 Poster: A snowHead
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Hmmm,
Yes Zermatt/Cervinia is a great option but it is also expensive IMHO.
Chamonix is not ski in/out but Argentiere 7km up the valley is. So you can enjoy skiing on the Grands Montets and ski in/out to some hotels & appartments depending on conditions. Then in the evenings you can take a 15 min bus ride down to Chamonix for dinner or enjoy a few of the local eateries in Argentiere. From Argentiere you can ski Courmayeur in Italy and the 4 different areas of Chamonix on your pass and some of the off piste routes from Le Tour end up in Switzerland....
For the remainder of your trip you could get the train up to Verbier and enjoying skiing in Switzerland for a few days as well as enjoying a great train journey up (&/or back down the valley). Both of these resorts are pretty crowd resistant and tend not to get too many half termers to clog the place up compared to other resorts that are more kid friendly.
My wife and I do this trip every new year and we still love it, about 9-10 trips later. In fact thinking about it I can't wait to get back next year already  Cervinia/Zermatt is cartainly very nice, but having been there in March again after many years away I found it a bit pricey in Zermatt, great for piste skiing, if a bit samey at times (lots of parallel slopes, etc) but not challenging for expert skiers imho and I wouldn't be rushing back to be honest. Chamonix & Verbier (with a day or 2 in Courmayeur) wins hands down for me. Hey but its your honeymoon, so whatever you do , enjoy!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I think Lech would suit you better than St Anton. Much prettier village and just a bit less manic than St Anton. Lots of really good quality hotels and as it's the same ski pass for the whole area - St Anton, Lech, Zurs, Stuben, St Christoph, Werth, you'll not run out of pistes to try. Mind you, I spent a week in Lech last Christmas and never got round to skiing anywhere other than Lech.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks all. The current plan is as follows:
Feb 6: travel from Zurich to Zermatt
Feb 6-11: Zermatt
Feb 11-13: Milan
Feb 13-18: Dolomites (Selva?)
Feb 18: travel back to Zurich
From my research, it seems that Selva is the most convenient of the Dolomites resorts to get to from Milan (and to travel to Zurich from), as well as in terms of skiing the Sella Ronda. Opinions? Does anyone have any suggestions for very nice 3 or 4 star hotels in Selva?
We could be flexible with the above dates as well!
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Lauonlaw, Personally not sure about the Milan bit. Extra day of travelling and one full day in Milan, is it is worthy?
Not sure if it is that easy to travel to Milan from Zermatt either, but maybe others can advise otherwise.
It still might be easier to take train back from Zermatt to Zurich and then further to St Anton or Lech or Ischgl. #just saying 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Tom W, Zermatt to Milan is a fairly straight forward trip actually - 3-4hrs just one change at Brig, also not that expensive either.
I think its worthwhile saying that this is a honeymoon - and romance/sightseeing/shopping are worthy and a good break from skiing, and personally I think that 10 skiing/resort days out of 14 is more than enough.
As much as I love Austria inc Ischgl etc - I have to admit that a trip to Italy and the Dolomites would be far more romantic (views, Italian culture, food) and for a honeymoon far more suitable than the fantastic, but rather hectic Arlberg, Ischgl regions. After all, how many times will two Canadians with all the skiing they could ever want right on their doorstep make a trip to Europe with this in mind.
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Personally not sure about the Milan bit. Extra day of travelling and one full day in Milan, is it is worthy?
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Would it be possible to substitute Venice for Milan? There are very good bus services from Venice to the Sella Ronda (Dolomiti Superstar) and prices are subsidised, so very reasonable. Milan has terrific shopping and an interesting cathedral and other stuff to see but it can't compare to Venice. If you've never been to Venice, don't miss it.
There are lots of Sella Ronda experts on snowheads - you should get plenty of recommendations for hotels. Anywhere on the SR circuit is OK for the SR circuit but I'd look for recommendations for a base with access to interesting skiing OFF the SR itself, in case you want to escape the lift queues.
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^^^
Aahhh... Venice!
