9 February 2010. Train times valid from 13 December 2009
to 12 June 2010.
Taking the train to Italy ...
London to Italy by Eurostar
& TGV from £62 one way, £115 return*
London to Italy by train?
Of course! It's remarkably easy, comfortable,
environmentally-friendly and
affordable, in fact, it's amazing that some people still
think you need to fly. Take a mid-morning Eurostar from
London to Paris in just 2 hours 25 minutes from £39 one-way
or £69 return,
then travel by direct
Artesia TGV from Paris to Turin or Milan
arriving late evening, from £23 each way. Next
morning, Italian high-speed trains take just 2 hours from
Milan to Florence,
2½ hours to Venice or
3½ hours to Rome. Better still
for amazing Alpine scenery, take an afternoon Eurostar to
Paris and an evening 200 mph Lyria TGV to Zurich. Next morning, take an air-conditioned EuroCity train
through the Alps along the fabulous Gotthard Pass route to
Milan, with connections for Florence, Venice, Rome and
Naples arriving in the afternoon. There are also direct
Artesia sleeper
trains from Paris to
Florence, Rome & Venice. This page explains all
you need to know to plan, book and make a flight-free trip
to Italy, by train. * London to Milan, no baggage
fees, no airport taxes, no extra costs to reach remote
airports, no 2-hour check-ins, and children under 4 go free.
Above: The famous Trevi fountain, just 20 minutes walk
from Rome's Stazioni Termini, where you arrive by train from
Paris & London...
Above: Rome's amazing Colosseum. These
photos was taken on a short break to Italy, without
flying...
By daytime trains with overnight stop in Paris, Milan or
Switzerland: It couldn't be easier. Hop on a
mid-morning Eurostar to Paris and the afternoon high-speed
Artesia TGV to Milan, stay overnight and continue to Rome next
morning on board an Italian high-speed train. Or
better still (and my own top choice), take an afternoon
Eurostar to Paris and an evening Lyria TGV to Zurich, stay
overnight, and continue next morning through the fabulous
Gotthard Pass route to Milan then on by high-speed train to
Rome. It's fast, civilised, scenic, low-stress,
low-carbon and affordable. You leave London on day 1,
arrive Rome day 2. All of these options are explained
in the London
to Italy by daytime trains section.
By direct sleeper train from Paris:
Alternatively, you can take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris
and the overnight
Artesia sleeper train
'Palatino' to Rome.
This is the most time-effective option, and I've always
enjoyed dinner in the restaurant car as the sun sets over the rolling
green hills and picturesque villages of the French
countryside, then waking up in my sleeper or couchette to
coffee and croissant and a classic Italian landscape of
red-roofed houses and poplar trees. I have to say that in the last
couple of years poor Trenitalia management has let
timekeeping, cleanliness, onboard service and the food
service on its Artesia sleeper trains slip somewhat, so by all
means travel this way, but bear in
mind that the
daytime option is now the higher-quality
choice.
London ► Rome by sleeper
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras daily at 14:04 and arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 17:26. By all
means choose an earlier Eurostar if if you'd like to stop
off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets available.
Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:29.
By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to
stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
What is the Paris-Rome Palatino
like?
See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page
for an illustrated description of each type of couchette
and sleeper accommodation, and for more information about
this train, including the restaurant service.
It's always been a great trip - the scenery is excellent south of
Paris as the train speeds towards Italy, with leafy
valleys, small French villages and picturesque churches. 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. The Palatino usually arrives late, so allow for at
least a 60 minute delay in your schedule and stay relaxed. It is run by Artesia (www.artesia.eu),
a Trenitalia-led consortium of the French and Italian
national railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains.
£10 each way. You must occupy whole compartment.
Guide dogs free
Special fares = 'Prems' or 'Depart' fares.
The price varies depending on availability, no refunds, no changes. Book at
least 30 days in advance for cheapest couchette fares,
45 days for sleepers.
Normal fares = Refundable & flexible.
There are no senior or youth reductions.
Child fare = Child 4-11 years with own berth.
A return is twice the one-way fare. Use an adult
special fare if cheaper! Children under 4 go free if
they share a bed with an adult.
Railpass fare: What you pay with a railpass (Eurail, InterRail, etc) covering Italy & France.
Passholder places limited by quota. If your pass only covers one country,
there's a higher supplement.
How to buy tickets online...
The easiest way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Rome sleeper train is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
but
please read the booking tips first! To book by
phone or in person, click
here.
If you live in another European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £1.95 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
Reservations for the Paris-Italy trains open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days is often
squeezed to less than 90 in the few weeks
immediately after the European timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Ask for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of price. Eurostar
reservations in fact open 120 days ahead, but I strongly
recommend waiting till 90 days so you can book both trains
together.
Top tip:
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).
Step 1, change 'London St Pancras' to 'Paris' and book from Paris to Rome & back,
looking for the direct Artesia train with no changes. On the
confirmation page, if you click 'show itinerary details' it
will show the exact coach number & berth or seat number
that you've been given.
You might find these sleeper & couchette numbering plans
useful. Double-check the departure &
arrival times before booking the Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Rome & back,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back as a 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
back 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.
Buying connecting tickets
within Italy...
...using Rail Europe: You can book most connecting
trains within Italy fairly painlessly 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 or Rome-Sicily.
...using
Trenitalia: The cheapest way to buy tickets for any train
within Italy is online at the Italian Railways website,
www.trenitalia.com. This often has discounted
prices available, and a hassle-free 'ticketless' option
where you print out your own ticket. But first see my
advice
on using the Trenitalia website. The key issue
is that Trenitalia.com struggles with many UK-issued credit cards, although many UK cards do work. If
it really won't accept any of your credit cards, try using
www.raileurope.co.uk instead, although this site can't book all
Italian trains only the main routes and it can only sell full
price tickets, not the discounted fares often available at
Trenitalia.com.
On board the Palatino...
Enjoy
dinner with wine in the restaurant (pictured right),
then settle down for the night in your sleeping-berth...
Or bring your own food and wine and picnic in your
compartment. 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 by phone from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee for phone bookings) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee). 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.
The disadvantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
is that it isn't nearly as easy to use and if anything goes wrong
you'll be dealing with a French call centre in France, not a
UK company. If you live in the UK you may prefer
dealing with
www.raileurope.co.uk
which is backed by a UK call centre. If you want to
use
www.voyages-sncf.com, please read
these step-by-step instructions.
The advantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
for UK residents is that
www.voyages-sncf.com sells fares in euros so is a bit
cheaper because you'll get a better exchange rate from your
own bank. And unlike
www.raileurope.co.uk
there's no credit card fee or postage fee - so ironically
SNCF will send tickets from France to the UK for free,
whilst it's own UK subsidiary now charges £1.95 to send them
from an office in Kent! For non-UK residents, a key
advantage is that It accepts all credit cards, so residents
of any country may use it.
Tickets can be sent to any address in Europe including the
UK, or (for journeys starting in France) collected from any main French station.
Remember that bookings open 90 days before departure, you
cannot book before bookings open!
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, if you can persuade it to accept
your credit card (look for 'smart price' when the fares
appear,
here's more advice on using
the Trenitalia website). Tickets bought through
www.trenitalia.com 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, from the dome of the famous Duomo. 6
euros,
463 steps, no lift.
Above: Florence's equally famous Ponte Vecchio.
These photos were taken on a short break in Tuscany,
travelling from the UK by train...
By daytime trains with overnight stop in Paris, Milan or
Switzerland: It couldn't be easier. Hop on a
mid-morning Eurostar to Paris and the afternoon high-speed
Artesia TGV to Milan, stay overnight and continue to Florence next
morning on board an Italian high-speed train. Or
better still (and my own top choice), take an afternoon
Eurostar to Paris and an evening Lyria TGV to Zurich, stay
overnight, and continue next morning through the fabulous
Gotthard Pass route to Milan then on by high-speed train to
Florence. It's fast, civilised, scenic, low-stress,
low-carbon and affordable. You leave London on day 1,
arrive Florence on day 2. All of these options are
explained in the
London to Italy
by daytime trains section.
By direct sleeper train from Paris:
Alternatively, you can take a lunchtime Eurostar to Paris
and the
Artesia sleeper train 'Palatino' to Florence.
This is the most time-effective option, and I've always
enjoyed dinner in the restaurant car as the sun sets over
the rolling green hills and picturesque villages of the
French countryside, then waking up in my sleeper or
couchette to coffee and croissant and a classic Italian
landscape of red-roofed houses and poplar trees.
I have to say that in the last couple of years poor Trenitalia
management has let timekeeping, cleanliness, onboard service
and the food service on its Artesia sleeper trains slip
somwhat, so by all means travel this way, but bear in
mind that the
daytime option is now the higher-quality
choice.
Train times London ► Bologna,
Florence
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 14:04 and arriving in Paris Gare du Nord at
17:26. By all means choose an earlier Eurostar
if if you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this has
cheaper tickets available. Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
Travel from
Paris to Florence overnight on the Artesia sleeper train 'Palatino', leaving
Paris Gare
de Bercy at 18:52 and arriving at Piacenza at 04:44, Parma at 05:12, Bologna at 05:58 and
Florence ('Firenze' in Italian) at 07:13 next morning.
The train arrives at Florence's main SMN (Santa
Maria Novella) station right in the city centre.
The train has 1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes & restaurant car.
In Paris, sleeper passengers may use the
Artesia first class
lounge.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:29.
By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to
stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
What is the Paris-Florence
Palatino like?
See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page
for an illustrated description of each type of couchette
and sleeper accommodation, and for more information about
this train, including the restaurant service. The
scenery is excellent south of Paris as the train speeds
towards Italy, with leafy valleys, small French villages
and picturesque churches. 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.
The Palatino usually arrives late, so allow for at least a
60 minute delay in your schedule and stay relaxed.
It is run by Artesia (www.artesia.eu),
a Trenitalia-led consortium of the French and Italian
national railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains.
Special fares = 'Prems' or 'Depart' fares.
The price varies depending on availability, no
refunds, no changes. Book at least 30 days in advance for
cheapest couchette fares, 45 days for sleepers.
Normal fares = Refundable & flexible.
There are no senior or youth reductions.
Child fare = Child 4-11 years with own berth.
A return is twice the one-way fare. Use an adult
special fare if cheaper! Children under 4 go free if
they share a bed with an adult.
Railpass fare: What you pay with a railpass (Eurail, Interrail, etc) covering Italy & France.
Passholder places limited by quota. If your pass only covers one country,
there's a higher supplement.
How to buy tickets online...
The easiest way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Florence sleeper train is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
but
please read these booking tips first! To book by
phone or in person, click here.
If you live in another European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £1.95 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
Reservations for the Paris-Italy trains open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days is often
squeezed to less than 90 in the few weeks
immediately after the European timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Ask for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of price. Eurostar
reservations in fact open 120 days ahead, but I strongly
recommend waiting till 90 days so you can book both trains
together.
Top tip:
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).
Step 1, change 'London St Pancras' to 'Paris' and book from Paris to Florence & back,
looking for the direct Artesia train with no changes. On the
confirmation page, if you click 'show itinerary details' it
will show the exact coach number & berth or seat number
that you've been given.
You might find these sleeper & couchette numbering plans
useful. Double-check the departure &
arrival times before booking the Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Florence & back,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back as a 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
back 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.
Buying connecting 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-Florence tickets, click
'continue shopping' and book your Italian domestic trains,
for example Bologna to Ancona or Bari. Don't bother
trying to pre-book local tickets from Florence to Pisa,
Siena or Lucca, as reservation isn't necessary or even
possible, just buy these from the
self service machines
at Florence station when you get there, the machines have a
touch-screen with an English-language facility.
...using
Trenitalia: The cheapest way to buy tickets for any train
within Italy is online at the Italian Railways website,
www.trenitalia.com. This often has discounted
prices available, and a hassle-free 'ticketless' option for
many trains where you print out your own ticket. But first see my
advice
on using the Trenitalia website. The key issue
is that Trenitalia.com struggles with many UK-issued credit cards, although many UK cards do work. If
it really won't accept any of your credit cards, try using
www.raileurope.co.uk instead, although this site can't book all
Italian trains only the main routes and it can only sell full
price tickets, not the discounted fares often available at
Trenitalia.com.
