fugazi

My wife and I are planning a trip to France but thinking about dipping into Switzerland for the second half of the trip. Here's our itinerary thus far:

Paris (3 nights)
Mont St Michel (1 night)
Amboise (2 nights)
Beaune (2 nights)
Lucerne (2 nights)
2 nights elsewhere?

We will have a rental car for the France part of the trip and then take a train from Beuane to Lucerne (not direct, involves a few stops but gets us there in 4.5 hours). Not sure how to end our trip (we were considering Milan but we're not much of shoppers) so wondering what suggestions you may have. Thanks in advance!

Mimar

Have you been to Paris before? Because 3 nights/2 days is not much time there, especially if you're arriving jetlagged and sleepy after a long overnight flight.

And 2 nights/1 day is hardly any time to see Lucerne, let alone Switzerland. Do you just want to be able to say you've been there? Or do you actually want to see something of the country?

If this was my trip, I'd forget about Switzerland and concentrate on France. Or expand my time in Switzerland and fly home from Zurich.

fugazi

Yes, first time in France and would also be for Switzerland. I suppose we could add another night to Paris and Lucerne and end the trip in Lucerne (fly home from Lucerne or Zurich). We like to see as much as we can in the time that we have (12 nights) so exploring our options at this point.

True, we could just stick with France and head up north after Beaune and then end the trip back in Paris. How would you do it if you just stuck with France?

Appreciate the feedback!

Mimar

Are you picking up the rental car in Paris? An alternative would be to take the train to Caen, pick up the car there, and spend more than 1 night in Normandy. There's lots to see in Normandy: the D-Day beaches, the Bayeux tapestry, the coast, the Gothic churches of Rouen, the picturesque port of Honfleur. Bayeux makes a good base town.

I'm trying to deduce your interests. Is it Amboise for the chateaux of the Loire valley, Beaune for the wine? You'll only have one or 1.5 days for each. What are your interests?

Lucerne doesn't have an airport. However it's only an hour by train to Zurich's airport; trains leave through the night if you have a very early flight.

So you could spend 4 nights in Lucerne. That would only be 3 days. Lucerne's a good snapshot introduction to Switzerland. Unless you want to spend time in an Alpine village up in the mountains. For that the Bernese Oberland is most convenient. You'd take a train to Interlaken. Maybe 3 nights in the BO, one night in Lucerne.

Michael

Drop the car off on the French side of the Geneva airport. That would be more convenient than the train, and you could do some sightseeing between Beaune and Geneva.

Parts of my trip report starting in Basel might be of interest to you; click on my name to find it.

fugazi

We were going to pick up the rental car on our last day of Paris to go to Versailles before heading to Mont St Michel. So, we are going to add an extra night to Paris and also either Lucerne or just go up to Zurich for the night before we fly home so we don't have to be rushing around that morning.

I think we are trying to cram in a whole lot for one vacation since we're not sure if we are going to be back anytime soon. My wife and I are looking to start trying to have a family this year. But our interests are the chateauxs of the Loire Valley and Beaune for a day with wine tasting/tours. If we did the Normandy recommendation, I don't think we would have enough time for Lucerne but we could spend more time in Beaune or Dijon before heading back to Paris to fly home from there instead..... hmmmm never enough time

I think we have our itinerary now if we keep Lucerne in our plans:

Paris (4 nights) - Day 5 head to Versailles and then over to Mont St Michel
Mont St Michel (1 night) - the next day head to Amboise
Amboise (2 nights) - Château d'Amboise, Clos-Lucé, Château de Chenonceau. On the way to Beaune, stop at Château de Blois and Château de Chambord
Beaune (2 nights) - wine tours or biking through vineyards, return rental car and take train to Lucerne
Lucerne (2 nights) - Mount Pilatus Golden Round Trip, head to Zurich on the last day before our flight home
Zurich (1 night) - fly home

If we do go to Zurich for our last day, what would you recommend to do? I haven't read too much about Zurich though I did find the Rhine Falls as an interesting attraction. Is there anything close by Zurich?

Iwan2go

We took a very similar trip several years ago (Paris, Loire, Normandy near Mt St Michel, Giverny). The car drive from near Tours in the Loire to Mt. St. Michel it took much longer than we'd thought it would - probably 4 hours, maybe more. Normandy is just beautiful, and sorta out-there, to spend only one night, although MSM was one of the most memorable and beautiful places we have ever been and well worth the trip. Sounds like you're more interested in the Loire and Burgundy, though, so you could always save Normandy for another time (go to Normandy and Brittany the next time).

Is Versailles a must-see for your first trip to Paris? (I've been to Paris 5 times and never been to Versailles. Too much to do in Paris). If so, you might consider going from Paris as a day trip, then train to closer to MSM and not only have an easier driving/ car pick-up experience, but save some time and relax on the train that way.

Remember, two "nights" really means one and a half days. If it were me, I'd do Paris, Loire, Burgundy, train to Lucerne/ Zurich fly out. Not sure which one to give 2 nights to, though.

Or drop Lucerne and add Normandy, and reverse the order: Paris 4, Beaune/Burgundy 3, Loire 3, Normandy 2 with the last night in Giverny. Drive and drop the car at CDG airport - we did that and it was pretty easy, and no need to go into Paris again.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip.

Iwan2go

Oops, if you want to see MSM in Normandy, Giverny is pretty far. Oh well, somebody else will catch that...

Mimar

If you do go to Lucerne, stay in Lucerne for your last night. It's easy to take the train from Lucerne to the Zurich airport and only one hour with trains running through the night and early morning if you have an early departure. You could do the Mt. Rigi or the Mt. Titlis trip on your second day in Lucerne.

Whereas I don't think Zurich is as interesting or as "Swiss." And it's expensive; rooms are cheaper on the weekend however. Zurich is a good place to shop for souvenirs/gifts. Several big elaborate chocolate stores!

Now I've probably convinced you to go to Zurich.

fugazi

Hahaa Mimar, I think you just did convince me I think we were going to utilize that last day at Zurich for just what you said, souvenirs/gifts and maybe some chocolate Does the train from Lucerne to Zurich go right to the Zurich airport?

Iwan2go,

Versailles is not a must-see but more of a nice-to-have-experienced from what I gathered. If we're just heading out to Mont St Michel, it's no rush to stop at Versailles for the morning and then use the afternoon to drive to Mont St Michel.

Also, I been having the same thoughts lately. Seems like such a rush to go to Mont St Michel for one night (4 hours car-ride from Paris) and then drive back east to Amboise (another 4 hour car ride). I have been struggling with either dropping Lucerne from the itinerary and just focus on France (making the loop like you suggested, either clockwise or counterclockwise), or just keep what I have. So many decisions, ugh!

markpy

Switzerland is beautiful, but I think you're trying to squeeze in too many cities for the amount of time you have to spend. If you eliminate Switzerland, you could explore Normandy or Brittany. I had a terrific time this past summer, spent 3 nights in St. Malo and 2 nights in Honfleur in addition to Paris and Amboise. If going to Amboise, consider staying at Hotel Manoir Minimes; I've been there twice and loved it.

Mimar

About 1 train/hour goes direct from Lucerne to the Zurich airport in 1 hour, no change necessary.