Advice on paris ---> switzerland

[daintyaqua]

hey guys, we are planning our f&e honeymoon to paris & switzerland in less than 1 month from this date hence rushing to put together all our itinerary now.

its our 1st time to both cities/countries (and europe actually) though we have travelled f&e to other countries previously.

we are flying by qatar airlines to paris and returning from geneva. we paid a total of $928/pax (taxes all in) which i think is a big steal! we read that qatar airline is quite a reputable airline, offering high standards of service & quality food on board but we also read that the doha airport which we will transit 3 hrs each way in the wee hrs of the morning, has much less to look forward to and can be rather uncomfortable for transiting passenger?? can anyone else care to share more about this pls?

initially, we only intend to spend 5 days in paris and 15 days in switzerland (with their 15 days swiss pass) but becos most dates were fully booked out on the return leg, our total duration will stretch to 24 days instead, e.g 9 days in paris.

not sure what to do in paris for the extra 4 days. the plan was to buy the 4 days paris museum passes which will include a trip to versailles and another day for the walt disney studio park.

thought of going to london for 2 days but my hubby is not too keen on lugging heavy luggages from place to place. which is precisely why i've decided to stay in only interlaken in switzerland and doing extensive travelling day-to-day from interlaken. the travelling time on board the train each day is crazy though but my hubby much prefer it that way.

is there a safe place to keep large-sized luggages in paris? i'm not sure if the lockers in train stations can accommodate these sizes?

about arrival from CDG airport to paris city, i'm tied between taking the RER train or taking the airport shuttle (which my hubby will be thrilled with cos no need for him to lug luggages about) but my mind will tell me it doesnt make much economical sense to spend euro34 when its much cheaper to catch the RER train. having said that, i'm also more than a little concerned about the safety in the train stations as i've read many horror stories from forums and in guide books about people snatching tickets away in seconds and then you are left stranded in the train station with no tickets to get out and make to pay a hefty fine by the ticket person etc. what are your thoughts on this? we feel more comfortable in travelling around the train stations w/o heavy luggages of course, can be more alert, less worries.

next, we will travel from paris to geneva by TGV lyria train. the current promotion is just euro20/pax (1 way) www.tgv-europe.com
has anyone purchase tickets from this webby before? the website says you can redeem the train tickets at a french station using the bank card which you purchased with online. i'm a little concerned about the retrieving portion because i'm not sure if my bank card will be accepted by their ticket machine. singapore is not one of the listed countries in this website. i'll be very grateful if someone can advise me on this.

does that mean we can retrieve the train tickets at any french stations? for e.g at the CDG airport train station too?? can we retrieve at an earlier date or must we retrieve on the day of train departure itself? i'm worried if something screwed up then we are left stranded in paris at the last min. our departure time is 710am in the morning.

sorry for the long post and thanks in advance to anyone who are kind enough to share any info/thoughts with us here.

 

[daintyaqua]

sorry to add on:

is it worthwhile to make a trip to jungfraujoch or is it much too overrated?? cos the tix are pricey (even with 25% discounts using swiss pass).

we are making trips to mt. titlis (cos we wanted to ride the revolving rotair and ice flyer and have fun sledding at its glacier park) and mt. pilatus (doing the golden round trip comprising of the boat ride, steep railway train and cables cars + exploring the various hiking trails there).

with the $$ spent on jungfrau, i wonder if we should venture to perhaps klein matterhorn + aletsch glacier or other mountain excursions instead??

will the view on top of europe be vastly different from other mountains?? i'm actually very keen to try the husky dogs' sledding but unfortunately the season will be over by the time we are in switzerland.

any suggestions??

thanks again!!

 

[lovetotravel]

Dear Angel,

wow, alot of questions you are asking
I will try to answer some of it.

I have booked ticket from TGV website and you just need to print out your confirmation and collect ticket from the ticket booth. If you do not know how to use the machine, just go to the ticket counter and show the staff your print out when making payment. You will need to use the same credit card as what you book online.
I am not too sure whether you can collect the ticket earlier as I collect it before departure.

As for taking RER or metro, it is not difficult but your hubby is right. If you do not know the way around, it will be a hassle dragging luggage and climbing stairs. Do note that most metro station do not have escalater. Paris is safe so not to worry just practise the usual caution.

