Switzerland and France travel (Golden Pass and Alsace)
Dec 11th, 2014, 02:14 PM
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Switzerland and France travel (Golden Pass and Alsace)
Hello,
I am trying to get a better idea of travel times and possibilities to effectively organize our summer 2015 family vacation in France and Switzerland. We are family of 4 (kids are 23 and 11).
We are arriving to Paris on Monday and leaving from Paris on Thursday next week. First 2 days we would like to spend in Paris + adjust to the local time (flying from USA).
Then we want to rent a car (or take a train?) and go to Switzerland. When it comes to traveling, we are the type who would rather visit smaller towns and see many different places.
In Switzerland, having 4 full days there, we are interested in the Golden Pass and Chocolate train. Here are my questions:
1. If we take a train from Paris, where should we take it to (we need to get to Montreux , right?)?
2. One day for the Chocolate train and overnight in Montreux. Correct?
3. Next day(s) is for the Golden Pass. Is Golden Pass considered as a one way or round trip? If it’s one way, do people usually get off the train and stay overnight somewhere? Any advice? I know it’s about 6 hours ride and it is operated by 3 different companies, so we need to change the trains. How do we deal with the luggage?
4. After 4 days in Switzerland we would love to go to Alsace region, France, for the next 3 days. I guess we would need the car there. Ideally, it would be great to start from Colmar. Where should be our starting point for driving from Switzerland after completing (maybe even partially) the Golden Pass?
When we finalize the plan my next question would be about the train tickets
.
And lastly, SORRY FOR SO MANY QUESTION, what do you think about renting the car for the entire trip? As one of the options, I looked at picking then car from Lyon (taking train from Paris to Lyon to get closer to Switzerland) and returning it in Strasbourg after driving through Alsace). Thank you very much!!!!
I am trying to get a better idea of travel times and possibilities to effectively organize our summer 2015 family vacation in France and Switzerland. We are family of 4 (kids are 23 and 11).
We are arriving to Paris on Monday and leaving from Paris on Thursday next week. First 2 days we would like to spend in Paris + adjust to the local time (flying from USA).
Then we want to rent a car (or take a train?) and go to Switzerland. When it comes to traveling, we are the type who would rather visit smaller towns and see many different places.
In Switzerland, having 4 full days there, we are interested in the Golden Pass and Chocolate train. Here are my questions:
1. If we take a train from Paris, where should we take it to (we need to get to Montreux , right?)?
2. One day for the Chocolate train and overnight in Montreux. Correct?
3. Next day(s) is for the Golden Pass. Is Golden Pass considered as a one way or round trip? If it’s one way, do people usually get off the train and stay overnight somewhere? Any advice? I know it’s about 6 hours ride and it is operated by 3 different companies, so we need to change the trains. How do we deal with the luggage?
4. After 4 days in Switzerland we would love to go to Alsace region, France, for the next 3 days. I guess we would need the car there. Ideally, it would be great to start from Colmar. Where should be our starting point for driving from Switzerland after completing (maybe even partially) the Golden Pass?
When we finalize the plan my next question would be about the train tickets
. And lastly, SORRY FOR SO MANY QUESTION, what do you think about renting the car for the entire trip? As one of the options, I looked at picking then car from Lyon (taking train from Paris to Lyon to get closer to Switzerland) and returning it in Strasbourg after driving through Alsace). Thank you very much!!!!
Dec 11th, 2014, 02:44 PM
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Take the train from Paris to Montreux. You should be able to get a lower rate at least for the French portion of the trip if ordering the tickets (non-exchangeable and non-refundable) 3 months in advance.
If getting a train pass for Switzerland, which may be a good idea given the price of individual tickets, it may be best to take the train from Paris to Geneva and use the train pass to go to Montreux to get a lower price on the Swiss part of the trip.
To get to Alsace, take the train to Basel, transfer to the airport (there is a city bus outside the train station that goes to the airport) and pick up a car on the French side of the airport to avoid a cross-border drop-off fee (renting in Switzerland and returning the car in France).
If getting a train pass for Switzerland, which may be a good idea given the price of individual tickets, it may be best to take the train from Paris to Geneva and use the train pass to go to Montreux to get a lower price on the Swiss part of the trip.
To get to Alsace, take the train to Basel, transfer to the airport (there is a city bus outside the train station that goes to the airport) and pick up a car on the French side of the airport to avoid a cross-border drop-off fee (renting in Switzerland and returning the car in France).
