9 June 2008. Train times
valid from 15 June to 13 Dec 2008.
Taking the train to Italy ...
London to Italy by train?
Why not? It's remarkably easy, comfortable and affordable,
in fact, it's amazing that some people still think you need
to fly. Take Eurostar from London to Paris in just 2
hours 25 minutes from £59 return, then travel by direct
overnight sleeper train from Paris to Milan, Florence, Rome,
Verona or Venice for as little as £28 each way including a
sleeping berth for the night. This page explains the best
routes, train times, fares, what the trains are like, and
how to buy tickets.
Take the overnight sleeper train from Paris to Bologna,
Florence, Venice, Verona, Milan & Rome, run by a consortium of
the French & Italian railways called Artesia...
Above: The famous Trevi fountain, just 20 minutes walk
from Rome's Stazioni Termini, where the train from Paris arrives.
This photo was taken on a short break to Italy, travelling
there from the UK by train...
It
couldn't be easier. Just take an afternoon Eurostar
from London to Paris in 2 hours 25 minutes, down a drink or
two in a Parisian café, then take the
'Palatino' overnight sleeper train from Paris to Rome. Enjoy a
meal in the restaurant car as the sun sets over the rolling
green hills and picturesque villages of the French
countryside, then wake up in your sleeper or couchette to
coffee and croissant and a classic Italian landscape of
red-roofed houses and poplar trees. You'll catch sight
of the dome of St Peter's from the train before arriving at Rome's
Stazione Termini, right in the heart of the Eternal City.
Fares start at
£59 return for the Eurostar plus £55 return from Paris
to Rome in a 6-berth couchette or £89 return in a more
spacious 4-berth couchette. More comfortable
1, 2 & 3-bed sleepers are also available, with
morning coffee & croissant included in the fare, see the
guide to
onboard accommodation.
Train times London ► Rome
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 12:30 and arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 15:56. On Sundays there's also a 13:00 Eurostar arriving Paris
16:17. On Mondays-Saturdays 6 July to 6 Sept there's
also a 13:32 Eurostar arriving at 16:47. Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 12:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
13:28. On Saturdays & Sundays (daily 6 July to
6 September) there's also an
earlier
11:13 Eurostar arriving London St Pancras at 12:28.
What is the Paris-Rome Palatino
like..?
The Palatino has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes
and a restaurant car serving
drinks, snacks, and affordable full meals (The Excelsior
sleepers with private toilet and shower were discontinued
in Dec 2005). In the restaurant car, the 3-course 'menu del giorno' costs 26 euros, and
a half bottle of wine about 8 euros, all major credit cards
accepted, see the sample menus on the
Artesia
website. Or feel free to bring your own picnic and wine
on board to enjoy in
your compartment. The scenery is excellent south of
Paris as the train speeds towards Italy, with leafy
valleys, small French villages and picturesque churches.
All necessary bedding is provided, and all passengers get
complimentary mineral water. Sleeper passengers also
get tea/coffee, fruit juice
and croissant in the morning, and access to the
first
class
lounges in Paris and Rome.
See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page for
pictures of each type of couchette and sleeper and more
information about this train. During the night, the
Palatino passes through Switzerland and the Simplon Tunnel
under the Alps, a total distance of about 1,442 km (896
miles) from Paris to Rome, running in places at up to 100
mph. It is run by Artesia (www.artesia.eu),
a consortium of the French and Italian national
railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains.
Fares:
London to Paris
by
Eurostar:
Return fares
start at £59 2nd class, £149 1st class.
Special fare = 'Prems' or 'Depart' fares = Book at
least 14 days in advance for couchettes, 30 days for sleepers.
Limited places available at these prices, no refunds, no changes.
Normal fare = Refundable and flexible.
There are no senior or youth reductions.
Child fare = Child 4-11 years with own berth.
Return fare twice the one-way fare. Children under 4 free, if
they share a bed with an adult.
Railpass fare: This is what you pay if you have
railpasses (Eurail, InterRail, etc) covering both
Italy & France. If your pass only covers one country,
there's a higher fare.
