I will be traveling through Europe for 10.5 weeks this fall with 2 kids, 8 and 10. We are spending 2 weeks in England, 1 week in Belgium, 3 weeks in France, and 3 weeks in Italy. I have a few days between France and Italy to visit Switzerland. I do not have my itinerary nailed down in Italy yet so I could conceivably spend more time in Switzerland but have only planned a few days because of the expense. Can anyone give advice on what to see/do in Switzerland for just a few days? I am planning to return my rental car in France and travel by train in Italy so I am flexible as to where to start and end this portion of our trip. My rough plan up until now has been to travel to Zermatt and back (from either Geneva or Milan depending where I end the France portion of our trip) and staying 1 or 2 nights. However, I have recently wondered whether I should just plan a few days of train travel through the country for some relaxed sight seeing. Could we get a sleeper car and just travel around the country for a few days? What other suggestions do experienced Swiss travelers have for us? The timeframe for this portion of the trip is mid-November.
3 (or more?) days in Switzerland with kids
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Hi J,
> have only planned a few days because of the expense. .... Could we get a sleeper car and just travel around the country for a few days?<
A sleeper car on a train would be cheaper than a hotel room?
Why not make life easier for yourself and add a couple of nights to France and/or Italy?
Hi jenninwv,
Trains these days are so fast, and Switzerland is so small, that there are no sleeper trains for travel within the country, nor from France/Italy.
Most folks travel to Switzerland to see the high Alps. Lake Geneva is very pretty and appealing, but it more resembles the French Riviera than the typical Swiss chalet-style village.
So, would you want to see the high Alps? From Paris, you could take the train to Basel (3 hours) and then go to the Jungfrau region, or you could take the train to Geneva or Lausanne and go to Zermatt or Brig. I would suggest you stay in one place and enjoy the mountains, and then continue on your way to Italy.
More information at
www.myjungfrau.ch
www.zermatt.ch
Have fun as you plan!
s
Thanks swandav2000. From Paris, I will be heading to Normandy then Dordogne then either Geneva or Nice to return my car at a border. Based on your info, I think I might stick with my original plan to go in and out to Zermatt and spend a night or two there. Hopefully that will give us enough scenery without being too hectic. Thanks.