I’m planning our very first trip to mainland France in January 2027. There’ll be 2 adults and 2 kids, and we’ll mostly be traveling by train.
Here’s our itinerary:
Paris
Rouen (Normandy)
Lyon
Aix-les-Bains (with day trips to Annecy and Geneva)
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (with Chamonix and a day in Aosta)
Back to Paris
Do you think this itinerary is well-balanced? Any tips, must-see spots, or mistakes to avoid for a first-time visit?
What a wonderful travel plan!
How long do you plan to stay?
What activities are you interested in?
It’ll be winter in mainland France—is skiing your main focus?
For train travel, I recommend getting one of the SNCF discount cards. The *Carte Avantage Adulte* will give you discounts on your trips, especially on the Paris-Lyon route.
Hi Delphjne,
My reply focuses on one specific point: the day trip to Geneva.
Over the past ten years, I’ve spent about six months in winter near Les Rousses.
As a skier, I’ve regularly gone—under sunny skies—to La Dôle, a Jura peak overlooking Lake Geneva (Léman).
Out of at least 40 trips, I’ve seen the lake only twice; the rest of the time, we saw a ceiling of clouds with the occasional plane emerging from (or disappearing into) them (Geneva Airport). The running joke was, “Down there, they won’t be seeing the sun today.”
If you’re heading to Geneva for the scenery, January seems like a very risky bet.
If you’re going for other reasons (historical interest, museums, shopping), don’t let my comment—or the potential cloud cover—deter you.
Hi there,
Thank you for your reply. This is my very first trip, and I have no idea what the weather will be like over there. I used ChatGPT to help with the planning. We decided to go to the Alps just to see Mont Blanc and visit CHAMONIX (it’s my boyfriend’s dream). I think I’m going to cancel the day trip to Geneva.
Otherwise, could you recommend any affordable hotels?
January 12, 2027: Arrival in Paris (1 night)
January 13–16 Rouen (Normandy): 3 nights
January 16–19 Lyon: 3 nights
January 19–23 Aix-les-Bains: 4 nights (Day trip to Annecy)
January 23–26 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains: 3 nights (Day trips to Chamonix and Aosta)
January 26–30 Paris: 4 nights
✈️ January 30, 2027: Departure from Paris
I’m on a tight budget. I’d love recommendations for hotels or Airbnbs that can accommodate 4 people.
As for activities, I don’t have any ideas yet. We’re not used to the cold, so I’m hoping we can still enjoy the places despite the weather.
4 nights in Aix-les-Bains in winter feels like a lot. Same for Rouen—the old town is pretty, but there’s more beautiful stuff to see in Normandy for a first trip.
In January, I’d head south instead for milder temperatures and a chance to see some sun.
Hello,
To be honest, it was CHAGT that suggested this to me, and it’s cheaper for accommodation and transport
Honestly, I’m curious what prompt makes ChatGPT send you to Rouen—no disrespect to my Norman friends 😅
Aix-les-Bains and Saint-Gervais in January—I hope you’re bringing your winter coats! You’ll encounter negative temperatures (possibly *very* negative) at that time of year.
If you want to travel on a budget, skip Geneva—it’s not worth it in winter.
You can visit Annecy from Saint-Gervais by train or by renting a car.
I don’t see the point of staying in Aix.
At this time of year, ski resorts book up all the available lodging, and prices aren’t always great.
If cost is a real concern, look in the valley (Passy/Sallanches).
I’d love it if you could suggest some cities to visit. Since I don’t know anything about France and this is my very first trip, and I have to organize everything myself (hotel, trains, food), I’d really appreciate some advice. I’d still like to spend 3 nights in the mountains to visit Chamonix and Mont Blanc.
Looking forward to your suggestions!
I agree with my fellow travelers. In December, it’s really cold and gray in some regions, so if you’re not used to it, it might be wise to spend more time in the south.
If you’re not necessarily into skiing and want to visit Chamonix, it’s a terrible time because it’s peak ski season and prices will be sky-high. If you’re set on going to the mountains, I have a contact for a chalet in Les Deux Alpes. If you’re interested, I can check availability.
Some southern cities you could include in your itinerary:
Following the Paris-Lyon route, you have
Aix-en-Provence, the city of Paul Cézanne
Marseille, the country’s second-largest city, from which you can access the Calanques, like the one in Cassis, for example
Nice, a coastal city with a lovely promenade
Monaco, Cannes, and Saint-Tropez if you want a little taste of French glamour.
