Hello,

This is my first time visiting Europe and I have put together an itinerary. Some feedback from you'll would be very helpful.

The trip has two parts, Paris and Swiss Alps. For each part, I have tried to organize it so that I get to cover places that are relatively close by. Does my plan look doable?

For Switzerland, I wanted to book 4 nights in Murren. But when making plans, it seems that booking the first night in Murren and the following three in Lauterbrunnen would be more convenient. What would you advise?

Ok so here is what I have so far:

Arrive at CDG, get to hotel on 6th Arrondissement. Get used to new time zone.

Paris.....Day 1(The day after I arrive):
Notre Dame
Sainte Chapelle
Seine river cruise at night (vedettesdupontneuf.com)

Day 2:
Louvre
Eiffel Tower
Paris Walking tour - Latin Quarter (Paris-walks.com)

Day 3:
Montmatre
Sacre Couer
Paris Walking tour - Montmatre

Day 4:
Arc de Triomphe
Musee D'Orsay
Bike tour (Fat Tire Bike Tours)

Day 5:
Revisit the places I liked most

Day 6:
Travel from Paris to Murren, overnight Murren

Swiss Alps.....Day 7 (Day after I arrive in Murren):
Visit Schilthorn
Hike northface trail from Allmendhubel, overnight Lauterbrunnen

Day 8:
Visit Jungfraujoch, see Aletsch glacier
Mannlichen to Kliene Scheidegg hike, overnight Lauterbrunnen

Day 9:
Schynige Platte to First hike
Trummelbach falls, Staubbach falls, overnight Lauterbrunnen

Day 10:
Leave for Lucerne early AM
Lion Monument, Chapel Bridge
If time allows - short lake cruise or ferry to Weggis then a gondola ride to top of Rigi Kaltbad, then hiked down
Overnight Lucerne

Day 11:
Lucerne to Zurich, flight back to LA.


Your input is appreciated. Thank you for your help.

Hi zatrams,



I personally don't like to switch hotels/bases unless my next destination is more than 2h away. Staying in Mürren will only add 20 minutes or so to your travel time, twice a day. I prefer Mürren so much that I would gladly sacrifice that 40 minutes so I could have my entire night up up UP in the mountains.



Also keep in mind that it will "cost" you about half a day of *outside* time to make the move because of the chores of packing up and checking out of one hotel and checking in and unpacking at your new hotel.



I should also add that I personally don't like Lauterbrunnen. I have to admit that I've never actually walked the streets of the village though. I have planned to do it on a couple of occasions, but when the train pulled into the station, I didn't want to get off. Lauterbrunnen sits at the base of some cliffs that overhang the town, and those cliffs really depress me. Some folks don't even "see" the cliffs, and others think the cliffs add to the charm of the village. I'm only mentioning them here just in case you are like me and would be affected by them. You may want to look through some photos at google's images to make sure you'll enjoy staying there.



So, that's a long way of saying -- stay in Mürren for four nights, lol!



Have fun as you plan!



s

Fully agree with swandav. I don't see the point of changing bases after one night in Mürren. I would definitely stay all the time in Mürren (or Wengen). From Lauterbrunnen you'll gaze at the mountains from their foot with the cliffs hanging over your head (almost), from Mürren or Wengen you see them from half (or so) height - much nicer.

S, there are not many streets to walk in Lauterbrunnen, you didn't miss anything ;-)

Please note that the hike Schynige Platte to First is VERY long. You'll be happy if you completed it - no way you'll have time to see Trümmelbach falls afterward.

The logical order on day 8 would be: First the hike Männlichen - Kleine Scheidegg, then Jungfraujoch.

I would spend most of the day in Lucerne in the old town, maybe hop on a cruise ship in the afternoon and see how much time is left. If you don't plan to see the sunset on Rigi mountain and stay overnight then there is no way you can go up and hike down.

I can't comment on Switzerland but I like your Paris itinerary. On day 5 you might visit Luxembourg Gardens, the Rodin Museum and/or the Orangerie. Otherwise, you have the highlights well in hand.

Enjoy your trip.

You've obviously done your homework. your Paris itinerary looks good. I would add, if not covered on your tours:
Day 1--Ile St. Louis stroll, right behind Notre Dame (charming w/ stop at Amorino for a flower shaped gelato cone)

Day 5--agree w/mamcalice for the Lux. Gardens & Rodin but another favorite of ours is Place Vosges and the Carnavalet Museum(my personal favorite small museum in Paris)

For Switz. I'm also going to agree with Murren. Lauterbrunnen was good for a short stop to see the falls, but we absolutely loved Murren. Small but oh so charming.

I hope Piz Gloria is included in your itinerary. It was one of the highlights of our trip---stunning views!
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...FORM=IGRE#x0y0

Have a wonderful trip. I'll be watching for your trip report.

Thank you, swandav2000, Ingo, mamcalice and TPAYT for the awesome feedback and the encouraging responses, really appreciate it.

One question - I am thinking of staying in Hotel Alpina in Luzern, which is close to the train station. That way, the day of my flight, I can simply walk to the station and take the train from Luzern to Zurich. I read somewhere that the train stop at Zurich is very close to the airport (ZRH) or at the lower level of the airport, so I can just walk to the terminal. Do you guys think this would be doable?

