Choose a route... Click here for a summary of the train service on each route...
	UK to Italy by Eurostar & TGV from £65... Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, tea in the Alps, dinner in Milan, and not an airport security queue in sight.  This is the The 14:41 TGV to Milan about to leave Paris.  Find out more...

Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Milan...

London to Italy in one day by Eurostar & TGV high-speed train from just £65, with a glass of wine to hand and not an airport security queue in sight.  And great scenery, room to breath with loads of legroom, no baggage fees, no airport taxes, no seatbelt signs, no 2-hour check-ins at remote airports and under 4s go free.  See for yourself, watch the video...

Taking the train from London to Italy is surprisingly quick, comfortable, environmentally-friendly & affordable.  It's amazing some people still think you need to fly.  Take the 09:17 Eurostar from London to Paris in 2 hours 25 minutes from £39 one-way, then travel by high-speed TGV train from Paris to Turin or Milan arriving in the evening, from £26 one-way.  Next morning, Italian Frecciarossa high-speed trains whisk you from Milan to Florence in 2 hours and Rome in 3½ hours from as little as €9, or take a Frecciabianca train to Venice in 2½ hours.  Or take a lunchtime Eurostar to Paris, then the Thello sleeper train to Verona, Venice, Florence or Rome, arriving next morning.  This page explains all you need to know to plan & make a flight-free trip to Italy, and it tells you the cheapest way to buy tickets either online or by phone.

Train times, fares & tickets...

London to Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome & Naples

London to Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Modena, Ravenna

London to Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia, Elba

London to Salerno & the Amalfi coast

London to Genoa, Cinque Terre & La Spezia

London to Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, Bari, Brindisi

London to Civitavecchia for cruise connections...

London to Como

London to Palermo, Catania, Siracuse & Sicily

London to Sardinia

London & East Anglia to Italy a ferry alternative to Eurostar

Scotland & the North to Italy by ferry from Hull or Newcastle

Train travel from other European cities to Italy

Train travel from Italy to other European cities

What's it like on the Thello sleeper train to Italy?

What's it like on the Paris-Milan TGV trains?

Send your luggage in advance

Hotels in Italy  -  Car hire in Italy

City tours by Open Top Bus tours - hop on, hop off

Insurance, health card, SIM card

Tailor-made holidays & tours to Italy by train

Useful information on other pages...

A beginner's guide to train travel within Italy

General information about European train travel

Special tickets from UK stations to connect with Eurostar

How to cross Paris by metro or taxi

Luggage on trains - Left luggage facilities in Paris & Italy

How to buy cheap Italian train tickets using Trenitalia.com

Taking your bike - Taking your dog - Taking your car

People with disabilities

Thello sleeper trains Paris to Italy

TGV trains Paris to Milan

The Venice Simplon Orient Express luxury train to Venice

From the West Country or South Coast to Italy, avoiding London

Map of Milan showing stations - Map of Venice showing stations

Map of Florence showing stations - Map of Rome showing stations

Video guides...

London to Paris by Eurostar - video guide

Crossing Paris by metro - video guide

Paris to Italy by daytime TGV - video guide

Paris to Italy by Thello sleeper train - video guide

Sponsored links...

Useful country information

London to Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples

	Rome... Rome's famous Trevi fountain is just 20 minutes walk from the Stazione Termini, where you arrive by train from Paris & London...
	Florence... The best view of Florence is from the top of the Duomo's dome.  €8, 463 steps, no lift, just 10 minutes walk from Florence SMN station.
	Venice... The Rialto Bridge, just 15 minutes walk from Santa Lucia station.  This photo was taken on a short break to Italy, without flying...
	Venice Santa Lucia station is on the banks of the Grand Canal, a stroll from St Mark's Square via the Rialto Bridge.  Or take a vaporetto (water bus, seen here), water taxi, or (if you're loaded) a gondola...

Which route to choose?

There's a wide choice of routes from the UK to Italy by train, some fast and direct, some slower but amazingly scenic, some using sleeper trains, some using daytime trains. Here's a summary, just choose whichever option appeals to you most and click for details.  By all means go out one way and come back another, or stop off in Paris, Turin, Milan or Switzerland...

