PLimLee

Greetings from Singapore. My family of 4 would be in Zurich in October. We plan to visit Eiffel Tower and the other places of interest in Paris. We were told to catch a train (5-hour ride) from Zurich to Paris.
We did some search on the internet and the information can be overwhelming. Would you be kind to advise us on options (with pricing, if possible) from Zurich to Paris by Air France or train, Paris to Bern by train, any inexpensive family room for 2 nights' stay in Paris (near train station) so we can do the tourist bits? Thank you so much, Pauline (24 Aug 2013)

thursdaysd

Welcome to Fodors. Although you live in Singapore you are asking about Paris, so you should repost this on the Europe board - use the Change Forum option above.

StCirq

No one can quote you a single, firm price for train rides, as they change all the time and there are many options to choose from. Generally speaking, the longer you wait to buy tickets, the more expensive they become. For Air France, call the airline or go on their website. For hotels, we'd need to know what your nightly budget is, in euros. "Inexpensive" is too broad a label to make useful suggestions.

Gretchen

All in all it could be cheaper and easier to just take a train rather than go to and from two airports with the transport from them, whereas a train will deliver you to the center city.
Can you only "spare" two days for such a great city, and when it is a distance from where you are apparently spending the rest of your time.

mamcalice

You should think about more time in Paris. It is a fabulous city with much to see and do. With the long train ride from Zurich, you will really only have one full day. Not enough to do Paris justice.

clarkgriswold

Hi Pauline
Zurich to Paris by train can be 40E, 60E or 80E depending on time of day, and day of week and booking in advance. Search tickets at http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/
It looks like Paris to Berne is between 60E and 110E per person. It's difficult to know for sure because we do not know your date of travel.

Airfare will be double the train prices, and considering that you'll need to be at the airport 3 hours before your flight...not any quicker really.

www.paris-hotel-palym.com for a family room near your train station Gare du Lyon.

nytraveler

I don;t see th ewhole plan for your trip - so it;s really hard t comment.

But Zurich is primarily a business city and November is off season in Switz - with many thing in the mountains closed until ski season.

IMHO Zurich is worth about a 3 out of 10 for tourists, while Paris is a 10. If you tell us more about your plans, people can give much more detailed advice.

For instance:

How much time altogether?
Who/how many are you?
What are your interests?

StCirq

I agree that Zürich is about the most boring place on earth. Not sure why so many Indians go there (something related to Indian movies, according to an Indian friend of mine, but I don't get it). Anyway, get out of Zürich as fast as you can or fly into another European airport and have an enjoyable trip.

Oh, and I get that the OP is from Singapore, but it's the same syndrome.

PLimLee

Many thanks for the responses.
I did a check on AirFrance and it would cost us SGD 497 1-way to Paris CDG Airport versus about SGD 500 by train. Both for family of 4 (2 adults + 2 youths). So we thought it saves travel time to fly.
We have booked 2 nights in Zurich when we arrive in October then go Paris then go Bern to visit a friend, sight seeing, International scouts shop, Lucerne, glacier express (partial route) then back to Zurich for another day or 2 before heading home.
We usually take package tour but this time it's free & easy. The struggle with youths is they want to have leisure time & enjoy the trip. Would driving be recommended? The last time I went to Europe was several years back! Any advice will be great. Thank you

PLimLee

By the way, we will be arriving 5 Oct, leaving 15 Oct. For family room, anything between Euro 140-180/night, if possible. Else we need 2 twin-sharing for 2 nights at about Euro 80-100/night. Thanks

clarkgriswold

Does that schedule mean you are leaving Zurich on Oct 7? If so, the 3pm train is 264 Euros for 4.

PLimLee

Thanks Clarkgriswold.

I managed to get the TGV train tickets after trying for 4 nights (as I work in the day). Each time it failed, I had to re-enter the info and each time I saw the prices escalating! Wow! Scary! FYI, the system complained of system unavailable and to try again a few minutes after.

Enjoy your day

nytraveler

I would reco you take all of the Zurich days and put them in Paris. Spend you Swiss days visitint ghte friend and then Lucerne for a day or 2. You can take the train from Lucerne right to Zurich airport in about an hour - so there is no reason to waste any time there.

And I would think teens would enjoy visiting Paris - many teen cafes, clubs and things to see do than Zurich - which is really a business city

welltraveledbrit

Glad you are traveling by train it will be a much more enjoyable trip than schlepping to and from the airports.
Paris has a great metro system so don't feel you have to stay near the train station.

menachem

I used to work in Zürich: great city and lovely surroundings. Most boring city on earth? Hardly.

Zürich has plenty of nightlife, especially around the Limmat area and in the Old Town.

http://www.spottedbylocals.com/zurich/