From France to Switzerland: details about all travel options 

Paris-Switzerland by train: the main routes to Basel, Zurich, Geneva, and Lausanne

You can reach Geneva and Basel in Switzerland in just over 3 hours from Paris. It’s just over 4 hours to Zurich. These are very comfortable direct connections with high-speed TGV Lyria trains. I recommend them over bus, car, or plane travel.

Which station in Paris to use

There are several train stations in Paris. The TGV Lyria trains to and from Switzerland all arrive at, and depart from, Gare de Lyon.

Gare du Nord is the largest train station in Paris. It serves as a hub for many other international connections. This is where the Eurostar trains to and from the UK arrive and depart. Thalys trains to and from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany use the Gare du Nord train station as well.

If you have to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, count on a 10-minute ride by RER (the urban trains in Paris).

Day trains between France and Switzerland: TGV Lyria

1. Paris Gare de Lyon to Basel

The high-speed TGV Lyria train offers direct services from Paris to and from the Swiss cities of Basel, Zurich, Geneva, and Lausanne.

There are about 6 direct trains per day, with a total travel time of 3h05 to 3h10. The trains pass Dijon and Mulhouse in France. They enter Switzerland just north of Basel, at the station of Basel St. Johann. The trains don’t stop there.

The TGV trains run close to the international Basel-Mulhouse Airport, but there’s no rail station there. Travel between the airport and Switzerland must be done by bus as explained here.

2. Paris Gare de Lyon to Zurich

You can board about 6 trains per day. The journey takes 4h05 to 4h10. These are the same TGV trains that get you to Basel. After Basel, they continue to Zurich.

3. Paris Gare de Lyon to Geneva

There are about 8 direct trains per day, with a travel time of 3h15. The route runs via Bourg-en-Bresse, Nurieux, and Bellegarde in France. The trains enter Switzerland at La Plaine, a bit south-west of Geneva. The train doesn’t stop there though.

4. Paris Gare de Lyon to Lausanne

You can choose from about 6 trains per day, with travel times from 3h45 to 4h05. There are two options:

1. You can catch a TGV train to Geneva and then head for Lausanne. In some cases, the train to Geneva continues to Lausanne, which means you can stay seated.
2. There’s a separate northern Paris-Lausanne route too: via Dijon and Mouchard in France, and Vallorbe in Switzerland just across the border.

2025 maintenance works between Paris and Switzerland

From 1 September to 5 December 2025, renovations take place north of Dijon. This results in fewer TGV trains between Paris and Basel-Zurich, and between Basel and Lausanne. TGV trains to Basel-Zurich may be diverted via Strasbourg, which adds travel time to your trip.

Consult the Swiss timetable for up-to-date connections.

What to expect on board the TGV Lyria trains

The trains offer 3 classes of travel: Standard (2nd class), Standard 1ÈRE (1st class), and Business 1ÈRE (spacious seats with catering to your seat and complimentary seats).

Night trains between France and Switzerland: not available

There are no overnight trains between France and Switzerland. Since the main train journeys between Paris and Swiss cities take no more than about 4 hours, you can easily complete your trip during the daytime.

Is the train from Paris to Switzerland scenic?

You won’t pass mountainous terrain on the train route between Paris and Basel. It’s a mostly rural area, and I think the ride isn’t especially scenic. The journey to Geneva has more appealing scenery.

Train rides to Switzerland from other French cities

Paris offers the best direct high-speed trains to Switzerland. But you can well reach Switzerland by train from other French towns too. Examples:

• Strasbourg to Basel: 1h20 (direct regional trains)
• Lyon to Geneva: 2h00 (direct regional trains)
• Marseille to Geneva: 4h00 to 4h35 (TGV and regional trains, mostly with a change in Lyon)
• Bordeaux to Basel or Geneva: 6h45 (TGV trains with a change in Paris or Strasbourg)
• Nice to Geneva: 7h10 to 7h40 (TGV or regional trains with changes in Marseille and Lyon)

Train rides from France to other Swiss destinations

You’ll first travel by train (mostly a high-speed TGV train) to one of the Swiss entry cities. You can then board another Swiss train to finish your trip. Unless you plan to stay in Basel, Geneva, Zurich, or Lausanne, you’ll have to change trains once or several times to reach your destination.

A few examples of approximate travel times:

• Paris to Montreux: 4h35 to 5h20 (with a change in Geneva or Lausanne)
• Paris to Interlaken: 5h40 to 6h40 (with 1 or more changes). Add an extra 40 minutes to continue to the mountain villages of Grindelwald and Wengen in the Jungfrau Region, and an extra 50 minutes to reach Mürren.
• Paris to Lucerne: 4h45 to 5h05 (with a change in Basel or Zurich)
• Paris to Zermatt: 6h55 to 7h30 (with changes in Geneva or Basel and in Visp. If you travel via Geneva, check my separate travel guide Geneva-Zermatt.)

