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Any ideas for Switzerland?

Posted by on

My boyfriend and I want to go somewhere in Switzerland for 3 nights, we are coming from Italy and want to stop in Switzerland before going to Paris. But I have no idea where to go, I would like somewhere where the countryside is accessible, we also want an easy place to get around and that is not too expensive either, because we are on a budget. Do you think it would be a good idea to take the Bernina Express to somewhere? I've read that's an amazing scenic ride, is it too expensive? I just want some ideas for where to go. Or maybe it's not a good idea at all.
Another option i'm interested in is the Black Forest, (instead of Switzerland) but, if we are coming from Florence, is it too far to go there and then to Paris? Is it easy to get there?

Thank you

Posted by
32202 posts

The big favourite with many of the group here is the Berner Oberland and Lauterbrunnen Valley (just outside Interlaken). That's "sort of" on the way to Paris and stopping for three nights would be perfect.

"and that is not too expensive either, because we are on a budget."

Unfortunately Switzerland is not a "budget" country to visit, so you may have to allow a bit extra. If you'd like to save money on accommodations, you could consider Hostels.

The Bernina Express is a beautiful trip, and you can get an idea of the costs on their website.....

https://www.rhb.ch/de/service-souvenirs/kontakt/kontakte-bahnhoefe/detail/st-moritz

It would be a detour and with only three nights, probably not the best choice.

The Black Forest is quite different than Switzerland and (IMO) that would be quite a detour on the way to Paris.

Posted by
11315 posts

Instead of Switzerland, which is terribly expensive, consider the Italian Dolomites. Beautiful mountain scenery, no car required. Train to Bolzano then a bus to the Val Gardena, and stay in little Ortisei for 3 nights. (I am assuming you will travel between June and mid-October). You can then easily return to Milan and take a train -- a long ride -- to Paris, or fly.

Posted by
7175 posts

Day 1 - To Interlaken / Lauterbrunnen
FR 9508
Dep 09:00 FIRENZE S.M.N. (Italy)
Arr 10:40 MILANO CENTRALE (Italy)
EC 52
Dep 11:23 MILANO CENTRALE (Italy)
Arr 13:53 SPIEZ (Switzerland)
RE 6724
Dep 14:05 SPIEZ (Switzerland)
Arr 14:28 INTERLAKEN OST (Switzerland)

Day 2 - Day excursion to Murren or Wengen.

Day 3 - Train to Bern (1 hour). Store luggage and explore the old town (UNESCO listed). Late afternoon train to lakeside Lausanne (1 hour).

Day 4 - Direct TGV to Paris
TGV 9268
Dep 12:23 LAUSANNE (Switzerland)
Arr 16:03 PARIS GARE DE LYON (France)

Posted by
20085 posts

Both good suggestions and one-of-a-kind places. Mark Twain raved about the scenery of the Berner Oberland when he visited in the 1870's, and it hasn't changed one bit. Its just gotten easier to get to and more expensive. As I told a friend in the Swiss tourist business who was complaining about cancelled bookings when the Swiss Franc made a sudden overnight jump a while back, "Our problem is that there is only one Switzerland and they aren't making any more of them." So it costs what it costs.

Going from Florence to the Berner Oberland, there is a longer (timewise) way to go with good scenery. The first station at the exit of the Simplon Tunnel is in Brig. The next leg on the way to the Berner Oberland to Spiez has a new "base" tunnel that cuts completely under the Berner Oberland mountain range. You can take a different train that still uses the old route that winds its way up to a shorter tunnel, then winds its way back down the other side. The train is called the Loetschberger and goes every hour, and it takes about an hour longer to cover the same ground as the new route. But the scenery is more in line with the Bernina Express.

From the Dolomites, you can also continue by train to Innsbruck, then switch to a train to Zurich and a TGV from there to Paris. That has some nice scenery as well.

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