Before I travel back to the US I have about 48 hours to spend before my flight out of Paris. I am contemplating a visit to either Baden/Black Forest area or Lyon. I feel like the former would give me the opportunity to check out a spa or thermal baths and maybe a brief view of the black forest and decent food. Lyon offers exceptional food and some culture. Does anyone have any strong opinions one way or the other? Has anyone been to both places?

If the 48 hours include the travel between Paris and your destination, I would choose Lyon.

It does include trip from Lyon or Baden, but train times look like Baden is like 3hr and Lyon 2hr, no? I guess I am looking for more info on Lyon beyond just there being good food there. It seems like a regular modern city on the surface, is there a good amount of old charm or certain historical districts to walk around? Etc

Baden-Baden is a fairly modern spa town with a famous old casino where rich and famous once gathered in Victorian days and yes there are thermal establishments and a real campus-like setting. But it is rather far from the Black Forest proper. I might twin Strasbourg for a base and Baden-Baden as am easy day trip from there. Strasbourg is all in all as neat a large city as Lyon and has a famous cathedral.

Lyon is a fairly modern large city but does have a neat old town area with famous troubles - alley ways to explore and narrow lanes and of course famous for garonomy.

Flip a coin but I would do Strasbourg and Baden-Baden. With a day in Baden-Baden you really have no time to do justice to then Black Forest..

Anyway book trains weeks in advance for either to get deep discounts over full fare - www.voyages-sncf.com lets you book your own tickets to either destination. For lots on trains and booking your own tickets cehck www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

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Why not simply Google both towns and see what information comes up?

This is great info and just what I am looking for!

So I will save Black forest for another trip, would the fact that I am going in May make a difference in where to go? I'd like to see Strasbourg for the Christmas market at some point so maybe I try Lyon this time and Strasbourg/Baden around Christmastime for another trip? In any case thank you "PalenQ" for the info! Would love to hear more responses!

I haven't been to Baden Baden so can't compare but I know I wouldn't go there as I have zero interest in casinos and spa towns. But you are right, you can get there in only about an hour more by train than Lyon, it's not that big a deal in terms of that time, you just have to transfer once so there is that. But if the main goal is the black forest, I think Palenq has good advice.

Lyon has enough to see in a couple days for sure, in terms of "culture". Numerous museums of various kinds, the cathedral, that funicular and hill, old town, etc. Last time I was there, there was all kinds of construction around the Hotel de Ville which kind of ruined that atmosphere, though (and the famous Bartholdi fountain was covered). That was in Jul though so I'd check to see if that is done.

If you wanted to do Black Forest I'd take train to Freiburg and do excursions by train into the depths of the Black Forest - which is nice but IMO a bit over-hyped - I'd do Lyon and Strabourg-Baden-Baden.

Thanks for the responses. As a side note, the spa/relaxful element is appealing to me for Baden/Baden. It would be nice to do some sightseeing, good food, and spa.

I found out yesterday actually that my 48 hour trip will be more like 3 days instead so that opens a couple more doors for me. At this point I might skip the black forest altogether and save for another trip. Does anyone have any info on Lucerne? I have read that it is more scenic than Bern and more of a quintessential Swiss town than Geneva or Zurich. So now I am considering 3 spots:

1. Lucerne
2. Baden-Baden/Strasbourg
3. Lyon

Right now I am leaning towards one of the first two.

Well for a spa it is Baden-Baden. Lucerne would make a great 3-day stay.

Yes on all accounts about Lucerne vs Geneva and Zurich - Bern maybe. But a 3-day stay in Lucerne could include an easy day trip to nearby Bern, a reallyn nice large city - Lucerne though on its lovely lake provides many neat excursions by boat - Mt Rigi, Mt Pilatus, Mt Titlis for starters - take boats to trains that climb these peaks.

well, yeah, Lucerne is more appealing as the other two are mainly big business cities, of course. Have been to Lucerne and it was scenic but can't compare to the others. I am not clear where you are, though, not sure I'd go all the way from Paris to Lucerne and then back to Paris myself. How do you intend to do that?

With three days I'd consider a day in Lyon and two days in Avignon - short train ride south and take excursions from there to many neat rural places like Pont du Gard and Les Baux, etc. Avignon-Paris isn just under 3 hours by TGV train. Classic Provence.

Just to clarify my trip is beginning around Nice ending in Paris. So I am trying to decide on the 3 days I have if I should go to Zürich - Basel - Baden Baden - Paris or Lyon - Zürich - Baden Baden - Paris or maybe just 2 of the 3 places (a Swiss city, Baden Baden for spa day, Lyon).

I'd fly Nice to Switzerland or Germany if want those two countries - most sense with just 3 days - Lyon and say Avignon, etc. Or fly to Zurich and hit Baden-Baden en route to Paris. Really need to study train times and how long they take.

Ok that sounds good. Yeah I’ve been on google maps looking over train times and some of them are easier than others but yeah I’d love to knock out a bunch of places but it would probably be more enjoyable if I pare down and take my time at just a couple places

Hi TroutmanJ,

You've gotten good advice here! My own thoughts are --

I spent 5 nights in Baden-Baden last June, and I didn't have a car (which I usually don't). Please note that the Baden-Baden train station is not actually in the town but some distance away. You take a bus (sits just outside the train station... just follow the crowds) from the station to the town, and it takes about 15 minutes. Be sure to have your hotel tell you the closest bus stop. There was road construction during my visit, and because of it one stop was moved, and I missed the stop I needed, and I ended up having to walk another 15 minutes dragging my suitcase. Anyway, if you are on a tight schedule, you should be sure to add in that 15 or 20 minutes bus ride from the station to get into town, and the reverse for leaving.

I liked Baden-Baden, but I didn't love it. It's a lovely town, full of pretty architecture and manicured gardens and a beautiful garden walk along the river (Lichtentaler Allee). The old town area is a warren of pedestrian cobbled streets, full of shops and cafes, and walking up the hill to Marktplatz is wonderful, with great views over the town. Hmmm. Perhaps I liked it more than I thought....

Have fun as you plan!

s

I also enjoyed Baden-Baden but one day there was enough. We day tripped in from Strasbourg. With three days OP could do Baden-Baden one day and take train ton Freiburg for two days somewhere in Black Forest - several train lines make it easy.

When will you travel?
Lyon is along the train line from Nice to Paris. It has a lot of Roman stuff (together with neighbouring Vienne): theatres, other roman buildings, museums, etc. T (Basel too)he medieval city center with it's Traboules (sese above) and many small restaurants is nice.
If you are interested in WW2, Lyon has interesting museum about nazi terror, deportation of Jewish people, etc.
For Switzerland and the Black Forest, fly with easyjet form Nice to Basel or may be Geneva. Zurich has famous museums (Basel too), but if you want to see just a nice Swiss city, go to Berne (medieval), Lucerne or Basel, may be to the walled city of Murten, if you prefer smaller places.
As to the famous mountain scenery, there is actually a lot of snow in the Alps, but the whole infrastructure works as usual. The weather will be fine from next Tuesday to Thursday or so, then it may change again.

Again yes so conevenient Nice-Lyon-Paris and maybe stop in Avignon for a day too. Other ideas are far-flung and you'd have to fly from Nice -fine too.