Planning for a long transport day. Will leave Paris in am via public transport with a destination of Murren, Switzerland. Can't make any changes such as stopping for a night somewhere. I have looked at flying from Paris to Basel then a train for the rest of the journey, or, train all the way. It seems that the time needed to do both is pretty close as I would have thought the quick one hour flight would seal the deal to fly. But, when you factor in the time needed to get to the airport, then from the airport into the town, it is not such a timesaver. Would anyone agree? Has anyone done this trip of Paris to Murren or Interlaken and do you have any advice? The train ride won't be cheap either. But wondered if I had a swiss half fare card or the Bernese-Oberland pass it might save some money once I got to Bern, so if that is true should I book the trip Paris to Bern, instead of Paris to Interlaken, then seperately Bern to Interlaken/Murren? Thanks, any advise appreciated. There is also the Paris-Geneva-Interlaken route as well.
Posted by
Green Bay
20980 posts
Yes, flying Paris to Basel would be a complete waste of time and money.
Book Paris to Basel on the TGV, then Basel to Muerren on the Half Fare Card. How long are you in Muerren? If 5 nights or more, the cost on the Half Fare Card is covered by the discount you get on the 6 days B-O pass.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thanks, only in Murren for three nights.
Posted by
Sweden
6862 posts
But, when you factor in the time needed to get to the airport, then
from the airport into the town, it is not such a timesaver. Would
anyone agree?
It's not a timesaver at all. The train is the fastest way to get from central Paris to central Basel with a bit of a margin to spare.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17252 posts
When are you traveling? I assume since you are headed to Mürren it could be mid-May or later.
You can save a lot of €€€ on the train tickets from Paris to Basel by buying them several months in advance. I just checked May prices on the Swiss train site SBB.ch ( which I find much easier to buy from than the French TGV site). For May 16, the full fare ( flexible) is CHF 346. You can get a non-refundable, non-flexible ticket for CHF 58, or a semi-flexible ticket for CHF 112.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Lola, great advice, I checked numerous sites and there was quite a difference but I settled for the SNCF site which worked out well and for cost too. Thanks
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17252 posts
Glad that worked out for you. I have a bias toward the Swiss site because my German is much better than my French. And if SNCF worked, that is good. They must have improved their website since I last tried to use it. But the discounted tickets on cross-border travel are offered on many sites and it is good that you were able to book them.
Posted by
Wengen
2425 posts
When booking on the SBB site do book direct Paris - Mürren. There is no need to split the ticket in Basel, and you will save a bit of money that way. When you book on SNCF you cannot book through to stations in Switzerland other than those on direct TGV services.. For the SNCF you do not exist if you do not have a direct train from Paris. SBB can book you from anywhere in France to anywhere in Switzerland.
And you can indicate that you will have the Half Fare Card, if you intend to buy one.
Then buy the Berner Oberland Pass or the Jungfrau Pass (whatever fits your plans) once you are there. Adding a day just to save on the Bern - Mürren part is not going to be worth it.