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France and Switzerland

Hi,
I am posting in this section because we(2 adults and 2 kids) will be staying more (8) days in swiss and only 4 days in Paris. I have few questions and i am hoping i get some answers.

We booked hotel our self in Paris, planning to see famous attractions and go to Versailles. We plan to catch a train from paris to Geneva/Montreux. We are planning to book a package in swiss which covers from Geneva/Montreux/Lausanne (choice only 1 with 2 nights stay), Zermatt (1 night), Interlaken(2 nights), Lucerene(2 nights). The package covers train tickets only from start to end point(lucerene) but flying out of Zurich to SFO.

We plan to use only public transport either train, buses, ferries etc to go to restaurants, other places to see etc...

  1. My question - is going with 2 country pass (Switzerland and France ) the best option and worth the money spent or please suggest if you know the alternative..

  2. The swiss package covers excursion to "Matterhorn Glacier Paradise", Jungfraujoch- Top of Europe and Mt.Titlis.
    We plan to see in and around or probably do day trips(the excursions) in the places we are going to stay
    a. Geneva/Montreux/Lausanne ( 2 nights)

    b. Zermatt (1 night)

    c. Interlaken (2 nights)

    d. Lucerene. (2 nights)

There are so many places to see but would like your suggestion on what are the best places to cover within the time?

The places we want to cover must are Glacier 3000 and excursions (Matterhorn, Jungfraujoch- Top of Europe and Mt.Titlis) included in the package.

Other places i am considering are:
one or 2 waterfalls (if it's easily reachable from where we stay), Beatus Caves, Cruise on lake geneva/Bruiz/Thun, chillion castle, lion monument and what other places would be good to cover and what places i can combine so that it will be easier to do it in a day?

Thanks much!!

Posted by
19638 posts

Don't get a 2 country select pass, use a single point-to-point ticket to get to Switzerland from Paris. You can get an advance purchase Prems fare from TGV. If the rest of your rail travel in Switzerland ( except Luzern to ZRH transfer), just buy a point to point ticket to the airport from Luzern. There is a direct train hourly, and about every 15 minutes with a train change at Zurich main station. Takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Posted by
5 posts

Thanks much for the suggestion. Based on your suggestion, i will be buying point to point tickets.

Thanks!

Posted by
19638 posts

And I'd say stay in Montreux, its convenient to get to Glacier 3000, In Interlaken you will be close to Beatus caves, and there is Giessbach Falls on the south side of the Brienzersee you can reach by boat. There are also a lot of waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen valley.
You can get the TGV-Lyria train from Paris to Lausanne and then a short train connection to Lausanne. Buy in advance online to get the best price. Kids may be charged the same as adults if they are 12 or older.
http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/?DISTRIBUTED_COUNTRY=GB, You can pick which train to take as the prices vary according to time of day. Use France as your ticket collection country. If you have problems, you can buy for the same price at www.capitainetrain.com

Posted by
501 posts

The Chillion Castle would probably interest your 2 children, think you could do it in about 90 minutes, the Lion Monument doesn't require much while you are in Lucerne, just a little walking.