Switzerland to Spain with a little Paris too...
 

Hello everyone...
am planning a trip starting september 19...flying into paris for a couple of days, staying with a friend, then off to visit a friend who just landed a teaching job in lausanne, switzerland...then onto barcelona via cologne where i will meet another friend who has invited me to stay with her in barcelona...then back to paris for a few days and heading home oct 1.
my question is...what is the least expensive way to travel to and fro? should i get a eurail pass? i am on an extremely tight budget so any suggestions are so appreciated! and if you were i, where would you be sure to visit in paris, lausanne and barcelona? i thank all of you in advance, with all my heart!
jeaux

topping for maltesa. :-)

If you try to do tht trip by train you will spend almost all your time traveleing.

Go to bahn.de and you will find a complete list of trains that cover those routes - and I think you will be surprised how long some of the journeys are (cologne to Barcelona is 15 hours). And why go from Lausanne up to Cologne and then back south to Barcelona? (Lauanne to Barcelona is as little as 10 hours - never mind spending a good part of the day to get from lausanne to cologne).

You should be looking at bargain flights as well as train for several of these legs.

But either way - much of your time will be spent traveling, since you have only 11 days on the ground - 5 of them traveling between cities.

There are many smaller airlines which such as RyanAir. Try googling european airlines.

OK - your itinerary is awfully fractured for such a short time. But you can't help where your friends are - and there could certainly be worse places than Paris, Lausanne and Barcelona :)

But -- WHY Cologne? Your trip is (barely) doable w/o Cologne and pretty darned difficult if you include it.

Hi maltesa - I agree with nytraveler, can you possibly rearrange your itinerary in a more efficient flow geographically?

You should definitely check where the budget carriers fly to. (EasyJet, Ryan Air, www.airberlin.com and www.whichbudget.com) They often have very inexpensive city flights.

Hi M,

Another , "Why Cologne?".

Why into and out of Paris? Can't you fly into Switzerland, go to Barcelona and out of Paris OR fly into Paris, visit S or B and fly home from your last city?

See www.kayak.com.

To see if a railpass will work for you, look up prices at www.voyages-sncf.com and www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm and the pass prices at www.raileurope.com.

((I))

I can help with just a little part at the start... Paris to Lausanne is an easy eough train ride (5-ish hours I think). No need for a rail pass just buy a point-to-point 2nd class ticket.

Things to do around Lausanne include Chateau de Chillon out just past Montreux, Montreux's Old Town, and the Saturday morning open air market in Vevey (Vevey/Montreux being the next two towns along the train route and lakeside of Lac Leman next to Lausanne).

you are all so helpful and clever!
i did take out the cologne leg...and am flying easyjet paris to geneva (will train into lausanne) and then geneva to barcelona, then barcelona to paris...the flights alltogher are only $140 total! isn't that great? i love easyjet! thanks so much for the suggestions on lausanne area....i am going to spend sunday day/night in geneva....please tell me what not to miss! in barcelona i know its gaudi, gaudi, gaudi... and what things might i not know to do in paris? i have been to the museums...what about smallish things?
and yes, it's odd that i am flying into paris and out and back again...it has to do with the dates of the trip and my friend in lausanne is a teacher and is busy on weekdays...sort of convoluted i know...
anyway thank you one and all for writing!

I've only been actually in Geneva once, I always head straight out to Vevey/Montreux. Know that you will get the train right from the Geneva airport. The two buildings are connected (airport/train station).

thanks suze. i will follow your lead and go to montreaux! any ideas of a cheap place to stay in geneva? that sunday night i will need a place to crash...and a couple that i am traveling partly with will be there too...we both have flights early monday so we want to be very close by.
thanks again
maltesa

Sorry, no, I don't know Geneva at all and it has a reputation for being expensive. I believe you'll find hotels around the train station (the downtown one) that would be a quick ~7 mins. train ride to the airport in the morning.

I have a friend lives out in Vevey/Montreux so that's where I always stay.

I'm so glad EasyJet is working for you, maltesa. You picked a beautiful time of year to be in the region of Lake Geneva: the grape harvests will be underway. There's a "fêtes des vignerons" on Sept. 22nd which would be fun to attend. Could you get to Lausanne by then? Have a look on www.lavauxenfete.ch Of course, you can take some hikes or bike tours in the Lavaux region later which would be fun, too.

waggis!
what a fabulous idea! you are so kind to share that information and that is what we will do! we will go to the fete! i am making the executive decision, have become the alpha female..thanks to you and your brilliant idea. we arrive in the morning on the 22nd...so its perfect, and my friend in lausanne just moved there, so she will love it too.
thanks again!

That's wonderful, maltesa! I'm so happy you're able to work the "fête des vignerons" into your schedule.

Did you see under "Transports" how you can vary your route by boat, train, bus and on foot? Now, we only need St. Peter to cooperate with the weather, as we say.... :-)

On September 16th, Switzerland celebrates its national Thanksgivings Day. On that occasion the "vaudois" (people who live in the "Canton de Vaud") where you will be, serve a plum pie for dessert. Try it, it's delicious. Have a wonderful trip, maltesa!

BTW, for those traveling on that Sunday, many restaurants will be closed!

hello again waggis!
so sorry for taking so long to respond!thank you for the plum pie idea. will it be something i can try at a restaurant during my weekend as a vaudois? :) what is the name of it? i want to try it and write a full review! and when you suggested transport info did you mean information on the festival website? i notice that it's in german and french, and my french is tres horrible!
i wish i could have the plum pie right now...
please tell me more about the vaud! i am so excited!