• Option 1, by Eurostar & Thello sleeper train...

  This is the most time-effective way to reach Italy, and it's also the cheapest option if you use a couchette, although not if you want a private 2-berth or 1-berth sleeper.  Take an afternoon Eurostar from London to Paris from just £39 one-way, then take the overnight Thello sleeper train from Paris to Milan, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence or Rome from just €35 including a couchette or from €145 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  You're there next morning!  The route is shown in red on the route map above.  Daily departures.  Click here for details.

• Option 2, by Eurostar & TGV daytime train...

  Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, tea in the Alps, dinner in Milan...  This is the other cheapest option, a fast, comfortable, civilised & scenic way to reach Italy using daytime trains.  Take the 09:17 Eurostar to Paris from just £39, then the afternoon high-speed TGV train from Paris to Turin or Milan from just £25, arriving in the evening.  Stay overnight and continue to Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples next day by Italian high-speed train from just €9.  Or travel to Paris on an evening Eurostar, stay overnight and take a morning TGV from Paris to Milan next day.  This route is shown in dark blue on the route map above.  Daily departures.  Click here for details.

• Option 3, the scenic route via the Swiss Alps...

  This is a little more expensive & takes a bit longer than options 1 or 2, but worth it for the Swiss Alpine scenery.  Take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris and an evening high-speed Lyria TGV to Zurich and stay overnight.  Next morning, take a EuroCity train to Milan via the fabulous Gotthard Pass route through the Swiss Alps.  Change in Milan for an Italian high-speed train to Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Rome or Naples.  This route is marked in orange on the route map above.  Daily departures.  Click here for details.

• Option 4, the scenic route via Munich...

  This option takes half a day longer than using the direct Thello sleeper train, but it uses a higher-quality German sleeper train followed by a daytime run through the scenic Brenner Pass with lunch in an elegant restaurant car.  Take a late afternoon Eurostar to Paris then the high-quality City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to Munich.  The deluxe sleepers even have a private shower & toilet.  Next morning, take a smart Austrian EuroCity train from Munich to Verona or Venice via the scenic Brenner Pass through the Alps, changing in Verona for Florence or Rome.  Alternatively, take daytime trains from London to Munich, stay overnight, then take the EuroCity train to Italy next morning.  This route is marked in green on the route map above.  Daily departures.  Click here for details.

• Option 5, the super-scenic Bernina Express...

  This is the ultimate five-star scenic option.  It's much slower than all the other options and takes more organisation, but it's worth it!  Travel from London to Zurich by afternoon Eurostar & evening TGV and stay overnight in Zurich.  Next morning, take a Swiss InterCity train to Chur and the fantastic narrow-gauge panoramic Bernina Express to Tirano through absolutely world-class scenery in the Swiss Alps.  An Italian regional train links Tirano with Milan arriving late afternoon.  Why not go out this route, and back by a direct route?  See the Bernina Express page for details.

• Option 6, by Venice Simplon Orient Express...

  This is the five-star luxury option.  The famous & fabulous Venice Simplon Orient Express runs from London to Venice, usually once a week from March to November.  This 24-hour journey in historic restored Pullman cars & Wagons-Lits sleepers costs around £1,920 per person including meals.  Expensive, but you really won't regret it...  See the Venice Simplon Orient Express page.

• The ferry alternatives to Eurostar...

  If you'd prefer a ferry to Eurostar, see the London & East Anglia to Italy by train & ferry section or the Scotland & the North of England to Italy section.  The London-Harwich-Hoek-Italy route is useful if you have to travel at short notice when all the cheap Eurostar tickets are sold out, if there are any problems affecting Eurostar & the Channel Tunnel or trains within France.

• Take your car to Italy by motorail train...

  If you want to take your car to Italy, you can do this using one of two special Motorail trains, one Dutch, one German.  First cross from Dover to Dunkirk by car ferry with www.dfds.com.  Then drive 2 hours 40 minutes to 's Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands for the overnight Dutch Motorail train (www.autoslaaptrein.nl) to Livorno or Alessandria, running once a week April to October.  Or you can drive 3 hours 20 minutes from Dunkirk to Dusseldorf and take German Motorail (www.dbautozug.de) overnight to Alessandria, also running once a week from April to October.  There are no motorail trains from Calais any more.  See the Motorail page for details & online booking.

