France and Switzerland for the month of june

It helps a lot on this site to only post one question. That way all you answers stay together and the posters can compliment and add to the other answers. You will get better answers this way. Suggest you delete this question and let the other one stand.

Thanks Frank, I took out the second part. By the way we are near BV Colorado, neigbors :)

Somewhat as we are on the southside of the Denver metro area. We are going to be in same general area towards the end of May. Coming home on the 31st of May. You travel more that we do. We tend to sit for awhile.

I think this is an interesting and creative itinerary, though with some logistic quirks you might regret. It is clear you know what you want to do and have done some research.

In no particular order, though, here are a few points you might want to consider, if you haven't already.

There are really only 3 parts of this trip that need a car, the Normandy-Brittany stretch, Burgundy, and Alsace. If you can group Burgundy with Alsace you might consider renting 2 cars and taking advantage of France's excellent trains.

It will take you 8 hours to drive from Brittany to Flavegny, figuring stops for meals and miscellaneous delays. If you drove to Rennes, however, you can catch a train and be in Dijon 5 hours later. This includes the necessary transfer, via Metro, between train stations in Paris.

On the other hand, a road trip might be fun, if you have the time to slow down. You could do a lot of sightseeing between Brittany and Burgundy if you break the trip into 2 or even 3 days.

Driving is a good way to get from Annecy to Bern, but once you are there the car will be a big hindrance.

I think June is a brilliant time to travel, but you are wise not to get to the Alps too early, and you will need to reserve early around D-Day anniversary crowds in Normandy.

So here are some alternatives you might want to consider.

First, if you can start your trip in Bayeux, you can break the trip in Paris on your way east.

Second, from Paris go directly to Annecy, and travel from there north to Burgundy and Alsace. Leave the car there and finish the Swiss portion of your trip by rail, cable car, and funicular. Fly home from Switzerland. As a bonus, this puts the Alps towards the end of June, when the weather will likely be the best of the month.

Another idea: Skip Chamonix. You are already going to spend time in the Alps. If you also skip Basil, you will be able to visit Provence by traveling Paris > Provence > Annecy > Alsace.

Of course you know best what you want to do. I hope this has given you some useful ideas. Have a great time!

So you are flying into Paris and out of Basel? Its not crazy but very ambitious for a first timer. Just to throw some ideas out:

The car is very good to have for the first part of the itinerary, but I would think of dropping it just as you get to Switzerland and do the rest of the trip by train. You could drop it at Geneva airport as they have both Swiss and French car rentals. A car is useless in Gimmelwald. It will sit in a pay parking lot the whole time you are there. Switzerland has a very dense rail network and you can get just about anywhere on the train, and places a car can't go (like Gimmelwald).

It would be handy to have a car for a day in Alsace. Maybe go there first before Switzerland, or just rent for a day when you get there.

My thinking is save Paris for the end of the trip and fly out of there. From Basel you must be taking a puddle jumper back to Paris and change to a transatlantic flight there. It is just as easy to travel to Paris from Basel or Colmar or Strasbourg on the TGV.

I think part of the fun of Europe is riding the rails. Its not the end all and be all, but where it makes sense, use it. Instead of white line fever, and feeling your blood pressure rise as the fuel pump gauge tops 100 euros with no sign of stopping, you can relax a little while booking along at 300 km/hr.

