My family, husband, myself and 2 daughters (age 21 & 14) will be traveling to Switzerland, Italy and Paris, July & August 2008. We will begin our trip in Zurich and take a train to a small place named Goldern, near the Berner Oberland. From there we want to stay in Gimmelwald, then move on to Italy. In Italy we want to visit Venice and the Cinque Terre, then travel to Paris for a few days before returning to Texas. Our airline tickets are already booked. I need suggestions about train travel between these locations.I would also like to know opinions regarding best route from Switzerland into Italy - doing Venice first or doing CT first. We will travel by train and are considering the overnight train from Venice direct to Paris. PLEASE help this is all so confusing. Also on this type of travel would it be better to buy tickets through Rick's web site, when we arrive or some other way? I understand the train reservations, sleeper car reservations etc... Thanks in advance for any help!
Linda
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
You didn't ask this--and perhaps you know--but you should make reservations for Gimmelwald in advance. It's such a small place, here are not many beds!
Use the German rail site to scope out the different permutations of your itinerary. Night trains can be fun (I like them), but sometimes not especially restful.
Posted by
St. Louis, MO (formerly, Windermere, FL)
340 posts
For your Italy to Paris leg, consider flying on one of the relatively inexpensive european airlines like Volare, easyjet, etc. Go to each airport to see which airlines fly there. You could see the Cinque Terre first, then take the train to Venice (it takes most of a day, about 7 hours with transfers), then fly from Venice to Paris. Or, this might be easier with your arrival from Switzerland, go to Venice first then train to CT. After CT you could train to Pisa, Genova, Florence, or Milan and fly to Paris from one of those cities. If you are set on taking the train, I'm not sure of the time involved, but you could easily take the train up the coast from CT to Nice, spend a day or 2 in the Riviera, then train or fly from there to Paris. Also, with 4 people, you might want to consider driving some of the legs. It usually works out to be cheaper for 4 and you would have more flexibility. Driving in Italy and France is not difficult, though I would never drive in Rome or Paris.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
To check out discount airlines, try www.whichbudget.com to start. It'll give you the discount carriers flying out of each city's airport, and where they go. Don't forget to double-check with the big guys, too. Many are offering similar fares where they're in competition with the discount airlines, and may offer better schedules.
Posted by
British Columbia, Canada
188 posts
Some years ago, our family of 4 did a month by car including Gimmelwald-CT-Venice. This worked better than the train for us for several reasons, but considering your stops, I think a car would be a big headache.
Some points to consider:
Point to point train tickets purchased in Europe are often cheaper than buying a railpass.
Check the value of a railpass (especially regarding reservation fees and night train extra costs).
There was a pass in Switzerland that gave "kids" discounted fares--not sure if it is still available.
If you go Gimmelwald-Milano-CT-Venice I would investigate flying to Paris. For cheaper flights check out:
http://www.skyscanner.net/
I also like the option Venice-CT-Nice and then train to Paris. Rick's website has info about Rail travel with a link where you can find routes and schedules. Plugging in your dates should give you a better idea of how to connect your stops. http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en.
The researching is hard work but worth it.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Linda: Night trains have gotten mixed reviews on the HelpLine. You can retrieve some of these prior comments using the search box (upper right corner). Also, in some of his books Rick gives advice about night trains, maybe you've already seen it.
Posted by
OP
Forney, TX, United States
43 posts
Why do you recommend 2 days to get from Gimmelwald to Cinque Terre? We will be staying in CT for 3-4 days. Also thanks to those who suggested flying from Venice to Paris. I did check WhichBudget.com and was surprised at the low cost. We only want to stay in Gimmelwald, CT,(Vernazza),Venice and Paris - I wonder, does it take longer than I am guessing to travel from Switzerland to CT or Venice?