love some sunshine, scenic coastal views, and a pleasant atmosphere.

For those who have visited either region in early/mid October:
* Which would you recommend for 4 days?
* How was the weather?
* Are restaurants, ferries, etc. still operating?
* Is one region significantly better than the other at this time of year?

* Would you choose Amalfi or Liguria/Cinque Terre if you had these dates?

* We’ll be coming from Switzerland and ending the trip in Rome, so travel convenience is also a consideration.

Would love to hear from anyone who has done either coast in October!

Hi everyone!
I’m doing a multi-country Europe trip and will be entering Italy from Lugano, Switzerland. I have 6 nights in Italy (Oct 8–14) and will be flying home from Rome on Oct 14.
I’m torn between these two itineraries:
Option 1
Lugano → Venice (1 night)
Florence (3 nights)
Day trip to Cinque Terre
Tuscany countryside tour
Explore Florence
Rome (2 nights)

Option 2
Lugano → Venice (1 night)
Sorrento (3 nights)
Amalfi Coast / Positano / Capri
Rome (2 nights)

The main reason I’m considering Option 2 is that I’d really love to experience those classic Mediterranean coastal vibes.
At the same time, I’m wondering if traveling all the way down to Sorrento/Amalfi with only 6 nights would make the trip feel too rushed.
With Option 1, I could still visit Cinque Terre as a day trip from Florence and hopefully get at least a taste of the Italian coastline, while also experiencing Florence and Tuscany.

For those who’ve been to both:
1.Does Cinque Terre scratch the Mediterranean coastal itch, or is Amalfi Coast in a completely different league?
2. Is Sorrento/Amalfi worth the extra travel time on such a short itinerary?

If you had only 6 nights in Italy, which itinerary would you choose?

I’m also open to alternative suggestions that fit this timeframe.

P.S. This is my first trip to Italy, so I’d really appreciate your advice. Please be gentle! 😊

Hi everyone!
I’m doing a multi-country Europe trip and will be entering Italy from Lugano, Switzerland. I have 6 nights in Italy (Oct 8–14) and will be flying home from Rome on Oct 14.
I’m torn between these two itineraries:
Option 1
Lugano → Venice (1 night)
Florence (3 nights)
Day trip to Cinque Terre
Tuscany countryside tour
Explore Florence
Rome (2 nights)

Option 2
Lugano → Venice (1 night)
Sorrento (3 nights)
Amalfi Coast / Positano / Capri
Rome (2 nights)

The main reason I’m considering Option 2 is that I’d really love to experience those classic Mediterranean coastal vibes.
At the same time, I’m wondering if traveling all the way down to Sorrento/Amalfi with only 6 nights would make the trip feel too rushed.
With Option 1, I could still visit Cinque Terre as a day trip from Florence and hopefully get at least a taste of the Italian coastline, while also experiencing Florence and Tuscany.

For those who’ve been to both:
1.Does Cinque Terre scratch the Mediterranean coastal itch, or is Amalfi Coast in a completely different league?
2. Is Sorrento/Amalfi worth the extra travel time on such a short itinerary?

If you had only 6 nights in Italy, which itinerary would you choose?

I’m also open to alternative suggestions that fit this timeframe.

P.S. This is my first trip to Italy, so I’d really appreciate your advice. Please be gentle! 😊

Hi everyone!
I’m doing a multi-country Europe trip and will be entering Italy from Lugano, Switzerland. I have 6 nights in Italy (Oct 8–14) and will be flying home from Rome on Oct 14.
I’m torn between these two itineraries:
Option 1
Lugano → Venice (1 night)
Florence (3 nights)
Day trip to Cinque Terre
Tuscany countryside tour
Explore Florence
Rome (2 nights)

Option 2
Lugano → Venice (1 night)
Sorrento (3 nights)
Amalfi Coast / Positano / Capri
Rome (2 nights)

The main reason I’m considering Option 2 is that I’d really love to experience those classic Mediterranean coastal vibes.
At the same time, I’m wondering if traveling all the way down to Sorrento/Amalfi with only 6 nights would make the trip feel too rushed.
With Option 1, I could still visit Cinque Terre as a day trip from Florence and hopefully get at least a taste of the Italian coastline, while also experiencing Florence and Tuscany.

For those who’ve been to both:
1.Does Cinque Terre scratch the Mediterranean coastal itch, or is Amalfi Coast in a completely different league?
2. Is Sorrento/Amalfi worth the extra travel time on such a short itinerary?

If you had only 6 nights in Italy, which itinerary would you choose?

I’m also open to alternative suggestions that fit this timeframe.

P.S. This is my first trip to Italy, so I’d really appreciate your advice. Please be gentle! 😊

I’m looking for recommendations for a pair of white sneakers (unisex or for women) for a 12-day Europe trip (Switzerland + Italy).
My priorities are:
Comfort for 20k+ steps a day and cobblestone streets.
White color that goes with almost everything.
Not too chunky or oversized.
Should look good with skirts, dresses, wide-leg pants, jeans, and trousers since I don’t want to pack multiple pairs of shoes.
Budget:(around $120 USD).
I’ve been considering:
New Balance 574
New Balance 480
New Balance 327
ASICS GEL-1130
Onitsuka Tiger GSM

Reebok Club C 85
For those who’ve done lots of walking in Europe, which would you choose? Are there any other models from New Balance, ASICS, Onitsuka Tiger, or other brands that I should look at?
I’d especially love recommendations from people who’ve worn the same pair throughout a Europe trip without ending up with sore feet.

