Hello, I am based in the UK. On the back leg of the trip, I’m travelling from Bled to Paris/Brussels in order to connect to the Eurostar back to London, with 4 travel days, and around a week of travel. For those who have done similar in the past, what cities were worth visiting? Is it better to go through Italy and Switzerland, or through Austria and Germany? Is there anywhere specific worth visiting? Many thanks.
The easiest route is the daily night train to Zurich or Stuttgart. Book a couchette or a sleeper in advance (through ÖBB).
Afterwards it depends on your interests. Are you more into cities or nature ?
For the former maybe spend a few days in Munich, Strasbourg and Paris. For the latter Switzerland has gorgeous railways through the Alps and as tickets are quite expensive, Interrail is great value there.
- Glacier Express on regional trains
- Bernina & Albula
- Lucerne - Interlaken (boats on Lake Thun and Brienz are also fully included!)
- Golden Pass Interlaken - Montreux
- etc.
Accommodation isn't cheap but you can always find good deals and inflation hasn't hit the country that hard. Feel free to ask further questions :)
Thank you very much for your reply.
I did not know there was a connection from Slovenia to Zurich on the sleeper, that is perfect. I like the plan of time in Zurich, then Luzern/Lake Thun. From there can include Strassbourg on the way to Paris!
thank you :)
I presume using the boat on Lake Thun will count as a Travel day?
Userlevel 7
+4
I assume you’ve (or will have) already been to Ljublhana - if not, it’s a great city for a couple of days.
Since you have 4 days, you have plenty of options for getting back to the UK. It’s a longer route, but I really liked Bratislava and Brno - and if you go that way, you may as well spend some time in Berlin, then get the sleeper to Brussels.
Alternatively, I echo the advice to go via Switzerland - gorgeous scenery, and trains that are excellent and would usually be very expensive.
I think I would find Austria & Switzerland or Slovakia > Czechia > Berlin a bit more interesting than just going straight through Germany.
Yup the night train is really convenient.
Yes since it's free it requires a travel day but discounts do not.
On a day you don't want to use a pass day get in advance a full-fare Saver Day Pass for 52 CHF (price increases closer to travel date). It's basically a ticket valid on all public transportation of the country -> trains, buses, trams, boats, some cable cars to villages. Simply hop on hop off and show your ticket when asked. Mountain railways are mostly excluded but there are exceptions.
A fully covered day trip from Lucerne would be :
- boat Lucerne - Vitznau
- cogwheel train Vitznau - Rigi Kulm
- back the same way or via Arth-Goldau
Further questions welcome :)
Current plan is Amsterdam>Berlin>Prague>Budapest>Vienna>Bled, would like to visit Ljubljana, but it doesn’t quite fit the itinerary but definitely one for next time.
Onwards from Zurich, I have been recommended Strasbourg by others too and also Cologne for the Cathedral, which also allows for a visit to the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal.
Spending more time in Switzerland is also an option and then going Geneva-Paris-London, but I’ve heard Switzerland is very expensive to stay in and things like food etc, would you recommend it as being worth it?
Userlevel 7
+4
It’s difficult to choose, but I would certainly rather a couple of nights in Ljubljana vs Vienna. Partly because I think it’s easier to get the feel of smaller cities. But of course beware of trying to fit too much in.
Agree - Switzerland is expensive for accommodation and food. I think this is partially made up for by how easy it is to get around, but undoubtedly it'll cost more.
The Schwebebahn is certainly a fun diversion - worth it if you’re passing through and can spare a couple of hours. But not worth a special trip in my opinion.
Thanks, we may have an extra day in Slovenia and visit Ljubljana. I would love to spend more time in Switzerland, but on the back end of the trip I think we will need to be a bit more budget friendly 🙃
It may be best to do Switzerland on its own, thanks to the sheer beauty on a one country pass. We are still not entirely sure on the Zurich-Paris section, given we will have probably only a night in Switzerland (Zurich) but will still have a couple days left.
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