I will be traveling from Florence to Chamonix in mid June and then on to Geneva. Is the trip from Florence scenic enough to be worthwhile taking a day train, or is it better to just travel overnight. Also do you have any suggestions on good short hikes (appropriate for an 11 year old) that will be open in June. Thanks.
There are no direct night trains from Florence to Chamonix. (It would be technically impossible to offer such a train). You can however take a night train to Martigny, and change for the train to Chamonix there. Traveling by day is possible too, and involves changing trains in Milano and twice in Switzerland. Certainly the part once you've left the Milano urban area is quite scenic. However, I'd opt in your case to take the night train. The most scenic part is the Martigny - Chamonix part, and you'll do that by daylight in both cases.
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