You
can buy tickets by phone from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, there's an £8 booking fee for
phone bookings) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee). 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.
The disadvantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
is that it isn't nearly as easy to use, won't book as wide a
variety of routes within Italy, and if anything goes wrong
you'll be dealing with a French call centre in France, not a
UK company. If you live in the UK you may prefer
using
www.raileurope.co.uk
which is backed by a UK call centre. If you want to
use
www.voyages-sncf.com, please read
these step-by-step instructions first.
The advantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
for UK residents is that
www.voyages-sncf.com sells fares in euros so is a bit
cheaper because you'll get a better exchange rate from your
own bank. And unlike
www.raileurope.co.uk
there's no credit card fee or postage fee (so ironically
SNCF will send tickets from France to the UK for free,
whilst it's own UK subsidiary now charges £1.95 to send them
from an office in Kent!). For non-UK residents, a key
advantage is that It accepts all credit cards, so residents
of any country may use it.
Tickets can be sent to any address in Europe including the
UK, or (for journeys starting in France) collected from any main French station.
Remember that bookings open 90 days before departure, you
cannot book before bookings open!
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 (look for 'smart price' when the fares
appear,
here's more advice on using
the Trenitalia website). Tickets bought through
www.trenitalia.com 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 Rialto Bridge in Venice, 15 minutes walk
from the station where your train arrives...
This photo was taken on a week's holiday to Malta -
train and ferry travel allowed a day in Venice on the
way!
By daytime trains with overnight stop in Paris, Milan or
Switzerland: It couldn't be easier. Hop on a
mid-morning Eurostar to Paris and the afternoon high-speed
Artesia TGV to Milan, stay overnight and continue to Venice next
morning on board an Italian high-speed train. Or
better still (and my own top choice), take an afternoon
Eurostar to Paris and an evening Lyria TGV to Zurich, stay
overnight, and continue next morning through the fabulous
Gotthard Pass route to Milan then on by high-speed train to
Verona and Venice. It's fast, civilised, scenic,
low-stress, low-carbon and affordable. You leave
London on day 1, arrive Venice day 2. All of these
options are explained in the
London to Italy
by daytime trains section.
By direct sleeper train from Paris:
Alternatively, you can take a lunchtime Eurostar to Paris
and the overnight
Artesia sleeper train
'Stendhal' to Verona or
Venice. This is the most time-effective option, and
I've always enjoyed dinner in the restaurant car as the sun
sets over the rolling green hills and picturesque villages
of the French countryside, then waking up in my sleeper or
couchette to coffee and croissant and a classic Italian
landscape of red-roofed houses and poplar trees.
I have to say that in the last couple of years poor Trenitalia
management has let timekeeping, cleanliness, onboard service
and the food service on its Artesia sleeper trains slip
somewhat, so by all means travel this way, but bear in
mind that the
daytime option is now the higher-quality
choice.
London ► Venice by sleeper
train
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar,
leaving London
St Pancras at 15:02 (15:32 at weekends) and arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:17
(18:47 at weekends).
By all means choose an earlier Eurostar if if you'd like
to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:29. By all means choose a later Eurostar if if
you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper
tickets available.
What is the Paris-Venice Stendhal
like?
See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page
for an illustrated description of each type of couchette
and sleeper accommodation, and for more information about
this train, including the restaurant service. The
scenery is excellent south of Paris as the train speeds
towards Italy, with leafy valleys, small French villages
and picturesque churches. During the night, the
Stendhal passes through Switzerland and the Simplon Tunnel
under the Alps, a total distance of about 1,077 km (669
miles) from Paris to Venice, running at up to 100 mph
within France and Italy. The Stendhal usually
arrives late, so allow for at least a 60 minute delay in
your schedule and stay relaxed. It is run by Artesia
(www.artesia.eu),
a Trenitalia-led consortium of the French and Italian
national railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains.
Special fares = 'Prems' or 'Depart' fares.
The price varies depending on availability, no refunds, no changes.
Book at least 30 days in advance for cheapest
couchette fares, 45 days for sleepers.
Normal fares = Refundable & flexible.
There are no senior or youth reductions.
Child fare = Child 4-11 years with own berth.
A return is twice the one-way fare. Use an adult
special fare if cheaper! Children under 4 go free if
they share a bed with an adult.
Railpass fare: What you pay with a railpass (Eurail, Interrail, etc) covering Italy & France.
Passholder places limited by quota. If your pass only covers one country,
there's a higher supplement.
How to buy tickets online...
The easiest way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Venice sleeper train is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
but
please read these booking tips first! To book by
phone or in person, click here.
If you live in another European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £1.95 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
Reservations for the Paris-Italy trains open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days is often
squeezed to less than 90 in the few weeks
immediately after the European timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Ask for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of price. Eurostar
reservations in fact open 120 days ahead, but I strongly
recommend waiting till 90 days so you can book both trains
together.
Top tip:
It's best to treat London to Venice as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Venice. 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).
Step 1, change 'London St Pancras' to 'Paris' and book from Paris to Venice & back,
looking for the direct Artesia train with no changes. On the
confirmation page, if you click 'show itinerary details' it
will show the exact coach number & berth or seat number
that you've been given.
You might find these sleeper & couchette numbering plans
useful. Double-check the departure &
arrival times before booking the Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Venice & back,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back as a 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
back 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.
Buying connecting 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-Florence tickets, click
'continue shopping' and book your Italian domestic trains,
for example Venice-Trieste.
...using
Trenitalia: The cheapest way to buy tickets for any train
within Italy is online at the Italian Railways website,
www.trenitalia.com. This often has discounted
prices available. But first see my
advice
on using the Trenitalia website. The key issue
is that Trenitalia.com struggles with many UK-issued credit cards, although many UK cards do work. If
it really won't accept any of your credit cards, go back to
using
www.raileurope.co.uk, though this can't book all
Italian trains just the main routes and it can only sell full
price tickets, not the discounted fares often available at
Trenitalia.com.
You
can buy tickets by phone from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, there's an £8 fee for phone
bookings) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee). 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.
The disadvantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
is that it isn't as easy to use, can't book as wide a range
of trains within Italy, and if anything goes wrong
you'll be dealing with a French call centre in France, not a
UK company. If you live in the UK you may prefer
dealing with
www.raileurope.co.uk
which is backed by a UK call centre. If you want to
use
www.voyages-sncf.com, please read
these step-by-step instructions.
The advantage over
www.raileurope.co.uk
for UK residents is that
www.voyages-sncf.com sells fares in euros so is a bit
cheaper because you'll get a better exchange rate from your
own bank. And unlike
www.raileurope.co.uk
there's no credit card fee or postage fee - so ironically
SNCF will send tickets from France to the UK for free,
whilst it's own UK subsidiary now charges £1.95 to send them
from an office in Kent! For non-UK residents, a key
advantage is that It accepts all credit cards, so residents
of any country may use it.
Tickets can be sent to any address in Europe including the
UK, or (for journeys starting in France) collected from any main French station.
Remember that bookings open 90 days before departure, you
cannot book before bookings open!
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 (look for 'smart price' when the fares
appear,
here's more advice on using
the Trenitalia website). Tickets bought through
www.trenitalia.com 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.
Book online direct with Venice Simplon Orient Express,
with no travel agency commission & no booking fees.
London
to Venice in luxury by "Venice Simplon Orient Express"...
The luxury way from London to Verona or
Venice is aboard the fabulous 'Venice Simplon Orient Express'.
It's not cheap, but yes, it's definitely worth it if you
have the money - London to Venice costs around £1,500 per person one way
or £2,300 return including sleeper and excellent meals, wine
extra. The VSOE usually runs once weekly from
March until October leaving London on Thursday mornings. Passengers travel in restored
1920s or 1930s British Pullman cars from London
to Folkestone with lunch, wine and champagne included in the
fare. At Folkestone, passengers are taken by
coach to Calais via the Channel Tunnel.
Beautifully restored 1920s sleeping-cars then take
passengers from Calais to Venice via Paris, the scenic Arlberg Pass, Innsbruck, the
equally scenic
Brenner Pass & Verona, arriving in Venice in the evening
the day after leaving London. For more details of the
journey including photos,
see the Venice Simplon Orient
Express page. For departure dates, timetables, fares
& to book tickets online, see
www.orient-expresstrains.com.
Is it the real reincarnation of the Orient Express?
Not really, see the Orient
Express page to find out about the real Orient
Express. But is the VSOE really worth
over £1,500 per person? Definitely yes, this train
meets and even exceeds expectations. Food, accommodation and
service are absolutely fantastic, and you will not be
disappointed. Though personally, I have no
hesitation in saying 'yes' for other reasons - Nicolette and I
boarded the train with nothing planned or premeditated, but the train
weaved its very special magic and before the
wagons-lits squealed to a halt in Verona we were engaged...
It's easy... Hop on a Eurostar to Paris then take a
high-speed TGV from Paris to Turin or Milan. Or take a
Lyria TGV to Switzerland, stay overnight, then take a
EuroCity through the Alps to Milan. This is an
Artesia TGV
to Paris boarding at Milan Centrale...
This is perhaps
now the best way to reach Italy, leaving London by Eurostar
on day 1, staying overnight in either Paris, Turin or
Switzerland, and arriving in Florence, Venice, Rome or
Naples on day 2 by Italian high-speed train. The journey via
Turin or Paris is
the quickest &
cheapest option, but I recommend going via Switzerland as
it's more scenic and takes
only a few hours longer. The Gotthard Pass route via
Zurich is the most scenic of all, and is my own top
choice for a UK-Italy trip. You can enjoy the great Alpine scenery as you relax with a good book and a glass of
red, in compete contrast to the stress and hassle of flying...
It takes an hour
or two longer and costs a pound or two more than using the
direct Paris-Italy TGVs, but the daytime journey to
Switzerland and then through the Alps to Italy is a
wonderful experience and a much more scenic option.
Take a lunchtime Eurostar to Paris, an evening Lyria TGV to
either Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel or Zurich, stay
overnight, then take a tilting EuroCity train
next morning, twisting and turning through the Alpine scenery to Milan,
with onward connections for almost anywhere in Italy.
'Lyria' is the consortium of French and Swiss national
railways formed to operate the high-speed trains from Paris
to Switzerland. The most scenic route of all is via Zurich &
the Gotthard Pass, so that route is recommended here...
London ► Italy by daytime trains
(with overnight stop in Zurich)
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London at 14:04 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
17:26. It's a
10 minute walk
to the Gare de l'Est.
Travel from
Paris to Zurich by 200mph TGV, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est
daily at 18:24 and arriving in Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 23:00.
It's a relaxing journey through the Champagne region, past
pretty French villages in undulating open countryside.
By all means catch an earlier service from London to Zurich
if you like, see the
Switzerland page.
Travel from
Zurich to Milan by air-conditioned tilting EuroCity train,
leaving Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 07:01 and arriving Milan
Centrale at 10:50, or (allowing time for breakfast at your
hotel) leaving Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 09:01 arriving Milan
Centrale at 12:50. This train takes you through the
amazingly scenic Gotthard route, via Lugano, with glimpses
of Lake Lugano. If you haven't already eaten at your
hotel, you can take breakfast in the elegant dining car.
Travel from Milan
to your Italian destination by train. You can check train times from Milan to
any
destination in Italy at
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least an hour to
connect in Milan to allow for any delay.
For Bologna, Florence, Rome &
Naples: If you leave Zurich on the 07:01 you can
connect with the 12:15
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train from Milan arriving Bologna
13:20, Florence SMN 14:00, Rome Stazione Termini at 15:45,
Naples Centrale 17:10. If you leave Zurich on the
09:01 you can connect with the 14:00
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train from Milan arriving Rome Stazione
Termini at 16:59, or the 14:15
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train from Milan arriving Bologna
15:20, Florence SMN 16:00, Rome Stazione Termini at 17:45,
Naples Centrale 19:10.
For Verona & Venice:
If you leave Zurich on the 07:01 you can connect with the
11:35 Eurostar
City train from Milan arriving Verona 12:57 and Venice
Santa Lucia at 14:10. If you leave Zurich on the
09:01 you can connect with the 13:35
Eurostar City
train from Milan arriving Verona at 14:57 and Venice
Santa Lucia at 16:10.
