France & Switzerland by Rail: Paris, Lyon, Zurich & Interlaken (Self-Launched)
8 days · France & Switzerland
Europamundo charges £1,350
No-markup version: ~£760 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Europamundo's 8-day coach circuit through France and Switzerland — Paris, Beaune, Lyon, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Zurich, Grindelwald First and Lucerne — rebuilt for independent travellers using overnight trains, TGV/regional rail, hostels and budget guesthouses, and self-bookable tickets (Eiffel Tower, Seine cruise, Grindelwald First cable car). Same route, same highlights, roughly a third of the price. All costs are approximate per person and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Paris — settle in and evening stroll
Paris, France
Land in Paris and check into a hostel or budget hotel in the 11th/12th/18th arrondissement rather than the group tour's out-of-town airport hotels — staying central saves you metro fares and time. Pick up a Navigo Easy card (€2 card + €2.50 single fares or a weekly Navigo Semaine ~€31 if you'll use it heavily). Wander the Canal Saint-Martin or Montmartre at dusk for free, grab a crêpe or a supermarket picnic dinner, and book tomorrow's Eiffel Tower tickets online tonight (they release ~60 days ahead and sell out).
🚌RER B from CDG to central Paris ~€11.80, or Roissybus ~€17
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, central Paris (~£32/night)
- →Evening walk in Montmartre or Canal Saint-Martin
- →Book Eiffel Tower summit/second-floor tickets online
Paris on foot — free walking tour, Louvre quarter and Versailles option
Paris, France
Replace the coach panoramic tour with a tip-based free walking tour (Sandemans/Free Tour Paris, pay what you like ~£10-15 tip) covering Notre-Dame, the Louvre exterior and the Latin Quarter. Afternoon: choose between the Palace of Versailles (RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche ~€4.50 each way, palace ticket ~£18 booked direct on chateauversailles.fr) or a self-guided Montmartre wander with a Sacré-Cœur climb. Evening: picnic by the Seine or cheap eats in Belleville.
🚌Metro/RER day ticket ~£8
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, central Paris (~£32/night)
- →Free walking tour (tip-based)
- →Versailles Palace & Gardens entry (self-booked)
- →Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
Eiffel Tower, Seine cruise and onward rail plan
Paris, France
Pre-booked second-floor Eiffel Tower ticket (book direct at toureiffel.paris, ~£22 for stairs+lift to 2nd floor, cheaper than summit). Follow it with a Seine river cruise — Batobus day pass ~£17 or a one-hour Vedettes de Paris/Bateaux-Mouches cruise ~£14 booked on GetYourGuide. Book your TGV to Lyon for tomorrow morning on SNCF Connect or Trainline tonight (Paris Gare de Lyon → Lyon Part-Dieu, ~2h, from ~£25 if booked in advance).
🚌Metro ~£4; book TGV Paris–Lyon ~£25
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, central Paris (~£32/night)
- →Eiffel Tower 2nd floor (self-booked)
- →Seine river cruise (GetYourGuide/direct)
- →Book TGV to Lyon
TGV to Beaune, wine country stop, then Lyon
Beaune & Lyon, France
Take an early TGV from Paris to Beaune (~1h45, ~£20) and leave bags at the station lockers. Explore the Hospices de Beaune (~£11 entry) and the historic centre, plus an optional wine tasting at a cellar in town (~£12-20, no need for the coach group's wine museum). Mid-afternoon regional train Beaune → Lyon Part-Dieu (~1h40, ~£14). Evening in Lyon: ride the funicular up to Notre-Dame de Fourvière for sunset views (funicular ~£1.80 with a TCL ticket — far cheaper than the tour's cable car), then bouchon dinner in Vieux Lyon (~£15).
