In April, with the planner's pick for each leg; you can switch any leg in the plan. Flying into Italy and home from France; the legs that cross a border are marked.
Delhi → RomeFlight · 12h 30m · Air India / ITA Airways (non-stop, a few times a week) · one stop via the Gulf or Istanbul
Venice → LucerneTrain via Milan · 10h 6m · Train to Milan, EuroCity through the Gotthard Base Tunnel (SBB / Trenitalia, direct) to Zurich, then trainInto Switzerland
Lucerne → InterlakenTrain · 1h 51m · Luzern–Interlaken Express over the Brünig Pass (Zentralbahn)
Interlaken → ParisTrain via Geneva · 7h 30m · Train to Geneva, then TGV Lyria from Paris Gare de Lyon (direct)Into France
Paris → DelhiFlight · 13h 30m · Air France / Air India (daily from 25 Oct 2026)
About this circuit
The classic first tour of Europe, by train from end to end: Rome for the Colosseum and the Vatican; the Frecciarossa to Florence for the Duomo and the Uffizi, and on to Venice; through the Gotthard Base Tunnel to Lucerne for the Chapel Bridge and Pilatus or Rigi; the Luzern–Interlaken Express over the Brünig Pass to Interlaken, under the Jungfrau; then by Geneva and the TGV Lyria to Paris for the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Fly into Rome and home from Paris.
Why it matters
Rome is three thousand years in one city, with Vatican City across the Tiber, and Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance; Jungfraujoch (3,454 m), above Interlaken, is the highest railway station in Europe, and Interlaken has a statue of Yash Chopra, whose films made the region famous in India. Every stop has Indian restaurants.
Stop by stop
How the 14 days split across the 6 stops, and what each one costs on the ground for two.
Italy's capital and its main arrival airport: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, and, across the Tiber, Vatican City with St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Trastevere and Monti are the neighbourhoods for evenings. Every major sight now runs on timed tickets, so book ahead. High-speed trains reach Florence in about 1.5 hours and Naples in about 1 hour 10. Indian restaurants are easy to find near Termini station and in the centre.
Don't miss: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill · Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.
How long: 3 days here; on its own Rome is worth 4 — add a day if you can.
Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), 32 km
3 days for two from ₹61,953 · ₹1,27,910 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The cradle of the Renaissance and the base for Tuscany: Brunelleschi's dome on the Duomo, the Uffizi gallery, Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, the Ponte Vecchio and the view from Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset. Compact and walkable; the centre is a ZTL where cars are fined. Pisa is an hour away by train, Siena and Chianti an hour by bus or car. Leather markets and Florentine steak; vegetarians do well on ribollita and pasta. Indian restaurants are in the centre.
Don't miss: Climb Brunelleschi's dome · Uffizi Gallery.
How long: 2 days here; on its own Florence is worth 3 — add a day if you can.
Florence Peretola Airport (FLR), 6 km
2 days for two from ₹38,889 · ₹78,058 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The city on the lagoon: St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, the Grand Canal by vaporetto water-bus, the Rialto, gondolas, and the islands of Murano (glass) and Burano (coloured houses). No cars: trains arrive at Santa Lucia on the Grand Canal. Day-trippers pay an access fee on set spring and summer days; hotel guests are exempt but register. From October to January high tides (acqua alta) can flood St Mark's Square. Indian restaurants near the station and Rialto.
Don't miss: St Mark's Basilica · Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs.
How long: 2 days here; on its own Venice is worth 3 — add a day if you can.
Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), 12 km
2 days for two from ₹44,638 · ₹87,886 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The most visited town in central Switzerland, on the outflow of Lake Lucerne: the covered wooden Chapel Bridge and its water tower, the Lion Monument carved into a cliff, and an old town of painted squares. Paddle steamers cross the lake, and Mount Pilatus (the world's steepest cogwheel line from Alpnachstad) and Mount Rigi are classic day trips; Titlis is an hour away at Engelberg. 45 minutes from Zurich by train. Indian restaurants and Indian tour groups are common in summer.
Don't miss: Chapel Bridge and its water tower · Lion Monument.
How long: 1 day here; on its own Lucerne is worth 2 — add a day if you can.
Zurich Airport (ZRH), 65 km
1 day for two from ₹40,817 · ₹58,037 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
A resort town on the plain between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the base for the Jungfrau region. Trains from Interlaken Ost climb to Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Grindelwald, and on via Kleine Scheidegg or the Eiger Express to Jungfraujoch (3,454 m), the highest railway station in Europe, with the Aletsch glacier, the Sphinx terrace and an ice palace; it is the region's big day out and also its biggest single cost. Harder Kulm, lake boats on Thun and Brienz, and paragliding over the Höhematte fill the rest. Interlaken has many Indian restaurants and a statue of Yash Chopra, whose films made the region famous in India.
Don't miss: Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station · Aletsch glacier from the Sphinx terrace.
How long: 2 days here; on its own Interlaken is worth 3 — add a day if you can.
Zurich Airport (ZRH), 130 km
2 days for two from ₹1,02,801 · ₹1,51,021 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The capital and where almost every flight from India lands (Charles de Gaulle). The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame (reopened in December 2024), Montmartre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Seine fill three days; the Palace of Versailles is a half-day trip by RER C train. Indian food is easy to find: Passage Brady and rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis (10th arrondissement) and the Tamil shops and restaurants of La Chapelle have pure-vegetarian South and North Indian food. Museums and big monuments need timed tickets booked online.
Don't miss: The Louvre and the Mona Lisa · Eiffel Tower at night.
How long: 4 days, which is the recommended stay.
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), 25 km
4 days for two from ₹97,832 · ₹1,86,878 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
What it costs
from ₹3,21,557 a person
The whole 14-day trip as the planner prices it in April, for two sharing at budget stays: flights from India and back, travel between the stops and across the borders, stays, food, getting around, entry fees and the planner's buffer.
The visa for an Indian passport, about ₹11,590 a person, is on top.
When to go
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April to June and September to October suit the route, the Swiss stops from May (Jungfraujoch is below freezing even in August); July and August bring 35-40 °C heat to Rome and Florence, and from October high tides can flood St Mark's Square
Entry rules
Schengen visa: Italy, Switzerland and France
Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,590
One visa covers all 3: apply to Italy, where the route spends the most days, under its rules; the days allowed count across them.
Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Italy centre in India, 4-8 weeks before you fly (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Italy if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
·Indian passports need one Schengen visa for all three countries: apply to Italy, the longest stay, 4-8 weeks ahead; appointments in spring and summer can be three weeks out
·Venice to Lucerne is a long day by train, to Milan, through the Gotthard Base Tunnel to Zurich and on; Interlaken to Paris goes by Geneva and the TGV Lyria, on lines with works until early 2027
·Jungfraujoch is the trip's biggest single cost: check the webcams and go up on a clear morning, and from May to October reserve a seat on its trains as well
·Book the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, the Uffizi and the Louvre for timed slots before you fly; Venice charges day-trippers an access fee on set days, while hotel guests only register
·Strikes in France can cancel TGVs and flights at a few days' notice: keep a spare day in Paris before the flight home