Jungfrajoch is worth it. Its really beautiful on top of the world. If I am not wrong, with swiss pass it should be 50% discount?? There is also ice palace at Jungfrajoch.I really like Grindlewald so do make a trip there.

with so many days in Switzerland, I am sure you will enjoy this trip. Happy planning.

 

[lovenco]

jungfrau is definitely worth it and u wont regret the trip and cost to the top point of europe

titlis, to me, is pale in comparison, tho beautiful too...

 

[daintyaqua]

peng, many thanks for sharing!

lol. i get more apprehensive about the upcoming trip as the date draws nearer but definitely very excited too.

pls bear with my looong qns. good to know that you have also booked tickets from the same webby and that one can actually retrieve tickets from the ticket booth.

with swiss pass, all mountain excursions are applicable for 50% discounts with the sole exception of jungfrau lah (only 25%). argh... i still could not decide if we shd go for jungfrau cos we will be visiting mt. titlis and mt. pilatus first. matterhorn is famous too so we will prob go for it as well. i'm worried if jungfrau will start to look like all other mountaintops after our 3 mountain excursions??

yes, i did intend to stop by grindleward as well as murren and lauterbrunnen too to see the various waterfalls.

well, i hope it will be a great & memorable honeymoon trip for us too.

even though we have 2 weeks in switzerland, there are still many more places we are unable to cover. for e.g, becos we are staying in interlaken thruout, we wont be able to make those scenic train trips which require a stopover like the glacier or bernina express etc... sooo sad, i think its such a pity! >_<

lovenco, thanks for sharing too. for me, i did not want to go to a mountain just to see snow. it would be better if there are also many interesting activities to do there, on top of breathtaking views.

if there are anymore info or thoughts, pls keep them coming ya. cheers!!

 

[daintyaqua]

btw, did anyone try skydiving/paragliding/handgliding/canyoning/riverrafting before??

i'm actually pretty keen to try skydiving but it costs like CHF460!!! faintz... may go for paragliding though, looks fun and the dare-devil in me have always wanted to experience it.

i tried canyon jumping during a trip to NZ years back but did not like the feeling of blood rushing to my head though.

 

[rtan]

Hi Angel,

For your Paris stay, consider day trips out of Paris. There is much more to France than just Paris; there is much of the countryside and many other towns and villages to explore. Other options include Reims, Champagne region, and some war memorials.

Renting a car is out of the question? It's the best way to explore the countryside.

 

[sunflowerz]

hi hi...dunno is my advice a bit late.
jungfraujoch is def over rated and u can only see a field of snow when you reach the top.
it cost 100 over CHF to reach the top.
def not recommended.

in the end i went to the opp mountain of jungfrau to have a great look of junfrau.

 

[alhp]

Hi,
I am in the midst of planning for my honeymoon in France and Switzerland in 3rd week of Dec.
Anyone here bought tickets from www.raileurope.com.sg before? It seems that the price for a one-way ticket is the same as a round trip ticket. Is that true? I meddled with the system and it seems that is the case as it was the same price shown for both a one-way ticket and a round trip ticket.

Below is my tentative intinerary:
Day 1 and 2: Paris
Day 3 and 4: Lyon
Day 5: Annecy
Day 6 and 7: Chamonix Mont Blanc
Day 8 to 12: Switzerland (details to be confirmed)
Day 13 and 14: Paris

In order not to spend too much time travelling, we are planning to cover only 2 regions: IIe de France (Paris) and the Rhone Alps region. Then we will go over to Switzerland. Initial plan was to cover the Provence and Nice region, but got to give it a miss this time round as the travelling time from Paris--Provence and Nice--Switzerland seems to be too long. We want to do it at a leisure pace so that we can take our time and "smell the roses" along the way.

Appreciate if anyone here (the seasoned France &amp;/or Switzerland travellers like Raymond &amp; Peng) can offer some advice to the above itinerary and to answer my query as above.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lovetotravel]

Dear alhp,

I believe raileurope is more exp. You can purchase ticket directly from france website and select to print out your own ticket or collect from train booth. You can get better discount if u book early.
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

Day 1 &amp; 2 - too short a trip to explore Paris. I suppose u will reach paris in the morning and unless the hotel allows u to checkin early, u will be stuck with the luggage while exploring streets. Half a day will be gone for day 1. You will only have 1 full day to explore Paris on day 2.

