France, Switzerland, and Italy Tours

My trip through Switzerland in October was nothing short of magical. The combination of crisp mountain air, golden autumn leaves, and snow-capped peaks made every stop along the way feel like stepping into a postcard. Swiss chocolates lived up to expectations.

Zurich was the perfect starting point—modern, clean, and full of energy. I loved strolling along Bahnhofstrasse for shopping and ending the day by the peaceful shores of Lake Zurich. The Old Town’s cobblestone lanes were charming and the café culture was ideal for people-watching. I really enjoyed the chocolate factory tour and the tuk-tuk tour of the city, with traditional fondue. The walking tour was so educational. The trip to Rhine Falls and the quaint town of Stein am Rhein is not to be missed.

From there, I traveled to Lucerne, one of the most picturesque towns I’ve ever seen. The Chapel Bridge and its flower boxes were stunning against the backdrop of Mount Pilatus. A boat cruise on Lake Lucerne was the highlight—the reflections of autumn colors on the water were breathtaking. The Rigi Kulm and Mt. Titlis tours are fascinating. I went by boat, train, bus, and funicular.

Grindelwald and the Interlaken region were the heart of the trip. The scenery was absolutely unforgettable. The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains dominated the skyline, and even though it was a bit chilly, the air was crisp and refreshing. The cable car rides and mountain hikes offered jaw-dropping views at every turn. Make sure you take the fondue class at the restaurant in Grindelwald and Interlaken. Come hungry!

Bern, the capital, surprised me with its warmth and old-world charm. The medieval architecture, clock tower, and bear park made for a fascinating visit. It felt quieter and more local compared to Zurich and Lucerne—a perfect stop to slow down and enjoy Swiss culture.

A visit to Gruyères added a delicious twist to the journey. The village looked like something out of a fairy tale and touring the Gruyère cheese factory was fun and tasty. Don’t miss the local chocolate factory tour.

Finally, I ended in Geneva, a sophisticated city by the lake. The Jet d’Eau was impressive and I enjoyed exploring the international district and strolling through the old town. The blend of French influence and Swiss precision made Geneva a wonderful final stop.

Overall, Switzerland in October is perfect for travelers who love scenic beauty without the summer crowds. The weather was cool but pleasant, and the autumn colors made the landscapes even more magical. Every train/gondola ride felt like a scenic tour through paradise.

Zicasso’s tour operator was excellent.

Highlights: Lucerne’s lakeside views, Grindelwald’s mountain trails, Gruyères fondue/chocolate, and Bern’s old-town charm.

Tip: Bring layers—mornings and evenings can get chilly, but the afternoons are perfect for exploring. Do not stay at the hotel near the Zurich airport. Stay in Zurich and take a taxi to the airport. In Grindelwald, avoid one of the hotels there.

We loved all the daily excursions to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Grindelwald, and our stay in Grindelwald, with trips to Interlaken and Jungfrau. We loved all the hotel stays. It was very well organized by Zicasso's travel company. Thanks for the transportation arrangements throughout and the instructions.

When we started planning our trip to Italy, I knew I wanted to work with a travel agent—specifically, someone who specialized in Italy and was based there. After reaching out to several agencies and reviewing their responses, we chose Zicasso and, more specifically, our travel agent. She is based in Milan and from my very first interaction with her, I knew we had made the right choice.

Our trip could not have been more perfect. Our agent put a lot of thought into every location and planned activity. At the outset, we had a few discussions with her about what we wanted from the trip and, after that, we were happy to leave most of the details in her capable hands. Our goal was to explore mid-to-northern Italy and everything—from the hotels and tours to the free time and transportation—was beautifully organized.

Our 11-night trip started in Milan and ended in Florence, with overnight stays in Milan (one night), Lake Como (three nights), Venice (three nights), and Florence (four nights). Initially, I was hesitant about staying at Lake Como for three nights, but our agent encouraged me to do a little research. I’m so glad she did, as it turned out to be incredible. We had more self-guided time at Lake Como, which was perfect as we adjusted to the time change. In Venice, our itinerary became more structured, but we still had plenty of time for our own explorations. By the time we reached Florence, we had activities and tours planned for every day, which was just what we wanted.

A highlight for my family was a full-day trip into Tuscany, where we visited San Gimignano, an organic vineyard in Chianti, and finished with a tour of Siena. Our day trip to Rome allowed us to see the main attractions and we concluded the journey with a tour of Florence and the Accademia Gallery. Every tour our agent arranged was spot on.

Throughout our trip, she was wonderfully communicative—always available when we had questions, but never intrusive. She even helped us with a couple of last-minute requests: booking a hotel in Milan for one night and arranging train tickets to Verona for an impromptu visit to Juliet’s balcony. Whenever we needed something, she was there.

When we return to explore the mid-to-southern part of Italy, there’s no question that we’ll be asking her to plan our trip again. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a seamless, thoughtfully curated Italian adventure.