All these destinations are accessible by train. As for accommodation, in Marseille or Toulon, you’ll find options for every budget.
One last tip: only spend one night in Paris upon arrival. After such a long trip, a second night might be a good idea to acclimate and recover.
Safe travels, and don’t hesitate to ask if you need more details!
That’s already an improvement.
Chamonix is a prettier town than Saint Gervais, with lots of shops, cafés, etc. too. But yes, it’ll be more expensive.
I highly recommend spending a day in Annecy—hopefully the weather will be clear—it’s a really beautiful town and the lake is stunning (okay, my family lives there, so my opinion isn’t 100% unbiased).
For the south, it looks great—I prefer old Antibes over Cannes. Between Monaco and Nice, stop by Èze.
Winter is indeed a very expensive season in the mountains because of skiing (fortunately, you're traveling outside school holidays, so prices won't be at their peak).
However, more and more people are staying there without being skiers, as the snowy landscapes are truly worth it. The mountains in winter captivate travelers with their pristine white beauty.
The cold also attracts those who aren’t familiar with it.
I recommend planning 2 days for Chamonix and getting a 2-day pedestrian pass.
(And forget about Aosta...)
Personally, I prefer the area between Marseille and Toulon (Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Cassis, the Calanques) over Nice, Monaco, etc.
You can also easily plan a day trip to Rouen from Paris by train.
Hi there,
I’d skip the mountains in January! If you’re not into winter sports, I can’t really imagine how you’d spend your days in the cold, which can be intense, along with the frequent cloud cover in January. Annecy yes, Chamonix and St. Gervais no. You should go in summer or spring/autumn...
On the other hand, I’d spend several days in Marseille—there’s plenty to do... as well as in other small towns on the Côte d'Azur like St. Raphaël (a walk at Cap Dramont is stunning), Antibes...
Avignon is also worth visiting from Marseille (by bus).
PS: If you do go to the mountains, make sure to buy very warm winter clothes!
(Will you use them in the future?)
My two kids live on Réunion Island—one in St. Pierre and the other in St. Paul (Plateau Caillou).
Hello, We’re heading to Italy for five weeks next spring. It’ll be our first trip there. We’d love to see some must-see spots and beautiful countryside regions. Our main transport will be trains, and sometimes buses to reach smaller villages. We’re less interested in the mountains and lakes in the north. We’ll try to stay 4–5 days in some places and explore the surrounding area by train or bus. Any suggestions for planning our trip? Itineraries and must-sees! Thanks
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Has anyone here managed to do it, and if so, could you share the method you used?
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Charlie
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Hi everyone,
First of all, thank you for all the valuable information you share—it’s really helpful.
My husband and I are heading to South Korea from September 19 to October 6. We know the timing might not be ideal because of Chuseok, but for various reasons, we didn’t have other date options. Plus, this period coincides with some festivals we’ve been eager to check out: the Andong Mask Dance Festival, the Jinju Lantern Festival, and the Hwaseong Festival in Suwon.
Here’s our tentative itinerary:
09/19: Arrival in Seoul
09/20: Bus to Sokcho – explore the city or short hike
09/21: Seoraksan Park
09/22: Return to Seoul
09/23–09/26: Seoul
09/27: Bus or train to Andong – explore the city
09/28: Hahoe
09/29–10/01: Gyeongju
10/01–10/03: Busan
10/03–10/04: Jinju
10/05: Bus/train to Suwon
10/06: Suwon
So here’s my question: Given that several of our trips fall during or around festivals, will it be possible to book bus/train tickets once we’re there, or is there a risk they’ll already be sold out? Specifically for Seoul-Andong, Busan-Jinju, and Jinju-Suwon.
I was thinking of booking everything on our first day in Seoul.
And if it’s better to plan ahead, how should we go about it? I can’t seem to access the Korail (letskorail) or Kobus websites.
Thanks in advance for your answers and help—and sorry for the long post! :)
Hi! I’d like to make stops across France, starting from Reims, and travel by train using the Intercités. I want to discover the landscapes and picturesque villages, and make some stops along the way. Could you give me some tips? Thanks!
I’m planning a family trip in a year. Our goal: traveling to China (and maybe Hong Kong) by train.
I’m all set with the route up to eastern Turkey.
However, I’m just starting my research for the rest of the journey—namely the Caucasus (no trains as far as I know, so buses and/or ferries), then Central Asia and China.
So, I’d love to hear any info or tips (general and forward-looking at this stage) about the train route through Central Asia and China to reach the east coast.
