What is the best way to get from Zurich or Luzerne to Paris. What is the fastest? What is the least expensive? What train or airline would you suggest?

Thank you for your suggestiions.

Hi carocolon,

If you don't get any personal recommendations about this route, you can check train schedules at www.rail.ch, and you can check for budget flights at www.whichbudget.com.

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Raileurope in US lists prices between $99 and $120 one way 2nd class for both Lucerne and Zurich to Paris - the higher price is on the few daily direct TGV trains Zurich-Paris - most other connections go thru Basel on non-TTV route. Should costs about the same in Switzerland - can buy at any station and shouldn't have a problem doing there - would be cheaper than thru RailEurope because of RE's handling fees which you won't pay there.

Oh and i'd try www.sncf/voyages.com, the French railway's web site, for any PREM (deeply discounted fares) they may offer on the TGV Lyria trains from Zurich to Paris - not sure they have on this route but do in France and i think the Lyria must be an SNCF-run train. Check it out anyway. Maybe www.sbb.ch - Swiss rail site has PREMs.

It's a six-hour ride on the direct TGV - this may seem long to some but the scenery is very nice as you slice thru Switzerland and then Burgundy to Paris.

The quickest train connection is the 10:55 with only one change (in Lausanne) that gets into Paris at 17:01, taking 6:06 hours. Others take longer, some considerably so.

In an hour by train you can be in Basel, a half-hour later at the BSL airport and check in and fly easyjet to Paris.

Also in about an hour you can be at the Zuerich airport and fly to Paris with Air Berlin.

Both are budget airlines, cheap if you book early, but with luggage restrictions more stringent than in the US.

WK

Thanks everybody for the advise. However I have another question. I was thinking on driving to Paris and on enjoing a whole day, just sightseeing on the car. However the car rentals are extremely expensive when you drop off your car on a different country. I can propably take a train out of Zurich and rent a car somewhere in France and drive the rest of the way. Any advise on that?

There is also a 7:18 AM departure from Zurich, TGV service, which takes about 6 hours and requires NO changes.

Train to Basel and then rent a car in the French part of Basel, or perhaps at the SNCF train station that is a part of the Basel, Switzerland train station - making it a French rental.