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This is our first trip to Europe. My husband and I will travel from France – Switzerland in early March. We will spend 6 days 5 nights in switzerland:
Day 1 – 2: In Paris
Day3: Paris – Lausanne. Stay in Lausanne ( anything to do in Lausanne. Feel free to recommend!) If there is nothing much, then I do not mind travel to Zermatt straight for an overnight there. Please advise.
Day 4: Lausanne- Zermatt – thinking of visiting Mont Blanc and Matterhorn. Can both be done in 1 day? or have to be one day each? If cannot, then I am okay to do just Matterhorn
Day 5: Zermatt- > Interlaken – Jungfrau. Stay overnight at Interlaken
Day 6: Interlaken – Lucern. Mt Titllis
Day 7: Lucern – Zurich (Rhine Falls)
Day 8: Fly off at Zurich airport back to Singapore
We would like to have your advice to the below issues:
1. is the itinerary even feasible? Or better to keep the stay to 2 locations instead of changing everyday? Again, feel free to help me make adjustment 🙂
2. Can we use the Eurail Select Pass for all the above itinerary? By choosing France and Switzerland so that it will cover my train ride from Paris to Lausanne? However, this Eurail select pass will not be useful when it comes to boat ride or bus ride in Switzerland if I didn’t read wrongly that it didn’t cover bus/boat ride.
3. Or is it better to get an individual ticket from Paris to Lausanne or Zermatt via TGV Lyria, then start using a 8 day consecutive Swiss travel Pass to enjoy the benefits of all buses, trains and boats rides. However, I’ve problem trying to find passholder fare from Paris to Lausanne at any website.
I am highly appreciative to your help. Many thanks
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Hi Fionlim and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
1. Yes but you would be better with less hotel swaps. Paris to Lausanne is around 4 hours and another 3 or so to Zermatt. Montreux is nicer then Lausanne but I’d recommend 2 nights in Zermatt so probably means travelling through, 2 in Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen or Wengen and 2 in Lucerne. You can easily drop the Rhine Falls. What time do you depart Zurich on day 8? That will impact feasibility of last night in Lucerne versus Zurich.
2. If Paris to Lausanne is your only major French train ride then you are probably better with a Swiss Travel Pass. Eurail only covers trains, Lake Thun (vary limited service in March) and 50% off Lake Lucerne. Lower discounts when you get into the mountains.
3. Before you can know for sure which pass suits your travel plans you need to do the sums based on the cost of all your planned trips on trains, boats, cable cars etc. You can use the Swiss Train Timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable) to work out the fares for any trip. When you go to buy a ticket the fare you see on the right hand side of the page will normally be the half-fare price. Double it to get full fare. With A Swiss Travel Pass it is free provided it is shown as free on the Area of Validity map ( PDF downloadable from http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity).
You should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass).
You can use the Swiss Timetable link above to find fares for Paris to Lausanne. When asked to put in reductions for Switzerland (see attached) GA is equivalent of Swiss Travel Pass, Half-fare equivalent to Swiss Half-fare Card.
Attachments:Dear Rockoyster,
I will travel all the way to Zermatt then. So it is from Paris to Lausanne, ( I will buy the individual ticket) then continue to VISP to Zermatt. (This leg will be covered if I get swiss pass right? Can I get that ticket at Lausanne’s counter to VISP to Zermatt on the day itself? Is it so popular that it will be sold out?
my flight on the day 8 is at 7.05pm, so i do have the whole morning to explore zurich i guess.
Hi Fionlim,
If you buy the Swiss Travel Pass then you only need to buy a ticket from Paris to the Swiss border town. This would either be Basel or Geneva depending on the train you travel on. Once you are in those towns your Swiss Travel Pass covers the rest of the route.
You also don’t need to buy tickets with the Swiss Travel Pass (just hop on the train you want and and go).
Use Rockoyster’s link on his last post for the PDF map to see what is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.Happy travels
If travelling from Paris to Lausanne there is a direct train with a border crossing at Vallorbe, the fastest route to Zermatt though appears to via Basel not Lausanne.
You can easily go to Rhine Falls on 8th and see a bit of Zurich. Just leave you luggage at Zurich station.
As Lucas points out once you cross the Swiss border, whichever way you come, the Swiss Travel Pass is all you need.
From Zermatt to Interlaken consider going via Kandersteg. You will then travel on the Regio-Express Lötschberger train over the traditional, more than 100 year old mountain route, giving you a wonderful view along the impressive peaks and down into the Rhone Valley. It takes about 1 hour longer than the more direct route which spends some time in the Lötschberg-Base Tunnel.
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