European Rail Travel - Advice traveling within Europe

Hi All- I will be in Paris in late June of this year. I want to travel to Zurich, Frankfurt and Amsterdam within about a 7 time frame. What would be the best way?

It depends. You can take trains (day or night) to most of these locations. Are you proposing visiting all four of these cities in a total of seven days? Experienced travelers, including myself, will discourage that.

As you've posted in the rail travel section, I assume your primary interest is going by train.

Best to make a start with www.seat61.com for an overview of European rail companies and recommended routes as well as www.bahn.com/i/view/index.shtml for continent wide timetables.

Adventure- the seven days will cover Amsterdam, Zurich and Frankfurt. I will be in Paris for a couple of days while Im working so Ill be able to check the city out during that time.

I am thinking of trains but would flying be better?

Adventure- the seven days will cover Amsterdam, Zurich and Frankfurt. I will be in Paris for a couple of days while Im working so Ill be able to check the city out during that time.

I am thinking of trains but would flying be better?

Are you going to Zurich and Frankfurt on business? If not, why did you pick those cities? I'd rather spend my time in the area between Paris and Amsterdam. Tons to see and do there without trying to get all over the continent in a week.

there are some clubs I wanted to check out in zurich and frankfurt

Are you going to Zurich and Frankfurt on business? If not, why did you pick those cities? I'd rather spend my time in the area between Paris and Amsterdam. Tons to see and do there without trying to get all over the continent in a week.

I think the consensus here is that Paris and Amsterdam are two of the most fascinating cities in Europe, and Zurich and Frankfurt are dead boring! Suit yourself, but I do like train travel within Europe over flying since there's no need for lengthy trips from city center to an airport. The other factor is that doing all of these cities in only 7 days does not really allow for much of anything in depth. Spend the least amount of time in Frankfurt!

I would also skip Frankfurt on this trip. As far as travelling between Paris and Amsterdam, the train's a no-brainer. As for other destinations, check on Bahn's (http://www.bahn.de) website what the travel time is. Then decide if it's worth an overnight train ride or if it's better to fly.

On the other hand, if the OP definitely wants to visit Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich, Frankfurt is a convenient mid-way stopping off point between the other two cities.

Journey time Amsterdam - Frankfurt and Frankfurt - Zurich is only about 4 hours (for each leg) on direct trains; and you should be able to get some decent savings fares on the DB website.

On the other hand, if the OP definitely wants to visit Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich, Frankfurt is a convenient mid-way stopping off point between the other two cities.

Journey time Amsterdam - Frankfurt and Frankfurt - Zurich is only about 4 hours (for each leg) on direct trains; and you should be able to get some decent savings fares on the DB website.

True enough.

On the other hand, if the OP definitely wants to visit Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich, Frankfurt is a convenient mid-way stopping off point between the other two cities.

Journey time Amsterdam - Frankfurt and Frankfurt - Zurich is only about 4 hours (for each leg) on direct trains; and you should be able to get some decent savings fares on the DB website.

OTOH, he could also take the night train from Amsterdam to Zurich and save time.

thanks for everyones advice. Yes I am specifically looking to visit each of those areas. Let me try to be more clear.

Business meetings on june 28th in paris. Would like to be there by the 27th to prepare. I can leave LAX as early as june 23rd. company will fly me into paris and I can leave from wherever I want. If I arrive in paris on 24th I will have hotel covered until the 28th so I figure I will start my trip in paris. From paris I can then travel to each of my destinations.

However you travel (train or plane), book your tickets online as early as possible, you will save a lot!

For Paris-Amsterdam and Paris-Frankfurt (or vice versa), check www.voyages-sncf.com (from 35 and 39 euro respectively).

For Amsterdam-Frankfurt, check www.nshighspeed.nl and www.bahn.de

For Frankfurt-Zurich, check www.bahn.de and Swiss Railways at: https://www.sbb.ch/mct/wi/shop/b2c/tree.do?key=30 (choose the major cities option).

Both are available from 39 euro in advance.

Zurich is out of your way, and if you book a through ticket from there to either Paris or Amsterdam (or vice versa), it will be rather expensive (77 euro). Instead, you may consider buying separate tickets, connecting in Strasbourg (and it's definitely worth stopping there for a couple of hours!): one from the SBB website above (to Strasbourg) and the other on the SNCF website to Paris. If the SBB does not give you a convenient inexpensive connection to Strasbourg, instead buy a 19 euro ticket from Zurich to Kehl (last town in Germany, just before Strasbourg) on the DB website and go via Germany.