Unique, extraordinary, amazing, unforgettable.
Absolutley, ditch Milan and go to Venice. You will never experience anywhere quite like it.
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Chamcham, +1. In fact, +1********* 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pam w, +1 for Venice.
Might be trickier to get to I guess but again - I might be wrong heh
Seems like Zermatt - Milan - Val Gardena - Zurich - easier than Zermatt - Venice - Val Gardena - Zurich.
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In fact, you could do Zermatt, ditch the Dolomites, see Venice, Pisa, Florence and Rome, then fly back from Rome. I understand that you want to experience European skiing, but it doesn't come more classic than Zermatt, and Italian cities are very romantic for a honeymoon. Think Talented Mr Ripley.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, In recent years Venice has been flooded in February which I can assure you is not a good time to visit. One storm though good for Venezia resorts is bad for Venice lol. Its a bit hit and miss really I went in October 2012 and the weather was amazing, a week later it was under a foot of water! I would definitely go again flood permitting but I think you need more than one day to make the most of it.
If you do decide to go to Venice its Carnivale at that time - you might want to consider going even if just for a day trip. Tricky decision really especially as Milan is far easier to get to and will allow you more time to enjoy yourselves.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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+1 for Venice over Milan.
Dolomites are basically (if not technically, anymore) half Austrian (well, Tirolean) and half Italian, so you're pretty much getting two countries there anyway! You could also stop for a day or two (one of skiing) in Innsbruck on the way back to Zurich too.
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AthersT, the weather is a bit hit and miss in the winter anyway. I've always been around Christmas time, and have had fog (magical, as each new treasure looms up from the mist), bright sunshine (lunch outside on Christmas Day, with a view of the Dolomites in the distance) acqua alta (fun for a day, if you've got your wellies) snow (beautiful) rain (not so good, if relentless) and freezing weather (so cold the lagoon froze, so the trip back to the airport had to be by land.) Each trip was wonderful, though walking all day in freezing fog is a bit testing - the cold and damp really get into your bones!
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You know it makes sense.
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Pedantica, Yeah out of four days we had 3 sunny - 1 relentless rain so we hopped on the fast train and went to Milan for the day (had to go to the embassy as well as lost passport)  really enjoyed it - especially the Jewish quarter as it seemed to have a really friendly feel + food was immense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Pedantica, I agree. Even the tiptoeing across the boardwalks on a flooded Piazza San Marco can be fun, especially if you're in a honeymoon state of mind.
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Poster: A snowHead
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AthersT, the Ghetto is wonderful. Missed out on my last two trips, that will have to be rectified next time. (Lauonlaw, sorry about this, especially if your heart is set on travelling through Milan!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pedantica, who says you can't do both - there is a direct train link between them - takes about 2hrs on the fast train. Then skiing in the dolomites to round off the holiday.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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AthersT, true enough!
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Lauonlaw, pretty much wherever you go in Italy you can have a great time - it's such a beautiful place, with amazing food and drink and a history that is pretty much unparalleled. If you do ever come back to Europe - Italy deserves a holiday to itself.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You're selling me on Venice. I may even convince the fiance to ditch his hatred of crowds and go to Venice for a couple of nights during Carnivale (although I'm not sure what he would despise more - window shopping in Milan or crowds during Venice Carnivale - ah, the joys of marriage )! Perhaps we will go from Zurich to Zermatt for 4 nights of skiing, to the Dolomites for a few nights of skiing, followed by a couple of nights in Venice, and then fly back to Zurich. (yes, I realize that it is a long way from Zermatt to the Dolomites...)
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Must admit I don't think I could cope with the crowds of Carnevale.
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Lauonlaw,
I agree with the suggestion of Venice, rather than Milan. A couple of hours in Milan (cathedral ticked off & an ice cream!) was enough for me but I would go back to Venice tomorrow!
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Lauonlaw,
I agree with the suggestion of Venice, rather than Milan. A couple of hours in Milan (cathedral ticked off & an ice cream!) was enough for me but I would go back to Venice tomorrow!
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