Florence and Sienna

The view from the top of the Duomo

The Duomo

While we stayed in Florence and just took a day to see Sienna, if I did it again, I would have stayed in Sienna and just visited Florence.  I wasn't totally impressed with the Tuscan region as I thought I would have been.  I like the coast much better.  Having said that, there are some beautiful things to see in that region.  In Florence, a climb to the top of the Duomo is a sure thing.  Also, visit the Ponte Vecchio bridge, although I didn't buy anything, it's still cool to see.

Sienna was my favorite out of these two cities.  We spent Christmas Day here, even attending mass at the Cathedral.  So amazing!

Verona and Venice

Verona is worth a visit on the way to Venice.  I'm not sure I would allow an overnight here though.  It's pretty to walk through, but the main attraction in this area is of course Venice.  We visited here in December, which was fantastic as there were hardly any tourists.  We still did a gondola ride and they even gave us a cashmere blanket to keep warm!  Climb to the top of the Duomo for some fantastic pictures.

Innsbruck

A magical city to visit at Christmas time.  I had the best Gleuwein ever here.  During the Christmas Market, they have these huge characters from story books all over the old city.

Krakow

A trip to Krakow is definitely a must do while in Europe.  It's a great city, inexpensive hotels, restaurants and fantastic shopping.  Rick Steves says it's the new Prague and I agree.  There is a cool cloth market in the center of town.  Amber is the thing to buy in Krakow.  The Jewish district is great to walk around, get a delish bagel, and visit the synagogues.  While in Krakow, take a walk up to the Wawel Castle.  The seventh chakra is said to reside in the north west corner of Wawel's courtyard,  While in Krakow, we did two side trips..one to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and one to Auschwitz & Birkenau Concentration camps.  You can get a bus to either place.  But allow a full day to do the camps and another day for the Salt Mine.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is the smallest German-speaking country in the world and the only alpine country to lie entirely within the Alps.  It is another micro country.  You can get your passport stamped at the city hall downtown for a small fee.  You can also visit the castle, which we did not have time to do.

Stein Am Rhein

Stein Am Rhein is one of our favorite Swiss towns.  It's quite close to Lake Konstanz and definetly deserves a visit if you're in the area.  It's great to just park and then walk around.  Beautifully painted buildings and little shops line the pedestrian streets.

Lake Konstanz

We spent a long weekend in Lake Konstanz.  We actually stayed right in Konstanz and took the car out to explore the surrounding areas.  It's beautiful!  You can also head over to Mineau Island, the flower island.  We went in October and although it was beautiful, not many flowers/trees were in bloom.  I'd suggest heading there in the Spring/Summer when you have a better chance of enjoying the flowers and their smell.

Lake Konstanz


Mineau Island in October

If you're in the area, I would recommend a stop at Stein Am Rhein in neighboring Switzerland.  See my post for more info.