In case anyone wondered what the outcome of all your useful advice was:
I purchased Paris/Basel return tickets via the TGV Europe website (rather than the Rail Europe website) and paid 50 euros (per person), instead of Rail Europe's £57. So that, combined with £69 Eurostar returns, resulted in better prices and a far better sellection of trains for both legs. Result is we get the desired 5 hours in Paris for a bit of culture and food.
Thanks for the useful input and information.
Thanks for the feedback
This will get a very long journey:
London St P dp 7.01 - Paris N - Paris Lyon ar 10.37, dp 16.23 - Grindelwald ar 22.35
Enjoy your trip!
There is a 1 hour time zone change in their neckervd. That makes it one hour less than it appears to be. ;)
Of course. But I suppose that Chappie will not live at St. Pancras station. So s/he will have to get up early anyway.
But it's perfectly feasible.
neckervd/travelinstyle46,
Thought I'd let you know what I actually have organised. Yes, myself and my mate are arriving in London the night before on a cheap Chiltern Railway ticket and staying in an equally cheap Travelodge near St.Pancras - an evening in London is always an agreeable thing. As for the main event:
London - 07:54
Paris - 11:17
Paris - 14:23
Basel - 17:26
Basel - 17:59
Basel Grindelwald - 20:35
So slightly over 12hrs, but the countryside is better from the train and coffee/coissant on the Champs Ellysee beats Starbucks at Birmingham Airport any day. We've deliberately given ourselves a 6hr stopover in Paris on the way back to do something substantial.
I think it is fine chappie. The only down side is the ride from Basel to Grindelwald will be in the dark and you will pass some nice scenery which you won't be able to see but hopefully the return will let you see some more scenery. You're right it beats Birmingham airport any day.
If you go to Champs Elysees with all your luggage, you may stay there a little more than 2 hrs indeed (instead of 5 mentioned in post 10).
Otherwise you may go first to Gare de Lyon (ar 11.37) in order to put your luggage in a locker and backtrack to Champs Elysees.
Don't worry about the Basel - Grindelwald leg: only the last hour is really scenic