Option 1:  London to Italy by Thello sleeper train

Lunch in London, Italy next morning...     Watch the video...

For most practical purposes, this doesn't take any longer than an afternoon of stressful airports & soulless flights plus a night in a hotel.  Take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris and the overnight Thello sleeper train from Paris to Milan, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence or Rome, arriving next morning.  Thello is joint venture between Trenitalia and Veolia which started a Paris-Venice sleeper train in December 2011 and a second sleeper train from Paris to Bologna, Florence & Rome train on 9 December 2012.  Thello replaces the Paris-Venice and Paris-Florence-Rome sleeper trains run by Artesia, a consortium of Trenitalia and French Railways which ceased on 10 December 2011.  The new Thello trains use similar couchettes and sleeping-cars to the previous Artesia trains but with a higher quality of on board service, no bad thing as service quality on Artesia had declined to such an extent that I had stopped recommending them.  I have tried the new Thello service and it's a fun way to reach Italy if you have realistic expectations, see the Thello sleeper video and the Thello sleeper train page.  Which is great, as I've always enjoyed having 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.  This is the route marked in red on the route map above.

London ► Milan, Verona, Venice

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:31 (14:01 on Saturdays) arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  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 Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D.  Why not take an earlier 13:31 Eurostar and have dinner at the famous Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon before catching your sleeper train to Italy?

• Travel overnight from Paris to Milan, Verona or Venice by Thello sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 19:59 daily, arriving next morning in Milan Centrale at 05:38, Brescia at 06:43, Verona at 07:25, Vicenza 08:13, Padua 08:51 and Venice (Santa Lucia station in central Venice) at 09:34.  The train has 1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed sleepers, 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes and a restaurant car.  More photos & information about the Thello sleeper trains from Paris to Italy.  Map of Venice showing Santa Lucia station.

London ► Bologna, Florence, Rome

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:31 Mondays-Fridays, 14:01 on Saturdays or 13:31 on Sundays, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:47 Mondays-Fridays, 17:17 on Saturdays or 16:47 on Sundays.  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 Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D.  Why not take an earlier 12:25 Eurostar and have an early dinner at the famous Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon before catching your sleeper train to Italy?

• Travel overnight from Paris to Bologna, Florence or Rome by daily Thello sleeper train (which starts running 9 December onwards), leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 19:14 on Mondays-Fridays or 18:45 at weekends, arriving next morning in Bologna Centrale at 06:00, Florence Campo Di Marte at 07:12, Rome Stazione Termini at 10:12.  The train has 1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed sleepers, 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes and a restaurant car.  More photos & information about the Thello sleeper train from Paris to Italy.  Map of Rome showing stations.

• Going to central Florence?  Florence Campo Di Marte station is on the outskirts of central Florence.  However, frequent local trains link Campo Marte station with Florence's main Santa Maria Novella (SMN) station in the city centre, running every 10-35 minutes or so, journey time 8 minutes, fare €1.50.  Alternatively, take a bus (routes 12 or 19) or a taxi.  From Florence's SMN station it's just 10 minutes walk to the Duomo and a few more minutes walk to the Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte Vecchio.  As there's only a small taxi rank at Campo Marte station, a top tip is to have a coffee in the bar across the road and ask the manager to call a taxi for you.  If you're going to Siena, Lucca & Pisa, you'll generally need to take a local train from Campo Marte to SMN and change there, as these local trains leave from SMN.

• Heading for Naples?  Allow at least an hour to change trains in Rome in case of any delay, preferably more.  A Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Rome Termini at 11:45 arriving Naples Centrale at 12:55.  There's a restaurant car on board, so treat yourself to lunch!  Change in Naples for the Circumvesuviana Railway to Pompeii & Sorrento and ferries to Capri & Ischia.

