Europe Trip Planning

iPhone Applications That Are Useful

• TheFork – Local restaurants
• GetYourGuide – Booking various local things at various places
• Swiss – Swiss airline application
• SBB Mobile – Switzerland transportation details
• Xe – Check the exchange rate
• EuroRail Planner – Train booking app – if you get Euro Rail pass
• Trenord – Trains in Milan
• itTaxi – Local taxi service in Italy

Websites That Are Useful

https://www.eurail.com/en – Train pass – Has phone application to select trains

• Seat reservation is bit expensive via their site (Can do seat reservation from the company that is running the train, e.g. https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/tgv)
• Keep seat reservation until last minute – money is not refundable
• Need to add the journey, activate the journey and then show the pass in the iPhone application. Pass would have the journey at the bottom.
• If going to only Switzerland, the local rail pass is better

General Tips

Italy (General)

• Trains can be extremely late
• Lot of traffic, so even short distance can end up in large taxi bill
• If you plan to buy expensive item (purse) where VAT is refundable, you need to report that with customs before leaving country (and also do the required process to get money back – there can be more than one ways to do that)

Switzerland (General)

• Trains are pretty good and always on time
• Eurorail pass is not giving as much discount as local Swiss pass
• Major train stations have quite few stores (including grocery store)
• Most places are closed or close early during weekend
• Try chocolate brand other than Lindt (Läderach)
• Scenic train – Glacier Express – seats fill up fast, so book in advance (Vegetarian food was good)

Zermatt

• If possible, get a hotel from where Matterhorn mountain is visible (quite good view at sunrise time)

Lucerne

• Other places are bit far via train

Interlaken

• Few mountains very accessible via train from there