My daughter and I will be spending a week in Paris. We are then meeting my husband and other daughter who will be flying in from the US to Venice.
We can take a few days to get to Venice by train and stop along the way.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
The Paris/Venice night train is a fun way that allows you almost a full day in both cities. We spent the extra $$ to have a private sleeping compartment and had a comfortable night's sleep. If you don't want a full dinner in the dining car, buy bread, cheese, wine, fruit before you get to Gare de Bercy because it has limited food (snacks only in Oct '07).The breakfast served by the conductor was pretty bare bones, too, so bring a little extra if you are someone who needs morning fuel.
Or, since you have several days, you could go by train through Switzerland, with overnights at Luzern (beautiful lakeside city), the Berner Oberland or other scenic alpine area such as the Valais, and/or Lugano in the Ticino.
If the Switzerland option interests you I can post more specific suggestions.
I would love information on both options. I'm very confused as to where you buy tickets, how much they are, etc.
I have read on that the overnight train has had some problems with theft but don't know if that's true or not.
The train through Switzerland also sounds wonderful.
The train through Switzerland with overnight stops there would be more expensive than flying, but also more enjoyable.
Here is one possible route: Paris to Luzern, 4 h 40 minutes by train. Overnight there. Luzern is a charming town on a beautiful lake; you can ride a boat on the lake or visit a nearby mountain (Rigi) for a short hike.
The next day, take the train to either Lugano (another lake town) or Lauterbrunnen (a beautiful valley that looks a lot like Yosemite, in the heart of the Berner Oberland region of the Alps). Either journey is 2.5 hours from Luzern. The next day head to Venice. From Lugano, this is only 4 hours; from Lauterbrunnen it would be 7 hours.
You can research the routes and fares on the Swiss rail site, www.rail.ch Just put in your starting and ending points.
Another possibility would be to spend 2 nights in Luzern and then take the train from there to Venice without a stop in Lugano. This ride is about 6.5 hours and there are special fares available that reduce the price a bit.
You might want to read up a bit on these destinations in Switzerland here on the Rick Steve's website, or get his book at the library. There is very good information in there about Luzern and the Berner Oberland, including Lauterbrunnen. There is less info about Lugano as it is not as favored at either of the other two (kind of a big commercial city, although the lakeside setting is nice).
