We really enjoyed our train ride aboard the TGV Lyria. We took the route from Zurich to Paris, and…read morehad a very quiet and comfortable ride. The whole trip took about 5 hours (with a few stops here and there to pick up/drop off more passengers). The train leaves the station at a rather slow pace, but once you get into the open road, it really picks up speed. There is a monitor in the train car that tells you how fast you are going. I think the fastest we got up to was 316 km per hour (almost 200 mph!) On board, there is a café car with sandwiches, beer, soda, coffee, and some other snacks and drinks. There is also a rack above the seats for smaller carry- on bags and items, and a large rack area in the middle/front door-areas of each car where you can put your larger luggage. I think we may have had a newer model train, because the seats and the interior were both very clean and colorful/modern. The seats (at least the two that we were at) had power sockets, cup holders, reading lights, tray tables that fold down, and one ingenious part of the seat design - the seats have a small notch on the back of them to restrict how far back you can lean into the person behind you! It still offers quite a bit of pitch, but does put a limit on how much you can disturb the tray table of the passengers behind your seat. I thought that was great! On our trip back to Zurich from Paris, we had a group of school students join us in our quiet car (about 40 young students coming back from a summer trip with all of their band instruments) so it was a little less relaxing, but that is nobody's fault. Just bring headphones and take a nap or enjoy the view as it passes by!

The "Train à Grand Vitesse" was a revolution in train travel for Europe when it was introduced…read morenearly fifty years ago. Lyria TGV is the French-Swiss train line. It became even better, when SNCF's double-decker Lyria TGV was rolled out and the prices made it even more affordable for rail travel. For us retirees and for about $150*, we could go First Class from Switzerland to Paris in three and a half hours. Nice. I have attached the TGV service map to give you some idea of where to can travel throughout France and Europe. The German system ICE (Inter-City Express) also travels into and out of France and has a similar network. See service maps attached. Most European train stations are located in the center of the city. So no schlepping from a large airport several miles away to the city center. Btw, almost all European airports have a train into that very same central station. So you'll be traveling by rail no matter how you get there. LOL Oh yes, there are always several food options and Magazine/Newspaper stands, which also have carry-on food items available for your trip. It's absolutely a better, more relax way to travel. * Booked online several months ahead and prevailing currency conversion.

Do you love train travel?…read more In Europe, train travel is so easy...and the Swiss run on time! The Basel SBB railway station is the central railway station in Basel. It opened in 1854 and was rebuilt in 1907. It is Europe's busiest international border station as it is owned by the Swiss Federal Railways and partly operated by France's SNCF. You can easily travel from the station to Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy. The beautiful 1907 neo-Baroque station building is a national Swiss heritage site. While at the station, you can grab a meal or a snack, shop or just relax before you board the train for your next destination. Make sure that you have a valid ticket. We bought our tickets at the train station from Basel to Lucerne and then from Lucerne to Zurich. They may or may not check, but the fine is hefty if your ticket is not valid according to our tour guide in Basel.

Very nice train station indeed! Cool shops and connects to many other sites in Switzerland!read more