How to plan your France-Switzerland journey in the timetable

The Swiss timetable for the TGV Lyria trains and connecting trains to your Swiss destination

The Swiss timetable helps you plan your international journeys between France and Switzerland. This is what to enter for the main French rail stations:

• “Paris Gare de Lyon” for the station from which the TGV Lyria trains to Switzerland leave
• “Paris-Nord” for the train station Gare du Nord from which many other international trains operate
• “Lyon Part Dieu” for the main rail station of Lyon
• “Bordeaux-St-Jean” for the main rail station of Bordeaux
• “Marseilles-Saint-Charles” for the main rail station Marseille

Our travel guides for Geneva, Basel, Zurich, and Lausanne

Please consult the below pages, on which I explain how to continue your journey in the Swiss cities serviced by the TGV:

• Geneva travel guide
• Basel travel guide
• Zurich travel guide
• Lausanne travel guide

The French timetable for trips between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon

If you’re looking for train or metro connections within Paris, you can best use the French timetables listed here. The Swiss timetable mostly does not contain such local urban trips in other countries.

Bus rides between France and Switzerland

International journeys by private bus companies

Getting from Paris to Switzerland by bus is possible too. A few commercial operators offer direct bus transfers, or journeys with just 1 change, from Paris to larger Swiss cities. Examples:

• Paris to Basel. Count on a 09h00 to 12h30 bus ride.
• Paris to Geneva. Journey times vary from 6h30 to 10h30.

Note that such buses don’t necessarily leave from the center of Paris or near one of the major rail stations.

Zurich is harder to reach by bus, although there are some connections to the nearby Zurich Airport.

Find commercial bus rides here.

Regional border-crossing buses

In addition, there are regional and local buses that arrange for transport between nearby French and Swiss towns and villages. An example is the bus from the airport in France to Basel. Likewise, there are frequent buses between Geneva and nearby French towns, such as Annemasse and the towns on the southern Fench shore of Lake Geneva.

These can all be found in the Swiss timetable.

Driving between France and Switzerland

If you plan to travel from France to Switzerland by car, note that you’ll need car vignettes Switzerland, and sometimes for France too. Also, reconsider whether you want to navigate in the busy city traffic of Paris and other larger cities.

Toll stickers required for France and Switzerland

You require a motorway vignette (“Autobahnvignette”) to use the Swiss highways and motorways. For several French urban regions, you require an environmental “Crit’Air” sticker as well. This concerns Paris, Lyon, and Marseille for example. Find more information through these websites.

Rental cars mostly include the vignettes or stickers required for the country you rent them in. But they don’t necessarily contain them for surrounding countries. So check what is and is not included in your rental car.

The main car routes from Paris to Switzerland

A car trip from Paris to Basel takes roughly 5h45, excluding breaks and possible delays. It’s 5h20 to 6h10 to Geneva. You’ll have to add additional travel time to reach your destination in Switzerland.

The main driving routes to Basel are:

1. over the A5, passing Vesoul, Belfort, and Mulhouse
2. over the A6 (south from the A5), passing Dijon, Belfort, and Mulhouse
3. over the A4/N4 (north from the A5), along Bar-le-Duc, Nancy, and Colmar

The main car routes to Geneva are:

1. over the A6, along Auxerre, Beaun, Mâcon, and Bourg-en-Bresse
2. over the A77/A40 (south from the A6), passing Moulins, Mâcon, and Bourg-en-Bresse
3. over the A5 (north from the A6), along Troyes, Chaumont, and Besançon

Find exact driving directions through our helpful links.

Flights between France and Switzerland

Traveling by plane between Paris and Zurich, Basel, or Geneva

There are direct flights from the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Swiss airports. Examples are:

• Paris Charles de Gaulle to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (BSL): a bit over 1h00 flight time
• Paris Charles de Gaulle to Geneva International Airport (GVA): about 1h10 flight time
• Paris Charles de Gaulle to Zurich Airport (ZRH): 1h15 to 1h20 flight time

There are no direct flights from Paris to the smaller airport of Bern that we know of.

Why I suggest you don’t fly between France and Switzerland

I advise against traveling by plane between Switzerland and France, especially if you travel to or from Paris. These are the reasons:

1. These short-distance flights have a relatively large CO2 footprint and are not environmentally friendly.
2. You’ll have to add the time required for check-in and check-out procedures, and for traveling between the town centers and the airports. This results in a total estimated travel time of about 3h10 to 3h30 between Paris and the Swiss cities mentioned. This is no time saving, or only a very minimal one, compared to the TGV Lyria trains.
3. The direct TGV Lyria trains from Paris and other French cities are quick and comfortable alternatives. You can just board and get off in the centers of the towns, without check-in procedures.

France to Switzerland border crossing regulations

Switzerland and France both belong to the Schengen area. Passport checks for travelers crossing international borders within this area are rare, although they can occur.

However, your passport can be checked at all times within both countries. For example: train staff may want to check your ID to see if you’re the owner of a travel pass. You’ll also need your passport when checking in for flights.

If you enter Switzerland or France from a non-Schengen country, extra procedures apply. We explain the entry procedures for Switzerland in my guide about Swiss visa and entry rules.

France-Switzerland travel: FAQ