All fares are per person.
You can save about 6% on these Paris-Italy fares by
paying in euros at voyages-sncf.com, instead of paying
in pounds with UK agencies or websites. Bookings
open 90 days before departure. On peak dates,
10-20% higher fares may be charged.
The best way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Rome sleeper train is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk.
But first,
please read the booking tips below.
If you live in another European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Top tip:
Change 'London St Pancras' to 'Paris' and first book
the sleeper from Paris to Rome & back. Then
click 'continue shopping' and buy a connecting ticket
from London to Paris & back.
21 April 2008:
New online
booking system...
The team at www.raileurope.co.uk
have been quietly working away to create an all-new internet
booking system that will be much easier to use, far more
reliable, and more capable than the old quirky French
Railways (SNCF) system previously imposed on them by
their SNCF parent company. Their new system will
book more trains on more routes in more countries than
before. The new system went 'live' on Monday 21
April 2008, so there may be a few initial teething problems
to sort out. Please bear with them!
There's no booking fee, and tickets can be sent to any UK
address.
Reservations for the Paris-Italy trains open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you make a journey enquiry at
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date outside this period, it will offer to send you a
reminder email on the day when reservations open. A
useful facility!
It's best to treat London to Rome as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Rome. This gives you more control, and allows
you to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar with
2-berth sleeper or 4 berth couchette (which are both
technically 1st class).
First, book the train from Paris to Rome and back.
Enter your dates of travel and select 'evening', then click
'search for fares'.
When the results appear, click on 'more details' and it will
show the available prices for each type of couchette and
sleeper.
Select the cheapest fare for the type of couchette or
sleeper you want, enter your gender & name when prompted,
and add this ticket to your basket. On the
confirmation page, if you click 'show itinerary details' it
will show the exact coach number and berth or seat number
that you've been given.
You might find these sleeper & couchette numbering plans
useful. Always double-check the departure &
arrival times before booking the Eurostar connection.
When you've booked the train from Paris to Rome and back,
stay with
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris and back as a second separate journey. Use
the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
choose an earlier Eurostar from London, or a later Eurostar
returning from Paris, if these have cheaper seats available
or if you'd like to stop off in Paris. Don't forget
that on your return journey, your departure date from Paris
to London will be the day after your departure date from
Italy to Paris!
For a one-way
journey on Eurostar, see this advice.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
Buy connecting train tickets within Italy using Rail
Europe: You can book most (but not all)
connecting trains within Italy fairly painlessly online at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
in one transaction along with your other tickets.
After booking your London-Paris-Rome tickets, click
'continue shopping' and book your Italian domestic trains,
for example Rome-Naples. Just be aware that the prices
charged may be a pound or two more than buying direct from
Trenitalia.
Buy connecting train tickets within Italy using
Trenitalia: You can buy tickets for any train
within Italy online at the Italian Railways
website,
www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html, see the
advice on using the
Trenitalia website. Trenitalia.com
can
struggle with some UK credit cards, if you get stuck you can
also
buy Italian train tickets online in the UK.
Prices are slightly higher than those charged by Trenitalia
but are shown in pounds and can be posted to any UK address.
On board the Palatino...
Enjoy
dinner with wine in the restaurant, then settle down for
the night in your sleeping-berth... Or bring your
own food and wine and picnic in your compartment. Just 35 euros (£25)
in 6-berth or 60 euros (£44) in 4-berth buys you 850
miles of travel and a bed for the night, city centre to
city centre.
Far more
fun and much more environmentally-friendly than
flying..!
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
08:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays &10:00-17:00 Sundays, £6 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee applies). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the How to buy European train
tickets page.
Residents of any country may use the French Railways
website, voyages-sncf.com, to book both Eurostar and the
Paris-Italy trains.
Tickets can be sent to any address in Europe, including the
UK, or (for journeys starting in France) collected from any main French station. The French Railways website has exactly the same fares and
availability as
www.raileurope.co.uk,
though fares are in
euros rather than pounds. Buying in euros at voyages-sncf.com
is slightly cheaper,
but if you live in the UK you may prefer dealing with
www.raileurope.co.uk
which is much easier to use and backed by a UK call centre.