I’m particularly interested in details on:
- How far in advance to book / any potential difficulties with reservations
- Whether there are PASS systems (or equivalent) between countries and/or if some tickets allow stopovers, meaning you can hop on and off as you please
- Day trains vs. night trains (the latter option lets you explore cities between two legs of the journey)
- A rough idea of ticket costs
...
A huge thank you to anyone who can share some info or experiences. It’s also a great opportunity to chat about adventure after (way too) many years away from this forum.
I’m planning a trip around Italy using only trains or public transport in October (hoping the weather stays nice!).
I’d obviously like to see some tourist destinations, but I also want to get off the beaten path a bit, and I’m hoping to find some help here? I don’t plan to linger too long in the cities.
Starting in the north, I’d like to visit Lake Como or Lake Orta, pass through the Cinque Terre for some hiking, spend a few days in Naples and Rome, then head down to Sicily.
Hi there,
I’ll be traveling to Japan this coming August. We’ve finalized our itinerary and booked our flight tickets. Now I’m at the stage of buying train tickets for the few segments we’ll need to cover:
Tokyo - Hakone
Hakone - Kyoto
Kyoto - Osaka
Osaka - Tokyo
Here are my questions:
a) Is it possible to buy train tickets for these segments from Canada?
b) If so, which website should I use to do this?
c) And if it is possible, will we be able to print our tickets from Canada?
d) If it’s not possible, where in Tokyo should I go to buy these tickets when I arrive?
Hi everyone, I wanted to take the Paris-Berlin overnight train with a sleeper berth, the new service operated by European Sleepers.
24/05/2026 17:45 Paris-Nord (actually 16:00 from Paris Bercy Seine) -> 25/05/2026 9:59 (actually 7:30 in Berlin)
05/06/2026 18:31 Berlin (actually 20:00) -> 06/06/2026 10:00 Paris Nord (actually 12:30)
Part of the journey was operated by bus instead of the promised overnight train.
For 2 people: 340 € round trip
A total disaster. Never again. I was really looking forward to taking the overnight train, but we faced last-minute changes and truly unpleasant travel conditions. Here are the details:
1) 2 days before departure: email announcing a change of departure station for the outbound trip—Bercy Seine bus station instead of Gare du Nord.
2) Change of schedule: 4:00 PM from Bercy instead of 5:45 PM from Gare du Nord.
3) Change of transport mode!! A bus from Paris to Brussels, then an overnight train from Brussels to Berlin. No functional toilets on the bus. No children under 4 allowed on the bus.
4) On the sleeper train at 9:30 PM: no functional toilets in our carriage, so we had to go to other carriages, even in the middle of the night, to find working ones.
5) The onboard staff, though very friendly, were as lost as we were. In particular, they didn’t know how to handle the lower berths, so people using them had less space (armrests and backrests). Berth numbers weren’t respected, so some passengers had to move. The staff also didn’t know who was supposed to join the compartment during the journey.
6) Arrival at 7:30 AM in Berlin instead of 10:00 AM. No arrival announcement. Passengers had to search for staff to get breakfast and ended up with just a coffee (breakfast = 15 €, not bad for just a coffee).
7) Return trip: drastic schedule change announced by email on 26/05/2026—departure at 7:30 PM instead of 6:30 PM, with arrival between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM in Paris instead of 10:00 AM. No change in transport mode announced.
8) Change in transport mode announced by email on the same day (05/06/2026)!! Overnight train from Brussels to Berlin, then a bus from Paris to Brussels. No functional toilets on the bus. Children under 4 banned from the bus, and families in this situation were asked to find another way—after being notified the same day.
9) The overnight train arrived at Berlin station with a 30-minute delay on top of its initial delay (scheduled for 6:31 PM, then 7:30 PM, finally arriving at 8:00 PM). The heating was blasting in the compartment with no way to turn it off. No functional toilets in the carriage. From that point on, customer service stopped responding to my messages.
10) Woken up at 5:00 AM with an announcement in all carriages about arrival in Liège.
11) Woken up again at 6:00 AM to be told we’d arrive in Brussels at 7:00 AM.
12) Arrival in Brussels at 7:00 AM and a one-hour wait for the bus to Paris. No functional toilets on the bus.
13) Arrival at Paris Nord at 12:30 PM, so 2.5 hours late compared to the originally scheduled time.
14) The overnight trains used are very old—I recognized the carriages from 20 years ago!! No functional power outlets, no Wi-Fi, no air conditioning. Five people per compartment is a bit cramped, but I consider these conditions expected (especially the air conditioning), so I’m not complaining about that. There’s already plenty to gripe about with the travel conditions.
