Is It Hard to Travel Independently in France, Switzerland, and Italy for the First Time?
Not at all!
We were torn between taking a tour and traveling independently. As it was our first international trip, we were worried about dealing with unexpected issues, getting lost, missing trains or buses, and incurring extra costs.
In the end, we overcame our fears and created a detailed plan to fully experience the three beautiful countries of France, Switzerland, and Italy. Here's our itinerary and experience for our first international trip.
1. Visa
Apply three months before your departure date.
Our situation: We work freelance, had no prior international travel history, and no children, which made our application seem weak. We hired a visa service to increase our chances of approval. Fortunately, after seven days, our visas were approved.
2. Flight Tickets
- Outbound: China Eastern Airline. We chose a 17-hour layover in Shanghai to explore the city for a day. You only need a free 24-hour visa. Buy a day pass for the subway (around 18 yuan) to get around. There are free layover tours at the airport, three times a day if you're interested.
- Return: Singapore Airline. 7-hour transit. You can take a free tour, but you must register at the counter upon arrival to join the 9 am tour.
3. Hotel/Homestay
A thousand times recommend staying with Vietnamese hosts, especially for first-timers. It feels safer, and you can easily ask for advice, tips, and directions.
- France: Linh Tuan DO. Linh's cozy home is a 30-minute subway ride from the Louvre Museum (Paris). The room is very clean, with a kitchen, private bathroom, and a spacious garden with herbs and even cherry trees. We often made noodle soup with the herbs to soothe our homesickness haha. Price: €60/night/2 people
- Switzerland: Nhan Nguyen. Ms. Nhan has lived in Switzerland for over 40 years and knows all the tourist spots like the back of her hand. Tell her where you want to go, and she'll create a detailed plan from A to Z, including directions and recommendations for good places to eat. Her house in Aarau is 1-2 hours away from tourist attractions. Price: 110 CHF/night/2 people, including breakfast.
- Milan: Thom Nguyen. Ms. Thom's house is only 12km from the Duomo. A true Milan local, she even helped us plan a detailed trip to Como, but we ended up going to Verona instead =)) Price: €80/night/2 people, including breakfast
All three hosts were incredibly helpful even before we got our visas. We planned the trip about 6 months in advance, and I wasn't even sure if our visas would be approved, but they replied to my messages and even called to offer advice on the best way to explore Europe on a budget. I'm truly grateful to Linh, Thơm and Nhàn for answering my many questions and helping us prepare for the trip. When I was planning, I texted and called them so much that I thought I was being annoying =))
3. Transportation
- France: We stayed in France for 4 days, so we bought the Navigo Week Pass for €36.60 (including €5 for the card), which allowed us free travel on all public transport in zones 1-5, including the RER train from the airport. The card is valid for 10 years, so you can use it if you return to Paris.
- Switzerland: Saver Day Pass 52 CHF/day. Our trip fell on a weekend, so the price was 62 CHF/day, but Ms. Nhàn bought it for us at 52 CHF/day. This pass was cheaper than the Swiss Travel Pass (302 CHF/3 days) because we weren't visiting museums or mountain peaks. Based on your needs, consider which pass will maximize your value.
- Milan: We bought single tickets because we were mostly traveling within the city center. Each ticket costs €2.2 and is valid for 90 minutes. Everyone should have their own payment card. You can tap your bank card directly at the subway/bus gates, no need to buy paper tickets.
4. Itinerary
France:
- Day 1: Opera Garnier (book tickets 2 weeks in advance) => Louvre Museum => Tuileries Garden => Eiffel Tower at night (lights twinkle every hour on the hour from 9 pm to 11 pm).
- Day 2: Montmartre => Palace of Versailles. We bought Versailles tickets from Linh Tuan DO for only €25/person. These tickets allowed you to enter anytime without a specific time slot or the need to queue. You should dedicate the whole day to visiting Versailles because it's huge. Bring a blanket, snacks, and drinks to have a picnic in the garden.
- Day 3: Eiffel Tower (Rue de l'Universite; Avenuew de New York; Passerelle Debilly are great spots for taking photos of the tower) => Cafe de Flore => Arc de Triomphe => Seine River cruise. We bought tickets from Nhà Đẹp Châu Âu for €15/person. Just notify them a few hours in advance to get your ticket.
- Day 4: Alexander III Bridge => Luxembourg Gardens => Eiffel Tower (If you have time, visit all three. I was too busy chilling on the lawn at the foot of the Eiffel Tower that morning and skipped the first two.)
