We are visiting Paris, then Provence then heading to Germany during our 12 day trip this summer. We fly home from Frankfurt. Looking at most train options, the quickest routes go back through Paris then east to Germany. Is it worth a longer train trip to go past Geneva (maybe stay one night) and catch a peek of the Alps? I really hate to retrace my steps if I can avoid it and my teens have never been to Europe. We hope to make more trips in the future and we are not trying to cram in too much this time but wondering if others have thoughts on these route options.
Posted by
San Francisco
15020 posts
Hi,
There is another way of going from Provence to Frankfurt without having to go all the back to Paris and get to Frankfurt from Paris Est.
Are you willing to break up this entire distance instead doing it all in one shot?
If I were doing this ride, I would go from Provence to Lyon. From Lyon there are one or two departures straight to Strasbourg.
Break up the ride by spending the night in Lyon or Strasbourg (I much rather prefer Strasbourg over Lyon), then take the S-Bahn in Strasbourg central station (30 mins) to Offenburg, where you change to the ICE for Frankfurt.
Offenburg is the junction point for ICE trains and the S-Bahn from Strasbourg.
No problem if you mind getting into Frankfurt after 9 pm.
Posted by
Green Bay
21222 posts
If by Provence, you mean the area around Avignon, there is a TGV that runs from Avignon to Frankfurt in 7 hours by-passing Paris.
If you want to take a detour into Switzerland, I suggest Lausanne (passing through Geneva on the way). If the weather is clear, you will get a good view of the Alps directly across Lac Leman. You could take a TGV from Avignon at 7:16 am and after changing trains in Lyon, and Geneva, be in Lausanne by 11:17 am. Spend the day there, visit perhaps Chateau Chillon. Or visit the vineyards on the slopes of the surrounding hills. Next day, take a 9:44 am train to Bern and transfer there to a train to Frankurt arriving at 3:08 pm.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8338 posts
I was looking at the flight schedules from Marseille to Frankfurt, and only Lufthansa makes the flight. The non-stop airfares are around 182 Euros, and it's a relatively short time in the air.
When traveling through France, I've always underestimated the distances and time it takes to get around this large European country.
We still continue to fly open jaw'd on all European flights because backtracking to an entry gateway city can get to be so expensive. Flying also gives us an extra day or two in cities/regions we're really enjoying.