Must-knows about your journey between France and Switzerland

  • There are comfortable direct TGV trains from Paris to the Swiss cities of Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, and Zurich.
  • These train rides take only 3 to 4 hours.
  • If you want to drive, we recommend not starting or ending in Paris. Otherwise, you’ll have to navigate the very busy city traffic.
  • Flights between France and Switzerland are possible, but they’re not cheaper or quicker than the train.

How to travel from France to Switzerland: quick overview Copy link to clipboard

Travel options Paris-Switzerland at a glance

RouteTravel timeMode of transportMore information and prices
Paris - Basel3h05Train (TGV Lyria: direct connection)More
Paris - Basel9h00 - 12h30Bus (commercial company)More
Paris - Basel5h45Car
Paris - Basel3h10Plane (1h05 flight time, plus estimated time for check-in and check-out procedures, and traveling between the airport and city centers of both cities)More
Paris - Zurich4h05Train (TGV Lyria: direct connection)More
Paris - Zurich9h30 - 14h00Bus (commercial company)More
Paris - Zurich6h45Car
Paris - Zurich3h25Plane (1h20 flight time, plus estimated time for check-in and check-out procedures, and traveling between the airport and city centers of both cities)More
Paris - Geneva3h15Train (TGV Lyria: direct connection)More
Paris - Geneva6h30 - 11h30Bus (commerial company)More
Paris - Geneva5h20 - 6h10Car
Paris - Geneva3h15Plane (1h10 flight time, plus estimated time for check-in and check-out procedures, and traveling between the airport and city centers of both cities)More
SBB|CFF|FFS
From
To
Via (optional)
Via (optional)
Departure date
Example: 01.07.= 1 July
Departure time
Example: 13:15=1:15 PM

How does the timetable work?

Tickets, prices and saving tips for France-Switzerland Copy link to clipboard

Find your train, plane, or bus ticket

SNCF connect
Travel with TGV Lyria
Enjoy the TGV Lyria services: travel at high-speed, a comfortable journey, arrive in the city center.

Offered by SNCF connect: www.sncf-connect.com

  • Official website for TGV Lyria tickets and train tickets within France
Omio
Trains in France, tickets and timetables
Find train tickets to travel between Switzerland and France, and tickets within France.

Offered by Omio: www.omio.com

  • Train tickets for Switzerland and beyond
  • Compare train, coach, and plane prices for international journeys.
  • Extra Support: if you buy here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
Trainline
TGV Lyria
Travelling from France to Switzerland by train.

Offered by Trainline: www.thetrainline.com

  • Train tickets for Switzerland and beyond
  • Compare train and coach prices for international journeys
This list includes external links to our trusted partners.

What does a Paris to Switzerland train ride cost?

A train ride by TGV Lyria in 2nd class between Basel and Paris can cost between CHF 30 to CHF 110. The exact price depends on the class you choose, how early you book, the type of ticket you want, and the exact route you'll travel.

How to find the cheapest train tickets for France-Switzerland

  1. Book as early as possible. You can usually book up to 6 months before traveling.
  2. For some connections, a fixed low fare of about CHF 29 (single journey in Standard/2nd class) is available between Paris and Zurich, Basel, Geneva or Lausanne. These tickets can sell out and they're usually non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
  3. It helps if your travel date and time are flexible. This makes it easier to get the best price.
  4. When booking early, even tickets for the direct trains are cheap. But if you can't book well in advance and a low price is your top priority, you may consider connections with one or more changes.
  5. Check if there are promotions.
  6. If you have a Swiss rail pass, you need a full-fare ticket to the Swiss border (Basel SBB, Geneva, or Vallorbe) only. For example: with a Swiss Travel Pass, there is no need for a ticket all the way from Paris to Lucerne, because the leg from Basel SBB to Lucerne is covered by the pass. Just book to Basel SBB and enjoy the rest of the trip for free with your pass. With a Swiss Half Fare Card, you need a full-fare ticket from France to Basel in this example, plus a discounted ticket from Basel to Lucerne.
  7. Alternatively, some websites allow you to select your Swiss rail pass and buy a ticket for the entire cross-border trip. This ticket includes your rail pass discount or free travel for the Swiss portion. The price is exactly the same as a full-fare ticket from France to the Swiss border plus a discounted or free trip from the Swiss border to your Swiss destination. Be cautious when buying cross-border tickets with a rail pass reduction: the reduction isn't always applied correctly.