Day 3 to 7- I've not been to Lyon so not too sure but I feel that u have plan too many places. Why don't u skip Lyon and go straight to Annecy or Chamonix?

Day 8 to 12 - You will only have 5 days in switzerland so think carefully which town to visit. Do take note of the travelling time as some places take few hours to reach.

Day 13 to 14 - just realised that u will return from paris. Can you purchase open jaw ticket?

My suggestion, skip switzerland if you want to do Annency &amp; Chamonix or vice versa so that you will have relaxing holiday.

Hope this helps and fun planning.

 

[rtan]

Hi Peng,

I've been to Lyon several times; it is worth visiting. Probably two days is enough. You're right, Paris requires at least three to four days.

Dear alhp,

I think you're being too ambitious. Do cut down even more on the places to visit, as Peng has suggested. You will enjoy your holiday a lot more.

My personal take is that Chamonix is quite similar to some places in Switzerland, whereas Annecy is something a little different. Chamonix is a small village in a valley surrounded by among the highest mountains in the Alps. Annecy is next to a lake surrounded by high hills and lower mountains. Annecy is a bigger town; Chamonix is a mountain village. Both are nice though.

 

[alhp]

Dear Peng and Raymond,

We will arrive in Paris at 0640 and hotel has confirmed that we can leave the luggage at the luggage room upon arrival. Did consider only staying in France but I thought since Chamonix is quite near to Switzerland, will cross over and spend a few days there. I am considering only to venture as far as Interlaken for Switzerland. Wanted to see another country beside France since it is our first trip to Europe. I have already booked my air tix, open jaw air tix are too expensive. I am still in the midst of planning the trip. I have only booked the first hotel that we will be staying in for Paris. Now reading up on Lyon, Annecy and Chamonix, if I realise that there are many places that interest me, I may skip Switzerland. Will update when more details are fixed up!

 

[rtan]

Hi alhp,

One thing to consider is, how would you be travelling from the CDG airport to your Paris hotel?

 

[rtan]

Hi alhp,

Sorry if I'm repeating myself, but when in Paris, do consider doing some of the things Mireille Guiliano recommends:

http://mireilleguiliano.com/node/622

You will enjoy Paris a lot more that way.

 

[daintyaqua]

hi angela,
i reckon the most common &amp; cost-effective way to get to paris city from CDG airport is via RER B trains however, i've also heard that this particular route is packed with the most pickpockets. other modes of tranports incl the airport buses (not so cheap) or perhaps, you may want to consider an airport shuttle service especially if this is ur first trip. the airport shuttle can ferry u from the airport to ur hotel in paris directly. they are expensive though.

for us, becos our hotel is in the nation area, we actually took this RATP 351 directly from CDG to nation and it only cost us 3 metro tickets/pax. but this will also depend on the location of ur hotel.

hi raymond, its a pity i never came across ur recommended webby until now. the activities listed all sound interesting. we did manage to do some of her recommendations, albeit just a few ya.

the st. martin canal cruise is really very charming &amp; enjoyable. sure the seine river cruise may be more famous but the canal cruise is a very unique &amp; interesting experience, we enjoy this cruise alot more.

 

[rtan]

Hi Angel,

Well, there's always a next time. Yes, we stayed near the St Martin canal in our previous trip. It is quite a charming part of Paris.

We've taken the RER B many times to and from CDG to our hotel and we've never had problems. You do need to keep an eye on your belongings.

I've written an article on how to stay safe in Paris. Hope it is helpful to everyone.

http://rtan.net/Paris/safety.html

 

[alhp]

Hi Raymond and Angel,

I will be staying at Grand Hotel Francais and the staff has provided directions to get there. It is also in the nation area. (Take the RER B from CDG to Châtelet and then switch to RER A to Nation. We are situated about 5 minutes from Nation Station. It is about 8.60 €uros per person) The staff seems to be very helpful and enquiries via email were promptly replied.

The recommendations by Mireille Guiliano sound very interesting. Will definitely try to do some of those. As it is our first time in Paris, we will engage in the standard touristy stuff. I haven't even got to the part of planning for the day-to-day itinerary, now still sorting out travelling plans and accomodation.