Italy ►
London by daytime trains (with overnight stop in
Zurich)
Travel from
anywhere in Italy to Milan by train. You can check
train times to Milan from anywhere in Italy at
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least an hour to
connect in Milan to allow for any delay.
From Naples,
Rome, Florence & Bologna, leave Naples at 12:50, Rome
Termini at 14:15, Florence SMN at 16:00 or Bologna at 16:40
by
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train arriving Milan at 17:45.
From Venice &
Verona, leave Venice Santa Lucia at 15:20 or Verona at
16:32 by
Eurostar City train, arriving Milan at 17:55.
Travel from
Milan to Zurich by air-conditioned
tilting EuroCity train, leaving Milan Centrale at 19:10 and arriving Zurich at
22:51. By all means take an earlier train from Milan
to Zurich, the previous direct one leaves Milan at 17:10
arriving Zurich at 20:51.
Travel from
Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at
13:04 arriving London St Pancras at 14:31.
Alternatively,
stop overnight in
Geneva, Lausanne, Bern or Basel...
You can also
travel from London to Italy with an overnight stop in
Geneva, Lausanne, Bern or Basel instead of Zurich. In
fact this will save a pound or two and maybe an hour or two.
If you go via Lausanne you'll be on the famous Simplon route
to Milan via Brig, which is the most direct & traditional
mainline route between Paris & Milan with the shortest
travelling time. It takes you through the Simplon
Tunnel, opened in 1906, and past many Swiss vineyards. Going via Geneva is a slightly
longer variation on the Simplon route, but the TGV ride from
Paris to Geneva is very scenic, more so than the
Paris-Lausanne TGV route and so worth the detour. If
you go via Bern you'll end up on the Lötschberg route, also
scenic, although a new base tunnel has by-passed some of the
best scenery. But for my money, the most scenic of all
the main lines through the Swiss Alps to Italy is the
Gotthard route from Zurich via Lugano to Milan, hence the
recommendation above. To find journey options via any
of these cities, first see the
London to Switzerland page for train service between the
UK and that Swiss city. Then use
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents) or
www.sbb.ch
(residents of any country) to find trains between that city
and Milan next morning. Easy!
On board the Lyria TGV from Paris to Zurich...
Designer interiors...
The TGV
trains from Paris to Basel & Zurich feature chic new
interiors by designer Christian Lacroix. On the
left, first class, on the right, second class.
There's also a cafe-bar...
On board the
EuroCity 'pendolino' from Zurich to Milan...
Table
for two... The restaurant car of a
Switzerland-Milan 'pendolino' EuroCity train.
Just
arrived in Milan... A tilting 'pendolino'
EuroCity from Zurich has just arrived in Milano
Centrale..
How much does it cost?
London to Paris
by Eurostar starts at only £39 one-way or £69 return.
Paris to
Geneva, Lausanne or Basel starts at £23 each way.
Paris to Zurich starts at £33 each way. Returns are
twice the one-way fare. You'll find full details of
Paris-Switzerland Lyria fares on the
London to Switzerland page.
Zurich, Basel,
Geneva or Lausanne to Milan starts at just £18 each way
if you book in advance, or around £61 full fare.
Booking tip: As at January 2010, the very cheap fares
seem to be very few and far between on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
leaving only the £61 full fare, so if you don't see any cheap fares at
raileurope.co.uk, try booking this train at
www.sbb.ch
instead, where it's easy to find 30 or 45 Swiss Franc (£18
or £28) cheap
fares. Tickets booked at
www.sbb.ch
can be picked up at any main station in Switzerland or for a
small fee sent to any country worldwide.
First, book
your Lyria TGV from Paris to Zurich (or other Swiss city) &
back. Add it to your basket and click 'continue
shopping'.
Now book the
connecting Eurostar from London to Paris & back. Use
the Eurostar times above as a guide, but feel free to book
an earlier Eurostar outward or later one on the way back, if
you want to stop off in Paris or if it has cheaper seats
available. Add this to your basket.
If you are
using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' again and book a morning train from Zurich (or
whichever Swiss city you're staying in)
to Milan and back. Booking tip: If you
don't see any cheap fares at raileurope.co.uk, just £60+
full fares, try booking
this part of your trip at the Swiss Railways website,
www.sbb.ch
instead, where cheap fares are often available.
Onward
connections from Milan to Rome, Naples, Venice and so on can
be bought most cheaply at
www.trenitalia.com
(if you can persuade it to accept your credit card of
course,
see this advice), or you can also book tickets at
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents only).
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) 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.
Take a morning
Eurostar to Paris, an afternoon
Artesia TGV through the Alps to
Turin. Stay the night in Turin.
Next day, travel on by high-speed train to anywhere in
Italy. Incidentally, I'd normally recommend a hotel
stop in Milan rather than Turin, but problems affecting the
Paris-Turin-Milan TGVs from December 2009 until 4 July 2010
mean that the afternoon TGV to Milan is currently
terminating in Turin, making Turin rather than Milan the
place to stop overnight, until services resume running
through to Milan.
London ► Italy by daytime
trains (with overnight stop in Turin)
Travel from Paris to Turin by
high-speed
Artesia TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
Lyon at 15:24 and arriving Turin Porta Nuova at 21:00.
It's a relaxing and
comfortable journey, passing directly from France
into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis
tunnel through the Alps. The TGV has 1st and
2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks and
tray-meals.
This Paris-Turin TGV normally runs through to Milan, and
I'd normally suggest stopping overnight in Milan. However,
as of 13 December 2009 it's only running as far as Turin,
due to wrangles between the French Railways and the
(increasingly incompetent) Italian Railways. It
should (I hope!) resume running direct from Paris to Milan
from 4 July 2010, and then Milan will be the recommended
city for an overnight stop.
Spend the night in a hotel in Turin.
Hotels in
Turin. Next day,
travel onwards to your Italian destination by Italian
high-speed train as follows:
For Bologna, Florence &
Rome, the 07:37
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train from Turin Porta Nuova arrives Bologna 09:44,
Florence (Campo Marte, change for local train to Santa
Maria Novella station in the city centre) at 10:25 and
Rome Termini at 11:50.
For Venice, there's
an 07:37 from Turin Porta Nuova, change at Bologna,
arriving Venice 11:33.
For Verona, there's
an 08:50 from Turin Porta Nuova, change in Milan, arriving
12:57.
For all other destinations
simply check train times
from Turin to any Italian destination at
www.trenitalia.com.
Italy ► London by daytime trains
(with overnight stop in Turin)
Travel from anywhere in Italy
to Turin. You can check train times
to Turin or Milan from any Italian city using
www.trenitalia.com.
From Rome & Florence, the 17:37
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train from Rome Termini calls at Florence (Campo Marte station) at
19:02 and arrives Turin Porta Nuova at 21:50.
From Venice & Verona, the 18:20
departure from Venice Santa Lucia or 19:32 departure
from Verona, change in Milan, arrives Turin Porta Nuova at
23:10. Or there are earlier trains of course.
Spend the night in a hotel in Turin.
Hotels in
Turin. Next day, travel from Turin to
Paris & London by TGV & Eurostar.
Travel
from Turin to Paris by
high-speed
Artesia TGV,
leaving Turin Porta Nuova at
08:05 and arriving
Paris Gare de Lyon at 14:03. There is a bar
car serving drinks, snacks and light meals. Cross
Paris by metro to the
Gare du Nord (just 2 stops on RER line D).This
Turin-Paris TGV should normally start its journey in Milan,
but due to
wrangles between the French Railways and the (increasingly
incompetent) Italian Railways it's currently starting in
Turin. It should(!) resume
running from Milan as well as Turin with effect from 4 July 2010, when
Milan becomes the better place for an overnight stop.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at
16:13, arriving London St Pancras at 17:34.
A
consortium of the French & Italian national railways
called Artesia (www.artesia.eu)
operates three daily TGV trains in each direction
between Paris & Milan. On leaving Paris they
sprint over the high-speed line at up to 186mph as
far as Macon, but they then slow right down to
meander through the Alps on conventional lines via
Culoz and Chambéry, crossing into Italy at Modane
and heading through Turin to the magnificent
Milan Centrale station. These
TGVs have 1st & 2nd class seats and are fully
air-conditioned. There are baby-changing
facilities and designated spaces for passengers in
wheelchairs. There's
a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & light meals,
or feel free to bring your own food & wine along for
the journey. On some
specific services, 1st class
passengers can order a meal served at their seat.
There are sample bar & meal menus on the
Artesia website
(click 'Travelling with Artesia' then 'Food
service').
You can now buy Paris metro tickets from the bar
car, too. 1st
class TGV passengers can use the 'Grand Voyageurs'
1st class lounge at Paris Gare de Lyon and the 'Club
Eurostar' 1st class lounge at Milan Centrale.
Seating plans for the Paris-Milan TGVs:
Cars 1-4
Cars 5-8 (car numbers higher than 8 mean two
TGVs coupled together)
Take an evening
Eurostar to Paris, stay overnight, then take a morning TGV
through the Alpine foothills to Milan. Change there
for high-speed trains to Florence, Venice, Rome or Naples,
arriving early evening.
London ► Italy by daytime
trains (with overnight stop in Paris)
Useful if you need an evening
departure from London, arrival in Italy in the afternoon
next day.
Travel from London
to Paris Gare du Nord on any evening Eurostar you like.
The last one leaves London St Pancras at 20:04 (there's also
a 20:32 on Sundays) arriving Paris Nord at 23:26.
Next morning,
travel from Paris to Milan by
high-speed
Artesia TGV
leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 07:42 arriving Milan Centrale
at 14:55. Cafe-bar available.
Travel from Milan
to your Italian destination by train. You can check train times from Milan to other
destinations at
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least an hour to
connect in Milan to allow for any delay.
For Bologna,
Florence & Naples, another
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train leaves Milan Centrale at 16:15 arriving
Bologna at 17:20, Florence SMN at 18:00 & Naples Centrale at
21:10.
For Venice &
Verona, a
Eurostar City train leaves Milan
at 16:05 arriving Verona at 17:27 & Venice Santa Lucia at
18:40.
Italy ► London by daytime
trains (with overnight stop in Paris)
Useful if you need to be back in
London in time for the start of the business day!
Travel from
anywhere in Italy to Milan by
train. You can check train times to Milan from any
Italian station using
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least 1 hour in Milan
to change trains to allow for any delay.
From Naples,
Rome, Florence & Bologna, a high-speed
Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' train leaves Naples Centrale at
09:50, Rome
Termini at 11:15, Florence SMN at 13:00 or Bologna at 13:40
arriving Milan Centrale at 14:45.
From Venice &
Verona, a
Eurostar City train leaves Venice Santa Lucia at 11:50 or
Verona at 13:02, arriving at Milan Centrale at 14:25.
Travel from Milan
to Paris by
high-speed
Artesia TGV leaving Milan
Centrale at 16:10 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 23:21.
A cafe-bar is available.
Next morning, travel from London
to Paris Gare du Nord on any Eurostar you like. The
first one leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 06:43 on
Mondays-Fridays arriving London St Pancras at 07:58.
The first train on Saturdays is the 07:13 arriving London at
08:28. On Sundays the first train is the 08:07
arriving London at 09:36.
How much does it cost?
It's not
expensive. The cost is the sum of the three
tickets you need, so just add up the price for each leg.
You'll need to go online to check actual prices for your
date of travel.
Special fare = 'Prems' fare = Book at
least 14 days in advance.
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 (use an adult
special fare if cheaper). Children under 4 free.
Railpass fare: 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 supplement.
Fares may vary: On certain dates, 10-20%
higher fares are charged.
3.
Milan to other Italian cities
by high-speed train:
Milan to Florence: 45 euros (£39) each way
2nd class, 64 euros 1st class, if booked at
www.trenitalia.com.
A 15%, 30% or 60% discount may be available if you
pre-book. Booked at
www.raileurope.co.uk
all seats cost £44 each way 2nd class, £62 1st class.
Milan to Naples costs 84 euros (£73) each way in
2nd class or 119 euros in 1st class at
www.trenitalia.com.
A 15%, 30% or 60% discount may be available if you
pre-book. At
www.raileurope.co.uk,
all seats cost £81 each way 2nd class or £115 in 1st
class.
