Travel to France and Switzerland mid-July
Jul 3rd, 2011, 10:41 PM
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Travel to France and Switzerland mid-July
Hello Foderites,
I am traveling to France and Switzerland from July 16-July 24 and am traveling alone. I would like to get your advice for the ambitious itinerary below. I only have 2 days in Paris and would like to maximize sightseeing there. I am happy to exclude some of the places based on advice on forum. I have work on July 18, 19 and 20, so only have evenings available for sightseeing. I am also not decided on where to stay in Switzerland: Wengen or Murren or Interlaken , any advice would help! Also, which of these places is better for outdoor activity? I enjoy nature and outdoor activities.
Looking forward for some good advice. Thanks in advance!
July, 16 (Saturday): Paris Day #1
• Arrive in Paris at 7am.
• Louvre
• Musee d’Orsey
• Conciergerie
• Notre-Dame
• Eiffel Tower
• Le Seine boat ride/Tour of Illumination
• Centre Pompidou (maybe)
July, 17 (Sunday): Paris Day #2
• Palace of Versailles (early morning, garden and palace) –return by noon
• Ste-Chapelle
• Arc de Triomphe
• Champ-Elysees
• Place de la Concorde
• Sacre-Coeur
• Moulin Rouge (take pic from outside)
• Montmartre for dinner
July, 18, (Monday): Lyon (in evening)
• Place des Terreaux
• Place Bellecouer
• Vieux Lyon –Rue du Boeuf (maybe)
• Primatiale St-Jean Cathedral (maybe)
July, 19 (Tuesday): Grenoble (in evening)
• Place Victor Hugo
• Fort de la Bastille
July, 20 (Wednesday): Grenoble (in evening)
• Musee Dauphinois
• Musee de Grenoble
July 21 (Thursday) : Geneva
• Palais des nations –UN headquarters
• Cathedrale de Sainte-Pierre
• Hotel de Ville
• From Jardin Anglais, see Jet d’Eau and take CGN steamer for ride of Lake Geneva
• Head to Wengen or Murren or Interlaken to stay at night?
July 22 (Friday) : Explore Jungfrau area
• Take early morning train from Wengen or Murren or Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen for day trip to “Jungfrau” , head up Jungfrau mountain using cog railway
• Spend night at Wengen or Murren or Interlaken
July 23 (1/2 day), (Saturday): Zurich
• Wengen or Murren or Interlaken – Outdoor activity (Hang gliding ) in morning
• Leave for Zurich at noon
At Zurich:
• The Great Church
• Cruise on Lake Zurich
• walk along the western bank of the Limmat River and hike up to the Lindenhof
• Migros Museum (maybe)
• Bahnhofstrasse - shopping
July 24 (1/2 day) (Sunday) –leave for Zurich airport , flight at 5:30pm.
• The Opera House and the Tonhalle concert hall
• Niederdorf - an exciting center of entertainment for a colorful public.
• The Old Town of Zurich (maybe)
I am traveling to France and Switzerland from July 16-July 24 and am traveling alone. I would like to get your advice for the ambitious itinerary below. I only have 2 days in Paris and would like to maximize sightseeing there. I am happy to exclude some of the places based on advice on forum. I have work on July 18, 19 and 20, so only have evenings available for sightseeing. I am also not decided on where to stay in Switzerland: Wengen or Murren or Interlaken , any advice would help! Also, which of these places is better for outdoor activity? I enjoy nature and outdoor activities.
Looking forward for some good advice. Thanks in advance!
July, 16 (Saturday): Paris Day #1
• Arrive in Paris at 7am.
• Louvre
• Musee d’Orsey
• Conciergerie
• Notre-Dame
• Eiffel Tower
• Le Seine boat ride/Tour of Illumination
• Centre Pompidou (maybe)
July, 17 (Sunday): Paris Day #2
• Palace of Versailles (early morning, garden and palace) –return by noon
• Ste-Chapelle
• Arc de Triomphe
• Champ-Elysees
• Place de la Concorde
• Sacre-Coeur
• Moulin Rouge (take pic from outside)
• Montmartre for dinner
July, 18, (Monday): Lyon (in evening)
• Place des Terreaux
• Place Bellecouer
• Vieux Lyon –Rue du Boeuf (maybe)
• Primatiale St-Jean Cathedral (maybe)
July, 19 (Tuesday): Grenoble (in evening)
• Place Victor Hugo
• Fort de la Bastille
July, 20 (Wednesday): Grenoble (in evening)
• Musee Dauphinois
• Musee de Grenoble
July 21 (Thursday) : Geneva
• Palais des nations –UN headquarters
• Cathedrale de Sainte-Pierre
• Hotel de Ville
• From Jardin Anglais, see Jet d’Eau and take CGN steamer for ride of Lake Geneva
• Head to Wengen or Murren or Interlaken to stay at night?
