I'm looking into a 3 week trip to Europe. I plan on flying into Paris and heading through the alps via train towards Florence/Rome.
What are my best options for ~2 days in the Alps? I'd like somewhere with good hiking and great views, but not too difficult to get to/from due to my schedule.
I was looking at the Interlaken region, but it seems pretty time consuming to get to the best parts (3 train changes to get there from paris and no overnight trains).
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
-Adam
One suggestion is to take the train from Paris-Gare-de-Lyon to Interlaken Ost (the station you need for the Lauterbrunnen Valley). You will be on the TGV to Bern where you will change trains once There will be one train change in Bern if you plan this correctly. It's a 6.0hr. train ride.
From the Interlaken Ost train station, you can see the alps. But, if you want to see the alps on steroids, you go to track 2A and take the 20 minute train ride into Lauterbrunnen. You can stay in Lauterbrunnen or in the higher alpine villages of Wengen, Muerren or Gimmelwald. You can easily do this with a 2-night stay. It will be a 4.0hr-5.0hr. train journey from Lauterbrunnen to Milan.
You could hit the Alps on the border between France and Italy. I don't know exactly where a train from Paris to Florence would cross, but some popular resorts towns in the region include Chamonix, Albertville, Aosta, St.-Jean-de-Maurienne or Briancon. Most Alpine locations offer great scenery and hiking, so you may as well visit a spot that best fits your itinerary. (I tend to be one of the few heretics on this site who doesn't automatically steer people towards the Berner Oberland, which although spectacular, is REALLY expensive and somewhat difficult to reach on a tight schedule).
I don't know the train route through Switzerland so I don't know how easy it is get to Zurich from where you are starting. Last we went from Rome to Florence and then on to Zurich via Milan. We were in the Zurich area (actually Zug) for a week. One day we did Mt. Rigg. Took the train down to small town at the end of the lake, took a cog railroad to the top of Mt Rigg, hiked about half way down the other side on well marked trails with a lot of other folks doing the same thing, caught a tram to the base, a lake boat to Lucern, and the train back to Zurich. A full days. If that appeals, I will find my notes with the exacts of the towns and the route.