Good morning maltesa!
You can enjoy a piece of plum pie at bakeries, coffee shops, tea rooms and restaurants. You ask for "tarte aux prunes". What is sold in US supermarkets as plums or Italian plums is referred to as prunes in Switzerland. The season for Italian plums end August/early September is very short in the markets in the US, especially in Florida where I live now. The plum halves are arranged on the pie plate and custard is poured over the fruit....delicious! Come to think of it, I could use one just now, too :-)

Yes, I meant the festival website on transportation. The German version doesn't seem to work. How long will you be in Lausanne?

"i am on an extremely tight budget so any suggestions are so appreciated! and if you were i, where would you be sure to visit in paris, lausanne and barcelona?"

In Lausanne, don't miss the Museum of Art Brut, which features art by criminals and artists with mental problems. I found it fascinating.

hi waggis!
i really need to check this site more often, i am always so delighted and surprised to see that someone replies to my posts...i will be in lausanne on sept 22 and 23, spending the night in geneva on 23. i am absolutely going to have the tarte...and maybe i can get a recipe and learn how to make it! it sounds like my kind of dessert. thank you for all your help.
hi fax machine anthem (great code name)...i had seen that museum mentioned but wondered if it was worth seeing..now it is definitely on my list. sounds interesting and creepy! will their be an audio guide or any information in english or do i need to be cramming my french right now?
i just can't wait for this trip. thank you both so much!

Hi maltesa - Since you're only a short time in Lausanne, I wouldn't venture too far.

On 9/22 I would visit the Château de Chillon near Montreux and time permitting Vevey. In the afternoon and evening the "Fêtes des Vignerons" will keep you plenty busy.

On 9/23 Explore Lausanne - cathedral, etc. and the suggested Musée d'Art Brut (hours 11 am to 6 pm). It would be unusual to find English commentaries of the exhibited works but there may be an audio guide in English available.

To relax, I would take the "métro", an electrically driven funicular, to Ouchy on the shores of "Lac Léman" (the French name for Lake Geneva), where you can enjoy shaded quays with flowers and a 1/2 mile-long lakeside path with lovely views of the harbour, the lake and the Chablais mountains/Savoy Alps.

You may even be able to take a little cruise on the lake. Tours of the upper lake (haut lac), which are more interesting, start in Ouchy-Lausanne. The "Compagnie Générale de Navigation" does afternoon cruises on Lake Geneva.

Ouchy is lively both during the day and at night. Many cafés have sunny terraces. The unusual Disco Zille on Rue Cite-Devant 10) is located in the old vaults of a 14 century cellar...

I love your enthusiastic responses, maltesa! You'll have so much fun and selected great stops for your trip. If you liked the "tarte aux prunes", I'll send you my personal recipe :-)

I just stayed in Ouchy this weekend at Hotel du Port. We had a single room at the back of the hotel for 184/room/night. The bed was a French bed but both of us had enough room to sleep. Breakfast was typical with bread, meat and cheese but nothing to write home about. I would stay there again.

See my previous Rolling Stones Concert in Lausanne thread.

hi waggis!
wow you are the worlds best personal assistant! i am going to print out your itinerary and do exactly what you reccomend. and i know i will want that recipe for tarte aux prunes...i can feel it in my bones!(and tastebuds.)
you and schuler both reccomend ouchy and for sure we are going to find that disco and burn off the tarte aux prunes we ate earlier by dancing the night away. so exciting!
i just wish you make my itinerary for paris and barcelona too! you deserve a raise! :)
i thank you from the depths of mon coeur!

maltesa - Your tastebuds can rejoice, I'll send you my recipe as soon as they feature Italian plums in our market. I need to measure what I use in my concoction....you know, a pinch here and a dash there.... :-)
After all, I've got to make sure I'll live up to the promised raise.

I can't help you with Barcelona but there's a lot of information available on this forum as well as on Paris. If I come across some off the beaten path Barcelona suggestion, I'll pass it along to you. How long will you be in Paris and is this your first trip to "La Ville-Lumière" (The City of Light)? Boy, does it ever live up to its nickname....

very excited about that recipe...and i am sure other readers are as well.
i have been to paris once...just for two days and spent the whole time in the louvre and musee' d'orsay...with an occasional break for a nutella crepe.
i will be there six days total, broken up into two segments and four days in barcelona. thanks for the tip, i will research here on this site!
vive les tartes aux prunes!

Hi maltesa!
Have you been to Giverny & Versailles? I saw Monet's gardens in early October; it was a beautiful season, flower beds overflowing with late summer bloomers and the traditional fall flowers.

If you love cathedrals, you might even take a train ride to Chartres....

I love the intimate small museums; they often have a café attached, where you can take a brake and enjoy a meal.

And while we're on the subject of food, DON'T miss "les macarons Ladurée" which come in many delicious flavors. www.laduree.fr/macarons
They have several locations, e.g. 16, Rue Royale (if you go there, go upstairs); 75, Ave. Champs Elysées; 64, Blvd. Haussmann and 21, Bonaparte in the Saint Germain neighborhood.

Angelina's on Rue de Rivoli for hot chocolate.
Cacao et Chocolat on the Isle St. Louis.
Berthillion for chocolate ice cream, also on the Isle St. Louis
La Maison du Chocolat, 52 Rue Pierre Charron.

Last time I was there, we stayed in the Marais, where there are lots of shops and small restaurants; for instance near the Centre Pompidou at 12,imp Berthaud, "Le Hangar", a tiny place with good food and reasonable prices.

I like to take the métro, but if you decide to try some bus routes, go to www.ratp.fr. You can print the schedule if you have certain destinations in mind.

Boat rides on the Seine are very enjoyable and relaxing after all the walking you will be doing :-)