train from Paris to Interloken

Hi Kathy, It entirely depends on which train and route you are planning to take, so you would need to give us more details for us to be able to help you. For instance in May, if you were to take the 8:23 - 13:28, you'd have a single change in Basle. But if you were to take 11:11 - 17:28, then you'd need to change in Geneva and Bern. So if you can gives the date and time? Jim

We are planning on leaving Paris on June 7th and will spend only 2 nights in Switzerland before leaving for Venice

OK, the 8:23 is as I already said and there is also a 10:23 with a single change in Basel. You can get all the details for later trains on the Swiss rail website. One other comment is to note that the 11:25 goes from Paris-Est and the change in Basle requires you to go from the French part of the station to the Swiss part of the station, so you need to allow about 10 mins for that change. Jim.

Jim, thank you for your reply. it has been 20 years since I was in Switzerland and my husband has never been. We are trying to decide where to visit for only a 2 day stay. Suggestions?

Kathy, As Jim mentioned, the easiest trip will be a departure from Gare de Lyon at 08:23 or 10:23, arriving Interlaken Ost at 13:28 or 15:28 (time 5H:05M, one change in Basel). The first part of the trip will be via TGV (reservations compulsory) which travels at 300 kmH when it gets going. You can either buy tickets when you arrive in Paris at any SNCF Boutique (many locations in the city) or on the internet (others will have to give you the details on how to do that). One minor point to menton about changing trains in Basel. As I recall, the only washrooms in the station are operated by McClean, which is a pay facility. They ONLY accept Swiss coins! Rather than stay in Interlaken, you might consider staying in the Lauterbrunnen Valley either in Lauterbrunnen, Muerren, Wengen, Gimmelwald or Grindelwald. Lauterbrunnen is about the most central location for exploring both sides of the valley, and is only about 20 minutes from Interlaken. While there you could take a day trip to the famous Schilthorn, which is a revolving restaurant on top of a mountain, used in the filming of the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. You could also take a trip to the top of the Jungfrau. Those trips are a bit expensive, but you'll probably find that Switzerland in general is on the expensive side. Be careful on the Swiss trains to ensure that all is in order with your tickets. I've seen some reports lately that they've adopted the Italian tactic of fining those without valid tickets. As you'll also be in Italy, there are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of there also. If you need further information, post another note. Happy travels!

If you're an early bird, you can leave Paris at 06:15, connect in Basel, and arrive at Interlaken Ost at 11:28. For the 06:15, 08:23, and 10:23 departures, if you book ASAP (up to three months allowed) on tgv-europe.com, you can get a Piccolissimo discount fare for the Paris-Basel leg, giving you a total fare of €75.20. The standard 2nd class fare for the whole trip is €163.20.