Bookings open 90 days before
departure, you can't book before then. Eurostar
reservations in fact open 120 days ahead, but I strongly
recommend waiting till 90 days so you can book both
trains together and confirm Paris arrival/departure
times for the Paris-Milan TGV as occasionally they
vary due to engineering work.
Step 1, buy your London-Paris
& Paris-Milan tickets
online at
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents)
or
www.voyages-sncf.com (can be used by residents of
any country, but
see this advice on using it). The system
allows you to book from London to Milan, but I
recommend booking this journey as two separate journeys, first
booking the TGV Paris-Milan and back, confirm the
arrival & departure times, add it to your basket, then click 'continue shopping'
and book from London to
Paris & back. This gives you more control,
allowing you to take an earlier Eurostar outward or a
later Eurostar on your return if these have cheaper
seats or you'd like to stop off in Paris. It also
allows you to mix 2nd class on the Eurostar with 1st
class on the TGV, as often there are good deals in 1st
class for these Paris-Milan TGVs, occasionally even
cheaper than 2nd class, whereas the upgrade to 1st class
on Eurostar is expensive.
If
you're going via Switzerland, go to
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents)
or
www.voyages-sncf.com and first book London-Paris & back,
add it to your basket and click 'continue shopping',
then book Paris-Lausanne (or other Swiss city) & back
and add it to your basket, then book
Lausanne (or other Swiss city) to Milan & back, paying for all these tickets
at the end of the session.
Step 2, if you are using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
the painless way to add a ticket from Milan to Florence,
Rome, Venice, Naples and so on is to click 'continue shopping'
again and book from Milan to your Italian destination and
back.
Alternatively, you
can book trains from Milan to anywhere in Italy direct with Italian Railways
at
www.trenitalia.com,
which is normally cheaper, if you can persuade it to
accept your non-Italian credit card. See the advice on using
the Trenitalia website before booking.
Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option, you
book online and simply quote your booking reference to
the conductor on board.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) 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.
Pisa is famous for its leaning
tower, Siena for simply being a fabulous city in the heart
of Tuscany. They are easy to reach by train from
London, no flight necessary...
Train times London ► Siena, Pisa,
Lucca
Travel
from London to Florence as shown in the
London
to Florence section. You leave London by Eurostar at
14:04, change trains & stations in Paris onto the
'Palatino' overnight sleeper train arriving at Florence's
main Santa Maria Novella station in the city centre
(usually abbreviated to 'SMN') at 07:13 next morning.
Or use
daytime trains with an overnight stop in Paris-Milan
or Switzerland.
By all means stop off in Florence for a few
hours - there's a
left luggage office in Florence costing
only a few euros, open 06:00-24:00 daily.
If
you're going to Pisa, trains link Florence & Pisa every hour. A train leaves Florence SMN at 08:05
arriving in Pisa at 09:25. The famous Leaning
Tower of Pisa is about 2km or 30 minutes walk from the
station, taxis available.
If
you're going to Siena, a local train leaves Florence SMN at
08:10 arriving in Siena at 09:38, and every hour or so
through the day. Arriving in
Siena, it's quite a hike up the hill from the station to
the old town, so consider a bus or taxi.
If
you're going to Lucca, a local train leaves Florence SMN at
08:08, arriving Lucca at 09:31.
If the Palatino arrives late
in Florence, don't worry, trains run hourly on each of
these local
routes, no reservation necessary, you just turn up, buy a
ticket and hop on.
Train times London ► Modena,
Ravenna
Travel from London to
Bologna
as shown in the London
to Florence section. You leave London by Eurostar at
14:04 and arrive at
Bologna (Centrale) at
05:58 next day on the overnight 'Palatino' from Paris.
Or use
daytime trains with an overnight stop in Paris-Milan
or Switzerland.
Frequent
trains link Bologna with Modena. For example, a train leaves
Bologna Centrale at
06:27 arriving in Modena at 06:53.
Trains link
Bologna with Ravenna every hour or two. For
example, a train leaves Bologna at 07:58 arriving
Ravenna at 09:13.
Train
times Siena, Pisa, Lucca ► London
From Pisa, a local train leaves Pisa at 18:54,
arriving Florence (SMN station) at 20:03. Trains run
every hour or better.
From Siena, a local train
leaves Siena at 18:18, arriving Florence (SMN station) at
19:50. Trains run every hour.
From Lucca, a local train
leaves Lucca at 18:32, arriving Florence (SMN station) at 19:52.
Trains run every hour.
Then travel
from Florence to London by sleeper train & Eurostar, as shown in the
London
to Florence section. You leave Florence SMN at 21:09 on the
overnight 'Palatino' to Paris, change trains & stations
in Paris, and arrive in London by
Eurostar at 12:29 next day. Or
use daytime
trains with an overnight stop in Paris-Milan or
Switzerland.
Train times Ravenna, Modena ► London
Trains link Ravenna
with Bologna every hour or two. For example, a local train
leaves Ravenna at 18:35, arriving Bologna Centrale at 19:52.
Frequent trains link Modena
with Bologna. For example, a local train
leaves Modena at 20:22, arriving Bologna Centrale at 20:52.
Travel from Bologna to London by sleeper train & Eurostar,
as shown in the London
to Florence section. You leave Bologna at 22:31 on the
overnight 'Palatino' to Paris, and arrive in London by
Eurostar at 12:29 next day. Or
use daytime
trains with an overnight stop in Paris-Milan or
Switzerland.
Fares & how to buy tickets...
See the London to Florence section for fares from London
to Florence
or Bologna. Buy your tickets from London
to Florence
or Bologna as
explained in the
London to Florence section.
Don't worry about the onward tickets from Florence or
Bologna to Sienna, Pisa, Lucca
or Ravenna at this stage.
Then simply buy a local ticket from Florence to Siena, Pisa or Lucca, or
from Bologna to Modena or Ravenna
at the station when you get to Florence or Bologna. No
reservation is necessary, these are local trains so
you just buy a ticket and hop on. You can buy tickets
from the ticket office or from the many
self-service
ticket machines (these machines being a quicker &
easier option than the ticket office). The
ticket machines have a touch screen with an English language facility and
they accept euros coins and notes, or credit cards.
Don't forget to validate
your local ticket in the little
yellow
validation machines at the entrance to the
platform before boarding the train. Train travel in
Italy is cheap: The fare from Florence to Pisa
is around 6 euros each way, Florence to Siena
around 6.50 euros each way.
The Bay of Naples: The Bay of Naples is a
wonderful holiday destination, from Ischia round through
Naples itself, past Mount Vesuvius and the archaeological
sites of Herculaneum & Pompeii, to Sorrento & Capri.
This is the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the background,
taken from Vico Equense on the Sorrento peninsula.
Train times London ► Naples
Travel from London to Rome
as shown in the London
to Rome section. You leave London at 14:04 and arrive at Rome at
10:13 next day on the
overnight 'Palatino' from Paris.
An air-conditioned
Eurostar
Italia train leaves Rome at
12:00, arriving Naples (Centrale)
at 13:10.
There are frequent trains to
Naples throughout the day. If you'd like to stop off
in Rome for a few hours, there is a left luggage facility
at Rome Termini open 07:00-23:00.
Leave Naples (Centrale)
by air-conditioned
Eurostar Italia train at 15:50, arriving Rome
17:00.
Travel from Rome to London
as shown in the London
to Rome section, leaving Rome at 18:40 and arriving
London St Pancras at 12:29 next day. Sleeper passengers may use the
'Club Eurostar' first class lounge in Rome whilst waiting
for their train.
If you'd like to stop off in
Rome, by all means take an earlier train from Naples,
trains run frequently throughout the day. There is a
left
luggage office at Rome Stazione Termini, open
07:00-23:00 daily. The price per bag is only a few
euros.
Step 2, if you are booking London-Rome
using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
the painless way to add a Rome-Naples ticket is to click
'continue shopping' and book from Rome to Naples and
back. Make sure you allow at least 1 hour in Rome
to connect. The price may be a pound or two more
than booking direct with Italian Railways, but not much
more.
Alternatively, you
can book trains from Rome to Naples online direct with Italian Railways
at
www.trenitalia.com, but see the advice on using
the Trenitalia website first. Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and simply quote your booking reference
to the conductor on board.
If you have any difficulties
booking the Rome-Naples train at Trenitalia.com (which
can struggle with UK credit cards) you can buy in the UK
through
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Prices are a bit higher than those charged by Trenitalia
but are shown in pounds and a small charge is made for postage.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 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.
London to Pompeii, Sorrento,
Capri, Ischia, & Elba...
Up Pompeii! The narrow-gauge Circumvesuviana train
from Naples to Sorrento arrives at Pompei Scavi Villa di Misteri.
The main entrance to the ruins of Pompeii is just across the
road, for visitor info see
www.pompeiisites.org. For Circumvesuviana train information, see www.vesuviana.it.
Above: The ferry from Naples, arrived at
Capri. For ferry information, see
www.snav.it
For Sorrento, Pompeii &
Herculaneum (Ercolano), take the narrow-gauge Circumvesuviana Railway
(www.vesuviana.it) from Naples Garibaldi station.
These little electric suburban trains run every 30 minutes throughout the day. No
reservation is necessary (or even possible), you just buy a ticket at the station
for a few euros and hop on. Naples Garibaldi
(Circumvesuviana) station is right next to Naples Centrale
station where your mainline train arrives, so interchange is
easy. Just follow the signs to 'Circumvesuviana', it's
round a corner at the side of the concourse, along a
passageway and the Circumvesuviana platforms are
half-underground round the back. Incidentally, Naples
Porto Garibaldi station is yet another set of mainline
platforms in the same triple-station complex, it's
'Circumvesuviana' you want, not 'Porto Garibaldi'). Naples to Pompeii
costs around 2.50
euros one-way or 4.50 euros day return, journey time about 40
minutes. Naples to Sorrento costs around
3.50 euros one-way or 6.50 euros day return, journey time
55-65 minutes. The Circumvesuviana trains are old and
have no air-con, but new air-conditioned trains are now
being delivered. You'll get great views of both the
Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius on the way to Sorrento.
You can check train times on the Circumvesuviana
Railway website, www.vesuviana.it,
and fares (if you can take the time to work out how to use
it!) at public transport website
www.unicocampania.it. Note that the
Circumvesuviana is a private railway, separate from Italian
State Railways (Trenitalia), so railpasses and ordinary
Trenitalia tickets are not valid on it. For the same
reason you won't find train times & fares to Pompeii or
Sorrento on
www.trenitalia.it.
The Roman ruins at Pompeii are
truly amazing and should not
be missed. The station you want is 'Pompei Scavi
(Villa dei Misteri)' on the Circumvesuviana line to Sorrento, don't confuse
this with 'Pompei' station which is on another
Circumvesuviana line serving Pompei's new town. The
main visitor entrance to Pompeii ruins is right outside
Pompeii Scavi station, across the road and to the right.
For visitor information see the official Pompeii &
Herculaneaum website
www.pompeiisites.org.
Capri...
For Capri,
travel from London to Naples, then
take a taxi or walk (it's about 25 minutes on foot) from
Naples Centrale station to Naples Beverello ferry quay.
Fast ferries taking just 45 minutes link Naples Berevello
with Capri every hour or two between 07:00 &18:00, see
www.snv.it for details.
Ferry fare about 19 euros, plus a euros or two per item of
large luggage. No pre-booking is necessary for the
ferry, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on.
Alternatively, there are regular ferries from Sorrento to
Capri, crossing time about 25 minutes, though it's a longish
steep walk down from the Circumvesuviana station to the
ferry terminal in Sorrento. All ferries arrive at
Capri's busy Marina Grande, there's a funicular railway up
the steep hillside to Capri town itself. Bring plenty
of money to Capri, even a small beer costs 7 euros!
Ischia...
For Ischia,
travel from London to Naples, then
take a taxi to the ferry terminal and sail from Naples to
Porto Ischia with either
www.caremar.it (sailings every hour or two, crossing
time 45 minutes fast ferry or 90 mins conventional ferry) or
www.alilauro.it.
Elba...
For Elba,
travel from London to Florence.
Then take local trains from Florence to Piombino Marittima
via Pisa and Campiglia -
www.trenitalia.com will give you train
times. Moby Lines (www.mobylines.it)
sail every hour or so from Piombino to Portoferraio on Elba,
crossing time 1 hour, foot passengers 7 euros one-way.
