2 days Switzerland out of our 7 day Europe trip

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16 October 2016 at 0:34:49 #810235

Could you please advise on my following itinerary for my following itinerary.

We are flying into London Heathrow from San F rancisco on the 25th noon. And planning to spend some time in Paris before going to back to US on Jan 1st morning. Was planning to spend 4 nights in Paris and 3 in London. But now would like to squeeze in 2 nights(25th and 26th) in Switzerland instead of Paris/London. Ideally would like to fly into Zurich/Geneva on 25th night around 7-8pm and spend the night near the airport and take train/tour bus/car next day to visit some Bollywood tour locations(which I believe in Interlaaken/Gstaad – is Golden train a good option) and stay somewhere in Switzerland on the 26th, and take a train to Paris to reach there by 27th night. Is that doable? Would you advise train or a rental car from Zurich/Geneva. At this point do not even know Zurich or Geneva is a better choice to fly in from London.(the flight charges are more or less same from London (about $70 dollars one way)

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Annika
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7116 posts

16 October 2016 at 7:53:57 #856571

Hi moonpoint, welcome to MySwissAlps.

To my personal taste it’s a bit of a hassle to fly in and out of Switzerland from London for such a short stay, but of course it can be done. If you still decide to spend some time in Paris, it might be easier to visit Switzerland from there, using the train to and from Geneva/Zurich rather than the airplane: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/france.

Apart from how to fit this in in the rest of your Europe plans: yes, the Golden Pass line would be a good idea. You could cross the country from Geneva to Zurich or the other way around, and spend the night in Montreux, Interlaken or Lucerne. If you have time and if weather cooperaties, try to make a side trip to one of the many gorgeous scenic attractions there. Please study the pages I linked to for ideas, and use the timetable to plan trips.

Just traveling by train is definitely the easiest mode of transport. Depending on your exact plans, do check rail passes. Either a Swiss Half Fare Card or a 3 day Swiss Travel Pass will work for your plans.

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21 October 2016 at 8:10:27 #856572

Thank you Annika,

I reworked my travel plans based on your suggestion, and made it a 3 day tour to Swiss.

here is the current plan. Is this doable/make sense? Want to see as much as possible in 3 days. The UN/Cultural Museums Geneva, the JungFrau Ride to the top, See Zurich city/Lucerne

Am a family of 4 (husband, wife, one freshman in college, one teenager)

Dec 27 – start from Paris in the morning by LGV fast train to Geneva – walk around the city as suggested by a blog http://www.gonewiththefamily. com/gone-with-the-family-adv/2013/02/one-day-in-geneva.html.

Should I stay over night in Geneva or take a train around night time to Lausanne/Montreaux.

Dec 28, next morning take a train to Jungfrau to reach there by noon at Interlake Ost, put the luggage and if the weather permits fo to the top and do some trails.

Stay overnight at Interlake OST.

Dec 29 morning: Head for Luzerne/Zurich and explore the city and sights along the way.

Dec 30 : take an early morning flight to London from Zurich.

Need some help to fine tune the plan. Should I get a 3 day pass, or point-to-point ticket.

One 13 year old, one 18 year old , and two above 40+ 🙂

Arno
Moderator

15483 posts

21 October 2016 at 10:41:56 #856573

Hi moonpoint,

I think it’s a good decision to travel by train from Paris. Your itinerary is quite full, but it can be done this way. I’d recommend an overnight stay in Montreux rather than in Geneva, as this will help you to reach the Jungfraujoch a bit quicker on December 28. Mind to make a back-up plan for December 28 in case weather isn’t good enough to visit the the Jungfraujoch (e.g. a visit to Thun or Bern, a boat trip over Lake Thun, etc.).

I recommend a 3 day Swiss Travel Pass for December 27-29. The adults both need a regular pass, the 18 year old can get the cheaper Youth Variant and the 13 year old will travel along for free on all trips if you order along the free Swiss Family Card. Please check myswissalps.com/swisst ravelpass/price for retailers. Getting print-at-home e-tickets from http://www.swissrailways.com/ en is recommended.

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