How to start using a TGV ticket

Once you have booked a ticket from Paris to Switzerland, you will normally receive it via e-mail and print it at home. This is the recommended option.

In some cases, you can print your ticket through the machines at French stations, or have it shipped to your home or hotel. The options vary per vendor.

Are seat reservations required for the TGV trains?

Yes. Your TGV Lyria ticket automatically includes seat reservations.

Sometimes, a seat will just be assigned to you for the class you choose. Some vendors allow you to pick the seat from a plan of the coach. And with some other vendors, you may be able to select a type of seat: on an upper or lower deck, on the window or on the aisle.

Seat reservations for the other trains in Switzerland are usually not required. Find all details here.

Get a discount with your rail pass Copy link to clipboard

Many rail passes allow free or discounted traveling on the Swiss leg of your trip. Some international rail passes even allow free traveling in both Switzerland and France. In that case, all you need is a reservation.

The below overview shows where each rail pass is valid. It also also indicates the main points of entry, and the towns from which the validity of the rail pass starts.

In addition to the below overview, you can study the validity maps on each of our travel pass pages.

PassDiscount
Day Pass No discount:
  • French leg of the route
More information:
  • Swiss leg of the route: free
  • Example border train stations: Annemasse, Basel St. Johann, Basel SBB, Col des Roches, Delle, Geneva, La Plaine, Le Châtelard-Frontière, Vallorbe
  • EuroAirport to Basel (bus): free
  • Gex to Switzerland (bus): free
  • Maconnex to Switzerland (bus): free
  • Pontarlier to Switzerland (bus): free
Eurail Global Pass Free:
  • Entire route (train)
Interrail Switzerland Pass No discount:
  • French leg of the route
More information:
  • Swiss leg of the route (train): free
  • Example border train stations: Basel St. Johann, Basel SBB, Delle, Geneva, La Plaine, Le Châtelard-Frontière, Le Locle, Vallorbe
Regional Pass Lake Geneva-Alps No discount:
  • French leg of the route
More information:
  • Swiss leg of the route: free or 50% discounted
  • Example border train stations: Geneva, Vallorbe
Saver Day Pass No discount:
  • French leg of the route
More information:
  • Swiss leg of the route: free
  • Example border train stations: Annemasse, Basel St. Johann, Basel SBB, Col des Roches, Delle, Geneva, La Plaine, Le Châtelard-Frontière, Vallorbe
  • EuroAirport to Basel (bus): free
  • Gex to Switzerland (bus): free
  • Maconnex to Switzerland (bus): free
  • Pontarlier to Switzerland (bus): free
Swiss Half Fare Card No discount:
  • French leg of the route
More information:
  • Swiss leg of the route: 50% discount
  • Example border train stations: Basel St. Johann, Basel SBB, Col des Roches, Delle, Geneva, La Plaine, Le Châtelard-Frontière, Vallorbe
  • EuroAirport to Basel (bus): 50% discount
  • Gex to Switzerland (bus): 50% discount
  • Pontarlier to Switzerland (bus): 50% discount
Swiss Travel Pass No discount:
  • French leg of the route
More information:
  • Swiss leg of the route: free
  • Example border train stations: Basel St. Johann, Basel SBB, Col des Roches, Delle, Geneva, La Plaine, Le Châtelard-Frontière, Vallorbe
  • EuroAirport to Basel (bus): free
  • Gex to Switzerland (bus): discounted
  • Pontarlier to Switzerland (bus): free
Swiss Travel Pass Flex No discount:
  • French leg of the route
More information:
  • Swiss leg of the route: free
  • Example border train stations: Basel St. Johann, Basel SBB, Col des Roches, Delle, Geneva, La Plaine, Le Châtelard-Frontière, Vallorbe
  • EuroAirport to Basel (bus): free
  • Gex to Switzerland (bus): discounted
  • Pontarlier to Switzerland (bus): free

France-Switzerland map with travel routes Copy link to clipboard

This map shows the main train routes between France and Switzerland. The bus line from Basel EuroAirport to Basel is indicated too.