Step 2, catch a connecting
train from Rome to Salerno. Regular trains link these
cities throughout the day, but if you've arrived in Rome off
the overnight 'Palatino' from Paris & London there's an
InterCity train leaving Rome at 11:45 which arrives in
Salerno at 14:19. You can check train times & fares
and buy tickets for this leg of the journey at
www.trenitalia.com (but
see this
advice on using it first!). It's
not too difficult to buy a ticket at the station when you
get to Rome, though it's better to pre-book at busy times of
year. For your return journey from Salerno back to
London, a fast Eurostar Italia
train leaves Salerno at 13:44, arriving Rome Termini at
16:16, in plenty of time to catch the 'Palatino' back to
Paris & London.
Step 3, regular
SITA bus services link Salerno & Amalfi, running
hourly or better between 06:00 & 22:30 on Mondays-Saturdays,
slightly less frequently on Sundays, journey time 1 hour 15
minutes, fare about 1.80 euros one-way, you simply buy a
ticket on the bus. See
www.sitabus.it to confirm exact bus times. At the
time of writing, the English version of
www.sitabus.it doesn't work, so leave it in Italian and
under 'Scegli la Regione' select 'Campania' (the name of
this region). On the next page, select 'Orari linee
Campania'. On the next page, look for Quadro 14 & 15
and click for a .pdf format timetable. To check fares,
you'll need to use public transport site
www.unicocampania.it, though it can take some time to
work out how to use it!
Alternatively, regular buses link
Sorrento (see above) with Positano,
Praiano & Amalfi, with the occasional bus direct from
Naples, also operated by SITA, see
www.sitabus.it. Sorrento-Amalfi takes 1 hour 30
minutes, buses run hourly or so, and the fare is around 2.40
euros. The journey along the coast road is dramatic,
the bus hugging the cliff and it rear end swinging out
precariously at every hairpin bend, with regular stand-offs
where the bus cannot pass oncoming traffic on the narrow
roads without someone backing up!!
It's
easy to travel from London to Milan by train. Hop on a
morning Eurostar to Paris, then a direct TGV will get you to
Turin or Milan the same day, with cheap fares available.
Or catch a lunchtime Eurostar to Paris and take the
overnight sleeper to Milan, arriving early next morning.
If you want to avoid crossing Paris, there's a slightly
longer route from London to Milan via Brussels & a sleeper
train from Cologne, see here.
London ► Milan (by sleeper train)
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 15:02 (15:32 at weekends),
arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:17 (18:47 at weekends).
Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
Travel from Paris to Milan overnight on the 'Stendhal'
sleeper train,
leaving Paris Gare de Bercy at 20:33, arriving in Milan (Centrale) at 05:38.
For Turin,
leave Milan at 08:00 by high-speed
Eurostar Italia train, arriving Turin Porta Nuova at 09:00.
The Stendhal has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes
and a restaurant car serving
drinks, snacks, and affordable full meals. In the restaurant car, the 3-course 'menu del giorno' costs
28 euros, and
a half bottle of wine about 7 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 eat and drink 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 a complementary toiletries kit, a cup of tea/coffee
and a croissant in the morning, and access to the
VIP
lounges in Paris and Milan.
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 Stendhal
passes through Switzerland and the Simplon Tunnel under
the Alps. It is run by Artesia (www.artesia.eu),
a consortium of the French and Italian national
railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains.
London ►
Milan (by daytime TGV, option 1)
Travel from London to
Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at
09:32 (09:22 on Saturdays) and arriving Paris Gare du
Nord at 12:47. On Mondays-Fridays there's also a
08:55 Eurostar from London, which makes for a more
leisurely connection in Paris.
Cross Paris
by metro to the
Gare de Lyon (just 2 stops on RER line D).
Travel
from Paris to Turn and Milan by direct high-speed TGV,
leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 13:50 and arriving Turin
(Porta Susa station) at 19:45 and Milan Centrale at 21:20.
The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar
serving drinks, snacks and tray-meals. On this particular
service, 1st class passengers can order complete meals
served at their seat.
Important: This
particular Paris-Milan TGV is not running at the
moment, due to wrangles between the French Railways and
the (increasingly incompetent) Italian Railways.
They hope to have it running again from 4 July 2010,
please check the latest situation when you book, for
example using
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Other services are available between Paris and Milan with
a change of train in Geneva, see
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Travel
from Paris to Turn and Milan by direct high-speed TGV,
leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 15:24 and arriving Turin
(Porta Susa station) at 20:55 and Milan Centrale at 22:25.
The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar
serving drinks, snacks and tray-meals.
Important: This
particular Paris-Milan TGV is currently only running from
Paris as far as Turin, due to wrangles between the
French Railways and the (increasingly incompetent) Italian
Railways. Please check the latest situation when you
book, for example using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
and if necessary use a connecting train between Turin and
Milan. It should resume running to Milan from 4 July
2010. Other services are available between Paris and
Milan with a change of train in Lausanne or Geneva, see
www.raileurope.co.uk.
London ► Milan
(by daytime TGV, option 3)
Travel from London to
Paris by any suitable evening
Eurostar.
The last one leaves London St Pancras at 20:04 (20:32 on
Sundays),
arriving Paris Gare du Nord 2¼
hours later.
Spend the night in a hotel in Paris.
Next morning, travel
from Paris to Turn & Milan by direct high-speed TGV,
leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 07:42 and arriving Turin
(Porta Susa station) at 13:17 and Milan Centrale at 14:55.
The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar
serving drinks, snacks and tray-meals. On this
particular service, 1st class passengers can order
complete meals served at their seat. This train
should currently be running normally, through to Milan, in
spite of the difficulties affecting the other Paris-Milan
TGVs.
On
board the Artesia TGV from Paris to Milan...
The
Paris-Milan TGVs
have 1st & 2nd class seats and are fully
air-conditioned. There are baby-changing
facilities and designated spaces for passengers in
wheelchairs.
There's
a buffet-bar serving drinks, snacks & light meals. On some
specific services, 1st class
passengers can order a meal served at their seat.
There are sample bar and meal menus on the
Artesia website
(click 'Travelling with Artesia' then 'Food
service').
You can now buy Paris metro tickets from the bar
car, too.
1st
class TGV passengers can use the 'Grand Voyageurs'
1st class lounge at Paris Gare de Lyon and the 'Club
Eurostar' 1st class lounge at Milan Centrale.
It's a relaxing and
comfortable journey, passing directly from France
into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis tunnel
under the Alps. These TGVs are run by Artesia
(www.artesia.eu), a consortium of the French and
Italian national railways formed to run the direct
Paris-Italy trains.
Seating plans for the Paris-Milan TGVs:
Cars 1-4
Cars 5-8 (car numbers higher than 8 mean two
TGVs coupled together)
Travel from Milan to Paris overnight on the
'Stendhal', Milan (Centrale) at
23:35 and arriving in Paris (Gare
de Bercy) at 08:19 next
morning. This train has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes. See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page for
pictures and more information. The Palatino is run by Artesia
(www.artesia.eu),
a consortium of the French and Italian national railways.
You can board the train in Milan from 23:05 onwards.
Coming from Turin, take a connecting InterRegional train
departing Turin Porta Susa at 19:59 and arriving Milan at
21:45.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:29. By all means choose a later Eurostar if if
you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper
tickets available.
Milan ► London
(by daytime TGV, option 1)
Travel
from Milan or Turin to Paris by direct high-speed TGV,
leaving Milan (Centrale) at 06:40 and Turin (Porta Susa) at 08:11, arriving
Paris Gare de Lyon at 14:03. There is a bar
car serving drinks, snacks and light meals. Cross
Paris by metro to the
Gare du Nord (just 2 stops on RER line D).
Important: This
particular Milan-Turin-Paris TGV is currently only running
between Turin and Paris, leaving at 08:05 from Turin Porta
Nuova station, not Porta Susa. This is due to
wrangles between the French Railways and the (increasingly
incompetent) Italian Railways. It should resume
running from Milan with effect from 4 July 2010.
Please check the situation when you book, for example
using
www.raileurope.co.uk
and either use a connecting train between Milan and Turin
or use alternative services between Milan and Paris with a
change of train in Lausanne or Geneva, see
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at
16:13, arriving London St Pancras at 17:34.
Milan ► London
(by daytime TGV, option 2)
Travel
from Milan or Turin to Paris by direct high-speed TGV,
leaving
Milan (Centrale) at 08:10 and Turin (Porta Susa) at 09:40, arriving
Paris Gare de Lyon at 15:15. There is a bar
car serving drinks, snacks and light meals. 1st
class passengers can order complete meals served at
their seat on this service. Cross
Paris by metro to the
Gare du Nord (just 2 stops on RER Line D).
Important: This
particular Milan-Paris TGV is not running at all at the
moment, due to wrangles between the French Railways and
the (increasingly incompetent) Italian Railways.
They hope to have it running again from 4 July 2010.
Please check when you book, for example using
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Other services are available between Milan and Paris with
a change in Geneva, see
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at
17:13 arriving London St Pancras
at 18:34.
Milan ► London
(by daytime TGV, option 3)
Travel
from Milan or Turin to Paris by direct high-speed TGV,
leaving
Milan (Centrale) at 16:10 and Turin (Porta Susa) at 17:35, arriving
Paris Gare de Lyon at 23:21. There is a bar car
serving drinks, snacks and light meals. 1st class
passengers can order complete meals served at their seat
on this service. This train should still be
running normally.
Next morning, travel
from Paris to London by any suitable morning Eurostar.
The first train of the day leaves Paris Gare du Nord
at 06:43 on Mondays-Fridays (arriving London St Pancras at
07:58), or at 07:13 on Saturdays (arriving London at
08:28) or at 08:07 on Sundays (arriving London 09:34).
How much does
it cost, by Eurostar + overnight train?
Special fare = 'Prems' or 'Depart' fares.
The price varies depending on availability, no refunds, no changes. Book at
least 14 days in advance for couchettes, 30 days for sleepers.
Normal fare = Refundable & flexible.
There are no senior or youth reductions.
Child fare = Child 4-11 years with own berth.
A return is twice the one-way fare. Use an adult
special fare if cheaper! Children under 4 go free if
they share a bed with an adult.
Railpass fare: What you pay if you have
a railpass (Eurail, Interrail, etc) covering Italy & France.
Places limited. If your pass only covers one country,
there's a higher supplement.
Special fare = 'Prems' fare = Book at
least 14 days in advance.
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 (use an adult
special fare if cheaper). Children under 4 free.
Railpass fare: 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 supplement.
Save 6%: You can save about 6% on all
these Paris-Italy fares by paying in euros at
voyages-sncf.com, as opposed to paying in pounds with
UK agencies or websites.
Fares may vary: On certain dates, 10-20%
higher fares may be charged.
The best way for UK residents to buy tickets
for both Eurostar and the Paris-Milan TGV or sleeper train is online
at
www.raileurope.co.uk.
But first,
please read the instructions below.
If you live in any other European country,
click here. If you live in
the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand,
click here.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £1.95 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
Reservations for the Paris-Italy trains open 90 days before
departure. You can't book before reservations open,
but if you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days is often
squeezed to less than 90 in the few weeks
immediately after the European timetable changes in
mid-June & mid-December. Ask for a date before the
timetable change to get an idea of price.
Top tip:
It's best to treat London to Milan as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
Paris to Milan. 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).
Step 1, book from Paris to Milan & back. On the
confirmation page, if you click 'show itinerary details' it
will show the exact coach number & berth or seat number
that you've been given.
You might find these sleeper & couchette numbering plans
useful. Double-check the departure &
arrival times before booking the Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Milan & back,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back as a 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
back 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!
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.
Buying connecting 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-Milan tickets, click
'continue shopping' and book your Italian domestic trains,
for example Milan-Genoa. Just be aware that the
prices charged may be a pound or two more than buying direct
from Trenitalia.
...using
Trenitalia: You can buy tickets for any train
within Italy online at the Italian Railways website,
www.trenitalia.com, but first see my
advice
on using the Trenitalia website. The key issue
is that Trenitalia.com struggles with many UK-issued credit cards, although many UK cards do work. If you get stuck you
can buy Italian train tickets in the UK at
www.raileurope.co.uk, which is easy to use, but it can't book all
Italian trains just the main routes and can only sell full
price tickets, not the discounted fares often available at
Trenitalia.com.