The accomodations at Chamonix are mostly fully booked as I will be there during the week after xmas. Now, only 2 hotels still have vacancies and they are pricey, not value for money. (I suppose that is the reason why they still have vacancies) Now, I am deliberating whether to skip Chamonix and go to Switzerland straight after Annecy. But I will want to a few days in the ski areas, want to learn how to ski and experience a ski holiday. So now, I am kind of stuck at that part of the itinerary.

My lonely planet guide books have arrived today! So happy! There are so many places that seem interesting so with so little time, I guess I can only read about them from the books and wait till the next holiday then see the real thing.

 

[daintyaqua]

hey raymond,
ur article sure comes in handy and will certainly be very beneficial for fellow travellers.

angela,
since u r also staying in the nation area, why not consider taking the RATP bus 351 from CDG airport to nation directly? you can buy carnet (set of 10 metro tickets) at CDG. it costs EUR11.60 (meaning one tix is EUR1.16), the bus ride will cost you 3 metro tix as it covers 3 zones; hence ur journey to ur hotel from the airport will cost you less than EUR3.50/pax.

in addition, it also saves you the hassle of transferring (and lugging ur baggage) at Châtelet. the terminal station for RATP bus 351 is at nation itself so u do not have to worry about missing ur stop. and the bus stop is just beside the station too (in case you need to make another transfer to your hotel).

if lodgings at chamonix are mostly full then i suggest you skip it altogether. i'm sure you can enjoy many ski activites in switzerland itself too.

 

[rtan]

Hi alhp,

Yes, I agree with Angel that you should consider taking RATP bus 351 direct to Nation. To get there from CDG Terminal 1, you need to take the "skytrain" equivalent to the RER terminal of CDG. The bus terminal is next to the RER terminal. I've taken 351 myself several times; while it is not the fastest way to get to Paris, it is certainly the cheapest way. The trip will take you about 1 hour.

Yes, it sounds like it may be better to skip Chamonix. Just a thought; if you want to do skiing, why not do so in France itself? The French Alps have quite good skiing facilities, and it is probably going to be cheaper than Switzerland.

Also for skiing, you'd ideally need to spend at least 5 days; 3 days for lessons, and 2 days to enjoy yourself. Those 1 day ski things in South Korea tour packages are at best a joke, and at worst a danger to yourselves and fellow skiers on the slope. Skiing is harder than it looks and it takes some time for an absolute beginner to reach a point where he/she can enjoy himself/herself, as well as being a responsible skier, knowing how to stop and turn and not crashing into anyone. Trust me; I've skiied some 6-7 times, mostly in the Austrian Alps, because it is one of the cheapest places to ski in the Alps. I've never tried the French Alps but I heard it's quite good too.

Also, the best time to ski is actually late Jan to early Mar, and the reason why Chamonix is so expensive is because the skiers are all descending there; it is not worth it (in my opinion) for non-skiers to go there during skiing season. That's a sure way to increase your expenses.

I think you'd need to sit down with your husband and work out exactly what you want to see and experience in your short holiday, in decreasing order of priority. Then work things out from there; bearing in mind that you just have two short weeks, and that you are travelling in winter where the weather is chilly and the days are short (the sun sets at 4pm and starts to get dark at 3pm).

Sorry to add more uncertainty to your planning... hope you'd be able to work things out. We're here to help.

 

[alhp]

Hi Raymond and Angel,

The RATP bus 351 sure sounds convenient and cheaper. I think will take that from CDG to Nation. Came across this thread too late, already booked Chamonix accomodation last night. I guess I will take lessons at Chamonix and if I really enjoy it, then will visit the ski resorts in Switzerland again. If not, I will just go to Chamonix and admire the scenery. Yes, travelling in winter is really pathetic. The days are so short and it feels so weird to be hitting the beds at 7plus in the evening. Due to work commitments, I can only travel during year end, so when I am travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, got to make do with the short days. Thank you so much for the advice offered. If I have any questions again, will post them here and bother you guys again

Now, I face problems in travelling Annecy to Chamonix Mont-Blanc. There are very few trains that go from Annecy to Chamonix, only 3 for the day that I will be travelling on. But I think I have to travel from Annecy to St Gervais and then get a connecting train or bus to Chamonix. I think there is a Mont-Blanc Express mentioned in guide books but I am still figuring that out. Don't know if that train will take me to my hotel. So if anyone here has travelled from Annecy to Chamonix, please provide some insights to the above. Thanks!

 

[dashu]

Hi! dun know if i am too late to ask abt euro holiday.

