rlbplf

My wife and I flying into Paris in mid July and having never visited Switzerland are thinking of taking the train from CDG to Geneva. It seems we would have to take the RER to a station in Paris to catch the train to Geneva. Has anyone done this and can you adivse me on the best approach to getting to Geneva? We have seen almost all of France and have stayed in Paris many times and intend to end our trip this July with the last 4 days of our vacation. Many thanks,

nytraveler

If you want to go to Geneva - why not just fly there? Flying into Paris makes no sense unless it's free. And - as long as you're at the airport I would just fly on to Geneva - not trek into Paris, wait for a train and then go for a very long train ride.

senozkadir

the link below might help you
http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/train...n_16_6961.aspx

senozkadir

Direct trains to Geneva are from Paris Gare de Lyon Station but if you take the TGV from CDG,you'll need to transfer in Lyon,France.
http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers#

rlbplf

We have already booked our plane tickets via skymiles so no opportunity to change arrival Paris. When I search for train schedules in July, the sncf website tells me to call an 800 number. From what I have read here on Fodors, tickets are available online 90 day from travel time. Is that why the sncf website tells me to call?

Southam

The train ride, especially from Lyon onwards, is quite scenic. It seems more convenient to take the one-stop trains from the airport with the change in Lyon. That's just a matter of moving from one platform to another. Getting from Charles de Gaulle to Gare de Lyon in Paris requires one change of Metro/regional trains anyhow, and in far less comfortable circumstances and rolling stock.

rlbplf

And I forgot to add, are our options to take a TGV from CDG with a transfer in Lyon or get to Gare de Lyon station for a direct train?

rlbplf

Southham, that answers my last question. What about the 90 day purchase question? Many thanks,

senozkadir

Direct trains to Geneva are from Paris Gare de Lyon Station but if you take the TGV from CDG,you'll need to transfer in Lyon,France.

rlbplf

Thanks, how far in advance can I purchase the train tickets online? Is it 90 days? When I search the sncf site for July nothing comes up.

senozkadir

exactly so,90 days.
today you can buy for 28 April
not even for 29 April
but tomorrow you can buy for 29 April

rlbplf

We are considering staying Geneva for 4 or 5 nights and perhaps taking day trips via train. It appears that is some sort of Swiss train pass we might consider. Can anyone advise me on this?

senozkadir, thanks for clarification on the 90 day advance purchase question.

PalenQ

We are considering staying Geneva for 4 or 5 nights and perhaps taking day trips via train. It appears that is some sort of Swiss train pass we might consider. Can anyone advise me on this?>

Well if you are just staying in the Geneva area a Swiss Pass may or may not be cost effective - it depends on how many day trips you take and how long and whether you take boat trips on Lake Geneva (boats as well as city trams and buses and rural postal buses are 100% covered by a Swiss Pass).

A 4-consecutive-day pass would cover everything that moves in this area - and some great day trips would beL

Taking the Golden Pass scenic train from Montreux to say Gstaad, a famous ski/summer resort and back

or taking the Chocolate Train to Gruyeres - a perfect walled town and onto the Broc Factory stop to visit the Nestle Chocolate Factory

Taking trains even to Zermatt for the day - possible

So yes if those type things are in the cars and having apass gives you complete flexibility to hop any train any boat anytime - so you can decide what to do once there.

Taking the train via Martigny to Chamonix, France on a day trip - riding one of the most awesomely scenic railways in Europe - Swiss Pass valid even on the French portion of that trip - Chamonix sees galciers descending practically to the tracks and is again a world-class summer and winter resort.

But if you stay just in the Geneva area itself then no the pass will be a waste of money.

For lots of great stuff on Swiss trains, boats, passes, etc I always spotlight these IMO fantastic sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html and www.ricksteves.com.

suze

Rather than staying right in Geneva I encourage you to consider Lausanne, Vevey or Montreux instead. They are gorgeous cities/towns right on Lac Leman about 1 hours train ride outside Geneva. Geneva is a huge international city that held little interest to me as a visitor (would be a nice place to live though).

PalenQ

Many folks do rave about Vevey and Montreux - much more romantic places on the lake than modern Geneva, which is also a very nice sity for a big city - I think you'll save money as well across the board on accommodations in those other two cities.

rlbplf

Thanks to all of you for the informative tips on Switzerland. I will investigate those towns you suggested. Would it make sense to spend the first night in Geneva after flying all night from the States or would it be just as easy to transfer trains in Geneva and go to say Montreux and spend more time in the smaller towns? In the past we have always enjoyed visiting and staying in the smaller villages in France and Italy so maybe the same is to be said for Switzerland. Thoughts? Perhaps this conversation should be moved to the Switzerland forum.

suze

Yes, it's easy to go directly out to Montreux or Vevey. No need to stay in Geneva at all. It's just an hour train ride. Do check schedules because some trains you'd need to transfer at Lausanne. But there's at least one per hour from Geneva that goes direct to Vevey and Montreux.