And I think Murren would work out better for me. Ok so here is the modified itinerary, with the suggestions incorporated.

========
Arrive at CDG, get to hotel on 6th Arrondissement. Get used to new time zone.

Paris.....Day 1(The day after I arrive):
Notre Dame
Sainte Chapelle
Ile St. Louis stroll, right behind Notre Dame (charming w/ stop at Amorino for a flower shaped gelato cone)
Seine river cruise at night (vedettesdupontneuf.com)

Day 2:
Louvre
Eiffel Tower
Paris Walking tour - Latin Quarter (Paris-walks.com)

Day 3:
Montmatre
Sacre Couer
Paris Walking tour - Montmatre

Day 4:
Arc de Triomphe
Musee D'Orsay
Bike tour (Fat Tire Bike Tours)

Day 5:
Luxembourg Gardens
The Rodin Museum
(If time allows - The Orangerie/Place Vosges/The Carnavalet Museum)

Day 6:
Travel from Paris to Murren, overnight Murren

Swiss Alps.....Day 7 (Day after I arrive in Murren):
Visit Schilthorn. Check out Piz Gloria
Hike northface trail from Allmendhubel, overnight Murren

Day 8:
Mannlichen to Kliene Scheidegg hike
Visit Jungfraujoch, see Aletsch glacier
Overnight Murren

Day 9:
Schynige Platte to Daub Peak (~3 hrs) [Rick Steves' suggestion for Switzerland]
Trummelbach falls, Staubbach falls, overnight Murren

Day 10:
Leave for Lucerne early AM (Note to self: read up more on www.luzern.com, and Lucerne forums)
Lion Monument, Chapel Bridge
Go around in the old town. See the Musegg Wall (mediaval city wall) and the towers (great views).
If time allows - short lake cruise
Overnight Lucerne

Day 11:
Lucerne to Zurich, flight back to LA.

=====

Please let me know if this is better. Thanks.

Hi again,

I think you'll really be happy with your decision!! But please do report back and let us know if you think you would have been happy in Lauterbrunnen also -- for future readers of this post.

As for the airport train station, it is different from the main station in Zürich. The main station in Zürich is called simply Zurich (on the English-language pages). The airport station is simply called Zurich Airport. It will be about another 10 or 15 minutes from Zurich city, with a few more stops.

Yes, there are some direct trains from Luzern to Zurich Airport. You can find the complete schedules and fares at the Swiss rail site

www.rail.ch

Have fun as you plan!

s

Hi swandav2000, thank you, and I'll be sure to report back about Murren! Appreciate the feedback regarding getting to Zurich airport, that really helped me out.

One more thing I am debating about, while I still have the flexibility - so thought would get some feedback on this:

Ok, so far, I have two main destinations, Paris and the Berner Oberland area.
Is it a good idea to add a couple of days to the trip and spend some more time in Luzern too? My concern is that after seeing Paris and the Swiss Alps, adding Luzern will be somewhat overwhelming.

I want to do Amsterdam and parts of Austria next year, so also have the option to add Luzern then.

What would you'll advise? Thanks for your help.

If you can, then add the days to Lucerne on this trip. Between Amsterdam and Austria you'll certainly want to fly. It doesn't make sense to include Lucerne next year.

You're right, thank you for your input Ingo. I'll surely come back to visit Switzerland again, so will get to see more of Luzern then.

For this time, I am actually thinking of adding an extra day in Murren. Enjoying in the Swiss Alps will be more dependent on weather, so if Day-7,8 or 9 is bad weather, I get a chance to make up for it. Therefore, instead of having an extra day in Paris(Day 5), I have that extra day for the Swiss Alps. Do you guys think this is a good idea?

Yes.

Thank you Ingo.

Have narrowed down my accommodation choices for Paris and Murren. For reservations online, is it better to pay in us dollars or euros? Noticed that the dollar amounts are higher than the current exchange rate. Do you guys just pay in euros? Input appreciated.

I always pay in local currency, which is Euro in Paris and Swiss Franc (CHF) in Mürren.

For Swiss trains and boats and such as Jungfraujoch trains check out these IMO superb sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html and www.ricksteves.com. And do not neglect investigating the 4-consutive-day Swiss Pass or the Swiss Flexipass even for your seemingly limited travel - these passes can quickly pay off with just a few journeys and are also valid on lake boats like on Lake Lucerne - be sure IMO to hop a boat there on what I think is Switzerland's most gorgeous lake - in your case Swiss Passes pass 100% to Murren from Interlaken and as you will be day tripping out and back, etc this could make the pass a great deal - it is valid on the aerial cableway from Lauterbrunnen to Murren and from Murren to Gimmelwald in full and also on aerial cableway Gimmelwald to Stechleberg in valley below and also valid on postal bus back from there to lauterbrunnen. Also gives 50% off Murren to Schilthorn passage and covers in full Interlaken to Grindelwald and Wengen.

Thanks everyone, have booked my itinerary - air tickets and hotel reservations.

With lots of help from here, now that the overall plan is in place, I'll start looking into the details for the trip and read up some more. Shall be back with questions. Appreciate the great input.