[zulfee2018]

25 December 2017 at 16:34:32 #813869

Dear Experts

Kindly give me a clue as to which pass would be better Swiss rail Pass or a Euro-rail 2 country pass? as I plan to reach Zurich from Delhi and again back from Zurich t Delhi for a 10 days trip.I will be travelling with my wife and my 2 kids.

My plans are to stay at Zurich,Interlaken, and Lucerne and Geneva for 2/3 nights each, and travel to each by rail.Which will be better in terms of distance between each of them? Will Paris be near to Zurich by rail? Is it possible to visit Heidelberg and black forest?

Please comment, and thanks in advance.

Merry Christmas

Zulfee

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[Peterli]

25 December 2017 at 18:41:54 #873207

Hello,

You asked «Will Paris be near to Zurich by rail?»

and also «Is it possible to visit Heidelberg and black forest?»

I attach a map showing Switzerland and part of France and Southern Germany. You can see that Paris is not really close to Zurich and that Heidelberg is off in another direction, to the north. If the main reason you want to go to Germany is to see the Black Forest, perhaps you might consider Freiburg, which is much closer to Zurich.

That being said, if you are planning on staying in the four Swiss cities you have mentioned for 2 to 3 days each, you are looking at a minimum of 8 days already, and you have stated that your trip is for 10 days. Are you sure you have time to fit in Paris and wherever you are thinking of going in Germany ?

I am not a scheduling or price comparison expert like some of those who contribute to this forum, but I am pretty sure that if you really do want to go to Paris, going there from Geneva is quicker. I just googled this: The quickest route is 3h05 minutes. The first train leaving Paris is at 07:23, the last at 20:11. There is an average of 37 trains a day between Paris and Geneva, leaving approximately every 17 minutes. The travel time from Paris to Geneva is just 3 hours and 5 minutes thanks to the high speed TGV Lyria. I did a similar search for Paris to Zurich and got this: The first train leaving Paris is at 06:23, the last at 18:15. There is an average of 19 trains a day between Paris and Zurich, leaving approximately every 46 minutes. From Paris to Zurich, the travel time is 4 hours approximately. High speed trains like the TGV and the TGV Lyria operate on this international route. So there are twice as many trains connecting Paris and Geneva than Paris to Zurich. I also suspect that more of them will be high-speed because of the main TGV line between Paris and the south of France, going via Lyon.

I hope this helps.

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[Removed user]

25 December 2017 at 19:02:46 #873208

Hi Zulfee,

We have an information page on how to choose the best rail pass here. It will help you do the math, which is the only way to know what the most economical option is for your specific plans.

If you have planned a lot of traveling in Switzerland then the Swiss Travel Pass is probably the best option for you. Like Peterli, I think it’s a stretch to fit in Paris, let alone Heidelberg and the Black Forest.

[zulfee2018]

26 December 2017 at 5:59:27 #873209

Hello

Thanks Peterli, and also thanks for getting the train timings.You have correctly said, it will be hectic for a 10 days tour. As am finding a difficulty in preparing my itenary, all I wanted to know which three places will be the best among them in Switzerland with an addition of Paris.

It seems from Zurich Freiburg is nearest, and from Geneva Paris.and it seems time to Paris from zurich is a the same as from Geneva.

As for Chantal suggestion, I have seen the advantages of the different passes, and it seems it is better to take the swiss rail pass and purchase a return rail ticket from Geneva to Paris.

Please correct me.

[Removed user]

26 December 2017 at 7:55:24 #873210

Hi zulfee,

Yes, the Swiss Travel Pass will be your best option.If you haven’t read yet about the validity of the pass, please check this page: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity and /or this thread: Swiss Travel Pass changes 2018.

The pass can be purchased here.