Good Evening to all,
Happy Mothers Day to all Moms,
I already have the air booked to CDG arriving 9am, first we want to see France by Train to either Geneva or Milan 9 full days to see the sights in the Swiss Alps by train for 3-4 days and would love to get an easy on and off trains and stay in the most scenic villages 3-4 days and stay in an Air B and B rental or Hotel. Are there any Alps train pre reserved seats if possible along with a backpack and carryon bag? We want to see the High Points of Paris museums and Eiffel Tower 3-4 days, but would love any suggestions of restaurants, places to stay at and routes to and from. We have not ruled out a rental car, for the longer distances between Paris, Geneva, Milan, Florence. We will probably plan Rome another time, maybe 2026 we will get a long term rental in Southern Spain and spend 3-4 months going somewhere 2-3 days each week? Thanks In Advance for your advice and suggestions.
Posted by
Green Bay
21218 posts
Are there any Alps train pre reserved seats if possible along with a backpack and carryon bag?
A couple "fancy" trains require seat reservations, but in all cases, you can bring as much luggage as you can handle.
We have not ruled out a rental car, for the longer distances between Paris, Geneva, Milan, Florence.
Rule it out. International drop fees can be huge.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33991 posts
maybe 2026 we will get a long term rental in Southern Spain and spend 3-4 months going somewhere 2-3 days each week?
Welcome to the Forums, Lance
With 2 years lead time you have plenty of time to become familiar with the restrictions on travel in the European Union. That's governed by an agreement called the Schengen treaty, named for the town in Luxembourg where it was signed.
The great part of the Schengen area (most of the countries of the European Union) is that once in, you can move freely without a visa or border controls throughout the area.
The not so great part of Schengen is that it does limit the amount of time you can spend in the Schengen area. Unless you get some sort of long term visa you are limited to no more than 90 days (including arrival and departure days) anywhere in the area in any 180 days, counting backwards. So a continuous stay of 3 months is out because it is probably over 90 days including both arrival and departure days, and so is 4 months.
You cannot reset the day counter by leaving the Schengen area for a non-Schengen country, but days you spend out of the area do stop the day count (except for travel days leaving and returning to the area) while you are away. 88 days in with 30 days out in the middle could get you close to your 4 month goal.