Thanks MUCH for the comments. It gives us alot to think about. The reason we are flying out of Basel is......that is the only flight that was available as we are flying airsaver miles ( we both have free round trip tickets) and nothing was available from Bern or Zurich already and we are 8 months ahead. We thought we were doing well and then options dwindled in a matter of 5 days to all major area airports. We are actually flying into Geneva as no flights from US to Paris either. From Geneva we are flying one way to Paris( same morning we arrive in Geneva). for very cheap to start trip from there as we originally planned. I have read alot about the rail system in Switzerland and cars not needed. We have thought about that and the main reason we are keeping a car is to go from Annecy to Alsace, is basically through Switzerland. We planned doing the Alps portion and Lucerne then BACK into France to Alsace for 3 days. I know you can get to Colmar by train but from what I have read, to explore the smaller villages of Alsace and the countryside, a car is the best way.( Most people recommended not staying in Colmar but smaller village) The only reason we are going to Basel is that is the way to Alsace and then to fly out of there a few days later. It seemed logical since Basel is only 45 min from Alsace. I don't feel that leaving a car at Renne after Breton Coast and taking a (5) hr train to Dijon instead of a 7 hr road trip is saving us much, but it is food for thought. I know that region ( Bourges) area between Brittany and Bourgundy is the area we were least excited to see but we have to get from one end to the other. That is why we broke it up between driving inland from Brittanya a cpl hrs and spending night and then driving across to spend 2 nights in Burgundy. We planned it so we would be in the Alps the end of June ( We live at 8k feet in Colorado mountains and assumed from the beginning that end of June is better for high mountains ;) That is why we started in Paris at beginning. I did not realize that we were going to be in the D-Day beach area just a cpl of days after the anniversary so I appreciate that reminder and we will have to think about that. I assume we will just have to brave any extra crowds in order to see that area at that time. I would assume it won't be as bad as this years ( 70 yr ). As for Chamonix, I know we are seeing the Swiss Alps, I guess being a mountain guy I just have this thinkg about seeing Mount Blanc. I do feel that Chamonix seems like a resort which is why Annecy is appealing more for spending the night. I don't know? Thanks much, we are still researching and trying to find those out of the way places to mix with the classic places everyone should go. We chose to rent the car for the freedom and we do alot of road trips, although I realize we will have a learning curve to driving in Europe. Any and ALL suggestions welcome.

As one who just spent 4 days in Chamonix and 3 in Annecy, I'll take Chamonix any day. The views and hikes were fantastic. I spent a week last year in Wengen/ Murren and thought nothing could beat the Lauterbrunnen Valley, but Chamonix was even better. If you are into hiking, don't skip that area. Annecy is beautiful in it's own way, but to me didn't match the wonders of Chamonix.

grey,

That's a somewhat ambitious Itinerary, especially for a first time visit to Europe. You've received lots of good suggestions so far, and I have a few also.

• For touring the D-Day beaches, I'd highly recommend taking one of the local tours rather than just driving around aimlessly on your own. The front covered a distance of 50 miles or so, and extended some distance inland so there are a lot of potential places to see, and unless you know your way around, you'll spend a lot of time getting to them. Not only will a tour be the most efficient way, but you'll also learn far more as the guides are experts on the history. The tours aren't cheap, but well worth the cost (IMO). Have a look at ddayhistorian.com, daleboothnormandytours.com or overlordtour.com. Pre-booking a tour is highly advisable, especially at that time of year.
• As previously mentioned, having a car is useful in some places but it would be prudent to use trains for some routes. The high speed trains such as the TGV in France travel at up to 300 kmH, so much faster than a car, and a much more efficient use of your valuable holiday time. Again as mentioned, you won't be able to use the car while in Gimmelwald, and it will sit in the pay lot at Stechelberg for the duration of your visit there. The Swiss rail network is exceptional, so very easy to get around there.
• "Most people recommended not staying in Colmar" - I disagree! Colmar is a beautiful smaller city and makes an excellent home base for visiting that area. There's a good choice of hotels and restaurants, and it has a nice ambience. It also has the wondeful Unterlinden Museum.
• I'd suggest adding at least one night (and preferably two nights) to Lucerne. It's an incredibly beautiful city (again IMO) and there are a lot of sightseeing possibilities - cruises on the lake, trips to Rigi or Pilatus and the Museum of Transport is fantastic! Don't forget to see the famous Lion of Lucerne, which Mark Twain called "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world".
• I wasn't clear from your post whether you're spending any time in Paris, or just arriving there and then leaving straight away?
• My first impression is that it would be a good idea to reduce the number of stops, especially one nighters. I'd have to spend some time looking at your Itinerary in more detail.
• As this is your first trip to Europe, it would be a good idea to read Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip, as it has a lot of good information on "how" to travel well in Europe. After that use the country or city-specific guidebooks for more detailed planning for hotels, sightseeing, local transportation, etc.

I agree with Ken regarding Luzern. I spent 5 days there in the beginning of September and it is a beautiful city. Just walking the Old Town and along the river is beautiful. You could spend a couple of hours just viewing all the paintings inside the two covered bridges. The Lion Monument is amazing as is walking the old city walls. I took a day trip to Mount Rigi (take the lake steamer in front of the train station across the lake to Vitznau, take the cogwheel train to the top, see the amazing views, maybe hike a little back down, then take the cable car to Weggis and the boat back to Luzern.) That day trip could easily eat up half a day. I loved Luzern. Have a great trip!!!

