Short Scenic Walking Holiday Advice please

elsien

check the transfers though if they are important to you because they aren’t always included in package holidays.

You also need to be aware that third-party such as last minute, , yes they do provide a package technically but they can be pretty awful when things go wrong. A lot of people found out about that the hard way during Covid. I have used different third-party operators without a problem but they are not the same as companies like Tui or Jet2.

Worried_fool

Switzerland is never going to be cheap, but there are ways to make it affordable. Consider staying in hostels (at that time of year you could well have a dormitory to yourselves): explore a website called Hostelworld.

Somewhere that is far more affordable and just as stunning as parts of Switzerland is the network of ski resorts close to Poprad, in Slovakia. Poprad is a city with its own international airport, and is the terminus for a mountain railway that gives access to the resorts, and of course stunning views as you use it to explore the area. Prices are reasonable: when I was there in 2022 a one-day pass for the railway cost three Euro!

You can also get there by flying into Krakow (Poland) and taking Flixbus to Poprad. Or you could take a bus from Krakow to Zakopane, a famous Polish spa town and centre for mountain walking and winter sports, and take Flix bus from there over the Tatras Mountains to Poprad.

I very strongly recommend both Zakopane and the Poprad area for mountain views and walking, and I found the people around Poprad to be a good deal more pleasant than those in Zakopane.

peb

Have a look at the Achensee, beautiful, lots of walking at all levels. Good bus connections. Inghams stay at Das Plander if you want a package. Tui The Post but I think that you have to stay a full week with them.

bex88

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81906535#Comment_81906535

I looked on Inghams but it seems they don't have any 4 night stays at the end of Oct unfortunately

daveyjp

October is generally when summer holiday season ends and winter flight schedules begin,

Skiddaw1

Another option might be Slovenia. Friends had a wonderful walking holiday there quite recently.

JosephK

Recommend Slovenia or Austria any day but I'd want at least a week there.

Two potential problems :-

1. You're up in the mountains, weather could be iffy (even in summer)
2. Many alpine hotels close for their break between summer and winter seasons around October

twopenny

I'm thinking of the weather if you're thinking of walking. Sorrento area or ischia. But still you can get rainy days.

Somewhere like the Costa del sol has good winter weather or Seville and prices are reasonable but of course no lakes.

But either would give you other things to see if the weather was bad.

The train journey sounds a good idea. There was one in southern France or Spain I hankered for. One of the most beautiful train journeys in Europe is from Glasgow to Mallaig in Scotland and would be beautiful in autumn.

https://www.seat61.com/ for Europe

West Highland line https://www.seat61.com/west-highland-line.htm

I used to be on a forum with this guy and he's great. Don't know if he's still posting post pandemic but it's the Train Travel Forum TripAdvisor if you have specific questions

MayDogsandCoffee

Bavaria - Fly into Munich and straight onto fantastic rail services. Garmisch Partenkirchen is lovely town on a direct train, fairly reasonable hotels on the Partenkirchen side. Near to Mittenwald and Oberamergau (passion plays). Lovely walking either hill or flat, lots of cafes (always in Germany) and as Americans have a holiday camp nearby you can get by in English (but please try a few German phrases). Near the Austrian border so you can nip across for the day. I have stayed in that area twice in Sept / Oct and weather has always been good. Oct in Germany is called the Golden season.

Wyndham

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81906129#Comment_81906129

You will struggle with a mountains holiday in Austria/Switzerland in October. They have two seasons a year, the main ski season in winter, and more the type of holiday you are looking for in summer. But in spring and autumn, it's changeover - many hotels take a break, cable cars tend not to be open etc. This will be why you can't find a package through Inghams (who I have used many times, and very much recommend!)

So, two ideas. Either you move the date, and go over the summer. In which case you have many, many options for where to go. Or, instead of a mountain resort you look at a city break. For example, if you went to Salzburg you can still see mountains, there are good transport links to get to them, but if the weather is bad there is plenty to do in the city.