Lyon to Geneva itinerary critic.
 

I have a chance to return to France and would like to see some cities I've not been to. The places of interest are:- Strasbourg, Lyon, Dijon, Beaune, Avignon and Marseille. I;d also like to tour the UN head quarters in Geneva, Switzerland so I'd like to include Geneva on this upcoming trip. I have been to Avignon ages ago but I've not been to any of the other cities I list.

I must fly into Lyon as I've already my ticket to France, I am flexible which city I end the trip in and will fly from there. I've reworked my itinerary and would like feedback on how to improve it and whether it's a good itinerary to follow. Here's my drafted itinerary:-

Day 1, arrive Lyon,
Day 2, Lyon
Day 3, Lyon
Day 4, depart on an early morning train to Strasbourg, sightseeing in Strasbourg
Day 5, depart on an early morning train to Dijon, sightseeing in Dijon
Day 6, day trip from Dijon to Beaune return to Dijon for an overnight stay
Day 7, depart on an early morning train to Avignon, sightseeing in Avignon
Day 8, day trip to Marseille return to Avignon for an overnight stay
Day 9, early morning train to Geneva, sightseeing in Geneva
Day 10, a day trip from Geneva to Gruyere for the cheese factory, and perhaps the Bloc chocolate factory.
Day 11, sightseeing in Geneva and a second chance to visit the UN incase there are no more ticketed available when I arrive on day 9. Depart Geneva in the evening.

How does this itinerary look? Is it doable? What changes should I make?

I'm debating if a French rail pass is the best option or individual tickets. If I get a French rail pass, it won't cover the journey to Geneva on day 9.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

Anybody?

I'm an admitted chocoholic, and was still a bit disappointed by the Broc chocolate factory. Maybe it's because I was there at the end of the day; perhaps they hadn't replenished their best?

I didn't try to visit a cheese factory -- I'd seen cheese making before.

I did spent the better part of a day in / around Gruyeres, and was glad I did -- I enjoyed the town itself and the castle.

I also enjoyed my time in Geneva. You might consider eating one night at Bistrot du Boeuf Rouge -- I thought it wonderful! Reservations recommended.
http://www.boeufrouge.ch/files/index.php

I haven't yet been to the other places you are considering.

Enjoy!

Lyon - Strasbourg and back in 1 day:
feasible only if you leave Lyon at 6.08am and arrive back at 20.56 or 23.46.
You need neither 2 days for the visit of Geneva nor 1 full day for Beaune.

Day 8: why not Marseille dp 17.43 by direct train to Geneva ar 21.16?

Thanks for the replies. I won`t be making any day trips from Lyon, I`m there for 3 nights and then I`ll leave for Strasbourg.

My overnight stays will be-

Lyon, 3 nights.
Strasbourg, 1 night
Dijon, 2 nights
Avignon, 2 nights
Geneva, 2 nights.

How does this lookÉ

I've taken the Chocolate Train which starts in Montreaux, heads to Gruyere where you tour the cheese factory and then have time to tour the castle, museum and have lunch on your own. Then it's off to Broc which you tour the chocolate factory.

I personally enjoyed it, the train you have your choice of a modern train car or old ones with beautiful woodwork and classic styling.

I enjoyed it myself and found the tours knowledgeable.

Be sure to check out Annecy while in the Geneva area. One of the highlights of our travels.

I will say that I was about as disappointed with Geneva than anyplace I've ever been. My spouse wouldn't even get out of the car.

Hi planningtravel,

I don't recommend you take the Chocolate Train as a tour if you're basing in Geneva. The tour leaves Montreux at just before 09.00, so you would have to leave Geneva at around 07.30 in order to catch that tour.

It's very easy to do the trip on your own, and, yes, you can choose the regular train wagon or the Belle Epoque reproduction.

Have fun as you plan!

s

"Day 8: why not Marseille dp 17.43 by direct train to Geneva ar 21.16?"

I'm not travelling until November. I did look up train schedules and prices for September as that is the latest schedules I can look up since September is within 90 days from now. I will travel from Marseille to Geneva on a Tuesday. I checked schedule for a Tuesday in September and the only direct trains I'm seeing departs at 1347 hrs and arrives at 1716 hrs. I can't find the train that departs at 17.43. How can I find this train?

I just looked for tues 9/22 and didn't see any direct except 13:47 either on that day but there is a direct train at 17:43 on Monday.

Thank you, Christina.

So the schedule changes depending on the day of the week. Do the schedules change by month too? That'll make it difficult to plan in advance. I'll start a new thread about summer/winter SNCF schedules.