from Paris to Bern
 

Hello dear travelers
we are traveling to Paris for 7days and want to visit Bern for one or two days
the time would be aroung May 30th
we want to know which is the best way for going from Paris to Bern and back to Paris that :
1- gives us best time for visiting Bern with less waste of time
2- the price is also as less as possible

we know that maybe flying takes more time because our hotel is in De Fense area and we have no idea from what airport we should fly to Bern
also maybe train or bus takes more time and money...
so we have no idea which way is best in case of giving us best and most time for visiting Bern and also less price
thanks in advance

Paris-Gare de Lyon to Bern is about 5-6 hours by rail depending on the route you select. It's about $160 per person, 2nd class, one way.

May be you take the evening train Paris Grande Arc de la Defense dp 17.53 - Paris Gare de Lyon ar 18.07, train change, dp 18.23 - Berne ar 23.07
Web fare 90 EUR for second class and 99 EUR for first class (from Gare de Lyon up to Berne).
Tons of other trains with a second change at Basel or Lausanne.
https://ch.voyages-sncf.com/

take the train.

There are no nonstop flights from Paris to Bern, you'd have to take KLM through AMS or something, and it will take you longer than the train.

Zurich airport is very close to Bern but yes trains are just as quick and less hassle and you can see the countryside - always nice in France and Switzerland.

You can get discounted tickets if you book far in advance as they are sold in limited numbers on each train - yet far cheaper than full or walk-up fares - but discounted ducats are non-changeable non-refundable I think and yes must be booked in stone weeks/months early to get. Use site neckervd gives - for info on French trains check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com.

Web fare 90 EUR for second class and 99 EUR for first class (from Gare de Lyon up to Berne).>

for 9 euros more go first class-more roomy with less seats per same size rail carriage - easier to stow luggage, etc.

If you want to fly, go from Orly to Geneva, but it will take more time than the train ride for sure.

TGVs are more and more Duplex trains- double-deckers and seats on the top deck provide vastly better views than those in the sunken lower level. Book your seat when booking you ticket.

bus takes more time and money...>

There may be the odd bus but it would be much slower and much much less comfy than trains -rule buses out.

thanks everybody for the replies
since this is our fist time to Europe we have zero experience !
I could find out that if we take the last train which is around 7pm (evening) will be in Bern in 5 hours
but have no idea about:
1- what is the distance between the staitions to the city center
2- is it better if we put our one or two last days in Paris for visiting Bern and go directly from Bern to Paris airport to catch our back home flight or we better get back to our hotel in Paris again...
3- is there only one train station in Paris to get the train to Bern? because in this case we can have an idea about the distances..
4- are all the trains to Bern TGV type and duble decker?
many many thanks for your help

p.s do you even think its a good idea to put one day for Bern?

Dear Edward what are different routes?
Dear neckervd i didn get : "evening train Paris Grande Arc de la Defense dp 17.53 - Paris Gare de Lyon ar 18.07, train change, dp 18.23 - Berne ar 23.07 "
couldn find it on the internet...

I gave you the timetable from Gde Arc de la Defense because you wrote "our hotel is in De Fense area".
But it's up to you how to reach Gare de Lyon from where all Switzerland bound trains start.

Your questions:

1. Berne railway station is IN the city center. The Youth hostel and the following hotels are only a few steps from there:
Schweizerhof Palace, City, National, Savoy, Bristol, Baeren, Metropole. All others can easily been reached by trams and citybuses which run at least until midnight.

2. It depends on the time at which you must be at the airport (CDG or ORY?).

3. Yes: Gare de Lyon

4. There is only 1 direct train Paris - Berne. In all other cases you will have to change either at Basel or at Lausanne.

But it's up to you how to reach Gare de Lyon from where all Switzerland bound trains start.>

Trains to Basel start at Gare de l'Est, right?

"Trains to Basel start at Gare de l'Est, right?"

That was true many years ago.
Nowadays, ALL Switzerland bound trains (to Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Olten, Bern, Thun, Spiez, Interlaken, Zurich)
start from Gare de Lyon.

>> p.s do you even think its a good idea to put one day for Bern?

I don't know about your preference but for me it's not really a good idea. Why Bern? Going there will be expensive and time costing (either train or flight), the Swiss city is also expensive. If you go there for like a week and use Bern as a base to explore Switzerland, then okay. But wasting all that money and at least 12h of train for one day in Bern? What draw you there? Paris can easily occupy you for 7 days, or if you prefer some day trips, then you have abundance of choices near Paris: Chartres, Reims, Strasbourg, Lyon,... or Brussels.

Yes, the train ride from Paris to Berne and back lasts about 9 hrs; 4 1/2 hrs each way. I proposed the evening train in order to reduce the waste of time.

or if you prefer some day trips, then you have abundance of choices near Paris: Chartres, Reims, Strasbourg, Lyon,... or Brussels.>

Or Bruges - fantastic Bruges - about 2.5 hours each way from Paris.

Bern is a really neat city but it's a long way to see just another nice city - Bruges is exceptional:

https://www.google.com/search?q=brug...w=1745&bih=864

To me one of the neatest old-worldish looking cities north of the Alps.

I wouldn't. And especially not traveling back to Paris the morning of your flight out.

What do you want to see/do in Bern? Is it just to visit another country? To see a teensy bit of Switzerland? You think maybe there isn't enough to fill your time in Paris?

Tell us why and we can give you better advice.