Spain or Switzerland?

Old Apr 8th, 2014, 12:54 AM
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Spain or Switzerland?

I am planning to take a 10 day vacation in early October with hubby. We are traveling from India and want to explore either Spain or Switzerland, and maybe try to club 2 days Paris in our itinerary.

Spain looks interesting, but our usual holidays are always beaches, so we thought if we could explore the hills this time with Swiss. We are not too much into historic places/ museums etc. but we do enjoy nice towns like Edinburgh.

Some factors -
1. Weather in October.
2. Is Switzerland much much more expensive than Spain?
3. Local travel - Is it easy and reasonable to hop different cities in either of these countries? I know we have good train network in Swiss, how about Spain?
4. Itinerary - what different variety of places and things we could fit in easily on the trip?
5. Is it better to book a package tour, including sight seeing etc.? We usually like to travel without that, but then if it saves time, money or effort; we can consider.
6. How easy is it to club Paris with either of these places?

We are really confused between the 2 countries. Any suggestions , tips and recommendations on planning would be helpful. Please also suggest what places we must not miss in your pick from the 2 countries. Thanks so much!
Happy travels to all!
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 01:19 AM
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1. The weather will be milder in Spain, especially in the South.

2. For the average traveler, Spain is significantly cheaper than Switzerland.

3. Spain's rail system is good.

4. I have no suggestions for you. I wills ay that there is more to Spain than beaches.

5. I am not a fan of package tours. If that's your cup of tea, I am sure someone can suggest an outfit for you.

6. Easy. Even easier if you fly in/out of Paris from India and then head to Spain or Switzerland from Paris (by plane).
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 01:30 AM
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Thanks for your reply! I am not a fan of package tours at all. Was just considering if it saves money or time. Since its a faraway land, we were thinking if its good to have a pre fixed schedule and travel planned. If it is convenient to explore the places on foot/ by train etc., we would like that more.

Thank you!
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 01:32 AM
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It doesn't really save money and it's questionable as to whether it saves time (unless your goal is to see as much as possible).
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 02:46 AM
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1. unpredictable. The dry summer season in Spain will be over. Swiss Alps: cloudless and sunny or heavy snowfall

2. yes

3. both train and bus networks are good. Additionally cheap domestic flights in Spain.

4. it's jup to you

5. package tours are seldom cheaper

6. as above. Train journey times:
Geneva - Paris: 3 hrs 10 min
Basle - Paris: 3 hrs 5 min
Barcelona - Paris: 6 hrs hrs 25 min
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 03:55 AM
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In Oct Spain will likely be much warmer than Switz - esp if you go to southern Spain, which IMHO is much the most fascinating due to the Moorish heritage. Oct is the end of the season in Switz - many resorts, cable cars etc close in Nov for rehab/updates before the super buy winter season.

Switz is WAY more expensive then Spain - for everything. (I come from NYC and there are a lot of prices in Switz that are breathtaking versus here.)

Train is doable in either place.

So apples and oranges.

Suggest you research the cities/towns/countryside you would visit - and look at average pricces for lodging food, etc.
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 04:14 AM
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They could not be two more different countries.

There is much more variety of topography and cities in Spain.

The people are polar opposites.

The food is much different.

Customs, religion, cultural traditions, and history are different.

It should be easy choice for you, once you know a bit more about each.
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 06:55 AM
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Both countries have 4 languages and 4 cultures.
Both have very different climate zones.
But Spain is WAY bigger.
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 08:17 AM
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And Spain is also very much mountain country; the Pyrenees in the North, Picos de Europa along the Atlantic coast, the inland Sierra Morena, Sierra Nevada in Andalucía etc. etc.

October in Andalucía in the South of Spain could be excellent: Usually great weather in the 70s-80s and the summer heat is gone, both mountains, hills and coast, great public transport system, MUCH more affordable than Switzerland and fabulous and quite different medium sized cities.

My suggestion for a ten day trip would be to fly into the major airport in the region in Málaga, stay a couple of days in Málaga city, then bus in 1h. 30 mins to Granada close to the Sierra Nevada mountains for a few days, and then bus or train for some 3 hours to Sevilla, the undisputable queen of the cities in the region, for the remaining days.

Málaga: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...-breaks-travel
Granada: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/granada.htm
Sevilla: http://www.exploreseville.com/

This video can give you an idea of the region: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-8BN-_RuYA
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 09:16 AM
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Thank you all so much for your reply. It seems all are voting for Spain.
Hubby was more interested in Spain always, although I was more inclined to Swiss, considering how hyped/ filmy it is. Since it's our first trip to Europe, wanted to make sure the best of it and to the best place! That's why the confusion between 2 very different places.
I will plan my itinerary on Spain and get back to you for your feedback and suggestions.
Thank you once again...
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 09:17 AM
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@kimhe -
Thanks for the detailed suggestions and links. I will go through these. Most likely, we will arrive in Barcelona and travel from thereon.
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 07:25 PM
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Please note that Spain has the INFLUENCE of more than four cultures. I assume the four you are referring to Castille, Galego, Basque and Catalan. But then there is the Moorish, Roman, Celtic, Jewish, Visigoths, Phoenician, and New World cultures. Add to that the flavor of the various regions and islands and it is quite complex.
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 09:43 PM
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I love both Switzerland and Spain.. they are so different from each other. As everyone says.. Switzerland is quite a bit more expensive.. but that alone would not deter me.. but going in October would deter me . In the cute little mountain towns October is a dead month.. lower elevation hikes ( the kind anyone can enjoy) are often closed due to poor weather by then.. but the ski hills are not open yet.. its very much between seasons.

Spain is such a large country you can certainly find many different climates and variety of influences .. With ten days I would likely stay in Spain.. but Paris is easy to connect to by planes .. there are cheap flights from most major airports( look at Easyjet or Vueling).. We flew from Barcelona to Paris in 1.5 hours and it cost us about 50 euros two summers ago. If you choose to visit Paris do be sure to arrange your airfare that you fly into one place , I will suggest Paris first for best chance of weather .. spend 3 days.. then fly to Spain. ( Barcelona or Madrid) then fly home from either city 7 days later.
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Old Apr 8th, 2014, 11:41 PM
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I loved both, and they are, indeed, quite different.

With 10 days in October, I would opt for Andalucia, largely because of the weather, but also because 10 days is, IMO, absolutely perfect for Andalucia: 4 days in Sevilla, 2 in Cordoba, 2 or 3 in Granada, and 1 in Ronda.

That said, you have some wonderful options from which to choose! The only bad choice would, IMO, be trying to fit too much into the time you have.
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