u/Future_Painter_2520

Hi Friends, apparently SNCF said that in November 15th, there is no train between Paris (Gare Du Nord) to Basel SBB. Therefore, I need to take from "Paris Est" instead. I'm trying to see whats the easiest route from Paris EST to Interlaken OST, hoping to reach by 5 pm latest..

SNCF offered the following routes:
Option 1 (SNCF Website Suggestion, summarized with Gemini) The 11:07 AM German Detour:

• 11:07 AM: Depart Paris Est (ICE 9591) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Strasbourg at 1:03 PM (1h 56min)
• ⏱️ 19-minute connection in Strasbourg
• 1:22 PM: Depart Strasbourg (TER 87431) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Offenburg at 1:55 PM (33min)
• ⏱️ 🛑 5-minute connection in Offenburg 🛑
• 2:00 PM: Depart Offenburg (ECE 5) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Basel SBB at 3:21 PM (1h 21min)
• ⏱️ 🛑 9-minute connection in Basel SBB 🛑
• 3:30 PM: Depart Basel SBB (IC 627) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Interlaken Ost at 5:28 PM (1h 58min)
• Pros: Let’s me sleep in a bit.
• Cons: Three transfers. A 5-minute window to catch a German ECE train in Offenburg feels like a logistical death trap if the regional train is even 2 minutes late.

* Red circle basically is Gemini warning me that i might not make the transfer..

Option 2 (SNCF, summarized with Gemini) The 9:06 AM Four-Train Marathon (SNCF Suggestion)

• 9:06 AM: Depart Paris Est (TGV INOUI 9551) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Mannheim Hbf at 12:16 PM (3h 10min)
• ⏱️ 21-minute connection in Mannheim Hbf
• 12:37 PM: Depart Mannheim Hbf (ICE 105) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Basel SBB at 2:48 PM (2h 11min)
• ⏱️ 🛑 10-minute connection in Basel SBB 🛑
• 2:58 PM: Depart Basel SBB (IC 975) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Bern at 3:56 PM (58min)
• ⏱️ 🛑 8-minute connection in Bern 🛑
• 4:04 PM: Depart Bern (IC 822) $\rightarrow$ Arrive Interlaken Ost at 4:59 PM (55min)
• Pros: Arrives just before my 5 PM target.
• Cons: Three transfers across four different trains. Two back-to-back tight connections at the end of the trip with heavy luggage sounds exhausting.

Option 3 (Gemini): The 7:47 AM Strasbourg Bypass (Suggested Alternative)

• 7:47 AM: Depart Paris Est (TGV INOUI 9551) - Arrive Strasbourg at 9:48 AM (2h 01min)
• ⏱️ 33-minute connection in Strasbourg
• 10:21 AM: Depart Strasbourg (TER) - Arrive Basel SBB at 11:38 AM (1h 17min)
• ⏱️ 20-minute connection in Basel SBB
• 11:58 AM: Depart Basel SBB (IC 969) -Arrive Interlaken Ost at 1:59 PM (2h 01min)
• Pros: Only two transfers. Bypasses Germany entirely to avoid Deutsche Bahn delay risks. Arrives early in the afternoon so I can actually enjoy the day in daylight.

When I look up Option 3, only the Paris Est to Strasbourg TGV ticket is actually available to buy right now. The Strasbourg > Basel SBB (TER) leg and the Basel > Interlaken (SBB) leg are completely blank or say tickets aren't out yet.

Is this normal for November travel? Do the regional French TERs and Swiss domestic trains open their booking windows much later than the high-speed TGVs?