Planning a September trip to France after a week in England visiting my husband’s family and our friends. I’m only at the beginning of the planning stage – so much fun – but wanted to make sure my thinking is correct.
3 nights in Chamonix–3 nights in Lyon–4 nights in Paris (tempted to up this 5 but that would mean one more vacation day used + going back to work on a Tuesday + more money) Current plan is flying out on 8/30, which means arriving in London on 8/31. But more important for this post, we'll fly into Geneva and check into our hotel in Chamonix on 9/6, travel to Lyon on 9/9 and train to Paris on 9/12.
We’re going to fly either from Bournemouth or London to Geneva. I’d love to fly from Bournemouth, where we’ll be based in the UK, but lack of early morning flights and extra baggage fees mean we’ll most likely fly from London. So, we won’t have to deal with the normal jetlag coming from the states.
Originally, I thought we’d just take a shuttle from Geneva to Chamonix but then I saw that the train from Chamonix to Lyon is 4-5 hours. Is that correct? I’m trying to maximize our vacation time and minimize our travel time as much as possible. So…Instead of taking the shuttle, the current plan is to rent a car in Geneva, drive it to Chamonix where it will mainly, if not completely, sit in a car park for our 3-night stay. This comes out at 120-ish Euro, which would be only slightly higher than the shuttle and train tickets combined. Plus, the drive is 2.5 hours as opposed to 4-5 by train.
In Chamonix, our priorities are: Augille du Medi and then the gondola to Helbronner (if they fix it in time) and paragliding. If we have time, we’ll do the Mer du Glace and other hikes/attractions. Plus eating and drinking and just generally taking in the sites. Oh, and to find a good restaurant for fondue and raclette. I’m all about the cheese!
Depending on how we feel, we may stop in Annecy for a few hours on the way to Lyon. But…we will be traveling on a Sunday and I did want to make it in time for the Sunday market in Lyon. We’re early risers so it’s possible but it’ll be a game day decision since it’s one or the other. This is another good reason for renting the car.
In Lyon, we’ll mostly be eating and drinking our way through the city. I’ve also found a full-day winery tour out of Lyon to the northern Rhone Valley that I’d like to do.
Then we’ll train to Paris and enjoy the city for 4, possibly 5, nights and fly out of CDG.
Anyone see any issue with renting the car in Geneva instead of the shuttle/train situation? I realize my husband will need to get the International Driving Permit since his UK license has expired. Am I missing anything?