Dec 11th, 2014, 03:45 PM
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Is it necessary to fly into and out of Paris? You can free up almost one day and usually eliminate much of the cost of back-tracking if you can fly into CDG, back from GVA or ZRH, or the other way. If your plane arrives very early, what are you going to do until you can check-in? In my case, when the trip include Switzerland, I usually fly into ZRH and them immediately take a train to an Alpine destination. I turn wait-until-check-in into a productive travel time and by the time I get to the real destination, my room is ready to check-in. So many would say they would be tired to travel. But if your room is not ready, you have to kill time walking around trying not to fall sleep eating lunch at a restaurant. I rather want to sit in a comfy Swiss train being whisked away to the destination.
Dec 11th, 2014, 08:10 PM
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greg, I'm going to piggyback on this.
You say you fly into ZRH and immediately take a train to an Alpine section.
May I ask for the names of an Alpine section, and can you take a train from ZRH itself? Do you have a favorite easy Alpine destination that is easy to get from ZRH?
I hope this is helpful to the OP, too.
You say you fly into ZRH and immediately take a train to an Alpine section.
May I ask for the names of an Alpine section, and can you take a train from ZRH itself? Do you have a favorite easy Alpine destination that is easy to get from ZRH?
I hope this is helpful to the OP, too.
Dec 11th, 2014, 09:47 PM
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Hi 4dimad,
The Chocolate Train doesn't run in December. It only runs from May to October.
However, you can do all of its parts on your own. Just take the train from Montreux to Gruyeres and stroll up to the village on top of the hill. Enjoy the castle, then come back down the hill to see the cheese-making demonstration. Here's the info on that:
http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/homepage-en/
Then take the train from Gruyeres to Broc-Fabrique and see the Cailler chocolate factory. Here's the information on that:
http://cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler/visit-us/tarifs/
After that, you can just return to Montreux.
You may be interested to know that the trip to Gruyeres is on the same tracks as the Golden Pass for part of its trip.
The "Golden Pass" is just a marketing designation for some train wagons with big windows for the trip from Montreux to Luzern via Interlaken and Gstaad. There are many, many trains that go on the same tracks. You can go as far as you want or as short as you want, staying overnight where you want or going back again. I personally think the best part is from Montreux to Interlaken, so I wouldn't go any farther.
If you want to get to France after taking the GP route, you should head to Basel and go from there. You handle your luggage yourselves -- there are luggage racks in the wagons or places for suitcases between the backs of seats.
Have fun as you plan!
s
The Chocolate Train doesn't run in December. It only runs from May to October.
However, you can do all of its parts on your own. Just take the train from Montreux to Gruyeres and stroll up to the village on top of the hill. Enjoy the castle, then come back down the hill to see the cheese-making demonstration. Here's the info on that:
http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/homepage-en/
Then take the train from Gruyeres to Broc-Fabrique and see the Cailler chocolate factory. Here's the information on that:
http://cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler/visit-us/tarifs/
After that, you can just return to Montreux.
You may be interested to know that the trip to Gruyeres is on the same tracks as the Golden Pass for part of its trip.
The "Golden Pass" is just a marketing designation for some train wagons with big windows for the trip from Montreux to Luzern via Interlaken and Gstaad. There are many, many trains that go on the same tracks. You can go as far as you want or as short as you want, staying overnight where you want or going back again. I personally think the best part is from Montreux to Interlaken, so I wouldn't go any farther.
If you want to get to France after taking the GP route, you should head to Basel and go from there. You handle your luggage yourselves -- there are luggage racks in the wagons or places for suitcases between the backs of seats.
Have fun as you plan!
s
Dec 11th, 2014, 09:54 PM
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for tuscanlifeedit,
Until greg comes back with his own reply, here is my response to your question --
Yes, there is a train station in the basement of the Zurich airport. When you look for train schedules, just use "Zurich airport" to see what the connections are like. The Swiss rail site is
www.sbb.ch
then look for the English button.
Many folks like the big, dramatic peaks of the Jungfrau region, including the car-free mountain villages of Wengen (my favorite!) and Mürren, and Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken at the bottom of the valley. More information here:
www.myjungfrau.ch
Have fun as you plan!
s
Until greg comes back with his own reply, here is my response to your question --
Yes, there is a train station in the basement of the Zurich airport. When you look for train schedules, just use "Zurich airport" to see what the connections are like. The Swiss rail site is
www.sbb.ch
then look for the English button.