🚌TGV Paris→Beaune ~£20; TER Beaune→Lyon ~£14; Lyon TCL ticket ~£2
🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Part-Dieu/Vieux Lyon (~£28/night)
- →Hospices de Beaune
- →Beaune cellar wine tasting
- →Fourvière funicular & basilica
- →Vieux Lyon evening walk
Lyon to Geneva and on to Zurich via Neuchâtel
Lyon → Geneva → Neuchâtel → Zurich
Follow the group's route but on trains: Lyon Part-Dieu → Geneva (~2h, TER/Lyric, ~£28), then a short walk or tram to the lakefront for the Jet d'Eau, English Garden and a view towards the Palace of Nations (all free). Continue with the scenic Lakeside line Geneva → Neuchâtel (~1h15, ~£20) for a lakeside stroll and old-town wander, then Neuchâtel → Zurich (~1h30, ~£26). Check into a hostel in Zurich city (not the airport hotels the coach uses) — Zurich is pricey, so a dorm bed is the smart move.
🚌Trains Lyon→Geneva→Neuchâtel→Zurich ~£74 total (Swiss Travel Pass not worth it for this short stay; buy point-to-point Supersaver tickets on sbb.ch)
🛏Zurich hostel dorm (~£40/night — book early, Swiss prices are steep)
- →Jet d'Eau & Lake Geneva lakefront
- →Palace of Nations exterior / English Garden
- →Neuchâtel old town & lakeside
- →Optional Neuchâtel castle grounds (free exterior)
Zurich old town and Lake Zurich by boat
Zurich, Switzerland
Self-guided Zurich: a free walking tour of the Old Town (Bahnhofstrasse, Lindenhof, Grossmünster, Niederdorf) or a £10 tip-based tour, then the classic Lake Zurich boat — a short ZSG circular cruise (~£8-12 with a 2nd class ticket) instead of the group's private scenic cruise. Cross to Rapperswil if you want the longer ride (~£18 return with a ZVV day pass). Afternoon: Kunsthaus Zürich (~£16) or free swimming at a lake lido (Seebad Enge ~£7). Cheap eats: Coop/Migros self-service or a falafel in Niederdorf.
🚌Tram ~£3.50; Lake Zurich boat/ZVV day pass ~£18
🛏Zurich hostel dorm (~£40/night)
- →Zurich Old Town self-guided or free walking tour
- →Lake Zurich boat trip
- →Optional Rapperswil day trip
- →Lindenhof viewpoint
Grindelwald First, Interlaken and Lucerne
Grindelwald / Interlaken / Lucerne
Big day out using the SBB Saver Day Pass (~£45-55, unlimited Swiss trains/boats/buses) — book it in advance for the best price. Early train Zurich → Interlaken Ost (~2h), quick photo stop by Lake Brienz and Interlaken's Höhematte, then the train to Grindelwald (~35 min). Take the Grindelwald First gondola (book on GetYourGuide or jungfrau.ch, ~£60 return) and walk the Cliff Walk to Bachalpsee if weather allows (free, 1h each way) — pack your own mountain lunch instead of the tour's included lunch. Return via Interlaken to Lucerne (~2h) for an evening wander over the Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument, then back to Zurich (~50 min).
🚌SBB Saver Day Pass ~£50
🛏Zurich hostel dorm (~£40/night)
- →Grindelwald First gondola
- →First Cliff Walk & Bachalpsee walk
- →Interlaken viewpoint stop
- →Lucerne Chapel Bridge & Lion Monument
Strasbourg stopover and return to Paris
Strasbourg → Paris
Book a Zurich → Strasbourg TGV/ICE (~1h45, ~£25) and Strasbourg → Paris TGV (~1h50, ~£30-40) — alternatively a single Zurich–Paris ticket with a Strasbourg stopover can cost less (from ~£45). Spend a few hours self-guided in Strasbourg: the cathedral (~£8 to climb the tower), Petite France canals and a tarte flambée lunch (~£10). Arrive Paris late afternoon — the tour ends in Paris too, so you can fly or Eurostar home from here.
🚌Zurich→Strasbourg ~£25; Strasbourg→Paris ~£35
🛏Not included — onward travel or book a final night near Gare de l'Est (~£32)
- →Strasbourg Cathedral
- →Petite France canal walk
- →Tarte flambée lunch
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£760 | £1,350 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £590 per person (44%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£760
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does France & Switzerland by Rail: Paris, Lyon, Zurich & Interlaken (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £760 per person for 8 days in France & Switzerland. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £1,350 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £760 — a saving of roughly £590 (44%) per person.
How long is the France & Switzerland trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through France & Switzerland.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, hiking trip through France & Switzerland, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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