How
to buy tickets by phone & in person
You
can buy tickets by phone from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, an £8 booking fee applies for phone
bookings) 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 (European or worldwide) 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 (assuming your journey starts in France) collected from any main French station
(select this option if you live outside Europe). The French Railways website has exactly the same fares and
availability as
www.raileurope.co.uk
(at least in theory),
though fares are in
euros rather than pounds. Buying in euros at voyages-sncf.com
is slightly cheaper (around 5%),
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! Before buying tickets using www.voyages-sncf.com,
read these step-by-step instructions.
How to buy tickets if you live
in the USA, Canada, Australia, etc...
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 (look for 'smart price' when the fares
appear,
here's more advice on using
the Trenitalia website). Tickets bought through
www.trenitalia.com 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.
The Paris-Italy overnight trains
enter and then leave Switzerland during the night, if that
makes any difference to you visa-wise. The daytime
Paris-Milan TGV trains do not go via Switzerland but pass
directly from France into Italy.
Train times London ► Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 15:02 (15:32 at weekends), arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 18:17 (18:47 at weekends). Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
Travel from Paris to Milan overnight on the 'Stendhal',
leaving Paris at 20:33, arriving in Milan (Centrale)
at 05:38 next morning. The
Stendhal has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth couchettes,
and
6-berth couchettes. There is a restaurant car
serving drinks, snacks, and affordable full meals.
The 3-course 'menu del giorno' costs about 28 Euros, and
a half bottle of wine about 7 Euros, major credit cards
accepted. There are no ordinary seats, all
passengers get a sleeping berth. See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page for
pictures and more information. The Stendhal is run by Artesia,
a consortium of the French and Italian national
railways.
Travel from Milan to Genoa, Cinque Terre or La Spezia by air-conditioned InterCity train
leaving Milan at 08:05 arriving Genoa (Piazza Principe) at
09:42, Monterosso (Cinque Terre) at 11:16
and La Spezia at 11:38 (11:19 at weekends).
For the other Cinque Terre villages (Vernazza,
Corniglia, Manarola & Riomaggiore) change at
Monterosso for a regular local train service. You
can check times at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
Train times Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia ► London
Travel
to Milan by air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving
La Spezia at 18:40, Monterosso (Cinque Terre) at 18:45, and Genoa (Piazza Principe) at 20:19, arriving Milan at
21:55. From the other Cinque Terre villages, take
one of the regular local trains to Monterosso to join this InterCity
train there - You can check times at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
Travel from Milan to Paris overnight on the
'Stendhal', leaving Milan at 23:35 (you can board the
sleepers and couchettes from 23:05 onwards) and arriving
in Paris Gare
de Bercy at 08:19 next
morning. The Stendhal has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth couchettes,
and
6-berth couchettes. There is a restaurant car
serving drinks, snacks, and affordable full meals.
The 3-course 'menu del giorno' costs about 28 Euros, and
a half bottle of wine about 7 Euros, major credit cards
accepted. There are no ordinary seats - all
passengers get a sleeping berth. See the guide
to on-board accommodation at the bottom of this page for
pictures and more information. The Stendhal is run by Artesia,
a consortium of the French and Italian national
railways.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:29. By all means choose a later Eurostar if if
you'd like to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper
tickets available.
How much does it cost?
See the
London to Milan section for sample fares from London to
Milan. Milan to Genoa by InterCity train costs
about 16 euros (£12) one-way 2nd class or 21 euros (£15)
1st class. Returns are twice the one-way fare. Milan to
Monterosso or La Spezia costs about 21 euros (£15)
one-way 2nd class or 27 euros (£19) one-way 1st class,
twice this for a return.
How to buy tickets online...
You can buy your London-Paris
& Paris-Milan tickets
online, see the 'how to buy tickets' section in the
London to Milan section. This
is the easiest and cheapest way to book.
You
can then book the train from Milan to Genoa or Cinque
Terre online at
www.trenitalia.com.
Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and simply quote your booking reference
to the conductor on board.
If you have any difficulties
booking the Milan-Genoa train at Trenitalia.com (which
has been reported as struggling with some UK credit
cards) (which can struggle with UK credit cards) you can
buy in the UK through
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents only). Prices are a bit higher than
those charged by Trenitalia but are shown in pounds and a small charge is made for postage.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 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, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
Train times London ► Genoa,
Cinque Terre, La Spezia
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 17:30 (17:31 or 17:25 on some days), arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 19:47 (19:53 on some days). Cross Paris by métro to the Gare
d'Austerlitz.
Travel from Paris to
Ventimiglia overnight on the 'Train
Bleu',
leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 22:25 and arriving
next morning in Nice at 08:54 and Ventimiglia on the
Italian frontier at 09:51. The
Train Bleu is a Corail
Lunéa service with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd
class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.
Travel from Ventimiglia to Genoa
leaving Ventimiglia at 10:58 and arriving San Remo
11:15 & Genoa (Piazza Principe, the main station) at
13:06.
Change in Genoa for onward
trains to La Spezia & Monterosso.
The scenery between Cannes, Nice,
Monte Carlo & Ventimiglia is wonderful, as the railway
runs along the coast past villas, rocky inlets and
yacht-filled harbours.
Train times Genoa, Cinque
Terre, La Spezia ► London
Travel from Genoa or San Remo
to Ventimiglia by train, leaving Genoa (Piazza
Principe) at 16:55, San Remo at 18:50, and arriving
Ventimiglia at 19:07.
Travel from Ventimiglia to Paris overnight on the 'Train
Bleu',
leaving Ventimiglia 20:08 at Nice at 21:01 and arriving in Paris (Gare
d'Austerlitz) at 07:46 next morning. The
Train Bleu is a Corail
Lunéa service with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd
class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.
Cross Paris by métro to
the Gare du Nord.
Travel from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 arriving
London St Pancras at 10:34.
How much does it cost?
London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £39 one-way or £69 return;
Paris to Nice overnight on the Train Bleu starts at £30 each
way in a 2nd class 6-berth couchette or £51 each way in a
1st class 4-berth couchette if you book in advance, rising
to £95 2nd class or £149 1st class each way fully-flexible.
You should book in three
stages, using the train times above as a guide.
First book a couchette on the overnight train from
Paris to Ventimiglia & back. Then click
'continue shopping' and add a ticket from London to
Paris & back to connect. Finally, click
'continue shopping' again and add a Ventimiglia to
Genoa ticket on the relevant trains.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 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, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
Option 3, using daytime trains
with overnight stop in Milan or Paris
Train times London ► Ancona, Bari, Brindisi (option 1)
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar
then Paris to Bologna by the 'Palatino'
overnight train, leaving London
St Pancras at 14:04 and arriving in Bologna
at 05:58. See the London to
Bologna section above for full details of times and
fares.
A fast, air-conditioned
Eurostar City train leaves Bologna at
09:50, arriving Rimini at 10:45, Ancona at 11:38,
Pescara at 12:49, Foggia at 14:29, Bari at 15:35,
Brindisi at 16:37, Lecce at 17:04.
Train times London ► Ancona,
Bari, Brindisi (option 2)
Travel
from London to Paris by Eurostar then Paris to Milan by
the 'Stendhal' overnight train, leaving London at
15:02 (15:32 at weekends) and arriving in Milan at 05:38 next morning. See the London to
Milan section above for full details of times and fares.
A modern, air-conditioned
Eurostar City leaves Milan at
07:35, arriving Rimini at 10:45, Ancona at 11:38,
Pescara at 12:49, Foggia at 14:29, Bari at 15:35,
Brindisi at 16:37, Lecce at 17:04.
Train times London ► Ancona,
Bari, Brindisi (option 3, daytime travel)
Eurostar City
trains are fully air-conditioned, with a refreshment
trolley - or feel free to take your own picnic and maybe
bottle of wine along. Seat reservation is
compulsory on Eurostar City trains, so everyone gets a
seat.
From Bologna to Bari,
you travel in a Eurostar
City train, running
along the seaside for much of the way...
This is
1st class, less crowded and more spacious.
...and
this is 2nd class. 1st class doesn't cost much
more.
Train times Brindisi, Bari,
Ancona ► London (option 1)
A fast, modern, air-conditioned
Eurostar City train leaves
Lecce at 12:00, Brindisi at 12:24, Bari at 13:29, Foggia at 14:35, Pescara at
16:14,
Ancona at 17:27 and Rimini at 18:19, arriving in Bologna
at 19:14.
There is a later
Eurostar City train
available from Pescara, Ancona and Rimini. This
leaves Pescara at 17:00, Ancona 18:13, and Rimini at
19:05 arriving Bologna at 20:00.
The
overnight 'Palatino' to Paris leaves Bologna at 22:31
arriving Paris at 09:16 next morning. A
Eurostar connection will get you back to London at
12:29 the next day. See the London to
Bologna section for details.
Train times Brindisi, Bari,
Ancona ► London (option 2)
A fast, modern, air-conditioned
Eurostar City train leaves
Lecce at 12:00, Brindisi at 12:24, Bari at 13:29, Foggia at 14:35, Pescara at
16:14,
Ancona at 17:27 and Rimini at 18:19, arriving in Milan
at 21:25.
The
night train for Paris leaves Milan at 23:35, and a
Eurostar connection will get you back to London at
12:29 next day. See the London to Milan
section for details.
Train times Brindisi, Bari,
Ancona ► London (option 3, daytime travel)
Step 2, if you are booking
London-Milan or London-Bologna using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
the painless way to add an onward ticket to Rimini,
Ancona or Pescara, etc., is to click 'continue shopping'
and book the onward ticket with Rail Europe. Make
sure you allow at least 1 hour to connect. The
price may be a pound or two more than booking direct
with Italian Railways, but not much more.
Alternatively, you
can book any Italian domestic journey online direct with Italian Railways
at
www.trenitalia.com,
if you can persuade it to accept your credit card, but see the advice on using
the Trenitalia website first. Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and simply quote your booking reference
to the conductor on board.
If you really can't get
Trenitalia.com to accept any of your credit cards, book
the onwards train from Bologna at
www.raileurope.co.uk instead (UK residents only).
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets by phone from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) 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, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
UK to Sicily by train? No problem. You can
travel all the way by train, experiencing one of Europe's
last train ferries where the train is physically shunted
onto a ship for the short sea voyage across the Straits of
Messina to Sicily, or you can use an overnight cruise ferry
to Sicily from either Genoa or Naples. Each of these
options is explained below.
A fast
air-conditioned InterCity train, the 'Archimede',
leaves Rome at 11:28, takes a scenic route along the coast,
and arrives in Messina at 19:23, Taormina at 20:25, Catania at
21:07, and Siracuse at 22:30.
Another portion of this train arrives in Palermo at
22:20.
The Palatino
sometimes runs over an hour late and misses the connection
for Sicily, so consider spending the day and a night in Rome
and taking a daytime train to Sicily next morning, or
spending the day in Rome (a left luggage facility is
available) and taking one of the two Rome-Sicily overnight
sleeper trains. The sleeper train 'Bellini' departs
Rome at 21:18, arriving next morning at Catania at 08:02 &
Siracuse at 09:40. The sleeper train 'Il Gottopardo'
leaves Rome at 19:58 and arrives in Palermo at 08:10 next
morning. Both trains have Excelsior sleeping-cars
(deluxe 1 or 2 berth compartments with private shower &
toilet), standard sleepers (1 2 or 3 bed with washbasin),
and 4-berth 'Comfort' couchettes.
Yes, all these trains really
are
direct from Rome to Sicily. To reach Sicily, the whole
train is shunted
on board a ship and ferried across the Straits of
Messina. The crossing takes about 30 minutes, and you
can either remain on board the train in the ferry's
hold, or go up on deck for some fresh air. Travelling
on both a train and a ship at the same time is an
interesting experience!
InterCity trains
are fully air-conditioned, with 1st & 2nd class and often
(but not always) a refreshment trolley. Seat
reservation is now compulsory on all InterCity trains, so
everyone gets a seat.
The Rome
to Sicily train is an InterCity service...
2nd class six-seat
compartments on an InterCity train. Some cars
have open-plan seating.
