Hello to all! A bit of advice is needed. My daughter, who will be studying at the Sorbonne for a month, has a day and a half (leaving Paris with late Friday arrival and with late Sunday departure to Paris) available to travel to Switzerland. She will most likely be traveling alone so safety is an issue.

She doesn't know where she can travel to that will make the most of the short amount of time she has available. She would like to go somewhere that will be an easy sightseeing trip. Geneva is a possiblity but is a big city and may have too much to offer. Are there any small towns that would be quaint and would have easy walking tours?

Forgive me if the questions seem a bit ignorant but we know very little about the area.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

1. She's studying at the Sorbonne, so I assume that she's a big girl. Safety is not really an issue unless she has a taste for shady places.

2. Why Switzerland if she only has a weekend?

Hi normal1983,

I'm a frequent visitor to Montreux, down at the other end of Lake Geneva, and I love the area. I don't think your daughter has the time to get to the high peaks of the Swiss Alps, but there are a lot of things to do around the lake. Here's my list of things to do (w/photos):

Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html

Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html

Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

What time of year will she be there?

Hope this helps!

s

My daughter is also at the Sorbonne, and last month went to Brugges for the day, about a 1.5-2 hour or more trip, and she liked it alot.

It also can be extended with a stop in Brussels.

She is looking for a quick weekend trip outside of France but close enough to allow her some time to do a little exploring. Switzerland was her first choice because they speak French but if there are other areas that would be more convenient she will look into those as well.

She will be traveling late June. The safety part of the post comes from me, her mom, not from her. She is level headed and I am a worrywort.

Swandav2000, I will be reading through the links you gave and forwarding this information to my daughter so that she can make her choice. Intex, your suggestion will also be researched.

Any other suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks to all!

Intex, I was wondering how your daughter is doing at the Sorbonne? Does she like her studies? How does she find living in Paris? My daughter was in Paris last summer with us on a family trip so she only knows Paris as a tourist. She will be studying there for a month so I'm sure she will find living there very different.

Any advice/info that I can relay to her before she leaves that your daughter has learned?

I would love to hear back from you on this if you would be willing.

Thank you.

Normal1983,
My daughter had visited Paris several times as a tourist, then decided she wanted to take a year off before college and study at the Sorbonne. She is there for a year, which is almost over. She is not that enthralled with the Sorbonne. Not being totally fluent in French at first, the culture seminars were a bit much for her in French, but her class is mostly Japaneese, and the class is more tailored to their needs.
We sent her to Allianze Francaise for several weeks for an intensive French course, and she said she picked up quite a bit more conversational French there.

Leaving her in Paris was pretty scary for us as parents, but now after 7 months, she travels with friends throughout Europe without problems.
She has had no "close calls " (thank God) in Paris, and feels very safe there. She is staying at an apartment we rented for her, so she lives more like a local.

Since she and others tell me that the groups at the Sorbonne can be quite "cliquey", it might be a good idea to find some friends asap, when she arrives, since Paris is much more fun and safe when with others of their age.
I will spare you all the tips for cold weather, as your daughter will be there in summer, suffice to say that it did snow in Paris this year.

I think its a good idea to have a doctor referrel in Paris before you go, it can be a bit scarry being alone and sick, and not knowing any doctors. There are many English speaking and trained physicians in Paris, and your medical insurance company usually has a list.

I don't know what else to advise you on, without any spefic questions, but I will be more than happy to give you our advice, whatever its worth, upon request. I feel like I've been through so much, I can write a book on it!

I would advise her to try to meld in and become as much a "local" as she can, and its amazing what they will learn.

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