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Paris-Switzerland by train: all details

You can reach Geneva and Basel in Switzerland in just over 3 hours from Paris. It’s just over 4 hours to Zurich. These are very comfortable direct connections with high-speed TGV Lyria trains. We recommend this over bus, car, or plane travel.

Which station in Paris to use

There are several train stations in Paris. The TGV Lyria trains to and from Switzerland all arrive at, and depart from, Gare de Lyon. So do trains from and to Italy.

Gare du Nord is the largest train station in Paris. It serves as a hub for many other international connections. This is where the Eurostar trains to and from the UK arrive and depart. Thalys trains to and from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany use the Gare du Nord train station as well.

If you have to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, count on a 10-minute ride by RER (the urban trains in Paris).

Day trains between France and Switzerland: TGV Lyria

The high-speed TGV Lyria train offers direct services from Paris to several Swiss cities, and the other way around of course. The four cities with direct TGV connections are Basel, Zurich, Geneva, and Lausanne.

Paris Gare de Lyon to Basel

There are about 6 direct trains per day, with a total travel time of 3h05 to 3h10. The trains pass Dijon and Mulhouse in France. They enter Switzerland just north of Basel, at the station of Basel St. Johann. The trains don’t stop there.

The TGV trains run close to the international Basel-Mulhouse Airport, but there’s no rail station there. Travel between the airport and Switzerland must be done by bus as explained here.

Paris Gare de Lyon to Zurich

You can board about 6 trains per day. The journey takes 4h05 to 4h10. These are the same TGV trains that get you to Basel. After Basel, they continue to Zurich.

Paris Gare de Lyon to Geneva

There are about 8 direct trains per day, with a travel time of 3h15. The route runs via Bourg-en-Bresse, Nurieux, and Bellegarde in France. The trains enter Switzerland at La Plaine, a bit south-west of Geneva. The train doesn’t stop there though.

Paris Gare de Lyon to Lausanne

You can choose from about 6 trains per day, with travel times from 3h45 to 4h05. There are two options:

  1. You can take a TGV train to Geneva and then head on to Lausanne.
  2. There’s a separate northern Paris-Lausanne route too: via Dijon and Mouchard in France, and Vallorbe in Switzerland just across the border.

Important note: in 2024, there will be fewer TGV trains between Paris and Switzerland due to maintenance work. Check the timetable for your travel date.

Paris Gare de Lyon to Bern

As a pilot, there will be a couple of regional trains between Paris and Bern via Frasne. This takes place in the 1st half of 2024 and on a few selected days only.

What to expect on board the TGV Lyria trains

The trains offer 3 classes of travel: Standard (2nd class), Standard 1ÈRE (1st class), and Business 1ÈRE (a quiet, spacious working environment with unlimited drinks). There is an on-board bar and catering service at your seat.

Night trains between France and Switzerland: not available

There are no overnight trains between France and Switzerland. Since the main train journeys between Paris and Swiss cities take no more than about 4 hours, you can easily complete your trip during daytime.

Is the train from Paris to Switzerland scenic?

You won’t pass mountainous terrain on the train route between Paris and Basel. It’s a mostly rural area, and we think the ride isn’t especially scenic. The journey to Geneva has more appealing scenery.

