Does this itinerary seem reasonable? Anything I'm overlooking?
Arrive Zurich by air- arrive 1400 (no jet lag-domestic flight)
Train to Lauterbrunnen and gondola up to Gimmelwald
Stay 4 nights
Take train from Lauterbrunnen to Dijon rent car-drive to Beaune- stay in the area 3 nights
Drive to Liore Valley- stay 3 nights
Drop off car and train to Paris
Paris three nights
Eurostar to London- train to Bath 2 nights Bath/Cottswalds?
Return to London
4 nights -fly home
Any thoughts?
I am curious what you mean by "no jet lag - domestic flight" - are you already in EU? If so, that makes arriving in Zurich and getting to the Lauterbrunnen that much better. Jet lag can be a real killer for me personally.
Your itinerary covers a lot of ground and specifically the Lauterbrunnen - Dijon stretch. However, I think you are giving yourself just enough time in each stop to make this a doable itinerary.
Just know that you are giving up valuable time in transit that could be used sight seeing if you focused on one area more (like just France/England and leaving out Switzerland or some variation). There may be times that you are en route that you would wish you would have had more time in a certain area instead of having to get up and move.
But as far as ambious trip plans go - yours is not too bad. You can make a go of it! And btw, your priority sights to see are top notch - good call.
I think generally that sounds good, unless this is your first trip to Paris. If it is, 2 days just isn't enough--take the Bath nights and give them to Paris.
I totally agree with both Amy and Christy!
It's minor, but I'd save yourself some trouble and pick up your rental in Beaune, not Dijon.
If you are staying in Beaune, and spend the first day just seeing the town and walking the ramparts, you won't even need a car that day.
Thanks for all the help!
We will fly from Copenhagen to Zurich (R/T cruise) so we won't be jet lagged.
Thanks for the information about renting the car in Beaune. I'm still trying to figure out all the possiblities and exactly where we really want to go.
Any idea how long it will take to get to Beaune from Gimmelwald? I know it is a long stretch, but we really would like to see the alps.
We did Paris on a bus tour from Germany back in 2005. I would love to go back and just sit, drink some wine or coffee and take it all in. Two days isn't much, you are right! My family isn't as keen on the idea of Paris, but I think they will love it if we go (I basically plan and they come along!).
Do you think skipping Bath/Cottswalds/or York is worth two more days in France-total of 5 nights? That would leave us with 4 nights in London for England. There is just never enough time or money!!
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
The German rail site shows most trains from Interlaken Ost taking from 5 to 7 hours. Of course, that doesn't include getting to Interlaken Ost.
So this is a long travel day, however you slice it. You can break the trip in Bern for an hour or two if you like.
I rarely encourage people to cut things short, but I'll say this if it is helpful. The Berner Oberland is spectacular, but you can have a very satisfying visit there in three, or even two, days.
