Booking hotel/transport in Europe

[SuperHero]

I'm meeting the GF in Lyon after her meetings there in April. We'd like to spend a week traveling northern Italy, Switzerland and Austria. We're still deciding which cities to visit, but Venice is one place neither of us have been to, and I recommended going to Zurich, Vienna and Salzburg.

Back when I traveled Europe, we had family friends in the different cities, and they took care of the lodging, transportation, sightseeing, etc. I'm completely lost on how to handle those things now... we plan on taking the train and local transportation, but any good websites you guys can recommend to look at hotels? Preferably, I'd like to stay in the little B&B places, but how do I go about finding them?

Anyone travel to Europe lately and want to share how they took care of the logistics? Recommend any romantic spots to visit in those 3 countries? I'm planning on proposing to her while we're there. We've both been to Paris so we're not considering going back.

 

[EuroHorn]

If you take the train from Switzerland down to Italy, I recommend staying Lugano which is right on the Italian border. Very picturesque with a large lake. Also, the train ride through the Alps is spectacular if you go during the day.

As far as travel, I usually used my company's travel agency or just would wing it when I got to the place I was going.

Actually, one of the posters on here created a blog for his travels in Italy including recommendations for accomodations. I believe he was from Italy but I can't remember his username here.

 

[gobears92]

do small towns ala Salzburg..everything is simple when you do...local populace is always helpful and you never have to go far..even if by Cab...Salzburg is a nice simple cute romantic town...if you have a week then pick 2 places only at the most...

 

[Spankytoes]

Get a Eurail pass for travel: The Link

It saves you a ton of money in the long run if you are visiting multiple cities/countries. For example, it is roughly $70 to travel from Rome to Venice one-way. It is almost $200 to venture into Switzerland from any major Italian city. The Eurail pass allows you unlimited travel in a specific timeframe. If both of you are travelling, you would qualify for the saver passes. However, there is little difference between first class and coach. Basically, FC has bigger booths. If you are taking a longer trip, reserve a sleep cabin.

One thing to keep in mind though is not to be too agressive with your plans. Yes, you can get to Zurich from Rome, but you have to make stops along the way. So, you will need to dedicate roughly 18 hours to being on the train. It is MUCH more effeciant to choose a country and stick within it. (Unless a major city is on a border town such as Vienna which is less than an hour from Slovakia) If you only have a week, I would not recommend more than 2 countries unless you were considering Great Britain.

I can't offer much into recommendations of particular B&Bs. My buddies and I were poor college students and spent the night in youth hostels. But, this seems to be a pretty decent site to find things: The Link

Hope this helps. I've been to nearly every country in Europe and into Asia/Africa, so let me know if you have some questions.