I definitely appreciate all of these replies. We have now changed our tickets to fly into Genoa and spend 3 nights in Cinque Terre.( My wife has wanted to include that from the beginning) From there we will fly from Genoa to Paris and rent car to start that part of the trip. Still going to Normandy and Brittany and across to Burgundy and Alsace and then finish in Switzerland.

We are seriously considering skipping Annecy/Chaminox altogether since we will have extensive time in Swiss Alps. Annecy was the very first place I researched in this whole trip so had not thought about dropping that since it looked like a very cool place. Being a bit of a mountaineer, Mt Blanc was something I wanted to see. Still having a hard time not seeing Chaminox even for just a day trip. I don't know, we do have many options and it feels like to us, plenty of days to shift around with a total of 26 nights in Europe. Also considering dropping car in Basel or Bern after leaving Alsace and spending the rest of the week in Switzerland by train, ( thanks to suggestion from several of you). That leaves maybe a night in Bern as an option and then onto Jungfrau region -probably 2-3 nights in Gimmelwald/ Murren and then 2 nights in Lucerne. The last night would be back in Basel for the flight back home. We are only planning 1 DEFINITE single stop stay in that whole itinerary and that is during the drive from Brittany to Burgundy. Maybe the one night in Bern, just to see it on the way to Gimmelwald area and then the one night in Basel only to fly back home from there.
All of the rest of the stops will be at least 2 days and some 3 day stops. Unsure if we will spend 2 or 3 nights in Paris, we are getting mixed suggestions on that. Some people say a week or more in Paris but for our interests, that would be a bit much. Also deciding on 3 or 4 nights in Cinque Terre because of train times and flight to Paris from Genoa. So right now the only place we will likely have a car is France. So we have successfully trimmed the trip from the very initial plan of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France to France and Switzerland with a side of Cinque Terre.

grey,

A few additional comments.....

• I don't know how close you are to Denver, but you may find it helpful to attend one of the monthly meetings of the Denver RS group. The meeting date will be announced in the "General Europe" section. Here's the details on their last meeting - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/denver-area-travel-group-meeting
• Have you planned for your two flight days in the Itinerary? You'll arrive in Europe the day after you depart, and the last day will be spent on the flight home.
• Three days in the Cinque Terre sounds perfect, as that's a great location to recover from jet lag. Have you considered which of the five towns you'd like to stay in? Four nights might be good there, as three nights would only provide two days of sightseeing. Also keep in mind that you'll be recovering from jet lag, so may not be moving at "full speed". I'd highly recommend getting lodgings booked well in advance!
• I'd suggest at least three nights in Paris, if not more. There are an enormous number of sights to see there, and you'll barely scratch the surface with that length of time. Depending on which Museums, etc. you plan on seeing, a Paris Museum Pass might be a good idea.
• When you've figured out a definite list of destinations, use the guidebooks to plan sightseeing so that you don't waste any time when you're there. Some Museums and other attractions are closed at least one day a week, so it's important to know details like that.
• Another and probably easier option to get from the Cinque Terre to Paris would be a budget flight from Pisa to Paris Orly. For example, the travel time by rail from Monterosso to Pisa is slightly shorter than to Genova. You might have a look at EasyJet, which has flights from PSA to ORY. There's a flight on 9 June departing 15:45, arriving 17:25.
• With the budget airlines, prices often increase as the flight fills so it's important to book early. However, choose carefully as tickets are usually non-refundable and non-changeable (unless you opt for the more expensive classes of tickets). Be sure to read their Terms & Conditons carefully, especially related to cabin and checked baggage. For example, EasyJet only allows one carry-on item per passenger and that doesn't mean "one plus a personal item such as a purse" - it means ONE ONLY.
• When travelling by rail, note that many cities have more than one station so it's important to know which station you'll be using.
• As your plans start to fall into place, the group here will be able to help sort out all the minute details.