Venice, Verona, Milan ► London

• Travel overnight from Venice, Verona or Milan to Paris by Thello sleeper train, leaving Venice Santa Lucia station on the banks of the Grand Canal in central Venice at 19:57, Padua 20:33, Vicenza 20:52, Verona 21:24, Brescia 22:06 or Milan Centrale at 23:38 and arriving in Paris Gare de Lyon at 09:26 next morning.  The train has 1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed sleepers, 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes and a restaurant car.  In Milan, you can board the train from 23:05 onwards.  More photos & information about the Thello sleeper train from Venice to Paris.  Map of Venice showing Santa Lucia station.

• Cross Paris by métro to the Gare du Nord, just 2 stops on RER line D.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.  By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while, or if this has cheaper tickets available.  Always check Thello times for your date before booking the Eurostar connections.

Rome, Florence, Bologna ► London

• Coming from Naples?  Travel from Naples to Rome by Frecciarossa high-speed train, leaving Naples Centrale at 17:00 arriving Roma Termini at 18:10.

• Coming from Florence city centre?  Frequent local trains link Florence's main Santa Maria Novella (SMN) station with Florence Campo Di Marte station (located on the outskirts of central Florence, from where the Thello sleeper train to Paris leaves), about every 15 minutes, journey time 8 minutes, fare €1.50.  Alternatively, take a taxi or bus routes 13 or 19 to Campo Di Marte station.  Facilities at Campo Marte are very limited, so buy any provisions before you get there.

• Travel overnight from Rome, Florence or Bologna to Paris by Thello sleeper train, leaving Rome Stazione Termini at 19:25, Florence Campo Marte station at 21:34 or Bologna Centrale at 22:34, arriving in Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:18 next morning.  The train has 1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed sleepers, 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes and a restaurant car.  Florence Campo Marte station is a small station on the outskirts of central Florence, you can take a taxi or frequent local train to Campo Marte from Florence's main Santa Maria Novella station in the city centre.  More photos & information about the Thello sleeper trains from Italy to Paris.  Map of Rome showing stations.

• Cross Paris by métro to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 14:39.  On some days, usually Mondays, Fridays & Sundays you'll find an earlier 12:13 Eurostar, arriving London 13:30.  By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while, or if this has cheaper tickets available.  Always check Thello times for your date before booking the Eurostar connection.

See the Eurostar page for information about the train from London to Paris.

What is the Thello Paris-Italy sleeper train like?       Watch the Thello video guide

See the Thello sleeper train page for photos and a description of each type of couchette & sleeper, and for more information about this train, including the restaurant.  Enjoy dinner with wine in the restaurant (see a sample menu), 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.  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 train passes through Switzerland and the Simplon Tunnel under the Alps, running in places at up to 100 mph.  The trains can arrive late, so allow for at least a 60 minute delay in your schedule and stay relaxed.  Don't worry about missing your Eurostar on the return journey, as international CIV conditions of carriage entitle you to be rebooked on the next available Eurostar if the sleeper runs late.  Until 10 December 2011, the sleeper trains to Italy were run by Artesia, a Trenitalia-led consortium of the French and Italian national railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains, from 11 December they are run by Thello, a new partnership of Trenitalia and Veolia.  The Thello service uses similar equipment to Artesia but with better service quality, with new staff and catering.  Just make sure your expectations are realistic, read the Man in Seat 61's opinion here.

A sleeping-car on the Thello sleeper train to Venice boarding at Paris Gare de Lyon...		1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper, beds folded away, sofa folded out.		1, 2 or 3-bed sleeper, in night mode.  More Thello info here.

4 or 6 berth couchette compartment. More info here.		A couchette car on the overnight Thello train from Paris to Venice, boarding at Paris Gare de Lyon, platform 'M'.

The restaurant car on the Thello train, a 3-course meal costs €28.  See a sample menu.  More Thello info here.  Or feel free to bring your own picnic and bottle of wine and eat in your compartment - or perhaps have a meal at the Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon before boarding.

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets online...

Anyone from any country can easily book a London-Paris-Italy journey as follows, at the cheapest prices with print-at-home tickets.  The Paris-Italy sleeper trains are now run by Thello, a consortium of Trenitalia and Veolia with no SNCF (French Railways) involvement, so you can no longer book at SNCF stations or websites, although Thello have their own sales point at Paris Gare de Lyon.