Train rides to Switzerland from other French cities

Paris offers the best direct high-speed trains to Switzerland. But you can well reach Switzerland by train from other French towns too. Examples:

  • Strasbourg to Basel: 1h15 (direct regional trains)
  • Lyon to Geneva: 2h10 (direct regional trains)
  • Marseille to Geneva: 4h00 to 4h35 (TGV and regional trains, mostly with a change in Lyon)
  • Bordeaux to Basel or Geneva: 6h45 (TGV trains with a change in Paris or Strasbourg)
  • Nice to Geneva: 7h15 to 8h00 (TGV or regional trains with changes in Marseille and Lyon)

Train rides from France to popular Swiss destinations

You’ll first travel by train (mostly a high-speed TGV train) to one of the Swiss entry cities. You can then board another Swiss train to finish your trip. Unless you plan to stay in Basel, Geneva, Zurich, or Lausanne, you’ll have to change trains once or several times to reach your destination.

A few examples of approximate travel times:

  • Paris to Montreux: 4h15 to 5h00 (with a change in Geneva and sometimes Lausanne too)
  • Paris to Interlaken: 5h35 to 6h30 (with 1 or more changes). Add an extra 40 minutes to continue to the mountain villages of Grindelwald and Wengen in the Jungfrau Region, and an extra 55 minutes to reach Mürren.
  • Paris to Lucerne: 4h45 to 5h05 (with a change in Basel or Zurich)
  • Paris to Zermatt: 6h55 to 7h30 (with changes in Geneva or Basel and in Visp)

How to plan your France-Switzerland journey in the timetable

The Swiss timetable for the TGV Lyria trains and connecting trains to your Swiss destination

The Swiss timetable helps you plan your international journeys between France and Switzerland. This is what to enter for the main French rail stations:

  • “Paris Gare de Lyon” for the station from which the TGV Lyria trains to Switzerland leave
  • “Paris-Nord” for the train station Gare du Nord from which many other international trains operate
  • “Lyon Part Dieu” for the main rail station of Lyon
  • “Bordeaux-St-Jean” for the main rail station of Bordeaux
  • “Marseilles-Saint-Charles” for the main rail station Marseille

Our travel guides for Geneva, Basel, Zurich, and Lausanne

Please consult the below pages, that explain how to continue your journey in the Swiss cities serviced by the TGV:

The French timetable for trips between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon

If you’re looking for train or metro connections within Paris, you can best use the French timetables listed here. The Swiss timetable mostly does not contain such local urban trips in other countries.

Bus rides between France and Switzerland

International journeys by private bus companies

Getting from Paris to Switzerland by bus is possible too. A few commercial operators offer direct bus transfers, or journeys with just 1 change, from Paris to larger Swiss cities. Examples:

  • Paris to Basel. Count on a 09h00 to 12h30 bus ride.
  • Paris to Geneva. Journey times vary from 6h30 to 10h30.

Note that such buses don’t necessarily leave from the center of Paris or near one of the major rail stations.

Zurich is harder to reach by bus, although there are some connections to the nearby Zurich Airport.

Find commercial bus rides here.

Regional border-crossing buses

In addition, there are regional and local buses that arrange for transport between nearby French and Swiss towns and villages. An example is the bus from the airport in France to Basel. Likewise, there are frequent buses between Geneva and nearby French towns, such as Annemasse and the towns on the southern Fench shore of Lake Geneva.

These can all be found in the Swiss timetable.

Driving between France and Switzerland

If you plan to travel from France to Switzerland by car, note that you’ll need car vignettes Switzerland, and sometimes for France too. Also, reconsider whether you want to navigate in the busy city traffic of Paris.

Toll stickers required for France and Switzerland

You require a motorway vignette (“Autobahnvignette”) to use the Swiss highways and motorways. For several French urban regions, you require an environmental “Crit’Air” sticker as well. This concerns Paris, Lyon, and Marseille for example. Find more information through these websites.

Rental cars mostly include the vignettes or stickers required for the country you rent them in. But they don’t necessarily contain them for surrounding countries. So check what is and is not included in your rental car.