Remember that bookings for the Paris-Italy night trains open 90 days
before departure, you cannot book before bookings
open! To buy tickets using www.voyages-sncf.com,
read these step-by-step instructions
first. When booking, treat London to Rome as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Rome.
How to buy tickets if you live
in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc...
If you live outside Europe, you can buy tickets online at
www.raileurope.com
(USA),
www.raileurope.ca (Canada), or
www.raileurope.com.au
(Australia & NZ). Rail Europe is North
America's biggest European rail agency, and it's a
subsidiary of French Railways. Tickets can be sent to
any address in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or worldwide.
Find agencies in other countries.
However, the cheapest way to buy Paris-Italy tickets is direct
with French Railways using
www.voyages-sncf.com, following this
step-by-step advice. If you follow that advice,
you can pay the cheap European prices shown on this page and
collect tickets at the station in Paris or any main station
in France (or have them sent to any European address, for
example a hotel in Italy).
For trips
starting in Italy, you can also book Italy-Paris trains at
www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html (look for 'smart price' when the fares
appear,
here's more advice on using
the Trenitalia website). Tickets bought through
www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html can be picked up from the ticket
counter at any main station in Italy simply by quoting your booking
reference. London-Paris Eurostar tickets can of course
be bought direct from Eurostar at
www.eurostar.com and picked up at the station in either
London or Paris depending where you're starting.
Remember that you will enter and
then leave Switzerland on this train, even though you'll be
asleep, if that makes any difference to you visa-wise.
Above: The best view of Florence is from the top of
the dome of the famous Duomo. 6 euros, 463 steps, no
lift. This photo was taken on a short break in
Tuscany, travelling from the UK by train...
It
couldn't be easier. Just take an afternoon
Eurostar from London to Paris in 2 hours 25 minutes,
down a drink or two in a Parisian café, then take the overnight sleeper from Paris to Florence. Enjoy a meal in the restaurant
car as the sun sets over the rolling green hills and picturesque
villages of the French countryside, then wake up in your
sleeper or couchette to coffee and croissant and a classic
Italian landscape with red-roofed houses and poplar trees. Fares start at just £59
return for the Eurostar plus £52 return from Paris to Florence in a
basic 6-bunk couchette or £89 return in a more spacious
4-bunk couchette. More comfortable 1, 2 &
3-bed sleeping-cars are also available, with breakfast
included in the fare,
see the
guide to
onboard accommodation.
Click here
to see the options for daytime travel to Florence.
Train times London ► Bologna,
Florence
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 12:30 and arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 15:56. On Sundays there's also a 13:00 Eurostar arriving Paris
at 16:17. On Mondays-Saturdays from 6 July to 6
September, there's also a 13:32 Eurostar arriving Paris
at 16:47. Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
If you're
going to Florence city centre, frequent local trains link Campo Marte
station with the main Florence station (called Santa
Maria Novella or usually just 'SMN') in the heart of the city, every 15 minutes
or so, journey time 5 minutes.
This local journey is covered by your Paris-Florence ticket, so
just hop on the next train to SMN. From Florence's
SMN station it's just 10 minutes' walk to the Duomo, a
few more minutes to the Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte
Vecchio. Alternatively,
take a bus (routes 12 or 33) or a
taxi. Top tip: As
there's only a small taxi rank at Campo Marte station, have a
coffee in the bar across the road and ask the manager to
call a taxi for you.
Train times Florence,
Bologna ► London
From Florence city centre,
frequent local trains link Florence's main Santa Maria
Novella (SMN) station with Florence Campo Marte station,
about every 15 minutes, journey time 5 minutes. This
is covered by your Florence-Paris ticket, so just hop on. Alternatively, take a taxi
or bus (bus routes 12 or 33) to Campo Marte station.
Facilities at Campo Marte are very limited, so buy any
provisions before you get there. There is no first
class lounge at Campo Marte, but sleeper passengers may
be able to use the Club Eurostar first class lounge at
Florence SMN station before heading off to Campo Marte.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 12:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
13:28. On Saturdays & Sundays (daily 6 July to
6 September) there's also an
11:13 Eurostar arriving London St Pancras at 12:28.
