[Removed user]

10 August 2015 at 3:46:15 #807725

hi

Need help for last minute trip

I am traveling with husband and 2 kids 5 and 7.

we are going to be in Switzerland August 17-20.. 3 nights 2 days. I need advice.

I plan to take train to go from Paris to interlaken on August 17th morning.

i have a return flight from Zurich at noon on August 20th

I was hoping to go from Paris via Bern to Interlaken. However when I check website the only ticket available is for 6 pm. Is it okay if I plan via Basel to Interlaken which is also cheaper. Also shall I plan 2 nights in interlaken or in grindenwald( any last minute accommodation tip?) and last night in Zurich

advise itenerary

thanks

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[Annika]

10 August 2015 at 9:02:26 #845163

Welcome to MySwissAlps, ISOheaven!

You can best buy a direct ticket from Paris to Basel. In Basel you’ll have to change trains anyway, in order to get to Interlaken. These trains will pass Bern too. You can find details for all connections in the Swiss timetable at http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable. I don’t know which website you’ve used, but there should be more connections from Paris than just one leaving at 6pm. You can arrange for your tickets Paris-Basel using one of the resellers listed at http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/france/price. Since you’re from the US, you can best use http://www.raileurope.com or http://www.raileurope-world.com.

As for the Swiss leg of your trip: you may profit from buying a rail pass, instead of regular full-fare tickets. Which pass is best depends on the details of your trip, but based on what you’ve mentioned now, I think you should look into a Swiss Half Fare Card: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard. This allows you to buy 50% discounted tickets. You can also get the free Swiss Family Card along with it, allowing your children to travel along for free. To make sure if this is an economical option for you, you can make calculations as explained at http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass.

If you’re interested in Swiss Half Fare Cards, you should check http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard/price and see if you still have time to order your passes online, which is cheaper than buying them in Switzerland. If delivery times for the cheapest reseller (in your case http://www.raileurope-world.com) take too long to have your passes delivered at home, you can try to have them sent to your hotel address in Paris. Alternatively, you can buy the pass as an e-ticket from http://www.swissrailways.com. The price will be the same as in Switzerland, but the advantage is that you can print it yourself and start using it as soon as you arrive in Switzerland, without the need to spend time on a purchase at the Basel railway station.

Whether you should stay in Interlaken or Grindelwald depends on your plans. If you want to focus on the Jungfrau region only, you may like Grindelwald better. If you want to explore a larger area, I’d suggest Interlaken instead. Please find accommodation suggestions at http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/hotels and http://www.myswissalps.com/gr indelwald/hotels. For your last night in Zurich, a hotel near the airport may be convenient: http://www.myswissalps.com/zu richairporthotels. Hotels in downtown Zurich are listed at http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/hotels. If you’re not able to find anything that fits your wishes in these lists, please provide us with more specifics (budget per night, accommodation type, preferred location, and so on), so that we can help.