3 day trip to Switzerland from Paris
A traveler named sumanas77 is planning a short trip to Switzerland from Paris with their wife between August 12th and August 15th. They have limited budget and time, seeking advice on their itinerary, particularly whether to use the TELL-Pass or switch to a Swiss Travel Pass for their planned activities in Interlaken and Lucerne.
- Consider switching to a 4-day Swiss Travel Pass for better coverage on your trips and mountain rides.
- Explore alternative scenic routes like Schynige Platte near Interlaken and Rigi near Lucerne while using your Swiss Travel Pass.
- Plan your visit to Titlis for one morning; it’s best to start early to make the most of your day.
- Be aware that the TELL-Pass won’t cover some of your routes or mountain rides, so calculate your travel needs carefully.
AI-generated summary-
Hi Folks – Based on all the posts shared , i have decided my itinerary .
I am an Indian traveling to Paris with my wife . We decided to travel to Switzerland between Aug 12th and August 15.
I just have 3 days and with a limited budget and hence considering this , i have planned my itinerary . any inputs from you folks would definitely help me refine my trip plan.
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1) Book train ticket from Paris to Interlaken .. arriving Interlaken at 11:30 night ..
2) book hotel in interlaken
3) next day , purchase TELL-Pass in INterlaken for 3 days ..
4) site visit in Interlaken .. till evening
5) 5pm start to Lucerne.. show the tell pass .. no tickets needed
6) Stay in lucern .. book hotel
7) Visit Pilatus mountain .. no tickets needed as i have tell pass
8) Come back by evening and visit some places around in lucerne .. stay in hotel in lucerne
9) Next day early morning , start to Titlis .. come back to base by 1pm.
10) start to Basel. .book train ticket
11) Book train ticket to Paris from Basel .. return back to Paris by night.
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If i take Tell-pass , no other payment in mountain rides except the Ice flyer on titlis and the tobbogan run on Pilatus. This is what i found from the websites.
Lucerne : Pilatus, Titlis, Rigi or the Stanserhorn.
Interlaken : Jungfraujoch and the Schilthorn ( Can’t afford the mountain trips in Interlaken unfortunately )
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Hi sumanas77,
Thanks for sharing your plans here. Your itinerary looks realistic. But to be honest, I’m not sure if your pass choice make sense for your plans. The Tell Pass doesn’t include (mountain) trips made from Interlaken, nor will it cover your inbound trip Swiss border-Interlaken and (part of) your outbound trip Lucerne-Basel. You might be better off with one of these options:
- a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass, used wisely. You can look for mountain trips that are fully covered. Examples are Schynige Platte near Interlaken and Rigi near Lucerne. Boat trips are fully included too. Moreover, the Swiss legs of your inbound and outbound trips will be for free. Please refer to http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass for more information. The “Where it’s valid” section provides a downloadable validity map and a list of included/discounted attractions;
- a Swiss Half Fare Card, allowing for a 50% discount on all rides. You will have to buy additional discounted tickets for each journey though. All details can be found at http://www.myswissalps .com/swisshalffarecard
If you’re unsure, you’d best calculate your options in detail based on this guide: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass.
Hi –
Let me list my itinerary and give you reasons as to why i did them .
Friday 12th Aug ::::
– Catching a evening train from Paris . Departure 6:30 pm .. arrival 11:50 pm to Interlaken . ( Already booked – reason : My wife will be working on Friday and hence we won’t be able to travel earlier in the day. Also , if i start my journey on Saturday , i would lose half a day ) – I booked Paris to Interlaken cause this is the only direct train available. Considering the fact that , we both have very limited knowledge about Europe , i felt it is a safe bet . I would have booked ticket to Lucern had there been a direct train from Paris. Anyways, this booking is complete now )
– Since the train arrives at Interlaken midnight , i wasn’t sure about catching another late train to Lucern . Imagine me roaming around an unknown city in early morning to check-in to a hotel . Hence i booked a hotel yesterday , which is 400 meters from Interlaken Ost. I could walk to the hotel . Take good rest there. Have informed them that i would be arriving late at night and to make necessary arrangements.
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Saturday 13th Aug ::::
– In Interlaken , i haven’t decided my itinerary yet . I had read in a post earlier ,that a cable car ride to Gimmewald is scenic. But haven’t decided anything yet . Not interested in fast food places / souvenir shops. There are 2 lakes
on either side of Interlaken. I need your suggestions on what i could do from Saturday early morning until evening . ( Brienz, and from there to Ballenberg to the Open Air museum ) . I could consider this option. Jungfraujoch and the
Schilthorn are ruled out considering my budget and time constraint.
– Planning to take a noon train back to Lucern and resting there . I read that the train ride is blissful and memorable- Purchase TELL pass .. Hop on to the train and get down in Brienz .. spend one hour .. and then hop on to the train and land in Lungern.. spend one hour and again hop on to the train and reach lucerne.
– What will i benefit from this Tell Pass ? Is this better compared to a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass or a Swiss Half Fare Card ? Request your inputs on this )
– I will be staying in Lucern . Booking through AirBnB ( haven’t yet done , will be doing it today ) Booking for 2 nights.
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Sunday 14th August :::
– Pilatus / Titlis / Rigi / Stanserhorn. . I will make a visit to one of the mountains on Sunday .. Starting early morning . Maybe to start with Pilatus and return back by late afternoon. I need suggestions as to what next i could do
till late evening.
Saturday 15th August ::::
– On Monday morning , we will be traveling to another mountain peak , thinking about Titlis .. or anything else that you could suggest .. Returning back by noon 2 pm or so and then some other site visit .. Here too, i would need your suggestion on what i could cover.
– There are trains leaving to Basel every hour . I have a bus booking on FlixBus and the bus departs from Basel central station at 22:15 and arrives in Paris at 7 in the morning.
– So , i could consider departing Lucerne at around 6 pm in the evening towards Basel.
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– I am aware certain things aren’t planned well . But consider my budget travel with such a short notice , this is the best , i could come up with. Any suggestions from you to tune by trip is welcome. I would highly appreciate it.
– My budget for 2 is around 1600 Euros.
– Train from paris to Interlaken ( 260 ) , Stay in Interlaken ( 220 ) , Pass : Either of 3 day TELL pass / 4 day Swiss Travel Pass / a Swiss Half Fare Card ( Roughly 500 ) , Stay in Lucerne ( 270 ) , Train to Basel from Lucerne ( 66 ), FlixBus from Basel to Paris ( 60 ) . Total 1400 + Food
Hi sumanas77,
Since you have already purchased the ticket from Paris to Interlaken for day 1, a 3-day Swiss Travel Pass would be a good option for the remaining days. Then use it for the trips Annika suggested. You’ll have a great time without spending anything extra on tickets.
If you want to compare passes price wise, please see the last link Annika gave you. Our Interlaken and Lucerne pages provide further tips and suggestions.
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