Spacious
1st class seating on an InterCity train...
Siracuse, Palermo, Catania ►
London
Returning, there is no reliable daytime connection arriving Rome
early enough for the 'Palatino' back to Paris. So take the overnight
train 'Bellini' with 'Excelsior' sleepers (1 & 2 bed with
private toilet & shower), standard sleepers (1, 2 & 3-bed
with washbasin), 'Comfort' couchettes
(4-berth) & seats, leaving
Siracuse 20:25, Catania 22:05, Taormina 22:50, Messina at
23:55 and arriving
Rome at 08:56 next morning. Or from Palermo, the
overnight train 'Il Gottopardo' leaving Palermo at 18:40
arriving Rome 07:23 (Excelsior & standard sleepers
available, also 'Comfort' couchettes & seats). Spend the day in Rome, then travel from
Rome to London as
shown above.
How much does
it cost?
Fare from
Rome to Sicily:
Fares
from London to Rome
are shown above. The fare
from Rome to Siracuse is approximately £35 one-way,
£70 return including seat reservation and InterCity
supplement. Rome to Palermo is about £37
one-way, £74 return. Check Italian rail fares
online at www.trenitalia.com.
Step 2, if you are using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
the painless way to add a Rome-Sicily ticket is to click
'continue shopping' and book from Rome to Catania,
Palermo or Syracuse and
back. Make sure you allow at least 1 hour in Rome
to connect. The price may be a pound or two more
than booking direct with Italian Railways, but not much
more. Note that this system won't book every train on
this route, just certain departures.
Alternatively, you
can book trains from Rome to Naples online direct with Italian Railways
at
www.trenitalia.com,
if you can persuade it to accept your credit card, but see the advice on using
the Trenitalia website first. Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and simply quote your booking reference
to the conductor on board.
If you really can't get
Trenitalia.com to accept any of your credit cards, book
Rome-Sicily train at
www.raileurope.co.uk instead (UK residents only).
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 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, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
This takes 2 nights from London to Palermo, not 1, but it's
a more leisurely option with a cruise thrown in.
Leave London by Eurostar at 15:29,
change in Paris onto the overnight Corail Lunéa service to
Nice, and take a connecting train to Genoa, arriving
lunchtime. See the London to Genoa
section for full details, and information on how to buy
tickets.
Sail from Genoa to Palermo on
Sicily on the daily Grandi Navi Veloci cruise ferry, leaving
Genoa at 22:00 and arriving Palermo around 18:00 next day.
A range of comfortable cabins, bars & restaurants are
available. Book the ferry online at
www.gnv.it.
One traveller reports the ferry as
'Superb, like a cruise ship with cars. We booked a
cabin with a double bed in the prow of the ship, breakfast
served in our cabin, swimming pool in the day, a very
civilised way to travel!
Sicily ► London
In the return direction, the ferry
leaves Palermo at 22:00 and arrives Genoa at 18:00.
This is too late for the train to Nice/Paris/London, so an
overnight stop may be required, continuing the next day.
Or take an evening train to Milan, stay there, and take a
daytime Milan-Paris-London service, see
above.
You can also travel from London to Naples by
train, then take an overnight cruise ferry from Naples to
Palermo. Two companies run daily ferries with
comfortable cabins with en suite showers, sailing around
20:00 and arriving around 07:00, in both directions.
See
www.tirrenia.it &
www.snav.it
for times, dates, fares & online booking.
Getting from the UK or mainland
Europe to Sardinia without flying is easy, as there are a whole range of
ferries to Sardinia, from both France (Marseille
or Toulon) and from the Italian mainland (Genoa,
Civitavecchia, Livorno, and others).
From London, one option is to
travel by train to Marseille or Toulon and then take an SNCM
ferry from
Marseille or Toulon to Porto Torres in Sardinia. Start
by checking sailing dates and times at either the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.sncm.fr.
Then check train times to connect, using the
London
to France page and allowing at least 2 hours in
Marseille between train and ferry, preferably a bit more to
allow for taxi transfer to port, check-in time, and to allow
for any delay.
However, the SNCM service
from France is not the most frequent, so you might prefer to
travel via Italy. Both Grandi
Navi Veloci and Tirrenia
Lines have overnight sailings from Genoa to Porto Torres
in Sardinia on most nights of the year, as well as sailings
from other Italian ports. Another ferry
company with regular sailings to Sardinia from Civitavecchia
near Rome
is Sardinia Ferries. Start by visiting the
Seat61 Ferry Shop, which can
book most ferry routes and operators, or see each ferry
company's own website to
confirm sailing dates, times and fares. Then see the London
to Genoa or London to Rome sections above to arrange trains to connect.
Remember to allow several hours for a safe connection
between train and ferry, to include ferry check-in time,
transfer from station to port, and to allow for any delay.
How to
buy tickets:
Book the ferry first. You
can book the ferry online at the
Sardinia Ferries, Grandi
Navi Veloci or Tirrenia
Lines websites, or by phone with the ferry company's UK agents. The UK agent for Grandi Navi
Veloci is Viamare
Travel on 020
8343 5810,
for Tirrenia Lines it is SMS Travel & Tourism, 020
7244 8422, for SNCM
it is Southern Ferries, on 020
7491 4968.
Then book the train from London
to Genoa or Rome as shown on this London to Italy page, or
from London to Marseille or Toulon as
shown on the London to France page.
A standard 'Seaways' class cabin with shower & toilet on
DFDS 'Princess of Norway' from Newcastle to Amsterdam.
You can take a train up
to London and travel from London to Italy as described above,
of course, and this is often the easiest option. If
you plan on doing this,
read this advice on buying
connecting train tickets up to London. But there's a
direct City Night Line
sleeper train from Amsterdam to Milan on Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights,
and
DFDS Seaways run an excellent daily
overnight cruise ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam.
P&O Ferries
also sail overnight from Hull to Holland, and there's an
overnight Stena Line ferry from Harwich in Essex to Holland,
too. So why not
by-pass London, and have a day in Amsterdam into the
bargain before travelling on to Italy?
Scotland, north of England, East
Anglia ► Italy
Day 1, Take an afternoon train from your local station
to either Harwich, Hull or Newcastle, whichever is most
convenient for where you live. Transfer to the daily
overnight cruise ferry from Harwich/Hull/Newcastle to
Holland, with bars, restaurants & comfortable en suite
cabins, arriving next morning (day 2). For details
of timetables, fares & how to buy tickets for travel to
Amsterdam via each of these ferry routes,
see the UK-Netherlands page.
Day 2, spend the day
in Amsterdam, all the sights are easy walking distance from
Centraal station. Left luggage lockers are available
at Centraal station, 4-6 euros for 24 hours, paid for with
Maestro or Visa cards.
Day 2 evening, take
the City Night Line sleeper train 'Pegasus' from Amsterdam
to Zurich. The Pegasus leaves Amsterdam at 20:31 and arriving Basel at
06:54 & Zurich at 08:20 next morning (day 3).
The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 berth rooms), couchettes
(4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats. More
information about City Night Line trains.
Day 3 morning,
take an onward daytime train through superb Alpine scenery
from Basel or Zurich to Milan. See
www.raileurope.co.uk to book this, or try
www.sbb.ch.
Day 3
afternoon, change in Milan
for an Italian domestic train to Florence, Rome,
Verona or Venice. Allow at least 45 minutes in Milan for
connections. You can check Italian train times & buy tickets
online at either
www.raileurope.co.uk (easiest to use) or
www.trenitalia.com (see
advice
on using Trenitalia.com, can be a bit cheaper but sometimes
struggles to accept UK credit cards).
Italy ►
Scotland, north of England, East Anglia
Day 1, take a morning train to Milan from Venice, Rome,
Florence, Verona or anywhere in Italy. Allow at least
an hour in Milan for connections.
You can check train times at either
www.raileurope.co.uk (easiest to use) or
www.trenitalia.com (see
advice
on using Trenitalia.com, can be a bit cheaper but sometimes
struggles to accept UK credit cards).
Day 1, take an afternoon train from Milan to either Zurich
or Basel.
You can check train times at either
www.raileurope.co.uk. Allow at least an hour in
Basel or Zurich for connections.
Day 1, evening: The
City Night Line sleeper train 'Pegasus' leaves Zurich at
20:42 or Basel at 22:07, arriving at Amsterdam Centraal at
09:03 next morning.
The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 berth rooms), couchettes
(4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats.
More information about City
Night Line trains.
Day 2: Spend the day in Amsterdam.
Left luggage lockers are available.
Day 2, late afternoon/evening: Travel overnight by cruise ferry from
Holland to either Harwich, Hull or Newcastle, whichever is
most convenient for where you live, arriving next morning (day
4). Transfer to the station and take a train home.
For details of timetables, fares & how to buy tickets for
travel via each of these ferry routes,
see the UK-Netherlands page.
To check
Amsterdam-Vienna or Amsterdam-Munich sleeper train fares &
book online, go to either
www.raileurope.co.uk (easy to use and can be cheapest
way to book, but has difficulty booking 4 berth
couchettes) or
www.bahn.de (look for the direct train with 0 changes).
What's it like on board the
Artesia sleeper trains
Palatino & Stendhal?
All
passengers on the Artesia sleeper trains from Paris to Italy get their own sleeping berth in either a
proper sleeping-car or more economical couchette car, there are no ordinary seats.
The berths convert to seating for evening and morning use.
The trains are entirely non-smoking, and there's a restaurant-buffet car for
waiter-service meals, drinks & snacks. Incidentally, these
trains travel a huge distance at up to 100 mph, and usually arrive an hour or
more late, so allow for this in
your schedule. Travelling northbound, if you miss your
Eurostar as a result of a delay to the sleeper train, don't
worry, international conditions of carriage ('CIV') mean that you're
entitled to be re-booked on the next available Eurostar at no
additional charge. For information about taking
bikes, dogs, pets & luggage, and left luggage facilities in Paris
&
Italy,
see the general information page.
...showing a
sleeper compartment on these trains.
Short PR video...
Travelling in a
sleeper is the most comfortable option, with fully-made-up beds in
small private compartments. A bedroom at night, the beds fold away for
evening & morning use, converting the compartment to a
private sitting room with sofa & coffee table.
Each compartment has a washbasin, soap & towels are
provided, and there are toilets at the end of the corridor.
There's plenty of room for your luggage on the rack above the
window and in the big recess above the door projecting out
over the corridor ceiling. Sleeper passengers receive a complimentary bottle of
mineral water in the evening and tea or coffee, fruit
juice & croissant in the morning. Sleepers are
ideal for couples wanting privacy or business travellers
who can afford sole occupancy, but beds are sold
individually so passengers travelling alone may book one
bed in a 2-bed or 3-bed compartment and share with other
civilised sleeper passengers of the same sex.
Sharing like this has been quite normal for over 100
years, and once you're in bed you cannot see the people
above or below you, giving you the comfort of a proper
sleeper rather than just a couchette, without the expense
of single occupancy. Each
sleeping-car has its own attendant, who will take your
passport and tickets soon after the train leaves Paris,
and return them to you next morning, so you are not
disturbed by ticket checks or passport control at the
Swiss or Italian frontiers during the night. The
compartment door has a security
lock which cannot be opened from outside even with a
staff key, and the refurbished sleeping-cars now have
Closed Circuit TV in the corridor for security, so you'll be both safe and snug. Sleeper
compartments have 220v shaver socket which although marked
'shavers only' can be used to recharge mobile phones or
even laptops with a European-type 2-pin adaptor. If
your budget allows, travelling in a sleeping-car is much
more comfortable than a couchette and well worth the extra
cost. Note that all sleeper compartments are
identical, with upper, middle and lower beds, allowing the
compartment to be used as a 1, 2 or 3 bed room with the
required number of beds folded out, even though booking systems classify single and
double compartments as 1st class, 3-bed compartments as
2nd class. Note that the 'Excelsior' deluxe sleepers with
private toilet & shower were discontinued in Dec 2005.
A 2-bed sleeper
on the Paris-Rome train, with the
beds folded out...
The same sleeper,
but with
the beds folded away & sofa folded out...
A refurbished sleeping-car on
the Paris-Rome overnight
express. Sleeper is the best way to travel...