Many folks like the big, dramatic peaks of the Jungfrau region, including the car-free mountain villages of Wengen (my favorite!) and Mürren, and Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken at the bottom of the valley. More information here:
www.myjungfrau.ch
Have fun as you plan!
s
Dec 11th, 2014, 09:56 PM
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My apologies! That website for the Jungfrau is apparently not working any more. Try this one:
http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion
s
http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion
s
Dec 11th, 2014, 10:02 PM
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Lauterbrunnen, for example. My last plane landed at 10:35am at ZRH. From the train station right at the lower level of the ZRH airport, take, for example 11:40am train to Lauterbrunnen via Bern/Interlaken, arriving in Lauterbrunnen at 2:25pm. You can usually check-in by this time. If you want to go even higher altitude, such as Wengen, you can get there by 2:51pm. It is still earlier than the official 4pm check-in time at a hotel like Alpenrose Hotel in Wengen. Now compare this to arriving in Paris at 9:55am, but cannot check-into hotel until 3pm. Which would you choose considering that it takes well more than an hour from your plane landing at CDG to the front desk of your Paris hotel?
One might say landing at 10:35am to take a 11:40am train is not realistic. I was actually at the Zurich airport train station platform by 11:06am after having my Swissrail pass activated. Of course, I was traveling with only a carry-on. Oh, I also had time to buy a sandwich and a drink at the airport to have lunch on the train.
Of course, this kind of tight transportation relay is not possible in just any country. But this is Switzerland. The trains do run on time. It also helps to have a smartphone with SBB app to find out the track number of the next train before looking at the station digital boards. I use t-mobile simple choice free data roaming plan and I can start looking at the SBB train schedule while the plane is still taxing to the gate as well as while on the train.
One might say landing at 10:35am to take a 11:40am train is not realistic. I was actually at the Zurich airport train station platform by 11:06am after having my Swissrail pass activated. Of course, I was traveling with only a carry-on. Oh, I also had time to buy a sandwich and a drink at the airport to have lunch on the train.
Of course, this kind of tight transportation relay is not possible in just any country. But this is Switzerland. The trains do run on time. It also helps to have a smartphone with SBB app to find out the track number of the next train before looking at the station digital boards. I use t-mobile simple choice free data roaming plan and I can start looking at the SBB train schedule while the plane is still taxing to the gate as well as while on the train.
Dec 11th, 2014, 10:14 PM
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"we are interested in the ... Chocolate train"
As swandav has noted, the Chocolate Train itself is not an option. Swandav has also kindly provided you with information about how to visit the chocolate factory in Broc on your own. FWIW, I wasn't particularly impressed -- it was OK, nothing more, and I am an admitted chocoholic! With so VERY little time in Switzerland, you might want to think about how high a priority this particular option is. And that (of course) is a question only you can answer.
Whatever you decide, you'll see / experience some wonderful things. Enjoy!
As swandav has noted, the Chocolate Train itself is not an option. Swandav has also kindly provided you with information about how to visit the chocolate factory in Broc on your own. FWIW, I wasn't particularly impressed -- it was OK, nothing more, and I am an admitted chocoholic! With so VERY little time in Switzerland, you might want to think about how high a priority this particular option is. And that (of course) is a question only you can answer.
Whatever you decide, you'll see / experience some wonderful things. Enjoy!
Dec 12th, 2014, 08:53 AM
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4dimad, I hope you forgive me hooking on to your thread.
swandav and greg, thank you very much for the information.
greg, I have gone so far as to rent an apartment for the night before my arrival in Europe just to avoid that wandering around in a sleepless daze after an all night transatlantic flight. So, we you mentioned training onward I was attracted to that idea.
We are looking at Zurich flights now.
swandav and greg, thank you very much for the information.
greg, I have gone so far as to rent an apartment for the night before my arrival in Europe just to avoid that wandering around in a sleepless daze after an all night transatlantic flight. So, we you mentioned training onward I was attracted to that idea.
We are looking at Zurich flights now.
