[Anonymous]

30 March 2022 at 7:56:07 #826745

Hi All

We’re planning to go to Paris from Venice via train through Switzerland around May 25 to 28. Can you give us some tips on where we can stop over in Switzerland and activities we can do there? First timers in Europe.

Thanks in advance!

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[User]

Reply 1 of 6 • 30 March 2022 at 12:12:34 #939934

Hi Marilou1128 and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Great that you are coming to Europe!

It is a bit difficult to recommend you anything as we do not know your preferences. Are you interested in nature or more in cities? Lakes or mountains?

If you are coming from Venezia to Paris, you could travel on panoramic trains, like the Bernina Express or the Gotthard Panorama Express. You could combine these with the Glacier Express. You can read about these here:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/gotthardpanoramaexpress
• http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress
• http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress

As you are going to travel a lot by train and through different counties, have a look at the Eurail Global Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass. It can save you a lot of money, depending on your itinerary.

Also as you are coming from Italy and going to France: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy and http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/france.

Let us know more about your preferences so we can help you more 🙂

Ildiko

[User]

Reply 2 of 6 • 30 March 2022 at 12:43:00 #939935

Thank you Ildiko for the swift response.

We’re thinking of stopping over in Lucerne from Venice, go around town on Day 1, take the Jungfraujoch Top of Europe Day Trip from Lucerne on Day 2, then proceed to Paris on Day 3.

Do you think this will work?

Thanks again!

[User]

Reply 3 of 6 • 30 March 2022 at 17:55:59 #939936

Yes, sure, you can do this. 🙂

Lucerne is a wonderful town, you can also visit mountain tops from there:

• Titlis: http://www.myswissalps.com/titlis/gettingthere
• Pilatus: http://www.myswissalps.com/pilatus
• Rigi: http://www.myswissalps.com/rigi
• Stanserhorn: http://www.myswissalps.com/stanserhorn

If you are going to Jungfraujoch, make sure to make a round trip, like going there via Lauterbrunnen and coming back via Grindelwald – so you can see even more.

You can stay at one accommodation in Lucerne or you can stay the first night in Lucerne then go to Interlaken for the 2. nigh t, so you can save some travel time but you need to change hotels. It is up to you.

On your way to Paris, you can travel from Lausanne via TGY Lyria (high-speed train). To get to Lausanne I recommend the Golden Pass route (Lucerne-Interlaken-Lausanne): http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass. Make sure to book TGV Lyria well in advance.

Ildiko

[User]

Reply 4 of 6 • 31 March 2022 at 23:18:07 #939937

I would vote ‘against’ Jungfraujoch. There is a significant body of opinion that considers it overpriced and overdeveloped, plus the train is inside the mountain a lot of the way up to the summit. I recommend Zermatt instead, it has the following advantages over the Jungfrau:

• take home pictures of an instantly recognisable iconic mountain (Matterhorn)
• get close up to Switzerland highest mountain Monte Rosa (at Gornergrat)
• get one of the most extensive mountain vista in the Alps (from Klein Matterhorn you can see almost to the mountains above Nice (France) on a clear day)
• stay in the open air (the majority of the Gornergrat railway and Matterhorn cable car are out in the open all the way

In my opinion (based on 60 years of knowledge) therefore based on the above an ‘efficient’ way of seeing a bit of Switzerland between Venezia and Paris would be to travel as follows:

Venezia – Milano Centrale (eg 08.00 – 10.15)

Milano Centrale – Visp (direct Eurocity train via Simplon Tunnel) (eg 11.20 – 13.25)

Visp – Zermatt (MGB train) (eg 13.41 – 14.51)

Zermatt activities (Gornergrat, Monte Rosa, Klein Matterhorn etc)

Zermatt – Visp (MGB)

Visp – Montreux (SBB CFF IR)

Montreux activities (lake geneva, Chateau Chillon, Rochers de Naye mountain railway, Freddie Mercury)

Montreux – Lausanne or Montreux – Geneve (SBB Interregio IR)

Lausanne or Geneve – Paris (TGV)

[Anna]

Reply 5 of 6 • 1 April 2022 at 19:23:16 #939938

Hi Marilou1128,

Another route that could work for you is to travel from Milan to Lucerne via Lugano. If you are interested in riding a panoramic train, you could opt for the Gotthard Panorama Express from Lugano to Lucerne. There are also regular fast trains that will get you to Lucerne faster.

Trains from Lucerne to Paris via Basel leaves every two hours. Be sure to use the SBB timetable to search for suitable connections and plan your journey.

Regards,

Anna

[User]

Reply 6 of 6 • 2 April 2022 at 23:50:14 #939939

thank you so much for all the inputs.

will take these into consideration in our itinerary!!