My husband, daughter (16) and I are planning a trip from Munich through Switzerland, on to Colmar and then across France to fly home from Paris in the middle of July this year. We have been to Paris twice and know what we'd like to see once arriving there but I'm unsure of the parts between there and once we leave Munich. I realize this is for questions concerning France but any suggestions for Switzerland would be appreciated too. We aren't into hiking in the alps necessarily but want to see them, could be interested in biking perhaps, and love scenery, architecture etc. I'm not planning on renting a car but we could. I'm thinking a train from Munich to see Neuschwanstein Castle and a visit to the luge runs for our girl. Then maybe Lucerne before heading out to Colmar? We have nine days to do this leg of the trip plus three more to devote to Paris. I would love to spend some time in Colmar but am not sure how much time to stay there? Should we take a train from there to somewhere else in France on the way to Paris or would it make more sense to base ourselves in Colmar, rent a car (or other transportation) and travel out on day trips? Hope my questions are understandable and I haven't jumped around too much. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
shingle springs, CA, USA
782 posts
Colmar is a good base and there is a lot to see in the Alsace, Strasbourg has a great Cathedral and canals.I would rent a car to access the other towns in the area and get a copy of Ricks book on France which has good coverage of the Alsace Region.
Mike
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15582 posts
Looking at a map, I don't see an obvious route from Fussen to Colmar that includes the Swiss Alps. It's easy enough to take the train (2 hrs) to Fussen for an overnight to see the castle, but then . . . . It looks to me that Bernese Oberland (the high Alps) are south. I looked for trains to Interlaken and to Lauterbrunnen, both are all day journeys (8 hours or more) with a minimum of 3 train changes. Then it's about the same story to get to Alsace. I'm not sure Lucerne a good place for the Alps, but it doesn't look like it would ease your train journeys. I'm using bahn.com for trains - it's the best for schedules throughout Europe. Even with 9 days (is that 9 nights or 8 nights?), you'll use nearly half of that just riding trains.
Edit - just looked, there is a reasonable train journey from Interlaken to Colmar, 3 hours, 1 train change.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you so much for your input. I'll look into renting a car once we get to Colmar.
Also, I hadn't considered the length of time we'd spend on trains or how many changes there are in order to see that part of Switzerland! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Maybe I'll have to change the plan.
Posted by
19 posts
We really enjoyed a day trip to Ribeauville on our way from Strasburg to Colmar. Great architecture, vineyards, storks. It ended up being my youngest daughters favorite village.
Posted by
NC
50 posts
We're doing something similar in June, but heading by train in the opposite direction; Paris to Colmar, then on to Lauterbrunnen. We're renting from Hertz in Colmar and plan to explore the immediate area around there, and will definitely be visiting Ribeauville. It's the only driving we're doing on our trip, but everything I've read about the region says it's well worth it to get out and explore the nearby villages. My wife, son, and I each have a favorite thing we're looking forward to during the trip and this is right up there for me.
Posted by
NC
50 posts
We're doing something similar in June, but heading by train in the opposite direction; Paris to Colmar, then on to Lauterbrunnen. We're renting from Hertz in Colmar and plan to explore the immediate area around there, and will definitely be visiting Ribeauville. It's the only driving we're doing on our trip, but everything I've read about the region says it's well worth it to get out and explore the nearby villages. My wife, son, and I each have a favorite thing we're looking forward to during the trip and this is right up there for me.