solotravlr

I'm planning my 2nd trip to Europe, first time solo. I'm arriving in Paris in March and staying for 10 days. Here's my first attempt at an itinerary - input would be great! I'm more interested in castles, the Alps, and a quick Paris "refresher." I'm less interested in the countryside/leisure/wine & dine. Late 20s, staying in hostels, hoping to experience local culture as much as possible. Here goes:
Friday- 11 hr layover in DC. Will try to take a 1/2 day guided tour. Overnight flight to Paris.
Sat - Sun: Paris. Hostels for 2 nights. If the weather is decent, I may stay in the City for most of Monday too.
Mon/Tues - Thurs: Loire Valley. Rent a car and tour the Orleans, Tours, and Amboise areas to see a few of the "big C" chateaus. Stay in Amboise at least 1 night. Take train to Switzerland Thursday late afternoon.
Fr - Sun: Switzerland. See as much as possible in 3 days. 1 day tour of Lake Lucerne and cable car to Pilatus, 1 day Engelberg trip if time allows. Stay in Lucerne. Leave for Paris Sunday morning.
Sunday night - Paris hostel
Monday - fly out of Paris at 12pm
Any thoughts? Too ambitious?

blackduff

Solo
Why not drop the Switzerland part of this trip and just head down towards the Dordogne. You'll lots of viewing time, since riding the train isn't real enjoyable.

You could decide to return to Paris and you won't be too far.

Keep the trip to Switzerland later. You'll enjoy Lucerne much better if you're not pressed.

Blackduff

Mimar

If you don't already have your tickets, look into flying out of Switzerland, probably Zurich. That way you don't have to backtrack to Paris.

nytraveler

Agree - you'll save a whole day by returning from Zutich (only an hour from Lucerne) versus trekking all the way back to Paris.

freeman0819

Hi Solo- If by chance you have not purchased your tickets, then I would suggest flying into Paris and out of Zurich. I am guessing with a layover in DC, you are flying on United? They have a non-stop Zurich to Dulles flight. If you have bought your ticket, don't worry, you'll still be fine. The train from lucerne to the Zurich airport is currently 26CHF (about $23.50) for the one way, second class to the airport. The ride is about 1 hour and 15 minutes for the nonstop train. Train schedules can be found on www.sbb.ch. They tend to not list prices though unless you register as a user. One way tickets from Luzern to Engelberg currently run 16.80CHF (about $14) Pilatus is pretty pricey. Check out their website: www.pilatus.ch You can get to Pilatus on the bus, each way for about 5CHF- bus #1 to Linde Pilatus stop, walk about 10 minutes (there are signs pointing you in the right direction) to the cable car entrance. It takes about 40 minutes to get to the top of the mountain. There is the Lion Monument (Lowendenkmal) near Lowenplatz (Lion Square) here in Luzern, its free to see. The wooden bridges are very famous and beautiful. Before I forget, be advised that stores in Lucerne close early. On Friday stores, i.e. the grocery store, close at 9pm. On Saturday, stores are open from 8(some might open at 9 or 10 depending on what type of store it is) until 4pm only. On Sunday, all stores (grocery, clothing, etc) are generally closed. Really the only stores that will be open during the "off hours" are at the Banhof only, so make sure you buy any supplies you might need during the open hours as the banhof grocery store prices are a little inflated due to the fact that it's the only grocery store open in the middle of the night! On Saturday mornings, there is a huge open market along the river, so that I think you would enjoy. Lots of fresh veggies, fruits, tons of cheese vendors.

I am an American living here in Lucerne (since July 2006), so I still have the "newcomers view" of the city. If you have any specific questions, I will try my best to answer them. All the best!

GBbabe

I spent four days driving around the Loire Valley in Oct. 2002. You can see a lot by driving yourself.

Make sure you check the opening times for the chateaux you want to visit. Some of them are not open year round. I missed a few that closed before I got there and I'm not sure when they open again. Also, some close for lunch time.

I stayed at Formula1 in Orleans and Tours. Not fancy, but clean and cheap.