Venice to Paris with 3 days in Switzerland – easiest and scenic route
JoC is planning a 3-day trip to Switzerland for their parents in June, with a focus on easy travel from Venice to Paris. They are considering Lucerne and Zermatt but need help deciding the best itinerary that includes scenic views, a lake boat trip, and mountain excursions.
- Stick to the direct route from Venice to Paris with a stop in Montreux for beautiful views and activities.
- Consider staying in Lucerne instead, which offers lake boats and mountain excursions like Grindelwald, along with easy train connections.
- The Swiss Travel Pass is useful for free boat rides and discounts on mountain excursions in the Lucerne area.
- When traveling from Lucerne to Venice, plan for approximately seven hours, or consider a scenic route for a more enjoyable journey.
AI-generated summary-
What would be your perfect suggestion for ease of travel between Venice to Paris (not making it too far from main faster routes for transit) if you were planning 3 days Switzerland in June for your parents.
I have been researching but also at the end of planning a 6 week trip. All my other destinations are sorted and this last 3 days of the itinerary my brains overloaded, lol.
It will be June -I liked the looks of Lucerne Old Bridge area and Zermatt, Matterhorn but are not a must if there’s a better option. Also like the idea of a lake boat trip with views and cable car/train to the top of a Mountain
This is for my parents and they won’t get the opportunity to go again. I am following all your other suggestions and links and researching from other posts so probably don’t need those. (I have read the 3 day glacier express itinerary, but wonder if that’s too much travel with the added travel between Venice and Paris before and after)
Really appreciate your guidance
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Hi JoC, and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Routes with the most beauty would mean leaving the most direct, faster route between Venice and Paris, and increasing the number of transfers. You don’t say how old your parents are, and whether they have any physical limitations. However, regardless of that, given the very limited time available, my suggestion would be to stick to the direct route, i.e. Venice – Milano – Domodossola – Geneva – Paris. If you chose this route, I would recommend Montreux for the 3-day stopover. It is a town on the direct route between Domodossola and Geneva.
Whilst this route may not be the most beautiful in Switzerland, it does offer natural beauty in abundance between Brig and Geneva at least; and Montreux as a stopover also offers everything on your wishlist for activities.
I’m not familiar with the scenery en route from Venice to Brig or from Geneva to Paris, but from Brig the train travels through the wide Rhone Valley, with views of mountains and vineyards. Best views are from the left-hand side of the train. Once the train reaches Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), it travels right alongside the lake, so you have truly lovely lake views across to the mountains in France on the other side of the lake, and very early on, before reaching Montreux station, it also passes the iconic Chillon Castle right on the lakeside. Between roughly Vevey and Lutry, the train travels past the steep hillsides of the beautiful Lavaux Terrace vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
As for Montreux, the activities available there include a trip on one of the lake boats, a cogwheel train up the mountain to Rochers-de-Naye for superb views, and even a day trip to Zermatt to view the Matterhorn from the Gornergrat, all of which are on your wishlist.
Here are some links with further information about Montreux and the activities on your wishlist:
https://www.myswissalps.com/town/montreux/
https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-geneva/
https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rochers-de-naye/
https://www.myswissalps.com/town/zermatt/
https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/gornergrat/
I hope this helps!
Alpenrose
Hi JoC and Alpenrose
Had I been writing this time yesterday I would have agreed with absolutely everything Alpenrose says. I would have simply added that I HAVE travelled on the Milan-Domodossola-Brig line and that line at its northern end is very scenic, and that you should sit on the right hand side of the train for views over Lake Maggiore!
However, while researching my own Swiss trip next April, I spotted that there are in 2025 (just as there were/are in 2024) problems with the Italian section of the SIMPLON line between Milan and Domodossola. I have endeavoured to summarize those problems in the thread I have just posted under the title ‘The Simplon Route to/from Italy in 2025’. The section relevant to JoC is headed ‘There are going to be problems in 2025’. Read everything below that heading until you get to the discussion about Milan airports.
