This is the for the first time I am traveling to Europe. We are four adults and 2 kids( age 4 ur and 1 Year). I coming from UAE. Will be arriving Paris at CDG airport on 25/04/2017 morning. Planning to spend 2 days in Disneyland. See the famous attractions of the city. Eiffel Tower, cruise. Will be in Paris till 29/04/2017. Then proceed for Switzerland via RGV train. Want to see Mt. Titlis. Will depart from there on 01/05/2017.
Need your help regarding travel within Paris, communication, hotel and how to proceed to Switzerland within budget.
Posted by
Madill, OK, USA
19 posts
I am a single man and I use public transport when I am in Paris. I have never rented an auto because I am not willing to drive in Paris traffic. The Metro, or underground, and the RER trains will take you nearly anywhere you need to go and many stations are within short distance of hotels and the attractions you may want to see. This is the way I travel when in Paris. A river cruise is recommended - it will pass by many attractions and give you a short time to rest your feet.
A quick check of Disneyland ticket prices for two days (both park areas), four adults, one child for two days gives a price of about USD 750 (I am in the United States.)
Buy your tickets NOW for the TGV trains! Purchase at the time of travel is quite expensive and SNCF (the French railway company) usually requires advance purchase. What I am saying is that you may not be able to travel on the day you want if you purchase the same day.
I stay in cheap hotels on the outskirts of Paris. Your requirements will be much different than mine. Let me recommend the Adagio Aparthotel brand of the Accor Hotel company. These accommodations can have two bedrooms, perhahps a fold out bed/couch, a small icebox, and kitchenette with two plate hob.
That is as far as I can help. I have never visited Switzerland. Perhaps someone else can help there. Good luck and happy travels!
Posted by
Green Bay
20099 posts
You can buy tickets now at https://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/tgv as far as Basel. The 1 yo travels free if he/she rides on your lap, and the 4 yo gets a discount.
Where do you want to stay in Switzerland?
Are you flying home from Zurich airport on 01/05/2017?
For such a short stay, maybe Engelberg would be best as you want to go to Titlis and you will only have 2 full days. If you stay in Engelberg, you get a Guest Card which gets you 10 % off the 92 CHF round trip up to Titlis. I believe your children are young enough to travel free.
As far as getting there, you can buy tickets from Basel to anywhere in Switzerland. It does not look like you will be doing enough travel to justify a pass or half fare card.
In Paris, I am not sure what child policy is for transportation. For adults, you can get a Navigo Decouverte Semaine pass for 22.15 EUR per adult plus a 5 EUR initial set-up fee. Bring 25 by 30 mm passport type photos for the pass. That will cover adults from airport to central Paris plus to and from Disneyland as well as any bus, Metro, or RER train transportation in the Paris region fo the length of your stay. Child prices I am unfamiliar with.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you Kevin & Sam for your reply.
I want to know whether I can get any discount on Disneyland parks for 2 days ticket.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Yes Sam I'm planning to stay in engelberg. Will depart around 7 in evening from Zurich. Any hotel if u can suggest for both place.
Posted by
Salt Lake City, UT
103 posts
I agree to buy as soon as you can. Prices WILL increase closer to the day. Use Raileurope (or the like...should be a link to there from Rick's page) or the voyages-sncf app to buy them.
As far as getting around Paris, one thing you will need to know is how you are planing to move the kids around. I imagine the 4 year old will not want to do all the walking you do and of course the 1yo. If you are planning on bringing a stroller/pram, then I would rely more on taxis/uber...and maybe buses. Paris metro is terrible, in my opinion, about escalators or elevators to get down and back up. They are there, but not frequently enough to rely on them...and moving a stroller up and down those steps to go anywhere will wear on you. So plan you day as best you can to visit things near each other. But Paris feels smaller and smaller as you walk the city...so much of it can be walked if you want to save some transit money.
Also, when you plan your stay in Paris, I recommend saying somewhere convenient to the train station which you Switzerland train will depart from (probably Gare de Lyon). With the kids, if you are going to catch a morning train, having it be as easy as possible to get there is useful. You may want to stay in a nicer neighborhood, but just make sure the connections are good or plan on a taxi/uber.