Dec 12th, 2014, 10:40 AM
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tuscanlifeedit,
Let me add a caveat that not everyone can pull off this kind of trip. We do this all the time, but we travel light. For our last two week trip to Switzerland and Germany, the heaviest luggage was 16 pound 20 inch roller. If people are traveling with a 50 pound 26" and a 25 pound 22" roller each, it would be tough to change trains in time. The transfers are set for commuters to be easily make connection at normal walking pace. Also, one must know how to correctly locate the track and the correct platform marker, "Sektor/Repère", corresponding to your class of train displayed on digital displays. If the digital display says "Gleis 4 Sektor A/B", it does not help to wait at the Sektor D marker. The SBB smartphone app was a godsend. If you don't use a smartphone with mobile data, I would ask the ticket inspector about the upcoming train change. I set my alarm clock function to make sure I don't doze off past my intended stops.
Many people told us they could not travel this light. But a funny thing was that when I traveled with these heavily laden folks with 50 pound 26" luggage, I had to provide them with my plug adapters, blister kit, USB chargers, etc.
While many mention staying overnight at the city of the arrival airport to get over the jet lag, this does not always work well depending on the arrival time, hotel readiness, and the weather. One of the worst experience recently was arriving in Nice around 11am on a sweltering hot day when the hotel was not ready for check-in until 3pm. I had to wear the same clothes I flew on this sweaty hot day while trying not to fall sleep on an uncomfortable cafe chair to have a cold drink. I would have wanted to be in an air conditioned TGV train to Avignon or Aix arriving in time for check-in.
Let me add a caveat that not everyone can pull off this kind of trip. We do this all the time, but we travel light. For our last two week trip to Switzerland and Germany, the heaviest luggage was 16 pound 20 inch roller. If people are traveling with a 50 pound 26" and a 25 pound 22" roller each, it would be tough to change trains in time. The transfers are set for commuters to be easily make connection at normal walking pace. Also, one must know how to correctly locate the track and the correct platform marker, "Sektor/Repère", corresponding to your class of train displayed on digital displays. If the digital display says "Gleis 4 Sektor A/B", it does not help to wait at the Sektor D marker. The SBB smartphone app was a godsend. If you don't use a smartphone with mobile data, I would ask the ticket inspector about the upcoming train change. I set my alarm clock function to make sure I don't doze off past my intended stops.
Many people told us they could not travel this light. But a funny thing was that when I traveled with these heavily laden folks with 50 pound 26" luggage, I had to provide them with my plug adapters, blister kit, USB chargers, etc.
While many mention staying overnight at the city of the arrival airport to get over the jet lag, this does not always work well depending on the arrival time, hotel readiness, and the weather. One of the worst experience recently was arriving in Nice around 11am on a sweltering hot day when the hotel was not ready for check-in until 3pm. I had to wear the same clothes I flew on this sweaty hot day while trying not to fall sleep on an uncomfortable cafe chair to have a cold drink. I would have wanted to be in an air conditioned TGV train to Avignon or Aix arriving in time for check-in.
Dec 12th, 2014, 11:19 AM
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The Golden Pass train's first and last segments are the best - the middle one nice but for Switzerland rather ho-hum - if wanting to do it as a day trip from Montreux I'd say do it round-trip to Gstadd and back - over the most scenic part of the whole GP trek IME - Gstadd is a swank spiffy sweet ski resort with a neat Alpine wonderland feel and look.
Or take the GP to Interlaken and spend a day or two in say Grindelwald and the Jungfrau Region to me and many the absolute highlight of Switzerland - glacier-girdled peaks soaring thousands of feet above lush meadows - toylike trains and thrilling aerial cableways going off in all directions - from Interlaken-Ost where the GP dumps you off it's about 20 minutes by mountain train to Drindelwald.
Anyway for lots of great info on Swiss trains and passes (if doing all those train journeys the 4-consecutive day Swiss Saver Pass may be your best deal - great sites for info: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.
The only reason the official GP changes twice is because of track gauge (width) differences - all gets off one train and onto the other so not having to haul luggage around stations.
Or take the GP to Interlaken and spend a day or two in say Grindelwald and the Jungfrau Region to me and many the absolute highlight of Switzerland - glacier-girdled peaks soaring thousands of feet above lush meadows - toylike trains and thrilling aerial cableways going off in all directions - from Interlaken-Ost where the GP dumps you off it's about 20 minutes by mountain train to Drindelwald.
Anyway for lots of great info on Swiss trains and passes (if doing all those train journeys the 4-consecutive day Swiss Saver Pass may be your best deal - great sites for info: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com.
The only reason the official GP changes twice is because of track gauge (width) differences - all gets off one train and onto the other so not having to haul luggage around stations.
