Switzerland, which place please?
 

On our first overseas trip to europe on budget, we plan to take train from Venice to Paris. In between, which will be an ideal place in switzerland to stay for 2 nights. We are couples on a budget of $50-75/pp per day and our main interests are sightseeing & culture. All suggestions are welcome including train connections. Thanks

I assume you know that you don't HAVE to go through Switzerland to get from venice to Paris. In fact, the fastest connections would be in Milan, changing to the TGV that does the Paris run (through Turin and Modane)in about seven hours. However, going through and stopping in Switzerland is always nice and again, that connection will almost undoubtedly be through Milan. You can pick up a Cisalpino or more regular train there which will take you into Switzerland through the Simplon Tunnel to Brig and on to Lausanne and Geneva if you wish. You can also change in Brig for other points such as the Bernese Oberland and Interlaken, Luzern, Bern itself, or Zurich.
These connections are all very easy to make and you can check schedules online using (what I feel is easier) the GermanRail website which I'll give you the link for in a subsequent message.
I'll leave it to others to suggest just where in Switzerland you should spend your time since that can be a very "touchy" subject on this board.
Have a great trip.

Eithe

You can use this site, among others, to check schedules
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...quest=yes&

Well,... a normal train destination from Venice to Paris via Switzerland could be:
- Venice-Milan-Brig-Geneva-Paris.
This train brings you through the Wallis region (Sion, Martigny) and the Geneva lake (Montreux, Lausanne, Geneva).
- Venice-Milan-Brig-Bern-Basel-Paris
From Brig you go to the Bernese Oberland, via Bern to Basel.
- Venice-Milan-Zurich-Paris.
Could offer you a stopover in Ticino canton or in Zurich if interested.

Venice and Paris are 2 urban destinations. What do you expect from the Swiss destination; urban, mountaineous?
You could stay in Brig and maybe make some daytrip with a panoramic mountain train, but I think that your budget might be a bit tight for Switzerland, especially with the dollar going down...

I can testify to the dollar's weakness against the Euro but I am not certain about how it has stood against the Swiss Frank and in most plces in Switerland you'll need franks, not euros.
Another thing to consider is WHEN you are going to do this. Right now, for example, the hotels in popular skiiing spots such as Zermatt are already booked through next April (I know because that's when I'm going and getting a room in Brig for a one-night stopover during Easter week was a chore.
Other places right now wouldn;t be as much of a problem. The time between mid-April and June seems to be, in some places, a "low" point when prices drop. But in any event, once you've decided where you want to go it never hurts, in my experience, to make reservations early.
Baldrick's information seems very good to me.

Having just returned from Switzerland and Germany, I CAN testify to the dollar's weakness against both the Swiss franc and the Euro.

We're "regular" visitors to Switzerland, but we'll have to re-think future visits unless the dollar recovers a bit. Switzerland is expensive when the dollar is strong, but right now, it's downright scary.

As of two weeks ago, the Swiss franc was .80 to the US dollar. Considering that prices seemed high when the franc was .55 to the US dollar, the increase was very noticeable to us.

A three star hotel in Switzerland will run between 180-220 francs per night with breakfast.

Apartment rentals are considerably cheaper, but unless you're visiting in the off season, a seven night stay is usually required.

I love Switzerland (and have visited the area outside Geneva around Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux many times). But on a first trip, and on your budget, and since you only have 2 extra days... I'd skip Switzerland. Also you don't say how long the trip is. If it's less than 2 weeks I even more strongly suggest the above.

You can take an overnight train between Venice and Paris (change Milan). If you pay the extra for a private sleeping cabin (would bust your budget for that day) but it's really a treat, leave Venice in the afternoon, board Milan sleeper train 5 to 7-ish, arrive Paris in the early morning.

Venice and Paris are fairly expensive so your budget overall will be somewhat tight (and I am not a luxurious traveler but paid over $100/night for my hotels those cities). Skipping Switzerland this trip would save you money and extra effort and arrangements.

Venice, Paris, Switzerland and budget are words that do not belong together. Your budget is not realistic.

I'm afraid Bob's right. Especially if you are taking your train expenses out of that daily amount. Unless you are going to go the 'youth hostel' backpacking route, even finding $100/night for a central location in Venice and Paris takes some research. That only leaves you $50/day on the high end of your budget for 2 people to eat, sight see, museum admissions, local transportation, etc.

On a positive note, I'd suggest upping your budget if possible, going to less places, and go the grocery-store, free admissions when possible route, maybe even shortening the length of the trip to give yourself a more generous daily allowance.

If you avoid the cities and the popular tourist areas, Switzerland is very reasonable. We stayed at an inn in Boltigen, a very small hamlet, and visited Spiez, right on the train route from Berg to Berne. Minotels in both locations are currently offering (for April) a double room, breakfast included, for 176 Euros for three nights. I suspect they are posting prices in Euros for our convenience, and the actual payment would be in Francs. Boltigen is a tiny remote farming community with superb scenery; Spiez is right on Lake Thunersee, a more active place, but still with great scenery. The special deal currently being offered is three nights for the price of two, but if your schedule can accomodate that it seems a most reasonable price.

One aside on including Switzerland, you will need to change to Swiss Franc. Both Italy and France are on the Euro, but not Switzerland.

No big deal but something to be aware of in your planning and budgeting.

Unless you really want to see Switzerland, I suggest limiting your trip to a week in Paris and do a few day trips (e.g., Giverny, etc.). That will save you train fare. There's lots to see in Paris and surroundings. (Others would say the same about Venice, I'm sure.)