Georgia

Advice needed please to all you seasoned travelers out there. <BR>My friend & I are embarking on a trip to Paris and hopefully Switzerland for exactly 1 week. We are staying with her aunt outside of Paris and we'd like to visit her other aunt in Switzerland who we hope will house us for 1-2 nights? We think we should focus on Paris. Any advice on reliable tours who will pick us up at her Aunt's doorstep so we won't have to get on the wrong train? <BR>Any advice for train travel? How many days in Paris and what to see and do? What should we do in Switzerland for 1-2 days? <BR>Europass okay? Can we reserve our seats here in the U.S. we hear TGV train requires advanced reservations. We're looking at 11/13-11/22. <BR>Merci kind folks for advice !!! <BR>Georgia <BR>

Bob Brown

About a month ago I returned from a trip to Paris and then on to Lausanne, Switzerland. We landed at CDG and spent 5 days in Paris. I think 8 to 10 would have been better. We saw the sights for long hours each day, but 5 days was enough to make me want to return. <BR>We had no rail passes, so we took the regular fare ride on the TGV from Gare d'Lyon to Lausanne. <BR>Seat reservations are required, but if you book two or three days in advance there should be no trouble. We rode first class, just to see how the other half lives, and enjoyed it. <BR>In Switzerland, it will be a bit nippy at the upper elevations. But there are two destinations, both enclosed, that are great if the sun is shining. (If not, forget it!) <BR>One is the Jungfraujoch on the train. <BR>The trip is expensive, but if you look at it as a once in a lifetime event, it is fun. One can take the train at Interlaken Ost, ride to Lauterbrunnen, change trains for Kleine Scheidegg, and then change again for the run to the Jungfrau. <BR>The other trip is the gondola trip up to the Schilthorn. If you are driving, you can park at the valley station of the Schilthornbahn, and ride up to the revolving restraurant on top. (The Schilthorn valley station is located about 3 miles south of Lauterbrunnen.) <BR>The Schilthorn is a little cheaper, but gives incredible views on a clear day. <BR> <BR>If you are using public transportation, you can take the train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen, then take the Post Bus to the Schilthorn Valley station. <BR>It is also a pleasent walk along the floor of the valley to the Schilthorn station -- about 2.5 miles. There is also Trummelbach Falls, which drain the glacier than flows off the north face of the Moench and Jungfrau, are in the Lauterbrunnen valley. The falls are hidden in the mountain, but there is an elevator and the falls are lighted, with well defined pathways. <BR>I enjoyed them, although I do not rank them as high as the two mountain top excursions. <BR>If you have a cloudy day, try the cheese factory, narrated, near the village of Afolten. We got here in time for a cow judging contest. Being an old farm boy, I enjoyed seeing those prize bovines. <BR> <BR>A third trip we enjoyed greatly was the ride in the gondola from Grindelwald to First. The First station is enclosed and has a place to eat. The ride in the gondola car is an eye popping event if you are seeing the Bernese Oberland for the first time. (First is a place name, has nothing to do with first, second, ...)

Carol

Boy are you gonna love Paris, I can tell already! I think you'd get lots of useful info from checking out the Past Forums on this site. There's one called "Springtime in Paris", and even tho it's from 1998, there were many many questions from first-timers. Have fun!

dan woodlief

Where in Switzerland does her aunt live? I wouldn't worry about the train travel too much. It is easy. You can use Deutsche Bahn's Web site to plan for this part. bahn.hafas.de/bin/detect.exe/bin/query.exe/e will take you to the query screen. <BR>You can get reservations from a travel agent in the U.S. (I have done this). You can probably do it through the French Rail site to, but I have not tried it. It is probably not necessary unless you feel that you are going to travel at a peak time. I wouldn't buy any type of rail pass, considering the limited amount of traveling around that you will do.

Georgia

Hi Dan, <BR> <BR>Her Aunt lives in Lausanne. She doesn't know yet that we're going to hit her up for accommodations but I'm prepared for other accommodations (budget). Boy will she be surprised ! <BR>Wow ! I have to assimmilate all this information !!! We're leaving on 11/13. <BR>Gosh my head is spinning. <BR> <BR>Georgia (and Kim) <BR>

Georgia

Hi Carol (and Bob and Dan), <BR> <BR>Thanks for your response and will check out Paris in Springtime and maybe I'll do a thing called Paris in Autumn (Mmmm sounds like a song !). <BR> <BR>I checked a site that Bob Brown sent me and I found a Paris Open tour which is a joint effort between RAFP (?) and CityRama. <BR> <BR>I wonder if we'll get rained out ? <BR>It's a type of thing that you can get on and off and if you stay in the bus it's 2 1/2 hours non-stop and it's got 3 routes. <BR> <BR>Any opinions on this Open Tour oh might knowledgeable travellers ? <BR> <BR>Signed, <BR> <BR>Georgia aka "hoping not to get too overwhelmed"