If you can stay another day, visit the beautiful village of Moret-sur Loing, in zone 5, so it's free to travel to. I didn't have enough time to visit 😭😭
Switzerland:
- Day 1: Iseltwald => Murren => Gimmelwald => Lauterbrunnen => Grindelwald. When taking the cable car to Murren, remember to sit on the left for stunning views.
- Day 2: Lake Oeschinensee => Bern. Buy a round-trip cable car ticket (not included in the Saver Day Pass) to go up to Lake Oeschinensee. Don't buy a one-way ticket and walk down because it's exhausting, and the scenery isn't that impressive. Spend half a day at the lake and half a day in Bern. Bern is beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale with princesses, witches, and monsters =))
- Day 3: Lake Lucerne => Rigi Kulm => Lucerne Old Town
Milan:
- Day 1: Duomo, wander around the city
- Day 2: Verona - The city of Romeo and Juliet. We originally planned to go to Lake Como, but the weather was bad, so we switched to Verona.
- Day 3: Walk around Milan Centrale Station => Airport
5. Other Tips
As the saying goes, "The road is in your mouth" =)) If you get lost on the subway or take the wrong train or bus, don't hesitate to ask for help. People are very helpful, even if they don't speak English, they'll try to use body language or Google Translate to assist you.
Always go early (before 7 am) to take photos without crowds, and the early morning light is beautiful. In France or Milan, tourist spots get very crowded after 9 am. Switzerland is less crowded because the tourist spots are very large.
Essential apps: France, Milan (Google Maps, Google Translate, Trainline); Switzerland (SBB Mobile, SNCF Connect). In Switzerland, use the SBB app to check routes, not Google Maps. This app provides accurate train arrival and departure times. You need to arrive on time. The app also provides very accurate real-time notifications when train gets delayed or cancelled or you need to switch trains. Also, board the correct platform line. For example, the same train on lines A and B might go in one direction, while lines C, D, and E go in another. Board the correct car (First Class or Second Class) according to your ticket. If you board the wrong car you'll be fined.
Always carry your passport when traveling by train in Switzerland, as ticket inspectors will check it. Switzerland is safe, so don't worry about theft.
Payments: To avoid theft, we paid for all accommodations and tickets in advance from Vietnam by transferring money directly to the hosts' Vietnamese bank accounts or paying with a Visa/Mastercard. I only brought about €300 in cash for food and souvenirs. I added my Visa/Mastercard to Apple Pay and transferred 10 million VND to it each day for spending. I also carried two credit cards with limits of 35 million VND and 50 million VND, in case of emergencies requiring a large sum of money.
Preventing Theft:
- Pack light. Use a regular suitcase and backpack. Using designer brands can attract thieves.
- It's most dangerous when traveling from the airport or train station, because you have a lot on your mind. Stay calm, don't rush, and find your way. Wear your backpack in front, or if wearing it on your back, have someone keep an eye on it. Avoid accepting help from strangers. They might run off with your suitcase!
- Put all valuables such as cameras and laptops in one suitcase and keep it with you at all times. Sit on it when taking photos.
- Keep your suitcase close to you on the train. Check on it at each stop.
- Use a small front-facing bag for cash and passport, wear it inside your shirt.
- After the trip, I found that theft is not as common as the videos on TikTok suggest. Just be a little more careful, especially in crowded places.
Finding Cheap Flight Tickets:
- Use Skyscanner and Google Flights to find suitable flights and receive price alerts via Gmail. Sometimes there will be very cheap flights (the cheapest I've seen is 8.5 million VND/one way). I read that others have booked flights for 16 million VND/round trip
- Book flights on Tuesday or Wednesday for cheaper prices. Check prices on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday mornings.
- Pay attention to the order of names when booking China Eastern Airline tickets. Do not fill in the Middle Name field, as it will reverse your name. For example, if your name is Nguyễn Thủy Tiên, enter: Surname (Nguyen); First name (Thuy Tien), leave the Middle Name field blank. I didn't know this and booked it as Nguyen/ TienThuy and entered my ID card number instead of my passport number. I called the airline to change the information, but they only allowed me to change one, so I chose to change it to the correct passport number. Although the name was reversed, I was able to fly normally =)) Book correctly for 100% peace of mind!
This is all our experience after this trip. Before going, I read many posts and noted a lot of tips from everyone. Hopefully, this article will help those with zero experience confidently explore Europe!! 🥰
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