This travel company was incredibly difficult to work with, and I would not recommend them. The travel agent seemed very annoyed when we asked basic questions about our itinerary. For example, the itinerary he sent us did not have the correct number of rooms booked for our party. When I asked him about it, he rudely told me, "Of course I have booked the right rooms". Later, we found out he was working off the wrong itinerary - our final invoice was based on this wrong itinerary and had a much higher amount than we actually owed. When we pointed that out, he went from being annoyed to flat out rude.

We also identified many gaps in transportation and logistics, with the travel agent continuing to be rude when we asked for clarification or support in fixing the gaps. For example, he had us driving a rental car to the Bologna airport at around 3 AM from rural Italy to make an 8 AM flight. We would be driving right through Florence on the way to Bologna. When I asked why we didn't simply take a later flight out of Florence, I was told there were no options to do this. A simple Google search identified several flights out of Florence at a more reasonable time.

We finally had Zicasso step in, and they were incredibly helpful in cleaning up our itinerary. Unfortunately, we still experienced several logistical issues during our trip despite Zicasso's support. For example, we were dropped off by drivers at train stations and were then on our own to figure out how to get to our hotels - all required lengthy walks up hills to access, and my 81-year old father was not able to do that. So we had to find our own transportation or have my dad attempt to walk (not good at all). As another example, my father really wanted to see the Matterhorn. The travel agent said it was an easy "day trip" from our hotel to the Matterhorn. It turned out to be a 3.5 hour drive each way. The driver left us at a train station below Zermatt (town below the mountain) to figure out on our own how to navigate the city of Zermatt. We had no guidance from the travel agency on how to best see the Matterhorn, and Zermatt was another town with steep hills that my dad had to walk through (with a cane) as we tried to figure out how to best see the mountain. Due to the length of the drive to Zermatt from our hotel, we had less than two hours in Zermatt because the travel company had booked us on a 6:15 AM train the next morning to leave Switzerland. It was a wasted day instead of being the wonderful experience my father had hoped for.

The best part of the trip was the hotels, and the travel company gets credit for selecting hotels with wonderful views and great breakfast options. They were not easily accessible from the local towns, so we had to figure out taxis and shuttles to get to nearby sites.

Most of the time, we were left on our own to find our way around. But we did have a guided tour in Florence and a knowledgeable driver that took us to a winery in Tuscany. Both of these guides were amazing, and it would have been nice to have more guided support throughout this trip (especially in Zermatt).

We had an absolute dream trip to Italy with the help of Zicasso's travel specialist! Traveling as a family of five, we visited Rome, Florence, San Gimignano, Greve, Siena, Cinque Terre, and Venice, along with many beautiful towns and smaller areas throughout the country.

The wonderful vacation rental accommodations were thoughtfully chosen and every detail of our trip was carefully planned. The local tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable and gave us a truly authentic experience. Our private transfers, train transfer, and private tours were efficient, informative, and made traveling from place to place seamless and stress-free.

The communication between all tour guides and transportation providers was great, as was that of each vacation rental host, who contacted us in advance to prepare us for our arrival.

One of our favorite parts of the trip was discovering the smaller, less-touristy areas within the larger cities, places we likely never would have found on our own. We enjoyed exploring Tridente for shopping and Trastevere in Rome for a private pizza-making class (highly recommended), artisan shops, excellent restaurants, and a vibrant nightlife.

Florence was wonderful, but we had the opportunity to travel to a few other areas, such as Siena, Greve, and San Gimignano. We even had a private vineyard tour and chef's meal while in Chianti. A must-see is the walk to the Boboli Gardens across Ponte Vecchio and, on the way back to our apartment, a stop at Piazzale Michelangelo.

While staying in Cinque Terre (Monterosso al Mare), be sure to take a private boat to visit all of the other villages and maybe even snorkel. The water is so clear!

Venice had great history, but we also enjoyed our boat tour to Murano to watch the glassmaking process and Burano, filled with gorgeous multicolored homes and artisan shops.

Every experience felt personal, meaningful, and special.

This trip was truly an absolute dream and we are so grateful to him for helping make our family vacation to Italy unforgettable. We highly recommend him to anyone looking to plan an incredible, seamless, and memorable trip!

We are a family of seven, ages 17-63, and Zicasso’s travel company created an incredible 12-day trip for us all to Switzerland and Austria. There were a lot of transportation logistics, tickets, hotel and dining reservations, and intricate details that they seamlessly pulled together for us. Having our own (and the same) driver for the duration of the trip was an incredible perk.

We traveled to Zurich, Grindelwald, Zermatt, Lucerne, Salzburg, and Hallstatt. We had a wonderful time, thanks to their detailed planning, itinerary, and attention to important details, including one traveler with celiac disease/special dietary needs.

Don't miss paragliding and the Via Ferrata in Murren, Switzerland, and the Fräulein Maria bike tour in Salzburg!