First timer to Europe & Switzerland; Best options?

Hi There,

I am Pakistani citizen and will be visiting Belgium for training purpose in start of May from UAE, further after i am planning to visit Paris for three days and then a week in Switzerland.

I have never been to Europe before but still want to take this venture and make most of it in Switzerland.

Please guide me on following:

1. Best option for rail pass starting/ending to Belgium spanning Belgium/France / Switzerland.
2. Must have Switzerland mountain trains discounts / panoramic trains passes as well.
3. Which city to be made base in Switzerland in order to make most of it in Switzerland.
4. Hotel/Motel Options in Switzerland.
5. Estimated budget for the whole.
6. Any recommendation safety wise.

I would really appreciate your support as its such short notice.

Thanks

Hi Mountain777, thanks for joining us!

My advice is to start creating an itinerary first (question 3). Since you still have to do your bookings and you only have two weeks left I'd recommend to finalize your plan within the next few days. Once you have a fixed itinerary you can work on question 1, 2 and 4. To start exploring your options, please see "What to do" and "Where to go" in the main menu, and also myswissalps.com/ plantrip.

The budget depends on your itinerary and style of traveling and is very different from person to person. However, this recent thread might be helpful: myswissalps.com/ forum/topic/ swiss-franc-or-euro.

Switzerland is a very safe country, but if you're planning to go hiking or do any (extreme) sports there are obviously some guidelines. I'm not sure if that's what you meant? There are very easy hikes, more like walks really, so definitely include those!

I hope this gets you started!

HI Arno,

Thanks for the reply.

In order to make itinerary i must know answer to question 3 , as based on projected days my summary of itinerary is as follows:

Start from Belgium.

France Three Nights

Switzerland Four / Five Nights.

Probable exit from Belgium or Switzerland.

Guide me in Selecting best answer for question 3.

Regarding sports, since its my first time therefore not doing it this time but defiantly would love to see available options for next time.

Thanks once again.

Hi Mountain777 -

Here is start on #3.

You could use one base, or, at most , two bases.

For a base in Switzerland for four or five nights in May, Luzern (German spelling) should be your first choice.

Lots of variety near by, good transport connections. It is Spring. Up in the Alps, in contrast, you are at the tail end of winter.

www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

It is a bit early to really appreciate the Jungfrau region. It is between seasons- too late to ski, but still too much snow to hike, so many transport options and trails are not open. However, the expensive trip up to the Jungfraujoch runs all year, and the less expensive part of the trip (Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald would be very scenic as long as the weather is clear.

It is best to stay at least a couple of days in that region, for a better chance to have clear weather in the Spring.

Many places are reasonable day trips from Luzern....even the Jungfrau is possible, but that one is a very long day.

Slowpoke