I am planning on taking my daughter & 3 granddaughters (ages 12, 11, & 10) to Europe this June or early July. We would be traveling from Paris by train to Switzerland for 2 days, then Salzburg, Austria for a day or two and then on to Venice, Italy. I am open to any suggestions as to the best area in Switzerland to stay for these 2 days on the route to Salzburg. I know the train ride with be full of beautiful scenery, but I also need to sprinkle this with fun activities for the girls. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as to where in Switzerland (in route to Salzburg) would offer beauty, interest, and also fun activities - such as alpine slide, cable car rides to the top of a mountain, toboggan ride, etc. Thank you
Posted by
Green Bay
21160 posts
Flumserberg is right on the mainline between Zurich and Salzburg and checks all the boxes. You'll have to switch to a regional train at Ziegelbruecke to Unterterzen, then the cable car at the station up to Flumserberg.
https://www.flumserberg.ch/Summer/Home
Posted by
OP
new orleans
237 posts
Thank you very much for this information! I will definitely look into it. Do you have any thoughts about staying in Lucerne for those 2 days? Or is that more out of the way in route to Salzburg?
Posted by
Green Bay
21160 posts
Different experiences. Luzern is a scenic city, but a city nonetheless. Flumserberg is a resort up in the mountains. To get to Luzern, change trains in Basel. Its not a big detour.
Posted by
OP
new orleans
237 posts
Thank you, Sam. I'll definitely consult with the rest of my family who are going on this trip & we'll have to figure it out. Many thanks again for all your great info and advice.
Posted by
Grand Rapids, MI
768 posts
I've taken the Salzburg to Zurich route by train. It's somewhat scenic, but not as scenic as between Zurich and Lucerne. Note that the trip by train can take anywhere from 5.5 to 8 hours depending on train and time of day. It costs around $250 and likely less for children. On the other hand, you can take Flixbus from Zurich to Munich for about $25 and in 5 hours or less. (Google Flixbus Zurich Salzburg)
As for Paris to Switzerland, you'll want to take the bullet train, leaving from Paris Gare de Lyon, and then to Basel. About 3 hours. You must make advance reservations. See www.seat61.com for details.
As for the best place for kids in Switzerland, ours is the Berner Oberland, specifically the area around Lauterbrunnen. There are cows and goats and playgrounds and cable cars and summer luge and great scenery. I took each of my kids there around age 13 and they loved it. Click on my name to find a link to our dozen favorite trails in the area, with pics.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Kids will enjoy being out and about vastly more than sitting on a train...no matter how breathtaking the scenery through the train window.
The older we get the more we like to sit and look at scenery out the window...kids not so much.
Posted by
OP
new orleans
237 posts
Flumserberg is really a great idea for our family. I want to look into lodging there & wondered if you all have any suggestions. There will be 6 of us, so preferably an apartment. Thanks for any help.
Posted by
martinez, ca, usa
2409 posts
hey hey lindah
i think you're trying to go too many places with the group of family you have. you will be spending lots of time packing/unpacking sitting at train stations and too much time on trains with your young grandchildren, no time to enjoy the city you're in. you want cheapest, fastest and budget wise travel during the most busiest times of the season, summer time. cut back on what areas you want to see, check the costs and times of trains. your grandchildren do not want to spend 5 plus hours on trains, the arrival and departure times to catch them, finding rooms available for 6 people and what the bed/bathroom situations are. don't know how many total days you plan to spend in europe and your budget in euros for transportation and hotels/apts. think your itinerary over, you had 5 people now i see 6. some places allow only 4.
whatever you decide, plan things for the kids to enjoy so no stress.
aloha