Hi, never been to Europe before and we have a trip planned for London, Paris and Bern. I booked train tickets from London to Paris but can't find anything between Paris and Bern. Or Paris and any city in Switzerland. We're travelng on Sunday, July 7th. Does it being a Sunday have anything to do with it? Can anyone tell me the best way to get from Paris to Bern by train?
Posted by
Moncton NB
1127 posts
July is too far in advance to get a timetable. There are plenty of train options from Paris to Bern. Check the SNCF, DB and SBB websites, and just plug any placeholder date to see the general options. Then wait until closer to your trip to book a specific date.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you, I'm seeing prices around $150 is that normal or should I be looking somewhere else?
Posted by
Wengen
2532 posts
Best is to book this on SBB, as they can book you all the way from Paris to Bern on an electronic ticket. But yes, you can seafely wait till about May to book this train.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17557 posts
What website have you looked at? You should be able to see schedules, if not for July 7 ( many trains are not scheduled yet), then at least through May. Pick a Sunday and you can see what the possibilities are.
I suggest you use SBB.ch, wher Swiss rain site, which I find much simpler to use than the French train sites. But maybe that is just because I am used to it.
You will see lots of options, with different routes and Number of transfer. The simplest are the journey by TGV to Basel, changing there for the short journey to Bern. There is one such train departing Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:22 most days, including Sundays. The total overall travel time is 4 hours 34 minutes, including the 30 minutes you have between the trains.
Buy the ticket 2-3 months in advance for the best price on the TGV portion. The price will vary day to day, as they use dynamic pricing. There also may be a route with only one change from Gare de Lyon to Geneva, then to Bern. It takes slightly longer, but for the days I saw it was significantly less expensive. That may be driven by all the people heading to Basel for a river cruise.
Posted by
Paris
7312 posts
To get from Paris to Basel (for connections to Bern), besides the direct TGV from Gare de Lyon, there are also connections from Gare de l'Est with a change of trains in Strasbourg. They are not my first choice due to the additional transfer and the ancient trains on the Strasbourg-Basel route, but the travel time is barely longer (maybe 10 minutes), and prices can be lower. Also, it can be convenient if Gare de l'Est is close to where you stay.
Posted by
Wengen
2532 posts
When the TGV Lyria first started you actually had a 5 minute transfer between the IC and the TGV in Basel, in both directions, permitting you to do the trip in 4 hours.
Because of works on the Basel - Olten line the trip time has been lengthened on that route, and as a result the transfer is now 2 minutes, which is below the MCT. So for the moment we have to put up with half an hour longer trip time. However, as I know Basel well, I do try to make the 2 minute connection in Basel in the Paris - Bern direction, and usually even manage...
Gets me home half an hour earlier.
Posted by
Paris
7312 posts
However, as I know Basel well, I do try to make the 2 minute connection in Basel in the Paris - Bern direction, and usually even manage...
I travel the Paris-Bern (or Biel) route regularly these days and I've done that sprint a few times in the past few months. It is a fun challenge! You do have to run, though. I would not recommend it for casual, one-time travellers.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
For people who have done it. About how much does it cost?