July 22 (Friday) : Explore Jungfrau area
• Take early morning train from Wengen or Murren or Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen for day trip to “Jungfrau” , head up Jungfrau mountain using cog railway
• Spend night at Wengen or Murren or Interlaken
July 23 (1/2 day), (Saturday): Zurich
• Wengen or Murren or Interlaken – Outdoor activity (Hang gliding ) in morning
• Leave for Zurich at noon
At Zurich:
• The Great Church
• Cruise on Lake Zurich
• walk along the western bank of the Limmat River and hike up to the Lindenhof
• Migros Museum (maybe)
• Bahnhofstrasse - shopping
July 24 (1/2 day) (Sunday) –leave for Zurich airport , flight at 5:30pm.
• The Opera House and the Tonhalle concert hall
• Niederdorf - an exciting center of entertainment for a colorful public.
• The Old Town of Zurich (maybe)
Jul 3rd, 2011, 11:38 PM
#2
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As far as the itinerary in Paris is concerend, it sure is ambitious. Not sure you'll be arriving from where to Paris but if it is after a long flight, you may not last very long on the first day. You could combine Notre Dame/Sainte-Chapelle/Conciergerie in one visit since they are close together. Get the Paris Museum Pass to bypass the ticketing queue. Maybe you should save Versailles for the next trip and concentrate your visits in Paris itself so it is not too rushed. Just my view.
I did cover quite a bit during my recent visit as in my Blog but I had many more days.
Ronald
http://paris-france-holiday.blogspot.com/
I did cover quite a bit during my recent visit as in my Blog but I had many more days.
Ronald
http://paris-france-holiday.blogspot.com/
Jul 4th, 2011, 02:22 AM
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seat61.com excellent training info
www.gstaad.ch beautiful lotsof outdoor activities
also Zermatt Interlaken
beaune.com great for foodies and winos along the way
www.gstaad.ch beautiful lotsof outdoor activities
also Zermatt Interlaken
beaune.com great for foodies and winos along the way
Jul 4th, 2011, 06:23 AM
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Hi fka2,
My preference for a base in the Jungfrau area would be Mürren or Wengen -- both are car-free towns so are largely free of the tour busses/off-loaded day-tripper problem. Also, they lie at a higher altitude than Interlaken, so your views are over to the other mountains and down into the valley, reather than always up&up from Interlaken.
Mürren is a bit more remote than is Wengen, and it is smaller, so Wengen is a nice compromise between the two. You can see both of them at
www.myjungfrau.ch
Make sure you get from Geneva to the Interlaken area using the Golden Pass route: via Montreux & Gstaad. More information at
www.goldenpass.ch
Have fun!
s
My preference for a base in the Jungfrau area would be Mürren or Wengen -- both are car-free towns so are largely free of the tour busses/off-loaded day-tripper problem. Also, they lie at a higher altitude than Interlaken, so your views are over to the other mountains and down into the valley, reather than always up&up from Interlaken.
Mürren is a bit more remote than is Wengen, and it is smaller, so Wengen is a nice compromise between the two. You can see both of them at
www.myjungfrau.ch
Make sure you get from Geneva to the Interlaken area using the Golden Pass route: via Montreux & Gstaad. More information at
www.goldenpass.ch
Have fun!
s
Jul 4th, 2011, 08:39 AM
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As far as Switzerland is concerned you can;t pick a day to ascend the Jungfrau - or go hang gliding or whatever. it all depends on the weather and often you have to wait a couple of days for the weather to be good enough. We couldn;t ascend the Jungfrau until our 3rd day in Interlaken - the valleys were sunny but the mountain tops were totally socked in - and going up would have been a complete waste of time. So - you will have to be much more flexible and have some bad weather options ready to go. (From Interlaken you can vsit Thun and it;s Castle via lake steamer - and perhaps train (we drive so I'm not up on train routes). Another option is Brienz - a wood carver's village near a Swiss outdoor museum.
