We have a Euro flex-pass, and will be going from Interlakin to Paris in the afternoon on 9/21/11, to get into Paris that evening. We want to enjoy a little out of the AM and early PM in Interlakin before getting on the train; what is the best route to go to Paris from Interlakin around that time? Is there anything we need to do in advance (if there is a high-speed train involved)? Thanks for all the help!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
According to the timetables on both the Swiss Rail and German Rail sites, you can take an IC train from Interlaken Ost to Basel SBB that departs at 14:00 and connect to a TGV that arrives at Paris Est at 19:34. You will have only five minutes to make the connection in Basel, but that is do-able if you're packing light. Be standing at the door when the train pulls into Basel so you can be the first ones to get off. Seat reservations are required on TGVs so you'll have to buy them to go with your railpasses. You won't have time to do that in Basel so do it in Interlaken.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33849 posts
You will only have to cross the platform from platform 10 to platform 9. 5 minutes is usually plenty of time to cross a Swiss platform. However if I had had to pay a reservation on the TGV and the time was critical to me I would take the previous Interlaken West (note the spelling of Interlaken) to Basel train. You could take the 1305 from Interlaken West to Basel SBB which arrives an hour earlier on platform 12. You would then have an hour to wander around and get up to platform 9 when the TGV pulls in.
Posted by
OP
Portland, OR, USA
13 posts
Thanks for all the replies! With my flexi-pass, can I go from interlaken to Bern instead of Basel? It seems there are more later trains from Bern, and ones that still get into Paris that evening. Is the train from Bern a high-speed train too, that I need to get a reservation for? If so, is there any reason I should get the reservation in the USA before I leave, or just get it in Switzerland before leaving Interlaken? Thanks!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you check the timetables on both the Swiss Rail site and the German Rail site, you'll see several possible routes. They show that going from Bern to Paris will take you through Basel, unless you go via Geneva. Basel-Paris, Geneva-Paris, and Strasbourg-Paris are all on TGVs which require a seat reservation. Whichever route you choose, you should be okay waiting to buy your seat reservations in Interlaken. However, SNCF (French National Rail) limits the number of passholder seats on its trains that require reservations. If you wait, it's possible they may all be gone for the train of your choice, even though full fare tickets are still available. For complete peace of mind, you could buy your reservations from Rail Europe now.