What is the Paris-Florence
Palatino like..?
The Palatino has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes
and a restaurant car serving
drinks, snacks, and affordable full meals (The Excelsior
sleepers with private toilet and shower were discontinued
in Dec 2005). In the restaurant car, the 3-course 'menu del giorno' costs 26 euros, and
a half bottle of wine 8 euros, all major credit cards
accepted, there are sample menus on the
Artesia
website. Or feel free to bring your own picnic
and wine on board to enjoy in your compartment. The
scenery is excellent south of Paris as the train speeds
towards Italy, with leafy valleys, small French villages
and picturesque churches. All necessary bedding is
provided, and all passengers get complimentary mineral
water. Sleeper passengers also get tea/coffee, fruit
juice
and croissant in the morning, and access to the
first
class lounge in Paris.
See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page for
pictures of each type of couchette and sleeper and more
information about this train. During the night, the
Palatino passes through Switzerland and the Simplon Tunnel
under the Alps, a total distance of about 1,126 km (699
miles) from Paris to Florence, running at up to 100 mph.
It is run by Artesia (www.artesia.eu),
a consortium of the French and Italian national
railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains.
Special fare = 'Prems' or 'Depart' fares = Book at
least 14 days in advance for couchettes, 30 days for sleepers.
Limited places available at these prices, no refunds, no changes.
Normal fare = Refundable and flexible.
There are no senior or youth reductions.
Child fare = Child 4-11 years with own berth.
Return fare twice the one-way fare. Children under 4 free, if
they share a bed with an adult.
Railpass fare: This is what you pay if you have
railpasses (Eurail, Interrail, etc) covering both
Italy & France. If your pass only covers one country,
there's a higher railpass fare.
You can save about 6% on these Paris-Italy fares by
paying in euros at voyages-sncf.com, instead of paying
in pounds with UK agencies or websites. Bookings
open 90 days before departure. On some peak dates,
10-20% higher fares may be charged.
Probably the best and cheapest way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Florence sleeper train is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk.
But first,
please read the booking tips below.
If you live in any other European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Top tip:
Change 'London St Pancras' to 'Paris' and first book
the sleeper from Paris to Florence & back. Then
click 'continue shopping' and buy a connecting ticket
from London to Paris & back.
21 April 2008:
New online
booking system...
The team at www.raileurope.co.uk
have been quietly working away to create an all-new internet
booking system that will be much easier to use, far more
reliable, and more capable than the old quirky French
Railways (SNCF) system previously imposed on them by
their SNCF parent company. Their new system will
book more trains on more routes in more countries than
before. The new system went 'live' on Monday 21
April 2008, so there may be a few initial teething problems
to sort out. Please bear with them!
There's no booking fee, and tickets can be sent to any UK
address.
Reservations for the Paris-Italy trains open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you make a journey enquiry at
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date outside this period, it will offer to send you a
reminder email on the day when reservations open. A
useful facility!
It's best to treat London to Florence as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Florence. This gives you more control, and
allows you to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar
with 2-berth sleeper or 4 berth couchette (which are both
technically 1st class).
First, book the train from Paris to Florence and back.
Enter your dates of travel and select 'evening', then click
'search for fares'.
When the results appear, click on 'more details' and it will
show the available prices for each type of couchette and
sleeper.
Select the cheapest fare for the type of couchette or
sleeper you want, enter your gender & name when prompted,
and add this ticket to your basket. On the
confirmation page, if you click 'show itinerary details' it
will show the exact coach number and berth or seat number
that you've been given.
You might find these sleeper & couchette numbering plans
useful. Always double-check the departure &
arrival times before booking the Eurostar connection.
When you've booked the train from Paris to Florence and back,
stay with
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris and back as a second separate journey. Use
the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel free to
choose an earlier Eurostar from London, or a later Eur
Buy tickets online at
How
to buy tickets online at
How to buy tickets if you live
in the 