4 day trip to Swiss for 2 families

  • Removed user
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    23 January 2017 at 10:28:38 #810644

    Hi,

    We are two family planning to travel to Swiss in May 2017

    1st family 2 Adult & 2 child age 16 & 12

    2nd Family 2 adult, 1 11 year old different able kid & 1 senior citizen

    we plan to travel from Paris on 15th May to Switzerland & leave for Italy,Flourance on 19th May .Request you to suggest the right rail pass & itinerary ,as per various website ,Interlaken & Zermatt looks attractive.

    Which option would be best by Air or train keeping in mind the differently able kid & cost.

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    Removed user
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    23 January 2017 at 16:30:58 #858363

    Hi Tonychacko and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    Its hard to recommend a Swiss rail pass before we know where you are planning on travelling to and how much travelling in Switzerland you are planning to do.

    Here’s some links to get you travel planning started!

    Getting started with planning
    Where to go in Switzerland
    What to do in Switzerland
    and of course how to choose the best rail pass (once you have decided what you want to do and see in Switzerland.

    You can read more here about Interlaken and Zermatt. Both have great scenic trips/activities that your whole family(s) can enjoy!

    Take a look at our information page on different options for travelling around Switzerland.
    I would suggest travelling by train if you have the time in order to see the scenery. It may be easier/quicker for you to fly into Zurich and then travel by train around Switzerland and on to Florence.

    I hope this helps get you started. Let me know if you have any other questions!

    Lucas

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    24 January 2017 at 5:31:56 #858364

    Thanks for the reply,

    we are planning to got to Interlaken & Zermatt.I am not able to figure out how to travel from Paris .Should I go to Zurich by Air and then go to Interlaken ,or taken a train from Paris to Interlaken.

    Should I make Interlaken as my bases and travel to Zermatt or stay 1 day at Zermatt and see surrounding areas.

    How t travel from Zermatt to Flourance as it looks like a long journey.

    Removed user
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    24 January 2017 at 8:47:09 #858365

    Hi Tonychacko,

    It is really up to you if you want to spend the time on a train or the price of a flight.

    Take a look at the Swiss rail timetable for options on trains from Paris to Interlaken. There are many trains every day to Switzerland. The quickest is Paris – Basel – Interlaken and is a little over 5 hours total (not bad!) the train I think is a simpler process for you and your families.

    Looking at the timetable link again if you now enter Zermatt to Florence it will show you options that take about 6 hours with often 2 connections (Brig and Milan). Note the Italian name for Florence is Firenze.
    Connection times are something to consider with your large group – usually 5 to 10 minutes is sufficient. You can plan around longer connections and/or tell the conductor on your train of your connection intentions so they can assist your family and your child.

    If the connections worry you take a look at our page for help flying into Switzerland (in this case into Zurich and then train to Interlaken). From Zermatt to Florence I think the train is the only option for you).

    Lucas

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    24 January 2017 at 9:28:06 #858366

    Hi Tonychacko –

    The forum moderators and i frequently recommend the train from Paris. A trip with no change of train from Paris gare-du-Nord takes between 3 hours 3 minutes and 3 hours 40 minutes to Zürich.

    If you take into account the time to travel to the airport in France, as well as the need to be at the airport well before flight time, you can see that the train is competitive on time, especially since you can arrive directly in Zürich main station. From there to Interlaken is on hour and 55 minutes .

    You can also make one change at Basel and catch a train to Interlaken Ost, taking 5 and a half hours with no other changes. That is faster than going through Zürich.

    If you travel from Zürich Airport to Interlaken, there are frequent trains, which go through and have one change at Bern. Some have a change at Zürich main station; some only require a change at Bern. That trip takes 2 hours 10 to 2 hours 20 minutes.

    I have gotten all of this information from the timetable:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

    Check it out. It is incredibly useful. Please read the instructions page. The timetable is full of useful information, but that is sometimes a few layers down in the menus.

    You can use the timetable to understand the other journeys, including the journey to Italy.

    Whether to stay at Zermatt or Interlaken is a matter of personal preference. Both are nice. Read about the cities and the Jungfrau region in the link I give below in this posting. Zermatt is smaller and more concentrated and is in the Alps. Interlaken tself is nt much of a scenic tourist destination. It is best as a gateway to the Jungfraui region with its scenic villages and wonderful scenery. The Jungfrau region is quite large, with more places to go at various altitudes, and Interlaken has good rail connections to the rest of Switzerland.

    Especially in late Winter or Spring, there are often clouds at the Jungfrau. The weather is unpredictable more than 24-48 hours in advance. It can change very quickly. Clouds and fog up top can ruin the views. However, it may be foggy at low levels and clear up above 2000 meters. the hotels and train stations and tourist information offices have up to the minute information.

    To improve your chances for good weather, it is usual to plan for a few days in the region, hoping for a clear day.

    Train time between Zermatt and Interlaken is about 2 hours and 20 minutes by the new, faster tunnel between Spiez and Visp.

    To Italy –

    From Zermatt, the route to Italy (Milano Centrale) is convenient. Go to Brig and catch a train the Simplon. From Interlaken, you can catch such a train earlier in its route by making the short trip to Spiez. From Luzern, there is good service over the Gotthard route. The new Gotthard Basis Tunnel has taken over an hour out of the journey across (or under) the Alps. The old, Gotthard Panorama route is still in use and is a wonderful rail journey.

    You are planning to visit high Alpine regions at low season. It is still the tail end of Winter, but the snow is not so good for skiing, and high trails as well as much mountain transport in the Jungfrau region only resumes service after the low season brake for maintenance ( and few travelers) on about May 25th. many but not all hotels nd restaurants are closed til late May or early June. Trails above 1500 or meters usually will be blocked by snow.

    The (expensive) cograil to the Jungfraujoch runs all year, every day. I think that the transport routes to Schilthorn are open in May…check the time table starting in Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg (or Interlaken). In mid-May, towns at lower altitudes, such as Luzern, are quite pleasant, Spring is well advanced.

    The weather depends on altitude.

    These links will be helpful, especially if you work down through sub-links on the main pages:

    For weather and time of year, and all about traveling, work from the two menus under this main link: http://www.myswissalps.com/ge ttingstarted

    For example:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ab outswitzerland/nature

    and:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit

    For information about Zermatt, Interlaken, Luzern, use this page to start:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo

    Look at the region Bernese Oberland and the cities by name. Scroll down under “Cities.” Many are listed with their own pages.

    Hope that helps. The timetable is a wonderful resource.

    Slowpoke

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