Wengen to Paris by train

Old Feb 7th, 2014, 08:55 AM
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Wengen to Paris by train

I am in the initial stages of planning an anniversary trip in the fall and am trying to decide which of the following is a better plan:

Fly in from LA to Zurich and train to wengen and then train to Paris later in the week.

Fly in from LA to Paris and train to Wengen.

Any help is appreciated in trying to decide.
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Old Feb 7th, 2014, 09:03 AM
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Go to bahn.de - it has train schedules for all of europe and you can easily look for your options.
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Old Feb 7th, 2014, 09:38 AM
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check TGV trains from Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, Geneva or Basel to Paris - different routes with different fares - limited numbers of discounted fares exist so take whichever is cheapest then use Swiss domestic trains to connect - Bern would be the closest to Wengen.

Wengen is reached by train from Interlaken-Ost train station - take the train first to Lauterbrunnen from Interlaken then change to the tinier train to Wengen - about an hour or less from Interlaken.

Interlaken to Bern is just about 30 minutes with trains all the time.

Thus you only need to book in advance, for a discount Bern to Paris (or other Swiss TGV-served station if prices are better. Check www.sbb.ch for possible trains or if coming from Paris to Switzerland check the French Railways site www.voyges-sncf.com or www.capitainetrain.com - for lots of great info on European trains check these superb IMo sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. If staying several days in Wengen check out the Jungfraubahn pass covering many trains and cable cars in the area.
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Old Feb 7th, 2014, 10:02 AM
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Thanks PalenQ . I will look at the schedules . Most of them don't let you see the timings so far in advance since I am looking at late September.
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Old Feb 7th, 2014, 02:12 PM
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But the timings rarely change that much - a few minutes or a new train but generally they will be pretty much the same - winter schedules do not come in until early December usually and then on trains like those again not much will change.
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Old Feb 8th, 2014, 12:11 PM
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http://www.idtgv.com/en

not sure if they sell tickets on TGVs to Swiss but check it out - kind of a discounted whole special TGV cars
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Old Feb 10th, 2014, 12:57 PM
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If traveling around Switzerland much again look at a Swiss Pass then get the cheapest TGV into Switzerland and let your pass pick up to Wengen - gives ultimate flexibility in that regard - though a TGV direct to Bern will save time. See www.swisstravelsystem.com for lots on Swiss trains and passes and things like the Half-Fare Card, Swiss Card or Swiss Transfer ticket, any of which could save you money depending on how much you travel around in Switzerland.
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Old Feb 10th, 2014, 07:13 PM
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I took the train from Paris to Wengen (and back) a few years ago. It required several changes of train (I think 6) but the travel was beautiful and their were no long waits between trains. I used Budget Europe Travel (see link above in PalenQs post) to help me decide the best way to purchase our ticket (passes,etc) and I found them to be very helpful. I was traveling with a child and so trying to choose the best fare was a little complicated (her travel was free in Switzerland on some of the trains) - I was very glad for the help.
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Old Feb 12th, 2014, 08:54 AM
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Linnalan and palenq thanks for your input. I think we are going to skip paris and fly to London since two nights in Paris will not be nearly enough to see much.
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Old Feb 12th, 2014, 02:11 PM
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Yes a swell idea s only two days in Paris will make it very hard to chose which of many musts you must see - some towns the overall looks is the attraction and a few days is enough but Paris has so so many famous monuments and museums and even Versailles so it can be frustrating only reaching the tip of the iceberg!
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Old Feb 14th, 2014, 10:05 AM
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When going to Wengen from Interlaken-Ost be sure you get on the right part of the train that goes to Lauterbrunnen as part of the train goes to Grindelwald and splits half way up with one part trundling up the Grindelwald Valley and the other the Lauterbrunnen Valley - train cars are marked as to their destinations on the outside of the cars yet inevitably when I take this train there are flummoxed folks told by the conductor to scoot off the train at Zweilutschenen (sp?) where it splits and get to the right half - at times most if not all seats are full so some have to stand the last part so be careful when boarding the mountain train at Interlaken-Ost. At Lauterbrunnen you will usually find the tinier train (more narow gauged tracks) right opposite the train arriving from Interlaken.
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Old Feb 15th, 2014, 02:32 AM
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My Swiss friends always take trains to Basel from wherever they are to pick up the TGV to Paris. They get much cheaper rates from the SNCF site than they could get in Switzerland. (Basel counts as both a Swiss and French station.)
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