The main car routes from Paris to Switzerland

A car trip from Paris to Basel takes roughly about 5h45, excluding breaks and possible delays. It’s 5h20 to 6h10 to Geneva. You’ll have to add additional travel time to reach your destination in Switzerland.

The main driving routes to Basel are:

  1. over the A5, passing Vesoul, Belfort, and Mulhouse
  2. over the A6 (south from the A5), passing Dijon, Belfort, and Mulhouse
  3. over the A4/N4 (north from the A5), along Bar-le-Duc, Nancy, and Colmar

The main car routes to Geneva are:

  1. over the A6, along Auxerre, Beaun, Mâcon, and Bourg-en-Bresse
  2. over the A77/A40 (south from the A6), passing Moulins, Mâcon, and Bourg-en-Bresse
  3. over the A5 (north from the A6), along Troyes, Chaumont, and Besançon

Find exact driving directions through our helpful links.

Flights between France and Switzerland

Traveling by plane between Paris and Zurich, Basel, or Geneva

There are direct flights from the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Swiss airports. Examples are:

  • Paris Charles de Gaulle to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (BSL): a bit over 1h00 flight time
  • Paris Charles de Gaulle to Geneva International Airport (GVA): about 1h10 flight time
  • Paris Charles de Gaulle to Zurich Airport (ZRH): 1h15 to 1h20 flight time

There are no direct flights from Paris to Bern that we know of.

Why we don’t recommend flying between France and Switzerland

We advise against traveling by plane between Switzerland and France, especially if you travel to or from Paris. These are the reasons:

  1. These are short-distance flights, which have a relatively large CO2 footprint and are not environmentally friendly.
  2. You’ll have to add the time required for check-in and check-out procedures, and for traveling between the town centers and the airports. This results in a total estimated travel time of about 3h10 to 3h30 between Paris and the Swiss cities mentioned. This is no time saving, or only a very minimal one, compared to the TGV Lyria trains.
  3. The direct TGV Lyria trains from Paris and other French cities are quick and comfortable alternatives. You can just board and get off in the centers of the towns, without check-in procedures.

France to Switzerland border crossing regulations

Switzerland and France both belong to the Schengen area. This means there are no passport checks for travelers crossing international borders within this area.

However, your passport can be checked at all times in both countries. For example: train staff may want to check your ID to see if you’re the owner of a travel pass. You’ll also need your passport when checking in for flights.

If you enter Switzerland or France from a non-Schengen country, extra procedures apply. We explain the entry procedures for Switzerland in our guide about Swiss visa and entry rules.

France-Switzerland travel: FAQ

  1. How far is France from Switzerland?

    Eastern France borders western Switzerland. How long you need to travel depends on your route. An example: the distance between Paris in France and Geneva is 410 km as the crow flies. It’s significantly longer from a western French city such as Bordeaux: about 545 km.

    The most popular travel routes between the main cities in France and Switzerland require 3 to 5 hours by train or plane. A car journey can be 1 to 2 hours longer, especially if you depart from or arrive in large cities with busy traffic.

  2. Is Paris near Switzerland?

    A single journey between Paris and some of the larger Swiss cities takes 3 to 4 hours. This means you can very well have both Paris and Switzerland in your itinerary.

    We do not recommend making a day trip from Switzerland to Paris or the other way around though. It’s possible, but you’d spend 6 to 8 hours traveling from cities such as Geneva and Basel. This would be even more if you’d travel from or to the Swiss Alps.

  3. What’s the cheapest way to travel between France and Switzerland?

    If you book early in advance, you can get train tickets from Paris to Basel or Geneva from CHF 30 to CHF 50. You won’t easily find a cheaper car, bus, or plane journey.

Other websites of interest

Schedules

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Annika
Page author: AnnikaSince early childhood I've been visiting Switzerland during my holidays and I just fell in love with the country. I spent many summers in the Bernese Oberland, which still feels like my second home, and then started to explore other areas. Traveling, hiking and photographing in the Swiss Alps are my absolute favorite activities.