First class lounges at stations for sleeper passengers: In
Paris,
sleeping-car passengers may use the 'Salon Artesia' first class lounge upstairs at
Paris Gare
de Bercy, open 17:30-20:30 daily. This has
comfortable armchairs, complimentary coffee, tea and soft drinks,
spotlessly clean toilets, magazines and newspapers.
At Italian stations such as Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice, Milan,
Bologna & Padua, sleeper passengers may use the 'Club Eurostar'
first class lounges, with newspapers, magazines, internet access &
complimentary non-alcoholic drinks. This facility for
Artesia sleeper passengers to use Club Eurostar lounges is clearly
stated under 'services in station' on the Artesia website,
www.artesia.eu,
but some lounge staff don't seem to know this, it might help to
take a printout of the website to show them!
Enjoying a meal
in the restaurant car as the sun
sets over the French countryside and the train speeds
into the night is one of the
pleasures of train travel to Italy. The
3-course 'menu del giorno' costs 28 euros,
a half bottle of wine 8 euros, a half bottle of rather
nice 'spumante' sparkling wine 10 euros. Don't
expect anything gourmet as Artesia's food doesn't
now get the best reviews, but I've always found it
reasonable, better than you get on a plane. There
are sample menus and price lists on the
Artesia
website (click 'Travelling with Artesia' then 'Food
service'). MasterCard, Visa, Amex and Diners
Club credit cards are normally accepted, but taking
cash is a good idea as their credit card machine can
sometimes break down.
You can't pre-book tables for dinner in advance, if you're in a
sleeper a steward usually comes through the sleeping-cars soon
after departure taking
dinner reservations,
but if no steward appears or if you're in a couchette, just go along to the
restaurant car as soon as possible to find a spare
seat. There are two
dinner sittings, at 20:00 & 22:00 on the Palatino,
although the 8pm sitting is very popular and sells out
fast, so be prepared to accept a reservation for the
10pm. Alternatively, nothing
stops you bringing your own picnic and bottle of wine
onto the train and enjoying it in your sleeper or
couchette compartment! In fact, it's a good idea
to bring some supplies of your own to enjoy on the
train, just in case you can't get a seat in the
restaurant or get peckish waiting for the 10pm
sitting. Breakfast
in the restaurant car costs 8 euros, no reservation
necessary, just go along when you're ready.
Enjoy the contrast in scenery over diner in France
compared with breakfast in Italy!
Dining on the Artesia sleeper trains - short PR video.
Tables in the
restaurant car of the Paris-Rome 'Palatino', set ready for dinner...
The 8pm sitting for dinner was
full, and here the 10pm sitting is almost over,
time for bed...
Restaurant car on the Paris-Rome sleeper express...
...showing a
family in one of these couchette compartments...
Couchettes
are the economy option, and they provide basic flat padded bunks at night for 4 or 6 people, arranged as
upper, middle and lower bunks on each side of the compartment.
Each bunk has its own reading light and is supplied with a sheet,
blanket and pillow which you arrange yourself. In the
evening and morning, the lower & middle bunks fold away,
converting the compartment into a comfortable seating area with
armrests and small table. A complimentary bottle of mineral
water is provided for each passenger. The compartments are
air-conditioned with adjustable temperature control. The sexes are normally mixed in couchettes as
you do not normally fully undress, but women travelling alone can
reserve places in a 4-berth ladies-only compartment if they wish.
There's plenty of room for luggage under the seats, on the luggage
rack and in the big recess above the door projecting out over the
corridor ceiling. An attendant is on duty for every pair of couchette cars, who will take your
passport and tickets soon after the train leaves Paris and return
them to you next morning, so you are not disturbed
by ticket checks or passport control at the Swiss or Italian
frontiers during the night. The compartment door has a
security lock which cannot be opened from outside even with a
staff key, so you'll be safe and snug.
Top tips: It's well worth paying the extra to travel
in a 4-person compartment as this gives you much more space than
6-person occupancy, allowing you to spread out and enjoy your
evening on the train. Middle bunks are probably the best
choice, as they are cooler than the top bunks and easier to
access, but slightly wider than the rather narrow bottom bunks.
If you don't want to use the restaurant car, why not bring along
your own picnic and bottle of wine, it's allowed! Note that
the French booking system classifies 6-person compartments as 2nd
class, 4-person compartments as 1st class, even though all
couchette compartments are identical and all in fact have 6 bunks,
it's only the number of people occupying a compartment that's
different. A 3-bed sleeper is a step up in comfort from a
4-berth couchette, even though the 3-berth sleeper is technically
classified 2nd class, the 4-berth as 1st class. So now you
know!
This is
a 4 or 6 berth couchette compartment on the 'Palatino', with
the seats folded out...
Above: Boarding the
couchette cars of the Paris-Rome 'Palatino' at the Gare de
Bercy on a summer evening...
For
general
information on travelling in a sleeping car or in a couchette,
click here.
Above: Paris Gare de Bercy, approached from Bercy metro station.
Note the escalator (which may or may not be working) next to the steps, or
there's level access via the road round to the right.
Above: The Artesia lounge on the first floor is an oasis of calm for
sleeper passengers to wait for the train to Italy to board...
The sleeper trains to Italy leave
from the Gare de Bercy, a modern and little-known station that was originally a
motorail terminal alongside the tracks leading out of the Gare de Lyon in the
rue de Bercy. The trains to Italy were moved there from the Gare de Lyon
in 2001 to make space for a big increase in the number of TGV trains using the
new high speed line to Marseille and Nice.
Station facilities at the Gare de
Bercy...
Facilities at the Gare de Bercy are
limited. It has a ticket
office, toilets, a café and small shop, but it's better to buy provisions (including maybe a bottle of wine for the journey!) before you get there. There is no left luggage facility at the Gare de Bercy, but you'll find
left luggage
lockers at the Gare de Lyon, about 700m away.
First class lounge for sleeper
passengers...
There is a VIP departure lounge on
the first floor of the Gare de Bercy marked 'Salon Artesia', which you can use
free of charge if you are travelling to Italy in a proper 1- 2- or 3-berth
sleeper (as opposed to a couchette). It has comfortable armchairs,
spotlessly clean toilets, complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks, magazines and
newspapers. The Salon Artesia is open daily from 17:30 to 20:30.
The sleeper trains to Italy normally
start boarding about 30 minutes before departure.
Take RER (express metro) line
D two stops from the Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon;
Change onto métro line 14 direction
'Olympiades' one stop to Bercy
(the metro station is just 'Bercy' not 'Gare de Bercy');
The mainline station is just a
stone's throw from Bercy métro station, but out of sight round a corner.
Simply walk straight ahead of you when you come up the steps from the métro,
round the corner with the 'Cafe Chambertin' on your right and along past the Hotel Claret.
Alternatively, a taxi from the Gare
du Nord to the Gare de Bercy should cost about 16 euros. There's
often a long queue for taxis at the Gare du Nord, but you can pre-book a taxi
transfer, see the taxi section on the crossing
Paris page.
Alternatively, if you haven't much
luggage you can walk from the Gare de Lyon. Walk onto the Gare de Lyon
forecourt and do a 180 degree turn to the left, into the rue de Bercy which runs
alongside the station back along the tracks. The Gare de Bercy is less
then a quarter of a mile from the Gare de Lyon. In the return direction,
you wont find many taxis at the Gare de Bercy, and there is only one ticket
machine at the metro station. Walking to the Gare de Lyon can be a good
idea!
A meal at Paris Gare de Lyon before you board..?
If you prefer to eat early, before
boarding the train, consider the famous 'Train Bleu' restaurant inside the
nearby Gare de Lyon. It was originally the Gare de Lyon's grand buffet,
opened in 1900 and decorated in a sumptuous art nouveau style. It's not
the cheapest restaurant around, with a set menu for around 48 euros, but the
food is superb and the surroundings are perhaps the most spectacular you will
ever eat a meal in. It's an experience in itself! The restaurant's
website is www.le-train-bleu.com,
just email them to book a table.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter 2009/10
edition (Dec 2009 to June 2010)
Summer 2010 edition (June to December 2010)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
Paying for a guidebook may seem
an unnecessary expense, but it's only a fraction of what you
spend on the whole trip. If you have a decent guidebook,
you see so much more and know so much more about what you're
looking at. I think the Lonely Planets or Rough Guides
are the best ones out there for the independent traveller.
My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe
based on this website called "The
Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and
is available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.
www.venere.com is perhaps the best website for hotels in Italy,
as they're an Italian-based company and have places in even
the smallest towns. The price
you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you just
pay the hotel when you get there. After you've booked,
you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the
hotel's own change and cancellation policy. Click these
links:
www.hotelscombined.com is a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you
(including Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Laterooms and many
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set
up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place
to start for booking any hotel online in any country,
worldwide. Although a less personal approach than using
Venere, it can save you hours going round in circles on
umpteen different hotel sites.
www.mrandmrssmith.com (no relation!) is the place to start
if you want something special for an anniversary, honeymoon,
romantic break or other special occasion.
www.mrandmrssmith.com lists hand-picked boutique hotels in
Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, Tuscany, Sicily, Sorrento,
Amalfi Coast and several other locations in Italy.
Tripadvisor hotel reviews...
www.tripadvisor.com is a good place
to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.
It also has the low-down on all the sights & attractions too.
Backpacker hostels...
www.hostelbookers.com: If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget the backpacker hostels. Hostelbookers has online booking of cheap private
rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most Italian cities and
elsewhere in Europe, at rock-bottom prices.
Italian city centres and
cars don't mix, so stick with the train to see the cities. But if you want to get out of the cities and into
the countryside, for example Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast, then hiring a car can be a great idea.
Start with
Holiday Autos,
www.holidayautos.co.uk, they're part of Lastminute.com so are reliable and have a wide range of
locations and very good prices.
The award-winning
website
www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire
companies including Holiday Autos, meaning not only a cheapest
price comparison but a wider choice of hire and drop off
location.
Never go abroad without travel insurance from a
reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself). Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
I've used
Direct Line myself and on one occasion, successfully
claimed back the cost of non-refundable Eurostar & trainhotel
tickets to Spain when we cancelled the trip because my mother
fell ill.
Feedback from
using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome!
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get an international SIM card...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, but if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85%. It
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
If you want a holiday or short
break to Italy by
train not plane, and would like someone else to organise all
the train tickets and hotels for you, several good specialist
companies can do just that. Railbookers offer
tailor-made individual holidays with departure on any date you
like, for however long you like. If you prefer to go in
a group, Treyn Holidays & Great Rail Journeys offer escorted
tours with specific departure dates.
Railbookers can
tailor-make a flight-free holiday to Italy for you, with train
travel, transfers & hotels all arranged for you, for however
long you like, leaving on any date you like. For
example, a 7-night holiday to Venice, Florence & Rome starts
at £669 per person with daytime train travel by Eurostar, TGV
& onwards trains through the Swiss Alps. If you tell
them what you want, they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you. Italy is
one of their most popular destinations, and they get a lot of
repeat business!
See their Italy page to browse suggested itineraries and
prices.
Treyn Holidays
offers train-based escorted tours to Italy, with 2* or 3* hotels and travel
by Eurostar and high-speed TGV in 2nd class. For example, a 9-day
tour to Florence, Venice and Tuscany starts at around
£1,095 per person. An 8 day tour to Lake Garda starts at around
£895. Check details at
www.treynholidays.co.uk,
then book online or call 0845 402 2069.
GRJ offers
five-star inclusive escorted tours to Italy, with 1st class train
travel and 4* or 5* hotels, from around £1,125 per person.
Tours include a
14-day Grand Tour of Italy to Florence, Venice & Rome from
£2,250, a tour to the
Bay of Naples, Capri & Amalfi from £1,895, and to Lake Garda
from £1,095, all with travel from London to Italy and back by train.
Great Rail Journeys also offer
holidays by train to other European countries. Check
the tour details online, then call 01904 527120 to
book or use their
online booking form.
Erail,
www.erail.co.uk,
020 7619 1080 (please quote 'Seat61.com'
when you call)...
If you prefer to
travel on your own unescorted, with departure on any date you
like, ERail offers an Italian Grand Tour, 9 days to
Rome, Florence & Venice from around £553 per person.
How to buy tickets online...
How
to buy tickets online at
How to buy tickets if you live
in the 
Take
the train to Italy, then hire a car:
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, see
