In September we would like to leave Paris and overnight in Switzerland and then proceed to Venice the next day. Looking for help about where to stop in Switzerland and what would be the best combination for scenery, yet still making the Venice leg so that we arrive before dark. Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17438 posts
The main north-south route (via Spiez and Brig) goes through the alps in a tunnel. However, the Gotthard route minimizes tunnels (several short ones rather than 1 or 2 long ones) and is quite scenic. It is also fast. You could overnight in Luzern: Day 1 Paris to Luzern, 4:41 including transfer time in Basel. You can leave from Paris Est at either 8:24 am or 10:24 am and arrive in Luzern in the afternoon, less than 5 hours later. Day 2: Luzern to Venice via arth-Goldau and Milan, on the gotthard route. total time, including transfers, is 6 hours 22 minutes, so you could easily arrive in Venice before dark. Another option, which would take longer but would be the most scenic, would be the Bernina route which doesn't go through tunnels. this is the famed Bernina Express route but you could ride regular trains. I didn't check the schedules, but you would go from paris to Zurich to Pontresina on Day 1, and Pontresina to Tirano (Italy) to Milan to Venice on Day 2. You can see the schedules on the Swiss trains website at sbb.ch.
Posted by
OP
Jackson
4 posts
Wonderfully helpful--thanks so much!