The point for JoC is that the SIMPLON Line on its Italian section is partially closed from June 1st to June 6th, and completely closed from June 7th. I must, very reluctantly, advise against Alpenrose’s Montreux plan
Lucerne not Montreux
Take an italian high-speed train from Venice to Milano Centrale. These are frequent, and take about two-and-a-half hours. From Milan take a Eurocity train heading north along the GOTTHARD line. These trains run every two hours and will (usually) be heading for Zurich. For Lucerne you change at ARTH-GOLDAU (a short level walk – no need to go through the subway). The Zurich to Lucerne journey takes a bit over three hours. Stay three days in Lucerne (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lucerne/).
Lucerne is a lovely city. There are lake boats and numerous mountain excursions. It might be even worthwhile to buy a four (or six) day Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/). That gives free travel on all Swiss public transport. The STP normally only gives discounts on lines ‘up mountains’, but in the Lucerne area there are several mountain lines which are free with the STP. The boats are free with the STP.
Lucerne to Paris. Catch an ordinary fast Swiss train from Lucerne to Basel. These are twice an hour and take about 75 minutes. From Basel take a TGV (French High-Speed-Train) to Paris. There are six trains a day, and they take just over three hours. Reservation is compulsory.
Travel options to France: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/france-switzerland/
JoC If you want further detailed advice about either the the Gotthard route or the Lucerne area, please feel free to ask!
JoC Best wishes with your planning.
Roger
Hi
There is one small error in my reply 2. In the first paragraph under the heading ‘Lucerne not Montreux’, there is a mistake in the last sentence. Delete the reference to Zurich in the last sentence and insert ‘Milan’.
My apologies for this error. I was this morning typing a lot of things in a desperate hurry!
Best wishes
Roger
Thankyou so much, I really appreciate all the info!
I’ve tweaked the whole itinerary and now put Switzerland towards the startSo looking at arriving in Zurich by plane from Ireland but will head straight to Lucern. My parents don’t like big cities.
Will have three full days, thinking Lucern and surrounds, and day trip to Grindelwald area, and mountain peaks
then on the fourth will do the itinerary to Venice as suggested (in the opposite direction)
Does that sound like a good plan for 3 full days plus one day of travel after.
Thankyou very much
Hello JoC
Wow! This new plan with Switzerland near the beginning is VERY GOOD.
Hear are some additional points
Swiss Travel Pass If you are going to do a lot of travelling in Switzerland, it MAY be economical to get an STP. Note that on the journey into Italy, the STP would only be valid as far as the frontier station of Chiasso.
Zurich Airport to Lucerne In 2025 there will be very regular through trains from Zurich Airport to Lucerne. The journey time is only about seventy minutes.
Grindelwald. The Luzern-Interlaken express runs hourly to Interlaken Ost; the journey takes one hour and fifty minutes. The connecting trains from Interlaken to Grindelwald (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/grindelwald/) take about 35 minutes.
Other Trips Boat ride (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-lucerne/) on the lake; Rigi (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/), and Stanserhorn (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/stanserhorn/) mountains. These three rides are FREE with the Swiss Travel Pass. (The STP gives a 50% discount on Pilatus and Titlis.)
Lucerne to Venice The UNscenic direct route via the Gotthard BASE tunnel and Milan by Eurocity and/or Intercity trains will take about seven hours, with a bit under six hours actually on trains.
There is an INdiect but VERY SCENIC route from Lucerne to Milan. Taking this route would mean a total journey time from Lucerne to Venice of about nine hours, with about seven-and-a-half hours actually on trains. Does this interest you? (Only two changes of train, both of them ‘on the level’.)
Travel and ticket options to Italy:
Any follow up questions? If you want to know more about this scenic route, or have any other questions, it would help if you told us the date(s) you are travelling on.
Very best wishes with your planning
Roger
Hi JoC,
Sound advice from Alpenrose and Roger.
Once your travel plans are more or less set, then start to look into a rail pass for your trip, if you have not done so already. The Swiss Travel Pass that has been mentioned is very practical and convenient for your Swiss plans. (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/) and as Roger mentions, this would take you as far as the Swiss/Italian border. Thereon, you’d need tickets to Venice.
Some options can be found here:
If you wanted to be sure of the best rail pass for your trip, when you have a moment, take a look at our “How to choose a rail pass” guide. There is a downloadable spreadsheet that you can use to carry out the maths, thereon the best pass is displayed. Here’s the link:
As you live in Europe, it could be that the Interrail Pass would be suitable (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/interrail-switzerland-pass/).
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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