[sindabad.sailor]

Good day All,

A friend needs to visit Sweden / Netherlands ASAP. He doesn't have Schengen visa yet.

His visit is going to be only 1 day long.

Are these embassies offering any kind of fast track service.
Both otherwise are known to be a lot more time consuming, minimum 15 days.

Instead if he chooses to apply at say French or Swiss which are more swift in processing applications, will he have any issues given the invitation letter will come from Sweden or Netherlands.

If not, he wouldn't mind applying as tourist. Once he gets schengen visa, there won't be any limitations on his travel from France / Switzerland into sweden where he can finish his business and tuor arounds France as well.

Any traps in this planning?

Rgds.

[chetan_l]

Hi @sindabad.sailor:

At the outset, one needs to either land in the particular Schengen country, or spend the max time there, in order to apply thru their embassy. Since France or Switzerland is not in the travel itinerary, it is likely not going to be feasible.

While this forum has experienced travelers who can give valuable advise, what you are asking for is bordering on legal expertise. It is best if your friend engages an experienced travel agency and seeks their opinion. It is risky to make arrangements based on advice from any online travel forums.

[strawhat]

Originally Posted by sindabad.sailor

Any traps in this planning?

As far as I know, you can only apply at the embassy of the country you are visiting. Not any country, even if it is a part of Schengen region. Here is the excerpt from this website,

* In cases where the applicant will be travelling to one and only one Schengen country, the applicant has to apply at the appropriate embassy/consulate of the certain country.
* If the applicant is planning to visit two or more Schengen countries, it is highly recommended to be applying for the visa at the embassy/consulate of the country you will be residing in for most of the travelling days, referred to as the main destination.

Applications have to be submitted through VFS Global, as you may already know.

At present there are no fasttrack or urgent Visa processing services offered by VFS. It is in the offing though.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by sindabad.sailor

A friend needs to visit Sweden / Netherlands ASAP. He doesn't have Schengen visa yet.

He can only apply to the French Consulate if his port of entry and the longest stay is France. Considering he wants to spend only a day, he'll end up spending way too much time and money going to France and then Sweden/Netherlands. Add to that, having to show proof of hotel/travel reservations.

It's best he applies to the country he's visiting. One to three weeks is the kind of buffer you need to allow processing.

PS: Switzerland is one of the most stringent (both scrutiny and time-wise).

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

We booked three things in advance:

1) Tour of the Colosseum
2) Tour of the Vatican
3) A day trip around Florence: Pisa, a trip to a vineyard and lunch with locals

Hi,

Is it possible for you to share the operator you used for booking these guided tours and the approximate price for it? Did you book via Tripadvisor/Viator? I am also interested in booking the above tours and was hoping you could share your experience.

The Pisa trip - did it also include places like Siena and San Gimignano?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Is it possible for you to share the operator you used for booking these guided tours and the approximate price for it? Did you book via Tripadvisor/Viator? I am also interested in booking the above tours and was hoping you could share your experience.

The Pisa trip - did it also include places like Siena and San Gimignano?

Vatican:

Website: https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do
Tour: Guided Tours for Individuals - Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica
Price: 37 euro/person
* We paid additionally for the Sistine Chapel while there. It is worth visiting, it allows you to go to the roof of the Vatican dome. 8/10 euro/person depending on whether you chose stairs/elevator.

Colosseum:

We booked it at the official kiosk, because we wanted to go there and figure out when we wanted to visit. I'd recommend a dusk slot so you can view it at night-time as well.
Tour: English tour with audio guide
Price: 19.5 euro/person

Florence:

We booked a tour with viator; included a tour to Pisa, visit to a vineyard in Siena and lunch at a village
Price: 120 euros/person

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Vatican:


Colosseum:

We booked it at the official kiosk, because we wanted to go there and
Florence:

We booked a tour with viator; included a tour to Pisa, visit to a vineyard in Siena and lunch at a village

Thanks! I am also getting a feeling that I will be able to appreciate Vatican/Colosseum more if I take a guided tour. Even though if it means spending a little more money.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Thanks! I am also getting a feeling that I will be able to appreciate Vatican/Colosseum more if I take a guided tour. Even though if it means spending a little more money.

