bmmorse1

We will be traveling to Paris,Italy,and Switzerland in September this year. We will land in Paris on the 3rd of September. We are looking at a flight to Venice and from Venice we want to go to Zermatt and possibly Jungfraujoch area if time permits..we need to be in Uznach for a family reunion on the night of the 9th. What is the best way to get to Zermatt from Venice?..And onto Uznach?

Edward2005

The Swiss rail site (www.sbb.ch) shows a 9:37 departure from Zermatt arriving in Uznach at 14:09.

Your itinerary is pretty busy. Consider doing either the Jungfrau region OR Zermatt, but not both. Most people prefer the Jungfrau region because it is just as beautiful and there is more to do in the area in the event the weather is poor.

janisj

You essentially have 5 free days before you need to be in Uznach. That really isn't enough time for Paris, Venice and a couple of places in Switzerland.

traveller1959

The train connection from Venice to Zermatt takes about 7 hours with 2 changes of trains. To Interlaken (Jungfrau) it is about the same.

But janisj is right - not enough time for so many destinations.

And never count on good weather in the Alps.

bmmorse1

Thank you for input. We are now looking at going from Paris to Zermatt for a couple of days then back to Zurich and taking a day trip to Jungfraujoch and then to Uznach. Those are 2 Regions that my mother really wants to see and as it is her 90th birthday in Sept. We are going to make sure she gets to see them. My daughters and myself will then fly from Zurich to Venice for a night and meet up with my mother and brother and his wife in Paris on the 13th. We will fly from Venice to Paris as that is only 1 1/2 hours.

Sassafrass

Don't forget to allow time to get from your hotel in Venice to the airport, through check in, etc. then from the airport in Paris to your hotel there. All that, including flight, will actually take about 4 hours or more. It is still the best choice, but it is better to estimate total travel time.

Don't know your actual schedule, time wise, but hope you have some daylight hours in Venice.

bmmorse1

Thank you for the airport time was wondering how long to allow for that. We will leave time for daylight in Venice.

PalenQ

We will fly from Venice to Paris as that is only 1 1/2 hours.>

For something different there is an overnight train rolling between Venice and Paris - save daytime time even over flying and the cost of a night in a hotel - flying may be only 1.5 hours but it could take as long as 3-4 hours now to go thru security on each end, get bags, etc.

for lots on European trains and overnight trains (which could be a neat time with a private compartment and you can bring on board any food or drink you want) check www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com. Book at www.thello.com and look for discounted tickets if booking far enough in advance.

swandav2000

Hi bmmorse1,

The "day trip" from Zürich to the Jungfraujoch takes 4h20 of travel in each direction -- do you really want to put your 90-year-old mother through 9h of train travel in one day?? I've found that anything more than 2h of travel in each direction gives diminishing joy -- all that sticks are the interminable hours inside that closed-up, moving box.

There are so many wonderful, mountainous regions that are much closer to Zürich. Would it be possible to start showing your mom those nearer mountains and to get her equally excited about them?? Places to start might be:

Rigi
Titlis
Pilatus

Also, after a few days in Zermatt, she may not be that excited to see the Jungfraujoch.

Anyway -- have fun as you plan!

s

PalenQ

Better to stay the night in Interlaken and take the Jungfraujoch trains from there and also see something else.

bmmorse1

Thank you for your suggestions on the mountains closer to Zurich,but her parents are from Schmerikon. And her mother always mentioned the Jungfraujoch area and how much she loved it and the Matterhorn is one mountain she wants to see.As this is a trip for her as she will not be going again we are going to these 2 places for her. She gets around quite well for 90 years old. And we will be resting as needed. Wish that we had more time but will do what we can in the time allotted. My daughters can always go back later to see what they missed. This is just a great opportunity to go with grandma.

swandav2000

Hi again,

If she MUST go to Zermatt and to the Jungfrau area, then I would strongly suggest an overnight or two at each place. I just think the 9h in a closed-up, moving box will not be pleasant for her.

s

bmmorse1

We are staying in Zermatt for 2 nights and Jungfraujoch area for 1 night will be taking train later in afternoon on the 9th to reach Schmerikon in evening.

Now that we have dates and where we will be staying can anyone tell me if it is possible to purchase the train ticket from Venice to Zermatt when we are there? Or if we need to purchase a 2 or 3 country train pass? As we will be traveling by train from Zurich back to Paris. We will also be taking the train from Zermatt to Wengen and Wengen to Zurich and Zurich to Schmerikon. But that is the extent of the train. Thank you for any help with the train passes. Barb

swandav2000

Hi again,

Oh, I think that would be more enjoyable for your mom -- and great kuddos to you for providing the support and the trip for her!!

Yes, you can buy the train ticket Venice - Zermatt when you are in Italy, but remember that discounted fares may be sold out. You would then have to pay the full walk-up fare. You may want to play around with the websites to see what the fares are for 90 days from now vs. the fares for tomorrow, and see if it makes sense to buy them in advance. Sites for buying the tickets:

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

https://www.italiarail.com/

I just did a quick lookup, and the fares for Venice - Zürich for 7 April are $135, and for 1 June are $112. Not sure if that would be a significant savings for you.

For the Zürich - Paris trip, use either the Swiss rail site or the French one:

Swiss www.sbb.ch
French www.voyages-sncf.fr or www.captaintrain.com/en

The fares from Zürich - Paris for 7 April are 89€ or 113€, and the fares for 1 June are 49€.

For trains within Switzerland, there are no discounted advance-purchase fares, so you can buy on the spot.

Have fun!

s

PalenQ

Thank you for any help with the train passes>

the only pass you should consider is a one-country pass - the Swiss Pass - not a 2- or 3-country pass as that means a Eurailpass and that is not valid on many lines you will be taking in the BO or up to Zermatt and back (25% on some BO lines however) and costs more than a Swiss Pass per day. Swiss Pass or no pass IMO. Or maybe Half-Fare Card and buy regular tickets - especially if you can get a discounted fare Venice all the way to Zermatt - otherwise book to Domodossola then use your Swiss Pass from there - fully valid to Zermatt and Saas-Fe buses too.

bmmorse1

Thank you for your suggestions on the train. I will check into the different options.