France to Switzerland by car??

Hi there,

My girlfreind and I are planning a trip in the middle of may to the middle of June. The plan is to fly into Paris and then rent a car for two weeks and driving to the Normandy beaches and other places in france like providence ect.. Then heading over to switzerland, through Geneva all the way up to Zurich and flying back to London for a family reunion in Cambridge. After 3 days of that we want to kick around London and see the sights then spend the ramining few days in Paris.

I would like some suggestions in what kind of traveling we should do such as by car or train and how good is flying ineurope for cheap.

Keep in mind we would like to see all the cool small towns in both countries and experience some freedom.

Also how long would it take to drive across France and up to Zurich?

Appreciate the help.

Brandon

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Personally, I would hire a car for the whole trip. It can be difficult to get around Normaandy and Provence (not Providence!) by public transport, and I like the freedom that a car gives to go where and when you like. Others may disagree.

Be aware that, to drive on a motorway in Switzerland, you must have a %26quot;vignette%26quot; sticker on your car. This costs 40 CHF, and there is a fine of 100 CHF if you are found on a motorway without one.

Go to www.viamichelin.com for planning travel routes and times.

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Remember if you rent a car in France and drop it off in Switzerland you will pay heavily in extra charges.

It may be an idea to rent a car for the first part round Normandy then drop it back in Paris and take the train to Provence (Nice?). It%26#39;s a long days drive from Paris to the Med coast and with fuel and road tolls the train will be faster and cheaper.

Maybe hire a car for a couple of days to explore the small villages when in Provence but if you want to visit Monte Carlo for example it may be better to go in by train.

Take the train to Geneva and explore Switzerland using the railways. Fly from Zurich (or Basel) to London (Luton or Stanstead are the nearest to Cambridge, avoid Heathrow).

Cheap airlines in Europe are probably not a good idea for you as they tend to have restricted baggage rules - fine if you%26#39;re going for a weekend but with 2 weeks of luggage you%26#39;re probably better off on Swiss or AirFrance. If these seem expensive check out Easyjet, AirBerlin or RyanAir but read the luggage restrictions very carefully to get an idea of the full price you will pay.

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