As for Paris - the sights you have listed will take 4 days at least. I would bag Versailles - it will take much longer than you have allowed - since a large part of what you want to see is he gardens and fountains.
As for Paris - the sights you have listed will take 4 days at least. I would bag Versailles - it will take much longer than you have allowed - since a large part of what you want to see is he gardens and fountains.
Jul 4th, 2011, 08:09 PM
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Thanks all for your responses! Ronald, I will take your advice for Paris museum pass. Thanks Swandav for the golden pass tips and qwovadis for the useful links. NYTraveler,I really like the idea of a backup plan in case the weather is lousy.
Any recommendations for a place to stay at Wengen or Lauterbrunnen for 2 nights? I am contemplating where to stay as I will be carrying a suitcase (medium size) and a backpack. Also, any recommendations for any specific outdoor activity company. I am interested in paragliding or hang gliding.
Thanks.
Any recommendations for a place to stay at Wengen or Lauterbrunnen for 2 nights? I am contemplating where to stay as I will be carrying a suitcase (medium size) and a backpack. Also, any recommendations for any specific outdoor activity company. I am interested in paragliding or hang gliding.
Thanks.
Jul 4th, 2011, 08:20 PM
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Hi again,
What's your budget per night? I've stayed at the three-star Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen two times and enjoyed it a lot both times. I've also heard good things about the Bären, which I think is a two-star.
If you stay in Wengen, most hotels will pick you up in an electric cart or van. After you reserve, just let them know that you'd like this service.
Have fun!
s
What's your budget per night? I've stayed at the three-star Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen two times and enjoyed it a lot both times. I've also heard good things about the Bären, which I think is a two-star.
If you stay in Wengen, most hotels will pick you up in an electric cart or van. After you reserve, just let them know that you'd like this service.
Have fun!
s
Jul 5th, 2011, 01:01 AM
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Your plans for Paris, as you and others have mentioned, are far too ambitious - particularly Day 1. Not sure where you're arriving from, but if it's over a dateline, then jet lag will kick in at some point, so take that into consideration and list the sights in order of "must-see" to "next time" to help you eliminate along the way. Good that you're getting a Monuments & Museum Pass too. As mentioned, Versailles will have to wait for next trip as you'll need half a day to visit. It helps that the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay are across the river from each other (or walk through the Tullieries up to Place de la Concorde and across the bridge to d'Orsay instead - will take another 30mins at a stroll), but know that you won't get a comprehensive visit to the Louvre in only a few hours, so grap a floor plan at the ticket office (or jump online) and plan the areas/items you want to see. D'Orsay is an amazing museum, and a little easier to negotiate than the Louvre, but you can still spend hours in there (and there's a special Manet exhibition on at the moment too). Plus they are still renovating areas (level 5 is closed at the moment - shame, has good views) so it would be good for you to plan ahead a little if you only want to see certain pieces in there.
I still think doing both large museums in one day will take the bulk of your day, and am gathering you're not trying to see much in either. I would reconsider the Concergierie unless there is something specific you need to see in there. The Pompidou is a great modern art museum, but if you're not really into that, then you might just find that the outside of the building (which looks like the inside!) will be enough for you. If you really want to get organised, book ahead for the Eiffel Tower tickets so you know what time you will go up (thereabouts anyway) and you can end the evening with a cruise on one of the boats which leave from Pont d'Iena just in front of the Tower.
Notre Dame is an amazing building inside and out, and on Sunday afternoons the choir often performs during Mass so you can try to time that, or just perhaps visit first thing Sunday morning, then Sainte-Chapelle, then Metro to the Arc (Charles de Gaulle Etoile), afterwards walk down the Champs-Elysees (shops open at midday) as far as you want, Metro to Anvers station, walk (or funicular) up to Sacre Couer, rest a bit, then dinner, then walk down to Place Blanche, photo of MR, Metro back to hotel, faceplant in pillow!
It's good that you've planned a fairly practical route for both days in terms of what you want to see and where you want to end up but you will be covering a lot of ground and making the most of every second in the city. I haven't factored lunch stops in, but I'm sure you're capable of that.