Thanks for the suggestions of JetBlue/Pisa.We did check that out and are actually flying to Paris from Florence now as the timing and checked bag fees was better. We have now changed our return home flight to be from Geneva instead of Basel as well which gave us 3 extra days. First day in Cinque Terre will be evening of June 5th and we fly out of Geneve on July 4th. We now have the itinerary as follows:

4 nights Cinque Terre ( stay in Vernazza) or any other suggestions?
3 nights - Paris (Flying from Florence to Paris)
2 nights- Bayeaux
2 nights -Dinan
3 nights- Crozon
1 night - Rochefort en Terre ( to start drive across central France to Burgundy)
2 nights- Flavigny area open for suggestions?
3 nights- Alsace maybe stay in Egusheim?
drop car in Basel and take train for remainder of trip
2 nights- Luscerne
3 nights - Gimmelwald area
1 nights -Geneva to fly home on July 4th

We have 3 extra nights to put somewhere. Thinking of an extra night in Swiss Alps and maybe an extra night in Brittany and Burgundy. We do not want to use an extra night getting from Brittany to Burgundy. We are breaking that up a little bit and realize we have a 7ish hrs drive from Rochefort en Terre to Burgundy and that is fine with us. Suggestions on where to use extra nights based on this itinerary?

We are working on car rental options for France and we are comfortable with manual transmissions in the US ( although we don't own one) but finding that automatics are dbl the cost to rent. Would it be worth the extra money for automatic for driving on foreign roads? We are thinking of a diesel car after research as well. We will be renting our car in Paris. I have heard all the horrors of driving in Paris and I assume plenty of people rent in Paris for the drive out of the city, which is our plan.**

*It would not display this part of post correctly so this is addition to last post*

Our plan is Airbnb and B&B's for most of the trip instead of traditional hotels. We feel like that will save us money and most of the places we aren't going to be at our hotel much anyhow since we are adventurous and tend to "go go go" until the last possible drop of daylight or time. Also considering living out of backpacks for this entire trip. We are trying to stay simple, light and fast as much as possible. We have free round trip tickets so most money will be spent on food, wine/beer and entertainment. I am a history buff, wife not so much. My kind of history is more Kings, Castles and Battles ( including D-Day area) and less art and museums. We more want to "hang out" in Europe and enjoy the culture and people but we do plan to see a few classic sites and a museum or two. If bad weather then probably more of that even. We live in mountains and love all things mountains so the Alps will be a great place to hike and mountain bike. Have considered a summit/hut trip but unsure exactly Trying to have some structure and planning for obvious reasons while leaving room for spontaneity and impulse ;)

"We are...interested in countryside and smaller villages/less crowds."

Based on that I think one or more of your "extra" days could be spent in Burgundy. Read a guidebook to see how may days of sights there are for you.

My own highlights from a week there were (1) Beaune end environs (2) bicycling (3) The Serien valley (4) Vezeley and (5) Fontennay abbey.

Adam, We agree with you and thanks for your opinion. From our continued research into Burgundy, I think extra time is needed in that region. I think we will add one night there at least.

We stayed in Semur-en-Auxois, which is close to Flavigny-sur-Ozerain. We liked Semur. Flavigny is pretty quiet, if that's what you're looking for. There is a great new museum in Alise Ste. Reine about the battle between Julius Ceasar and the Gauls. I know you said you were less interested in museums, but this is a museum about a battle, so I thought you might be interested. I think a 3rd night in Burgundy makes sense, as you will have a long travel day to get there, but it really depends on your interests.

We did not find driving in France to be difficult. We had a manual diesel that got superb mileage.

Grey,

Just one suggestion from me (I live in Colorado as well). If you choose to hire a tour guide of the Normandy D-Day area, book soon. As in, the next month or two. To give you an idea, we are spending 6 days touring much of the Normandy region in mid-May 2015. About a month ago, we booked a full-day tour with Paul Woodage (www.ddayhistorian.com) and he is already 30% booked for next May. A check of his website shows that he's already booking into next June. We also booked another half-day tour with Overlord Tours that covers some of the more well-known sites, and Overlord was already taking reservations for next May. It's pretty amazing how fast the tour guides book up - and the accommodations. Our b-and-b in Bayeux, Manoir St. Victoire, is now booked up during the week we'll be there. Then again, it's a tiny place and there are lots of other b-and-bs and hotels in the Bayeux area that may not begin accepting 2015 reservations until early next year. Just my two cents. Enjoy planning your trip - that's half the fun!
Jen B.