I have little hope of getting even a partial refund. Customer service emails acknowledge the discomfort but only offer to reimburse the cost of a coffee on board if we send them the receipt... a bit weak.
I’m sharing this experience in the hope it might help others.
Hi there,
I’d like to take the Train of the Clouds from Lima to Huancayo.
I’ve heard it only runs during certain periods.
Does anyone have info on this?
Thanks!
HuancayoHuancayo
As part of my professional thesis, I’m conducting a study on the evolution of long-distance rail transport in France, particularly since it opened up to competition.
I’ve put together a very quick (about 5-minute) and completely anonymous questionnaire. Your answers will help me better understand users' expectations regarding pricing, frequency, and environmental impact.
We’re planning a 15-day trip to Uzbekistan in March—classic independent itinerary: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. We’d like to take the train between each city, but I don’t want to lock down the whole trip before we leave.
So, my question is: is it absolutely necessary to book train tickets before departure, whether for the high-speed trains or the regional ones? Is booking really essential for the regional trains?
Hello,
We’re traveling as a family with two boys aged 10 and 12 to Cairo in February. During our trip, we’re planning to take an overnight train (with or without a sleeper) for the Cairo-Aswan route.
Do you know how I can book this remotely?
Also, I’m looking for:
- A local contact to sail the Nile by felucca for 3 days from Aswan
- A contact to guide us in Cairo
Looking forward to your tips, and thanks in advance!
Marie
Hi everyone,
I first traveled solo to Japan in 2019, exploring the Kyushu region (28 days), and I’m planning to return with my daughter (she’s an adult and it’ll be her first time in Asia) from April 25 to May 9.
I’m reaching out on this forum to ask for route ideas—this time north of Tokyo, but without heading to the Sapporo island (I’m saving that for a future trip).
I’d love to take advantage of the cherry blossom season and its festivities.
I’m looking to create a route that’s a little off the beaten path while staying within 5-6 hours by train from Tokyo to avoid spending too much time on transfers.
Thanks in advance for sharing your suggestions and experiences!
Michael
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We’re planning to visit Serbia (1 week) and then Montenegro (2nd week) with our kids from April 18 to May 4. We’d prefer to travel by train (overnight if possible), but we’re not sure which platform to book on or when to do it (is it too early?). If anyone has any tips, I’m all ears!!
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Olivier
Hi there!
We’re planning to head back to Istanbul next year—obviously by plane—and then take the train from Istanbul to Antalya. Has anyone here already made this trip by train with TCDD?
I’d love any tips or info that could be useful for us!
I'd like to go to Montserrat on my own from Barcelona. Share your suggestions with me.
Which train should I take, where to get off, what to see once I arrive, etc.
I need to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Vientiane in January.
I found some ticket options on 12Go Asia, but booking doesn’t seem possible at the moment. I’ve tried simulations for several dates, but no luck.
I’m wondering if it’s already fully booked, if they’ve stopped selling tickets… yet 12Go still features it every day 😕
Has anyone else run into this issue?
Can I find tickets on another site? (I tried Baolau, but no sleepers left for January 8th.)
Hi there,
I’m a bit late to be worrying about this, but hopefully someone can help me before I leave.
Tomorrow afternoon, I arrive at Lyon Part-Dieu on the TGV at 5:50 PM and take the TER to Mâcon at 6:16 PM. Is a 26-minute transfer doable? Are the TGV and TER on the same departure board? And are they on the same platforms too?
I’ve been to Lyon before but never had to make a connection after arriving.
Thanks
Starting November 15th, I’ll be arriving in Thailand, and during my stay, I plan to visit the north, around the Chiang Mai area, then head south to the Krabi region.
After Krabi, I’m planning to take an overnight train to Bangkok. I was wondering if there’s a train that leaves from Krabi or Trang, or if I absolutely have to go to Surat Thani?
Also, which official website can I use to book my ticket?
Next, since I’ll be arriving at dawn in Bangkok, I’ve planned to spend 2 days in Kanchanaburi. What’s the most convenient way to get there—bus or train? And if you know any companies or websites, that’d be great.
Hi there,
Does anyone know if there’s a bus from Luang Namtha to Boten to catch the train coming from China to Vientiane? If so, what’s the name of the company? Also, how long does the bus take to cover that distance? What’s the condition of the road like?
Thanks for your help!
Tom
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