Georgia

Hi Bob (and Carol and Dan), <BR> <BR>I'm still getting the hang of this Forum thing. I think I shouldn't have to respond to each reply but maybe do a summary in the end. <BR>Dan, regarding my budget accommodations in Switzerland, there isn't any. I'm just preparing myself that we may need to get our own if Kim's Aunt from Lausanne won't house us. <BR>We have no places at all at this time to stay at at Switzerland(Eeeek !!!). <BR> <BR>Bob, I have to assimmilate what you advised. <BR> <BR>CAN ANYONE HELP ME FIGURE OUT what's better to get a EUROPASS THAT may take me around Paris and outlying France plus Switzerland ? <BR>I figured instead of spending lots of train tickets in these two countries if I add them all up together it will be cheaper to get a Pass of some sort ? <BR> <BR>Is the TGV train applicable for Europass for example? <BR> <BR>Sorry Bob I kinda lumped more questions on my personal reply to you. <BR> <BR>Signed, <BR> <BR>Georgia aka "Starting to get overwhelmed !! "

Christina

It would never be economical to buy a Eurailpass for one train trip, which it sounds like all you intend to do (Paris to Lausanne). Eurailpasses (even the Europass, which you can get a discount if two people buy one) are extremely expensive, they cost hundreds of dollars and are for people who plan to spend a lot of time (days and days) within a long time period on the train. Since you only have a total of one week travel, I wouldn't imagine you will travel anywhere by train except between the two cities. A discounted companion Europass (ie, 2+ people buying together) costs about $300 and is for five days travel. One train trip between Paris and Lausanne costs less than $100 second class, even by TGV. You do need advance seat reservations, but that's any time up to departure. You can do it at the station once you get in Paris, a couple days ahead of time or something; you could probably even do it the same day you want to leave, but I myself would rather know I had one ahead of time.

dan woodlief

Georgia, as I see it you have two good choices for Switzerland. You can visit the alpine areas, preferably around Interlaken. I stayed at the Alp Lodge there for about $30 a night. Maybe someone who has been to this area in November can tell you what to expect that time of year. I have heard that November is about the worst month for these areas. Another option is to visit Swiss cities. Lausanne itself is supposed to be quite nice. Bern is another good option in that vacinity. Somewhere even smaller is the walled city of Murten, for which you should refer to Rick Steves tapes and books. I really wouldn't worry about a rail pass. As Christine said the train to Switzerland will be under $100. I paid about $80 to $85 U.S. for a second class ticket from Bern to Paris. At the most, you will want to take one daytrip from Paris, probably Versailles, and that is very inexpensive (just a few dollars).

Georgia

Hi Dan, <BR> <BR>So sorry, I misunderstood my friend Kim. I thought she said "Lausanne" but I got an Email from her and it's <BR>"Lucerne." <BR>Any more tips Sir ? <BR> <BR>Georgia <BR>ps <BR>But I like your suggestion. I just don't want to just travel there say hi to Kim's aunt in Lucerne then go back. I'd love to see more of Switzerland <BR>

Georgia

Hi Carol, <BR> <BR>I did a text search on SpringTime in Paris and nothing came up. I'll do more searches ... <BR> <BR>Georgia

dan woodlief

Georgia, Luzern is an absolutely beautiful city. You may end up wanting to spend all your time there. Luzern is on a huge lake that is surrounded by mountains. The city itself is quite attractive, with many of its buildings painted with colorful scenes. There are a few main sites (bridges, churches, lion monument, old wall, etc.), but the overall ambience is what is best. There is a lot of good shopping there too, including souvenirs. Prices will be high, as Switzerland is pretty expensive. Do a search on Luzern, and you will learn many interesting and fun things to do. One of my favorites is taking a cruise on the lake. You can get off at one of the many stops or go all the way to the end. We went all the way to the end point of Fluelen and then took the 50 minute train ride back to Luzern. The last half of the trip is the most spectacular. However, I am not sure how visibility will be in November. You could take a journey from Luzern to Interlaken, which is about two hours by a very scenic train trip. Bern is 1:20 to 2:00 depending on the train. If you end up staying for four or more days in Switzerland, you should consider a Swiss Pass, which will cover all rail (except special high-altitude routes, such as the Jungfraujoch), buses, and boats (including Lake Luzern). The Jungfrau and similar routes are discounted with a pass. I can't remember all the passes available, but they are for a certain number of days - ours was a four-day pass. Only consider this pass though if you will be doing a lot of traveling within Switzerland.

Carol

Georgia--no no no no no--do not do a text search. Go to the forums home page and find the phrase "hosted forums". Just under it on the page, there's a little red field called "past hosted forums". Click on that and you'll get an index to past forums. That's where you'll find "Springtime in Paris." Sorry if I wasn't clear enough before.

