highspeed train from Paris to Switzerland

Are you doing this in one day, or spending a night in Switzerland on the way? You can see the options on the Swiss train website, www.sbb.ch. The fastest and simplest is the direct TGV 9641 from Paris to Milan, changing there for the short hop to Varenna, but that doesn't get you a stop or a scenic train in Switzerland. For that, you could take the TGV to Zürich, from which you have several alternatives: one is Zurich to Milan via the Gotthard route, which take 3 hours 40 minutes and although not designated a "scenic" route is quite nice, along lakes and through the alsps with some short tunnels. The other would be to head to Chur from zurich and connect with the very scenic Bernina Express, riding it as far as Tirano in Italy, where you change for the train to Varenna. this would take considerably longer but would be nice with an overnight stop on the way, at St. Moritz, Pontresina, or one of the small Swiss stops.

Thanx Lola, Will check w/my partner. If we choose to go the TGV to Zurich to Milan via the Gotthard route, would that be on a high speed train? And this might sound minor, but my daughter is really hopeful to be somewhere where she can purchase the Swiss scissors shaped in form of stork. Any ideas?

Oh my; I used to have a pair of those stork scissors in my sewing kit; I think they folded up? That seems several lifetimes ago and I don't know what happened to them. Nor do I know where in Switzerland you might find them, but a cutlery shop in Zürich might be a good bet. I'll investigate. As far as the "high speed" aspect of the trains, I don't know if that is a precise term but I do know the TGV from Paris to Zürich is designated as a high-speed train. The train from Zürich to Milan, which used to be called a Cisalpino, is a regualr intercity train and it doesn't go particularly fast, especially in the mountains. In fact in some of the tunnels it does a complete loop to gain or lose altitude, although you aren't aware of this when you are on it. You can see the routes the different trains take on the Swiss Travel System map. Google "Swiss Synoptic map" and you'll get a full-color PDF that you can enlarge, print out, or whatever.

Well, you can buy stork scissors right on Amazon.com but if you want the Swiss ones, Victorinox does indeed make them, so you should be able to find them at a cutlery store in Zürich. Or you could buy them from the Victorinox website: ihttp://www.victorinoxstores.com/victorinox/dept.asp?dept_id=3466& Is your daughter going to Varenna with you? If she likes birds, whe will enjoy seeing the family of swans (with four cygnets) there. In early July they were grey and true "ugly ducklings", but by now they may have transformed into lovely swans.

good stork info, mahalo, Jackie

JACKIE, the trip from Paris to Switzerland is easy and fast via TGV. From Paris Est, the trip is 4H:41M (depending on which train you choose) to Lucerne, with one change in Basel (times will vary to Zurich and other cities). Is there a particular city in Switzerland that you're especially interested in visiting? I'd suggest Bern or Lucerne over Zurich. Since you specified that you're "looking for scenic" routes, one method you might consider would be to travel from Lucerne to Chur (perhaps stay one night), and then take the BERNINA EXPRESS to Tirano. From there you'll approach Varenna from the north, and it's an easy 1H:26M trip direct from Tirano (no changes). The Bernina Express became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, and it's one of the most beautiful in Switzerland. The trip is about 4 hours, and crosses 196 bridges and goes through 55 tunnels (however, it's NOT a "highspeed" train). It's an incredible journey! Happy travels!

Which route is the most scenic - Zurich to Paris via Basel, or via Lausanne? Jan