I don't think one can even begin to appreciate the legacy of these places unless told so. Because there's just tremendous history attached and the guides at Vatican and audio guides at Colosseum do a good job of explaining the importance of each. How the gladiators prepared under stage, or how people were seated, or the meaning behind the paintings at the Vatican.

[adimicra]

Need some help to finalize by Europe itinerary next year around 3rd and 4th week of May.
I am planning to go to Italy and Switzerland for around 2 weeks.

In Italy, I am interested in Rome/Vatican, Tuscany and Venice if possible.
In Switzerland, my top pick is the Bernese Oberland region where I plan to stay 2-3 days on one of the villages/towns like Murren or Grindlewald. Apart from that, I would like to visit Lucerne and Bern. Also, I would like to experience a scenic train journey if possible.


Rough plan is something like this -

Rome (3 days)
Tuscany (2 days)
Venice (2 days)
Venice to Lucerne flight.
Lucerne (3 days)
Grindlewald (2 days)
Zermatt ( 2 days)


Does this sound too hectic?
Should I skip Zermatt or Grindlewald?

Also, how to plan to optimize the flight cost?

Any suggestions welcome.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Should I skip Zermatt or Grindlewald?

You want to do Jungfrau and Mt. Titlis both, correct?

You have kept aside five days for Lucerne and Grindelwald, which is too much. What I'd recommend is three days (4D/3N) at most. That will help you cover Interlaken, Titlis, Jungfrau and Lucerne. You can stay two nights at Lucerne and one at Grinderwald. I'd highly recommending staying at Grindelwald.

Zermatt is the farthest from all the other places, but your call on whether you want to do. Perhaps in the day you save from above.

Any particular reason you've skipped Zurich? There's a couple of days you can spend there.

[neeravnaik]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Need some help to finalize by Europe itinerary next year around 3rd and 4th week of May.
I am planning to go to Italy and Switzerland for around 2 weeks.

In Italy, I am interested in Rome/Vatican, Tuscany and Venice if possible.
In Switzerland, my top pick is the Bernese Oberland region where I plan to stay 2-3 days on one of the villages/towns like Murren or Grindlewald. Apart from that, I would like to visit Lucerne and Bern. Also, I would like to experience a scenic train journey if possible.


Rough plan is something like this -

Rome (3 days)
Tuscany (2 days)
Venice (2 days)
Venice to Lucerne flight.
Lucerne (3 days)
Grindlewald (2 days)
Zermatt ( 2 days)


Does this sound too hectic?
Should I skip Zermatt or Grindlewald?

Also, how to plan to optimize the flight cost?

Any suggestions welcome.

I will not specific comments on your itinery because I feel travelling is very personal and a lot depends on what you like and what suits your group. So I will try to share my trip and observations. I did a 3 week trip to Italy and Switzerland in May this year.

First thing apply for the Italy visa well in advance (3 months) because they do take their time. There is also a lot of rush so book Visa appointments well in advance as they tend ot get filled up.

My plan was

Rome (3 days)
Amalfi (4 days)
Tuscany (5 days)
Florence (2 days)
Venice (2 days)
Grindelwald (4 days)

We had taken a car from Rome and driven to Amalfi and then Tuscany before dropping it in Florence. Amalfi/Tuscany was by far the best part of the trip for us. Just driving around the amazing Amalfi coast and beautiful Tuscan countryside is an amazing experience. Rome and Venice are obviously great but with kids walking around etc. after some time got a little tiring and we preferred the driving part. Florence is also nice but we could have skipped it as we were not that into art and museums esp. with kids.