Bob Brown

We were in Luzern last year for a day trip and enjoyed it. The Fodors guide to Swizerland has many helpful suggestions. We went to the transportation museum, reachable by bus from the train station. I found the exhibits at the museum to be very interesting, particularly the detailed diagrams of the different kinds of mountain lift systems. The names in German are quite varied: Luftseilbahn, Gondalbahn, Drahtseilbahn, Sesselbahn. All have something to do with ropes, pully contraptions, cars, and all the other technical ins and outs of building safe, reliable mountain transportation systems. <BR> <BR>

Georgia

Thanks Bob regarding information on Fodor's. I do have that book and looked at what was suggested regarding Lucern. <BR> <BR>Thanks Dan for the vote for Lucern. <BR>Fodor's talked about that tour. <BR>I told my friend Kim about your suggestions. <BR> <BR>We'll know in a week. Hopefully her aunt will call us back. <BR> <BR>We have to think of an alternative plan if we don't go to Lucern. <BR> <BR>She also has relatives in Nice and I think she's thinking about it too but it's a ways away from Paris. <BR> <BR>My vote is to stay in Paris but gotta work all these details out with Kim. <BR>She's looking forward to the River Seine trip by night. It's supposed to be gorgeous based on her readings. <BR> <BR>Any ideas for an alternative plan in lieu of Lucern is most welcome. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Bob Brown

If your time is limited and you seem restricted to the Lausanne area, there is a lot to see in that area too. <BR>Again, Fodors guide to Switzerland has some good suggestions. Lake Geneva is very pretty, too. So if you don't get to Luzern, there are alternatives. <BR>If you have the use of a car, you might consider a drive along the Valley of the Rhone. If any of the high roads are open, you could drive up to Val d'Anniviers or even Zermatt from Lausanne. It is a small country, so in 8 hours you can visit a couple of well known places. But, I have never driven in Switzerland in the late fall or winter. So I cannot really comment on road conditions. I would not tackle that road up to Zinal after a snow unless it was swept clean as a whistle!! <BR>If you go to Zinal, visit the Hotel du Trift for lunch and tell Nicholas, the owner, that Bob sent you. If the old black dog is sprawled on the floor, don't worry, he is multi lingual. He wags his tail in response to kind words in any language. He just doesn't get up much any more. <BR>The bulldog likes to have the base of his tail scratched because he can't reach it very well.

Dave Hutchinson

Georgia... If you stay in Lausanne I might recommend a super day trip to Chamonix/Mont Blanc France. It is only about a 1 1/2 hour trip on the train. Chamonix is a beautiful little village. Plus..you can take a gondola up the mountain to get a terrific view of Mont Blanc. Not an expensive trip either. We stayed in Montreux. As I recall the round trip price was 26 SF each. -Dave-

Georgia

Hello, <BR> <BR>Thanks for the suggestions. I will check out the map for Switzerland and see where Chamonix, Montreaux, Zinal, Mont Blanc France are all located. <BR> <BR>Here's what I have so far: <BR> <BR>Sunday - arrive in Paris <BR>Mon/Tuesday - Paris <BR>Wednesday - TGV to Lucern, overnight in Lucern (where I don't know yet) <BR>Thursday - boat trip in Lucern and train back per Dan <BR>Thursday night - return to Paris on TGV <BR> <BR> OR if we stay longer ... <BR> <BR>Thursday night - sleep somewhere or sleep on the train (where?) <BR>Friday - A train trip to another city in Switzerland and ride a gondola <BR>Friday night - return to Paris <BR> <BR>Saturday - Last day in Paris <BR>Sunday - Go home ... <BR> <BR>What do you think y'all ? <BR> <BR>Georgia <BR>

Bob Brown

You list has many very good attractions. All are winners. Time and weather will play a vital role in what you see and do. Let me suggest that you have two general trip plans. One plan would cover what you will try to see an do if the weather is clear. The other plan will give you a fallback position if the weather does not cooperate. Riding gondolas up mountains to see clouds and rain is not my idea of having a good time. I have walked my share of kilometers along Swiss mountain trails with squishy boots in near zero visibility conditions because of the rain! Just a few weeks ago, we looked out at the sky from our apartment in Lauterbrunnen and saw blue. So we drove up to Grindelwald and took the gondola to First. By the time we got to the Bachsee, the sunshine had turned to sleet. (One good thing about sleet, you don't get as wet as you do from rain.) We got one look at the north face of the Eiger before the clouds rolled in. So have alternative plans to occupy you if the weather is lousy. That way you will not return as disappointed. <BR> <BR>By the way, Zinal is south of Sion/Sierre on a twisting mountain road. <BR>We drove up there in late September. <BR>Grimetz is up there too. The Barrage de Moiry forms a gorgous lake, which is fed by the Moiry Glacier. But this time of year, visiting there is weather dependent.