You may also consider flying between Basel and Amsterdam on easyJet, or using the night train for this route, having booked it on the DB website (the train starts/ends in Zurich, yet it's much cheaper to use it from Basel, if you book online!).

To quote: "" .....much cheaper to use it from Basel, if you book online ! ""

Please note: the 'cheaper version' would have to be from Basel Badischer Bahnhof (DB) not Basel SBB !!! (a walking distance of maybe 35 min.)

To quote: "" .....much cheaper to use it from Basel, if you book online ! ""

Please note: the 'cheaper version' would have to be from Basel Badischer Bahnhof (DB) not Basel SBB !!! (a walking distance of maybe 35 min.)

There's also a streetcar (line 2 - should take 9 minutes).

To quote: "" .....much cheaper to use it from Basel, if you book online ! ""

Please note: the 'cheaper version' would have to be from Basel Badischer Bahnhof (DB) not Basel SBB !!! (a walking distance of maybe 35 min.)

I also see the 29+ euro fares to Amsterdam from Basel SBB on the DB website.

I think you already got some good information on where to book etc. And I think that those cities are actually some of the best connected by (semi) high-speed trains.

I would do:


Paris - Amsterdam on Thalys.
Amsterdam - Frankfurt on German ICE. (I think I remember doing this, but maybe it was not an ICE. The Railteam
(http://www.railteam.co.uk/) website does not show this route anymore.)
Frankfurt - Zurich on ICE.
Zurich - Paris on TGV (or fly).

Probably heading to Europe in the Spring of 2012 and would like to do most of the internal travel by rail.

Plan to fly into London, then train to Paris then to Rome. Would love to make intermediate stops in Lugano, Switzerland and perhaps Venice. Looking at the guide on Seat61.com (http://www.seat61.com/), it would seem to recommend the Eurostar from London to Paris, then a scenic train into Switzerland, then on to Venice and Rome.

I don't really want to do any overnight train trips as the scenery is so beautiful in the Alps and Northern Italy.

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

If you want to go by train from London to Paris the eurostar is the only option. Hower to get from Paris to Rome you have quite a lot of different option. How much time do you want to spend just traveling and do you prefer scenery or the experience of fast trains (I would definitily recommend the scenery)

If you want to go by train from London to Paris the eurostar is the only option. Hower to get from Paris to Rome you have quite a lot of different option. How much time do you want to spend just traveling and do you prefer scenery or the experience of fast trains (I would definitily recommend the scenery)

Definitely the scenery if we are going to take the time and expense to travel by train from Paris to Rome. Not really interested in an overnight train as we'll miss the scenery. Looking at trying to go London to Paris via Eurostar (stay for a few days in Paris) then go Paris to Lugano (via ?, stay for a few days) then go Lugano to Rome (stay for a few days) then head home.

Ok, looked into the Paris-Lugano route and it's perfect! Depart Paris at 10am on a TGV to Zurich, transfer to standard Swiss rail for the last leg into Lugano through the Alps. Arrive in Lugano around 4:30pm.

Unfortunately, my other planned trip, Lugano to Rome, is a no go given our time constraints. It's an 18 train ride. We could do a side trip to Pisa near the halfway point but that's still a brutal trip and cuts way down on our time. There's an Alitalia flight from Lugano to Rome that isn't unreasonable, may try that.

Unfortunately, my other planned trip, Lugano to Rome, is a no go given our time constraints. It's an 18 train ride. We could do a side trip to Pisa near the halfway point but that's still a brutal trip and cuts way down on our time. There's an Alitalia flight from Lugano to Rome that isn't unreasonable, may try that.

:confused: Lugano to Rome is less than five hours by train, with one transfer in Milan.

:confused: Lugano to Rome is less than five hours by train, with one transfer in Milan.

Hmmmm, interesting. On the Swiss rail site, it's showing an itinerary that was 18 hours and 3-4 transfers. I'll do some more digging.

Ok, NOW I'm seeing it. 1 train from Lugano to Milan then a High speed train from Milan to Rome. Some trips as short as 4 1/2 hours. Got any recommended booking sites from CONUS?

Ok, NOW I'm seeing it. 1 train from Lugano to Milan then a High speed train from Milan to Rome. Some trips as short as 4 1/2 hours. Got any recommended booking sites from CONUS?

Book any Italian trains from the Trenitalia site.