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10 days France/Switzerland trip itinerary suggestion/feedback

Posted by on

We are planning to go to France/Switzerland for 10 days next year in March and would like to ask for your suggestion whether my following itinerary is ok. We have been to Switzerland a few times before and this time we want to take the new Goldenpass train that is released this year and we will buy the Daysaver pass for that day.

I have listed 2 itinerary option because from Day 5, we are not sure whether we should go to Annecy for 2 nights first and then Geneva for 3 nights first or vice versa (from Paris)

i.e.

March (Sun) - Arrive Paris @ 1pm and check in hotel @ 3pm. Effiel tower nearby and sunset dinner cruise etc. Overnight Paris x 1
March (Mon) - Head to Mont Saint Michel (Montparnasse Hall 1 - 2). Overnight Mont Saint Michel x 2
March (Tue) - Relax @ Mont Saint Michel.
March (Wed) - Take train back to Paris @ night. Arrive approx 10pm. Paris x 1
7th March (Thur) - Take 6:45am train to Annecy (Gare de Lyon). Arrive 10:30am. Tour the town for whole day, boat cruise/hike. Annecy x 2
March (Fri) - Morning market till 1pm. Paragliding, dogsledding
March (Sat) - Take bus to Geneva early at 9:30am and arrive 10:30am. Mont-Salève cable car, Yellow/Red boat, walk around the town. Rest early. Geneva x 3
March (Sun) - Early morning on Goldenpass excursion train from Montreux to Interlaken RETURN + Rochers de Naye excursion
March (Mon) - Head to Chamonix for Aiguille du Midi cable car & Le Brévent 2 x excursion. Take early morning bus 6am, arrive 8am. Leave Geneva @ 5pm and arrive approx. 7pm. We chose this day over Sunday to avoid the crowd for the weekend
March (Tue) - Take early train to Paris @ 5:45am. Arrive 9:30am. Head to Gare du Nord. Leave luggage. Approx 10am. Paris final day tour around, shopping, eating etc.. Leave train Gare du Nord @ 7pm (30 min train) for 11:30pm flight out of Paris

OR I do the reverse itinerary from Day 5 starting in Geneva first for 3 nights and then Annecy x 2 nights

March (Sun) - Arrive Paris @ 1pm and check in hotel @ 3pm. Effiel tower nearby and sunset dinner cruise etc. Overnight Paris x 1
March (Mon) - Head to Mont Saint Michel (Montparnasse Hall 1 - 2). Overnight Mont Saint Michel x 2
March (Tue) - Relax @ Mont Saint Michel
March (Wed) - Take train back to Paris @ night. Arrive approx 10pm. Paris x 1
March (Thur) - Take 6:18am train to Geneva (Gare de Lyon). Arrive 9:30am. Mont-Salève cable car, Yellow/Red boat, walk around the town. Rest early. Geneva x 3
March (Fri) - Head to Chamonix for Aiguille du Midi cable car & Le Brévent 2 x excursion. Take early morning bus 6am, arrive 8am. Leave Geneva @ 5pm and arrive approx. 7pm. We chose this day over Saturday to avoid the crowd for the weekend
March (Sat) - Early morning on Goldenpass train excursion from Montreux to Interlaken RETURN + Rochers de Naye excursion
March (Sun) - Morning or afternoon leave for Annecy. Morning Annecy market till 1pm. Annecy x 2
March (Mon) - Paragliding, dogsledding

March (Tue) - Take early train to Paris @ 5:29am. Arrive @ 9:15am. (Gare de Lyon) . Head to Gare du Nord. Leave luggage. Approx 10am. Paris final day tour around, shopping, eating etc. Leave Gare du Nord train @ 7pm (30 min train) for 11:30pm flight out of Paris

Thank you

Posted by
333 posts

Anderson,
Wow, this is a lot in a short time. 9 nights, 3 sides of France and Switzerland! Ok, a few thoughts.
-When you arrive, are you planning on touring the Eiffel Tower or just viewing it? Because visiting it on your first night would be probably be very hectic. But I get it if you just want to cruise by it on your river tour. Oh about that, I've heard the food isn't that great and it's also expensive. Maybe enjoy dinner someplace and then do a cruise? OR you might be exhausted depending on where you flew in from. I'm assuming you've seen Paris before since you're just using it as overnights as you travel through?
-Would you consider switching MSM for something on the eastern side of France to streamline your trip? Strausbourg/Colmar, Lyon, Beaune? I agree MSM is fabulous but maybe that could be saved for a future trip that fits in a bit better.
-Geneva is also an uncommon choice for travel in Switzerland, but I see you've seen several areas. We stayed in Lausanne and drove to Gruyeres and other spots around the lake, for example.
-Last thought is that the weather and time of year may make some of your travel a little slower or harder. I would build in a little extra travel time.

Posted by
2790 posts

You get off the train at 10 PM Wednesday and you get back on one at 6:45 in the morning! When are you planning to sleep on this adventure?

Posted by
7300 posts

I don't think that Mont saint Michel is a good place to spend 2 nights for "relaxing". 1 night is plenty of time.
And I agree that it takes you to the wrong side of France, but well, if you must go, I guess you can.
Flights from Rennes to Lyon might help getting you to Annecy afterwards - worth a look.

And to make the trip feasible, I would try to fly out of Geneva, otherwise you just change hotels too many times!

By the way, the new golden pass train is just the same scenery as the old one. Not sure that alone warrants a trip to Switzerland!

Posted by
11775 posts

Some very good feedback above about time spent in Mont St. Michel (too much) and the quick turnaround in Paris on March 6 and 7.

I would worry about weather in Annecy in March as well as you plans for so much in Chamonix with undependable weather. You may want to juggle the days around when you see what the forecast is.

IMO your days are too packed overall. Allow time, as Amanda suggests, for things to take longer. Allow time to breathe.

Posted by
7300 posts

I missed the part about this trip being in March. Annecy is not great in March. Often cloudy and rainy. Paragliding above the lake will not be possible (season starts in April), and for dogsledding you would have to travel to one of the ski resorts nearby (I am sure that there are options in either Le Grand Bornand or La Clusaz).
I would focus on Chamonix + Switzerland, perhaps.

Posted by
33 posts

You are really taking about 3 days to see the Mont since your train doesn't arrive back in Paris until 10 PM on day 3 of the excursion. I agree that Mont St. Michel is not a place to relax. None of the local hotels are great--really just a place to sleep (had the only terrible meal in France there)-they have a captive audience! If you must go, one night is plenty. See the Mont at Sunset and Sunrise with a few hours touring the site. But, again, it's a long way to travel for just one night. I'd rather relax at a cafe in Paris!

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