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swizerland austria germany franc

have requested some help on this before , but do not seem to get the help I would like . we do seem to be putting to much into our 3 weeks but feel we are committed starting at Geneva spending 2 nights in Lausanna in hostel ..... but from there WHAT would one recommend as highlights in Switzerland prior to train [we have 4[ 10day 2month ] country flexi pass] to Austria [yes want to visit St Moritz [how far is it would we be committed to a night in Moritz [that would be great for us ] can we continue on our train journey to Austria ... highlight in Austria !!!! onto Germany not to interested in ww!! history but Trip on Rhine .... onto France other than Paris WHERE is recommended [having been to Paris I would definitely say this would be the HIGHLIGHT & willing to spend number of days there Yes l do have all 3 of Ricks travel books [would love to see the video of the countries [think it was Switzerland, Austria, Germany...] we leave sept from USA to Manchester have family in north of England .. we fly to Geneva from Manchester & finish our trip with flight from Paris back to Manchester. Pleas help ,we are in mid 70s!!!!so l guess there a few limits

Posted by
3391 posts

So I'm trying to piece together the order of your trip...I'm assuming you have 21 nights with your 3 week itinerary?
USA to Manchester
Manchester to Geneva/Lausanne
Lausanne to St. Moritz (Switzerland??) This is about a 5.5 - 6 hour train ride since you are wondering...
St. Mortiz to Austria (Salzburg, Vienna, ? Where do you plan to go?)
Austria to Germany/Rhine River cruise (how long do you plan to cruise?)
Germany to Paris/or other destination France
Paris to Manchester
Manchester to USA
Right??
This is a very rushed itinerary. You will need several days for travel in between some of your more distant destinations such as Manchester to Geneva, Germany to Paris, St. Moritz to wherever you want to go in Austria. If you schedule even two days (3 nights) for most of these places you are at 25 days or so depending on how many days your Rhine River cruise is.
I think that you are saying that you want to see France, are interested in going back to Paris but you want to see other things as well? France is a big place but many people, including myself, love Provence! Normandy and Brittany are also beautiful areas. Lots to choose from. What kinds of places are you interested in seeing?
I think that you should either narrow down your destinations or add at least another week to your trip. Otherwise it's going to be a bit of a blur. I think we can be of more help if you can confirm this itinerary and how long you would like to spend in each place.

Posted by
16893 posts

Given this number of questions, and to help you get organized before September, I think you would be better served by a paid trip consultation. Since you have the books, you and the consultant can be on the same page to mark the highlights and plan your route on a calendar.

Without going into the detail of plotting out all the dates and travel times, here's an example of a quite rushed route for 19 nights on the continent:
Fly from Manchester to Geneve Sept. 9 & train to Lausanne (2N)
Zermatt (2N)
Glacier Express to St. Moritz and Pontresina (2N)
Salzburg (2N)
Hallstatt (1N)
Vienna (4N)
Munich (3N)
Paris (3N)
Fly from Paris to Manchester Sept. 28
That's not necessarily what you want. If Vienna is not a top priority, then that reduces travel time and allows you to redistribute three more nights among the same destinations.

You should pack light, since some of these destinations require a few train connections. See train notes and schedule link on your previous forum thread. Glacier Express is discounted, not fully covered with Select Pass.

Posted by
7283 posts

I'll let others comment on the first portion of your trip, but here's some ideas for locations towards the end:

Bacharach. Germany on the Rhine to Strasbourg, France - 3.5 hours by train
Strasbourg to Paris - 2.5 hours by train
Fly back home from Paris

Posted by
12040 posts

"have requested some help on this before , but do not seem to get the help I would like" To be perfectly honest, your post is difficult to read. Spell out clearly exactly what you propose, and then perhaps more people will respond.

Let me just give my little two cents on the Alps. Schedule no less than three nights at each stop in the mountains. That gives you two full days and a better buffer against bad weather. There's nothing worse than traveling all that distance and paying all that money to see the glorious Alpine scenery, only to have the one day you budgeted whited-out by bad weather.

Posted by
2788 posts

As Tom posted: your posts are too long and rambling - as I have mentioned to you in a PM about other of your posts. The shorter and more specific you can be, the more and better responses you will get.