I am planning my honeymoon to euro too. Wish to cover Greece -> Italy -> Switzerland

1st qn: Can these be done in 2 weeks? (Actually wish to continue to france and spain but think unlikely.)

2nd qn: Whats the season to visit? is May to Jun of the year ok?

3rd qn: Is a budget for S$4k per person enough?

4th qn: currency uses at these place = euro?

Thank you.

 

[heartz01]

Hi Brandon,
When are u leaving for ur honeymoon?im going in june n covering switzerland also..
why dun u consider switzerland and neighbouring countries..greece is a bit far off..paris, italy is ok..my hubby who has been to paris n italy says italy is more beautiful esp venice..u can consider rome or florence as well..

 

[superfamous]

Brandon, personally i think 2 weeks is quite rushed but also depends on how many cities you wanna visit in each country. we're already planning 3 weeks for 4 cities covering 2 countries (paris, rome, florence, venice, milan).

as for budget, depends on the individual. flight is about $1k-$1.5k already, so you're left with $2.5k - $3k for travel between countries, accomodation, food, shopping? quite tight already, esp since hotels and train travel is quite expensive..

 

[yomeishu]

brandon,

1st qn: Can these be done in 2 weeks?

Yes provided 1 or 2 cities each country and depend on which transport that you are going by, Greece to italy quite far though. Base on the eurail train schedule, if u wanna take train from athen, u need to transit at Pátra about 4 hours journey then from there take ferry to venice which is about 8 hours. Flight is about 2 hours from athens to rome. So you still can cover Greece-italy-swiss unless 2 cities each

example: day1/2/3, athens(greece), 4/5-rome/vatican,6/7-florence/pisa, 8/9-venice, 10/11/12/13, luzern,interlaken,zurich,bern. 14 back to sg. 2 days = 1 night.

rome , florence, venice must at least 2 full days else you will end up touch and go.

2nd qn: Whats the season to visit? is May to Jun of the year ok?

May is good as day light is longer. and the weather is cooling. I went in May but weather has changed nowadays, so italy was supposed to be cold yet it was hot like mad. The local told us that it was the 1st time hot happen in May out of the ten years. The hot is like july-aug hot. But when we traveled to other countries it's not hot at all maybe coz of italy is located at the south. so barcelona, italy and greece those at the south will be warmer than other countries in May or june, but these 2 months are not supposed to be warm.

3rd qn: Is a budget for S$4k per person enough?

Possible, unless you dun buy luxury things such as Guccis LV Rolex..etc. if you mean S$4k excluding swipe ur cc there then Yes. But in this case you cannot book hotel, coz hotel there average S$200 per room per night , and swiss everything is expensive, one mac donald meal can simply cost u SGD20. So $4k minus ur open jaw ticket let just say $4k-$1.5k=SGD2.5k, then accomocation wise you cannot book hotel, u must bunk with ppl, book hostel and share the room with other traveler, that will save alot it can be 1 bed 16EURO. For transportation wise, you need to take plane, coz base on ur route, take plane is cheaper. But then italy area u take plane is not advisable unless u only have 1 city to visit. if you only have $4k sing for the entire trip yet u wanna cover so many cities, it could be ended up miserable. But do not worry, u have 2 options, one is cut down the cities to visit, another is book from travel agency as for the packag, my friend recently booked a package in europ, 10 days $4 k per person, everything included, accomodation+transport. And they paid few hundred for extend 3 days. You might try that too

At least the last 3 days u are doing free and easy

4th qn: currency uses at these place = euro?

italy and Greece = Euro, Switzerland = Swiss franc

So you need to prepare 2 currency for your trip.

cheers

 

[daintyaqua]

hi there, i'm the op of tis thread. appreciate all the help here previously. we have since completed our honeymoon last sept/oct &amp; i have post my thoughts in another thread.
honeymoon in europe (even for 1st-timers) is perfectly doable &amp; we did it for less than $8000 for 2pax for 24days!
for those interested in how we did it, feel free to PM me for itinerary &amp; pics. i hardly chk posting here anymore.
hope everyone has their dream honeymoon/holidays.

 

[breet]

Switzerland is very attractive place and its the first choice of every couple for honeymoon trip. i am also plan to go there .can anyone tell me the good honeymoon package here .
Travelodge hotel orlando Convention Center