For Lyon, the TGV there will only take around 2hrs so not sure where you are working that day, but when you arrive throw your bags in the hotel (I'd stay near the train station to make life easier - look at Campanile Centre Gare if you don't already have one) and head straight out for a stroll and dinner. Definitely make your way to Vieux Lyon (Old Town) as it's compact, worth seeing and has some great Bistros. Unless you want to book yourself into a Paul Bocouse venue, or similar, in which case go for it! Lyon has great food - all the best bits of France IMO - so it's hard to go wrong. You'll also walk right past the Cathedral as it sits at the southern entrance to the Old Town. Might be closed by the time you get there, but you can certainly see if from the exterior. Depending on where you decide to stay, you can make your way through Place Bellecour on your way to Vieux Lyon, but Place des Terreaux is on the northern side of the city, in the New Town, so you could certainly still walk there before or after dinner, but it will depend on how much time you end up with after arrival. You can Metro there too if you'd like.
I still think doing both large museums in one day will take the bulk of your day, and am gathering you're not trying to see much in either. I would reconsider the Concergierie unless there is something specific you need to see in there. The Pompidou is a great modern art museum, but if you're not really into that, then you might just find that the outside of the building (which looks like the inside!) will be enough for you. If you really want to get organised, book ahead for the Eiffel Tower tickets so you know what time you will go up (thereabouts anyway) and you can end the evening with a cruise on one of the boats which leave from Pont d'Iena just in front of the Tower.
Notre Dame is an amazing building inside and out, and on Sunday afternoons the choir often performs during Mass so you can try to time that, or just perhaps visit first thing Sunday morning, then Sainte-Chapelle, then Metro to the Arc (Charles de Gaulle Etoile), afterwards walk down the Champs-Elysees (shops open at midday) as far as you want, Metro to Anvers station, walk (or funicular) up to Sacre Couer, rest a bit, then dinner, then walk down to Place Blanche, photo of MR, Metro back to hotel, faceplant in pillow!
It's good that you've planned a fairly practical route for both days in terms of what you want to see and where you want to end up but you will be covering a lot of ground and making the most of every second in the city. I haven't factored lunch stops in, but I'm sure you're capable of that.
For Lyon, the TGV there will only take around 2hrs so not sure where you are working that day, but when you arrive throw your bags in the hotel (I'd stay near the train station to make life easier - look at Campanile Centre Gare if you don't already have one) and head straight out for a stroll and dinner. Definitely make your way to Vieux Lyon (Old Town) as it's compact, worth seeing and has some great Bistros. Unless you want to book yourself into a Paul Bocouse venue, or similar, in which case go for it! Lyon has great food - all the best bits of France IMO - so it's hard to go wrong. You'll also walk right past the Cathedral as it sits at the southern entrance to the Old Town. Might be closed by the time you get there, but you can certainly see if from the exterior. Depending on where you decide to stay, you can make your way through Place Bellecour on your way to Vieux Lyon, but Place des Terreaux is on the northern side of the city, in the New Town, so you could certainly still walk there before or after dinner, but it will depend on how much time you end up with after arrival. You can Metro there too if you'd like.
Jul 5th, 2011, 07:40 AM
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Hi fk,
Your first day in Paris you will be jetlagged. Based on past experience, I think that will be a blur.
I suggest flying into Lyon a day ahead and spending your vacation time in CH. Paris will be there on your next visit.
You might find that it is easier to get to other places from Lauterbrunnen. Even easier from Interlaken.
Enjoy your visit.
Your first day in Paris you will be jetlagged. Based on past experience, I think that will be a blur.
I suggest flying into Lyon a day ahead and spending your vacation time in CH. Paris will be there on your next visit.
You might find that it is easier to get to other places from Lauterbrunnen. Even easier from Interlaken.
Enjoy your visit.
Jul 5th, 2011, 07:56 AM
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I would significantly pare down the Paris sights - you won't have time to enjoy any of them at the rate you will have to move. I would consider cutting out the Conciergerie, the Pompidou, Versailles and Montmartre. This would leave you with Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, and the Louvre on the first day and Musee D'Orsay, Place de la Concorde, the Arc and the Seine Cruise and Eiffel Tower on the second day. This will give you some time to enjoy Paris. And you will return to see all of the other things.
