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The Santorini caldera from Fira
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Greece, Italy and Switzerland · Apr 2023

Gods, Gelato and Glaciers

Athens to the Top of Europe by Ferry, Fast Train and the Bernina Express

Watch the Greece stories Watch the Italy stories Watch the Switzerland stories

A three-country journey from the Acropolis and Santorini's caldera cliffs, through Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan, over the Alps on the Bernina Express, to Interlaken, a skydive and Jungfraujoch.

Some trips go deep into one place. This one connected three. We flew out via Istanbul and landed in Athens to stand with the gods, sailed the Aegean to a rain-washed, sunset-lit Santorini, and then swapped islands for Italy: the Colosseum, the Vatican, Florence's Duomo, gondolas in Venice and the Duomo di Milano. From the Italian border town of Tirano, the red Bernina Express carried us over the Alps into Switzerland. There we found lakes like glass, Bollywood film sets come to life, a skydive over Interlaken and the snow of Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe.

Duration
About 15 days (roughly 8 to 22 April 2023)
Countries
Greece → Italy → Switzerland
Getting around
Flights, an Aegean ferry, Italy's Frecciarossa high-speed trains, the Bernina Express and Swiss trains
Route
Istanbul → Athens → Santorini → Athens → Rome & Vatican City → Florence → Venice → Milan → Tirano → Bernina Express → Chur → Lucerne → Interlaken & Lake Brienz → Jungfraujoch → Zurich
Highest point
Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe (3,454 m)
Biggest milestone
Skydiving over Interlaken

Route

9 stops

TUNISIASLOVAKIASERBIAROMANIAITALYHUNGARYGREECEFRANCECROATIABULGARIABOSNIA AND HERZ.AUSTRIAALGERIA Flight · via Athens Athens The Acropolis 1 Santorini Blue domes & caldera 2 Rome & the Vatican The Colosseum 3 Florence The Duomo 4 Venice Gondolas 5 Milan Duomo di Milano 6 Bernina Express Bernina Express 7 Lucerne & Interlaken Skydive Interlaken 8 Jungfraujoch & Zurich Top of Europe 9 GREECE, ITALY & SWITZERLAND About 15 days · Flights, ferries and trains N HOW WE TRAVELLED Ferry Flight High-speed train Scenic railway · Bernina Express THE ROUTE Tap a stop to jump to that day 1 Athens The Acropolis 2 Santorini Blue domes & caldera 3 Rome & the Vatican The Colosseum 4 Florence The Duomo 5 Venice Gondolas 6 Milan Duomo di Milano 7 Bernina Express Bernina Express 8 Lucerne & Interlaken Skydive Interlaken 9 Jungfraujoch & Zurich Top of Europe

Tap a pin to jump to that stop.

Day by day

The itinerary

  1. 1 Greece Athens One With the Gods

    After a layover at Istanbul Airport, we landed in Athens. At the National Archaeological Museum we stood in front of the Artemision Bronze, a Greek god (Zeus or Poseidon, nobody knows which) recovered from an ancient shipwreck. We climbed to the Acropolis, relaxed on the rocks of Areopagus Hill below the Parthenon, and hiked Filopappou Hill for the best view over the city. Dinner at Athena's Cook was a plate of pure art.

    “Love under the sun. Athens, where every hill comes with a temple.”
    The Odeon of Herodes Atticus below the Acropolis Athens spread out to the sea
  2. 2 Greece Santorini Bucket List Check: The Caldera at Sunset

    We sailed across the Aegean to Santorini. Zeus wasn't on our side on arrival day, since it rained, but the clouds made for the most dramatic sunset over the whitewashed cliffs of Fira. The next day we hiked the caldera trail from Fira toward Oia, past blue domes, volcanic cliffs and sailboats far below, and ate our way through Greek salads, souvlaki, seafood pasta and gelato.

    “So here it is. Santorini, bucket list check!”
    The Santorini caldera from Fira Caldera views over Fira's rooftop terraces
  3. 3 Italy Rome & Vatican City Rome More, Worry Less

    We flew from Santorini back to Athens, then on to Rome. Ciao Roma! We looked out over the city from the Altare della Patria, walked past the Imperial Forums and stood in front of the Colosseum, broken but still beautiful. Inside St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Bernini's bronze canopy rose under Michelangelo's dome, and we stopped for gelato (again).

    “Carpe diem at the Colosseum. Rome more, worry less.”
    Carpe diem at the Colosseum Inside the Colosseum, looking down on the hypogeum The Trevi Fountain at blue hour Aperol spritz in front of the Pantheon
  4. 4 Italy Florence City of Artists

    The Frecciarossa high-speed train took us to Florence. We looked up at painted Renaissance ceilings that no camera can capture, stood under the marble face and brick-red dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, and climbed to Piazzale Michelangelo for the view over the terracotta rooftops and the Arno.

    “City of artists. Some masterpieces have to be seen with your own eyes.”
    Florence and the Duomo from Piazzale Michelangelo The Arno and Ponte Vecchio's neighbours at golden hour The bronze doors of Florence Cathedral Gilded ceiling inside the Palazzo Vecchio
  5. 5 Italy Venice Once Upon a Time in Venice

    We pulled into Venezia Santa Lucia and were in a storybook. We had an aperitivo with a spritz by the Grand Canal, took a gondola ride under the Bridge of Sighs, walked St. Mark's Square and watched the sunset over the Grand Canal. It's the city of love, and we loved it.

    “Where art and beauty intertwine. Venice, straight out of Shakespeare.”
    Photos from this stop are coming soon.
  6. 6 Italy Milan Milan Vibes

    One more fast train took us to Milan and the white marble spires of the Duomo di Milano, one of the largest cathedrals in the world. It was our last Italian stop before heading north to the Alps.

    “Milan vibes under the Duomo.”
    Photos from this stop are coming soon.
  7. 7 Italy to Switzerland Bernina Express: Tirano to Chur Over the Alps in a Red Train

    In the border town of Tirano we boarded the famous red Bernina Express and even ran into old friends on the platform, a reminder of how small the world is. The UNESCO-listed line climbed out of Italy past snowy peaks, frozen lakes and alpine villages, all the way to Chur in Switzerland.

    “Bernina Express: the most scenic seat in Europe.”
    Photos from this stop are coming soon.
  8. 8 Switzerland Lucerne, Interlaken & Lake Brienz Another Day, Another Train, Another Skydive

    The Swiss trains took us past lakes so clear they looked unreal, from Lucerne to Interlaken. We stood on a wooden jetty on Lake Brienz in the mist and walked parks that looked straight out of a 90s Bollywood romance. Then came the big one: suiting up and jumping out of a plane to skydive over Interlaken.

    “Jumped out of a plane over Interlaken. Skydive: done. From snow-capped mountains to crystal-clear lakes, it truly is a paradise.”
    Lakeside road below snow-capped peaks near Interlaken Sunrise over the lake near Interlaken Boats moored on a Swiss lake
  9. 9 Switzerland Jungfraujoch & Zurich Snow, Flags & the Top of Europe

    We rode the train up to Jungfraujoch, at 3,454 m the Top of Europe. There were Swiss flags on the snow and glacier views in every direction, and the struggle in the thin air was real. Our final stop was Zurich and its grand Opera House before flying home.

    “Top of Europe. Jungfraujoch, where the air is thin and the views are endless.”
    Photos from this stop are coming soon.

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