Hi,me and my husband are first time visitors to Florence. We are planning to come from Milan on oct 8th . Looking for best value for money,safe stay option which is accessible to major attractions. We also plan to day some day trips by making Florence as the base.

Budget - €100-€140 per night.

Hi everyone,
I recently received my Swiss Schengen visa and had a question.

When we applied, our intended travel dates were 30 September to 13 October. To support the application, we had booked fully refundable flight tickets showing departure on 30 September.
Our visa has now been issued with 30 days validity starting from 25 September, which is 5 days before our originally declared travel date.

After checking flight prices again, I noticed that flights on 27th or 28th September are significantly cheaper. We’d like to book those instead if possible.
Since the visa is already valid from 25 September, can we enter Switzerland on 27th/28th September even though our visa application mentioned travel starting on 30 September?

Has anyone done something similar? Did you face any issues with immigration or airline check-in?
Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone,I have been trying to book a slot for Schengen Visa as Italy as the main country from VFS Bangalore. There are no slots. I am monitoring the slots since last one month. Will the slots never be refreshed?

Can anyone help me about jurisdiction rule? I see slots from Mumbai/Pune. Can I apply from these places but still fly in/out of bangalore.

Planning a 12–14 day trip from India in late September and trying to decide between these two routes

Option A:

Nice – 3N (including Menton / Èze)
Another South France base – 3N (open to suggestions: Annecy? Provence? somewhere else?)
Venice – 2N
Florence – 2N
Rome – 2N

Option B – Austria + Italy (6N Austria + 6N Italy)
Vienna – 2N
Salzburg – 2N
Innsbruck OR Villach – 2N
Venice – 2N
Florence – 2N
Rome – 2N

Questions:

1. Which route feels better overall in 12–14 days?
2. Does South France + Italy become too fragmented compared to Austria + Italy?
3. If doing Austria → Venice, would you go via Salzburg or Villach?
4. If doing Nice → Venice, what’s the best transition? Nice → Milan → Venice, or break somewhere in between?
5. Which option feels more memorable while still staying comfortable?

PS: Since I’m travelling from quite far, I’d prefer to cover two countries in one trip rather than doing only one. Also, Italy visa appointments from my country seem limited currently, so I’m intentionally planning for the first country to have equal or more nights than Italy.
Open to reducing stops if the trip quality improves.

Planning a Europe trip from India in late September (12 days excluding flights) and trying to decide if combining Austria + Italy is realistic or if I’ll spend too much time moving around.
Current thinking:
Austria (6 days): Vienna → Salzburg → Innsbruck
Italy (5–6 days): Venice → Florence → Rome
Prefer train travel where possible
Style: honeymoon / romantic + culture + good food
Not interested in museums all day — more city atmosphere, walks, viewpoints, cafés
Moderate budget (~€3–3.5k excluding international flights for 2 people)
Would prefer fewer hotel changes and lower travel fatigue
Coming from India, so likely applying for one Schengen visa only
Questions:
Is Austria + Italy a good combo for 12 days, or does it become too rushed?
Is Innsbruck → Venice the best transition, or is another route smoother?
Would you skip one stop (Salzburg / Venice / Florence)?
For honeymoon vibes, does this beat doing France + Italy?
Any regrets people had doing both countries in one trip?
Trying to optimize for romance + scenery + easy logistics

Planning a Europe trip from India for late September and trying to decide if combining France + Italy in one trip is realistic or if it becomes too rushed.

Current rough route:
Paris → Annecy or Nice/French Riviera → Italy (Venice/Florence/Rome)

Budget:
€3000–3500 for 2 people excluding international flights

Priorities:
- romantic vibe
- great food
- culture + beautiful streets
- comfortable travel with luggage
- not changing hotels constantly
- decent mid-range hotels, not luxury

Questions:
- Is France + Italy in one trip actually manageable in ~11 days?
- Is Paris + South France + Italy too ambitious?
- Which France → Italy route is easiest and least exhausting?
- Better to do Annecy → Italy or Nice → Italy?
- Train vs short flight for the France → Italy transition?
- Which Italian cities pair best with France without making the trip feel rushed?

Would love advice from people who’ve done a similar itinerary recently.

Planning a 10–12 day Switzerland + Italy trip from India this September and trying to figure out the smoothest Switzerland → Italy transition.

Main priorities are:
- least fatigue
- easy travel with luggage
- fewer hotel changes
- reasonable cost

Current Switzerland side is likely:
Lucerne or Interlaken

Italy side:
Venice → Florence → Rome

What’s the most practical transition route?

- Direct train to Milan and continue from there?
- Fly instead?
- Stay one night in Milan or go directly to Venice?
- Is Interlaken too inconvenient if continuing into Italy?

Would love advice from people who’ve actually done this route and know what’s comfortable in real life, not just what looks good on maps