Switzerland (where we had a car too) - We stayed in Grindelwald which is amazing and very conveniently located for going to Jungfrau etc. plus it is very near Interlaken where all the package tourists stay. In Switzerland good suggestion I got is focus on one area. We choose Interlaken/Grindelwald and covered that well instead of trying to do many other places because they are all kind of similar. Places like Jungfrau you may need time also as some day weather may not be good and you will have to do next day. Check weather/webcams etc. before going there that day. We skipped Lucerne etc.

So lot depends on your mode of travel and preference. We wanted to explore more of countryside while driving etc. Though all these places are well connected by Trains etc.

Only suggestion maybe you can reduce 1-2 days in Switzerland and 1 from Rome and try to add Amalfi (that may get little hectic) or just more days in Tuscany.

Let me know if you have more specific questions.

[adimicra]

Thanks a lot for your replies.

Amalfi coast area looks amazing, so definitely makes sense to cover it if possible.
I will probably skip Florence as well as I also have a kid and we are also not great lovers of art and museums.

Some questions I have are -
Is it okay to stay in Tuscany and visit Florence/Pisa on a day trip?
How did you travel fro Venice to Grindelwald? What are the places to cover around Grindelwald?
Zurich did not seem very interesting to me from whatever I have learnt so far. Anything in particular which is recommended?
Did you fly into Rome and fly out of Zurich?
I have never driven in Europe. I am not sure if I should venture into that. Suggestions?
If I don't drive myself, what is the recommended mode of travel for Amalfi and Tuscany?
Where to stay in Amalfi?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Is it okay to stay in Tuscany and visit Florence/Pisa on a day trip?

Tuscany is a region, not one particular town. We stayed in Florence and took a day tour through viator: included Pisa, a vineyard visit in Siena and lunch in some village.

[neeravnaik]

Some questions I have are -
Is it okay to stay in Tuscany and visit Florence/Pisa on a day trip?
- yes definitely possible as Florence is part of Tuscany and we also did a day trip to Pisa. Look to stay in a place nearby with good connections.


How did you travel fro Venice to Grindelwald? What are the places to cover around Grindelwald?
- Took train from Venice to Zug and took a car from there. you can fly also as flights are also cheap though train journey is nice.

Zurich did not seem very interesting to me from whatever I have learnt so far. Anything in particular which is recommended?
Did you fly into Rome and fly out of Zurich?
- Yes I flew out of Zurich. I stayed only 1 night in Zurich so don't know about sights there.

I have never driven in Europe. I am not sure if I should venture into that. Suggestions?
- This was also my first time so a little bit of an adventure. Right hand side drive you get used to in some time though the rules and roads signs with the speed limits etc. takes some time. But I did not struggle a lot and enjoyed a lot. So it depends on you. One option is to drive only in Tuscany where it will be relatively simpler and there you really need a car to really enjoy the place. Amalfi sightseeing can be done easily by boats.

If I don't drive myself, what is the recommended mode of travel for Amalfi and Tuscany?
Trains are great for long distances. Amalfi take the public boats/ferries which will cover the main towns of Sorrento/Positano/Amalfi as well as island of Capri. Tuscany you will probably get buses to go around though car is very good idea.

Where to stay in Amalfi?[/quote]
You can stay in sorrento, positano or amalfi with good access to the ferries. Sorrento has more frequent connections and you can do a day trip to Pompeii also easily. Positano is the prettiest town.

[sindabad.sailor]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

He can only apply to the French Consulate if his port of entry and the longest stay is France. Considering he wants to spend only a day, he'll end up spending way too much time and money going to France and then Sweden/Netherlands. Add to that, having to show proof of hotel/travel reservations.

It's best he applies to the country he's visiting. One to three weeks is the kind of buffer you need to allow processing.

PS: Switzerland is one of the most stringent (both scrutiny and time-wise).

Thanks for the information. He applied Visa at VFS in Mumbai and had the visa issued by Schengen embassy in 2 days at Delhi.
Looks like the letter from Netherlands based company requesting urgent issuance would have helped. Somewhere I read that highest Schengen visa rejection is by Netherlands embassy itself.