Hi, I will be arriving this summer in Paris and intend to take a mid-day train to the Interlaken region of Switzerland. I haven't decided on Interlaken, Murren, etc. but was hoping to find some good advice on what train station in Paris to leave from and what trains might be the best, most direct route.
Thanks for your help!
"All trains for Switzerland leave from Paris Est"? Not exactly.
The fastest connection (thru Basel) leaves from Paris Est. But trains to Geneve and Lausanne, which take a half-hour so so longer to reach Interlaken, leave from Gare-de-Lyon.
You might check the schedules at www.rail.ch to determine which route works best for you.
Wherever you decide to go in the Berner Oberland alpine area (Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Wengen, etc.) you need to get to Interlaken Ost first.
To get a discount fare for Paris-Interlaken Ost, book ASAP (up to three months allowed) on the tgv-europe site. Follow the procedure suggested by Steve to avoid being bumped to the Rail Europe site which doesn't offer discount fares.
