A Smidge 'O Fancy: Paris and a Dash of Switzerland

We’re hoping this blog post hits vaguely like fine French cuisine: small in portion size but rather tasty. Or at the very least, like a bite-sized serving of that glorious Quebecois delicacy, poutine.

Paris

Our time in Paris was short, but very sweet (read macrons, pain au chocolate, crepes). We immersed ourselves in incredible artwork at the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and the Musée de l’Orangerie, and even saw the French Crown Jewels a week before they were stolen! Monet’s water lilies captured us completely, with their immersive scale and meditative draw. And the Mona Lisa did indeed charm with her illusive smile. The restored Notre-Dame cathedral was absolutely breathtaking.

We strolled along the Seine, then the Champs-Élysées, where we heard the song of the same name jauntily played on a flame-belching tuba. Tiny cafés lined the streets, candlelit tables with wine glasses at the ready. At night we picnicked by the illuminated Eiffel Tower, munching grocery store delicacies while it sparkled diamond white. Underneath its golden struts, we marvelled at its sheer enormity, and at its blending of the industrial and the artistic in perfect symmetry.

And so, like many many before us, we too succumbed to Paris’ spell, captivated by a city so steeped with charm and history, it begins to resemble something a little like magic.

WE WANNA GO BAAACCCKKK

To Italy!

Wait, to Italy? But the title of this post mentioned Switzerland‽

Ah, dear reader—if that really is your name—we have a magical tool at our disposal called the Eurail Global Pass. This is how we've been getting around Europe so far—primarily by train.

Our immediate destination in Italy was Florence, where we would continue the rest of our travels from. It's easy to get fairly direct trains from Paris to Florence, usually with only one or two transfers. However, while surfing the 'net late one night, Rachel had a dastardly idea: What if we planned a route to Bologna instead, and travelled through Switzerland, just to expand our horizons?

Normally, Switzerland would've been out of our budget and out of our way. However, armed with Google Maps, the Eurail Rail Planner app, RailEurope.com, and invaluable advice from seat61.com, we were able to get planning.

InterRail & Eurail reservation fees | How to make reservations with a pass

How much are Eurail & InterRail reservation fees for each country and route, how to make reservations with a Eurail or InterRail pass online. What trains does a pass cover in each country?

How to make reservations with a pass

We ended up with a route involving six trains; (1) Paris to Strasbourg, (2) a slight detour to Offenburg, Germany, (3) down to Basel, Switzerland, (4) stopped over in Zürich, (5) went through the mountains to Milan, and (6) finally ended in Bologna. Ignoring layovers, we spent 8 hours and 59 minutes on trains in total.

It was so fun.

Johann nerded out about trains, tried to take selfies on every single one (we missed the final one), and even made a spreadsheet just to track train stats. We saw everything from high Swiss Alps to endless French countryside, travelled through the Gotthard Base Tunnel (world's longest railway and deepest traffic tunnel!), ate gluten-free paninis, and attempted train coffee!

And, crucially, our route gave us two-and-a-half hours to explore Zürich! As soon as we got off the train, we stowed our bags in lockers and took ourselves on a self-guided walking tour. We trekked up the steep, cobbled streets, watched people feeding the (numerous) swans, happened upon the remnants of Roman baths under the sidewalk (they had heating air ducts!), marvelled at frog street, and ate small pieces of Swiss chocolate. We really want to come back to Switzerland someday to explore more!

Eventually, our final locomotive lumbered into Bologna, Italy—our fourth country in a single day. We trundled to our accommodations and collapsed into bed, ready for even more trains the next day!