The duration of trains from Paris to Interlaken is around 5-6 hours through July 4 2014 until the week I need to make this trip (July 11). Suddenly all schedules show 9+ hours with 2-3 changes. Is this for real?? Why longer in the height of tourist season? Flights to Geneva are reasonable and with train connection should get me there long before these listed trains. Should I book flight before prices jump or try and wait to see if better routes come available?
Anyone experienced similar changes in train schedules?
Posted by
Green Bay
20000 posts
Around mid June, everybody in Europe reshuffles their train schedules. So beyond that date, train schedules look goofy now. I suspect that by mid April, they will have ironed out the summer/fall schedules and they will start to show up on the www.bahn.com website. So for now, just use the present schedules. They will not change a whole lot. There will still be TGV's from Paris to Basel, and they will connect seamlessly with IC trains to Interlaken.
I see that the problem is TGV-Lyria trains to Basel-Zurich, which leave from Gare de Lyon. Since they have not established a schedule yet, the routes in July only show trains out of Gare de l'Est, which go to Mannheim, Karlsruhe, or Strasbourg and then connect to trains to Basel.
So a little patience is warranted for now.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thanks for the info and advice. I'll try to be patient and not get too anxious about a potential super long train route. Difficult for an uber-planner like myself.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3094 posts
Where are you looking for schedules? Rail,Europe by any chance?
The Swiss Rail site, SBB.ch, shows the same schedule for July 11 as for July 1. Most trains from Paris-Est to Interlaken Ost take 7.5 to 7.75 hours with 2 changes. The 15:25 departure takes 6.5 hours, arriving at 21:57. Still 2 changes.
Posted by
Green Bay
20000 posts
As we were discussing, the TGV-Lyria trains from Gare de Lyon are not showing up yet in July.
edit- The TGV site, with a bit of digging in the French version (use google translate), you can sign up for a booking alert to be notified when the trains are available for booking.
June 14 is the last day showing departures from Gare de Lyon. This is the date of the semiannual pan-European schedule changes.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3094 posts
I wasn't questioning the information on the Lyria trains, just pointing out that SBB.ch does not show those 9+ hour journeys that mcdowalker fears. So I wonder where they saw those schedules.
Posted by
OP
11 posts
You are correct that it is listed on SBB as 7 or so hours but that is two hours longer than I want to spend travelling if I can avoid it (I'm prone to exaggeration). I've looked at them all...French rail site and Deutsche Bahn included. Hoping that the shorter route will prevail. Hate to lose valuable sightseeing time to a longer train or leave Paris for that early evening train :-\ I'll sign up for alerts on TVG Lyria.