• Step 1, buy your Paris-Italy sleeper ticket online using the booking form on the right which connects to www.italiarail.com or buy direct from Thello at www.thello.com.

  Bookings should open 120 days ahead, other than when engineering works or the mid-December & mid-June timetable changes shorten this.

  You'll need passport numbers, full names & contact details for each passenger.  You don't get a ticket, simply a booking reference (PNR) to quote on board.

  Children under 4 sharing a bed go free on Thello, children under 12 go at the child rate.

  You may find this Thello berth numbering plan useful.  Yes, berths 21 & 25 (for example) are indeed together in the same 2-berth compartment. 

  If you book 2 beds in 2-berth, or 4 berths in 4-berth couchettes, yes, the system does automatically put you together in the same compartment.

  If you buy from www.italiarail.com, I've arranged for them to refund the €3.50 booking fee if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR.

  Note that www.raileurope.co.uk can also sell Thello tickets, but Thello have only allowed them to sell the more expensive fares.  For example, Paris-Venice starts at €35 (£32) at www.thello.com but starts at £73 on Rail Europe.

• Step 2, buy your Eurostar ticket online at www.eurostar.com and simply print out your own ticket.  Easy!

  Eurostar booking opens 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting until the sleeper train bookings open before booking a non-refundable non-changeable Eurostar ticket, so you can confirm the sleeper train's Paris departure and arrival times, in case of any changes due to engineering work.  Always allow at least 90 minutes to change trains & stations in Paris, in both directions.

  If you live outside London, www.eurostar.com sells cheap through tickets from 130 other UK towns and cities to Paris.  If your town isn't listed, you can buy a separate ticket up to London to connect with Eurostar, see the advice on buying connecting tickets from other UK towns & cities here.

  If you want to choose your exact seat, www.eurostar.com allows you to choose your seat from a numbered seating plan, look closely for the 'choose exact seat' link towards the end of the process.  Tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

• Step 3, book onward Italian trains at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, seat61 receives some commission if you book this way and they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train. 

  Always allow at least an hour after the scheduled arrival of the sleeper for connections, preferably more, as it can run an hour late or sometimes longer.  If you're happy with 'no refunds, limited or no changes to travel plans', you should look for a cheap Super-Economy or Economy fare.  If the sleeper runs late and you miss the connection, you should be entitled to be re-booked on a later train, even with a Super-Economy or Economy fare, under the CIV international conditions of carriage.

How to buy tickets by phone or in person...

Thello is a new partnership of Trenitalia and Veolia, operating into France in competition with SNCF French Railways.  As a result, you can no longer book the Paris-Italy sleeper trains through French Railways, and indeed Rail Europe (being a French Railways subsidiary) cannot at present book the Thello sleeper trains.  However, agencies using the German reservation system can certainly book this train, so try contacting Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66  (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-17:30 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat, £35 booking fee).  Click here for a list of agencies and other useful information on how to book.

Watch the Thello video guide...

Option 2:  London to Italy by Eurostar & TGV

Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in Milan...  

	To Italy in an armchair... A cosy table for two in 1st class on the Paris-Milan TGV... Watch the video - Buy tickets

Every day, three 186 mph TGV trains run by SNCF French Railways link Paris with Turin & Milan, with connections to Florence, Venice, Rome and Naples.  You can leave London mid-morning and reach Turin or Milan by late evening the same day, stay overnight then travel to Florence, Venice, Rome or Naples by Italian high-speed train next day.  Or leave London in the evening, stay overnight in Paris, and travel from Paris to Milan next morning with same-day connections to Florence, Venice, Rome or Naples.  In fact, if you can get into London early enough for the 05:40 Mondays-Fridays departure, it's now possible to travel from London to Florence, Venice or Rome in a day.  This route is usually the most inexpensive way to reach Italy by train, with Paris-Milan fares from just £26 each way.  It's also a scenic option, marked in dark blue on the route map above, see the video guide, although admittedly not as scenic as the more expensive route via the Swiss Alps in option 4.  Milan is a great city, with the best onward connections to other Italian cities, but Turin is even better with lots to see, well worth a stopover.  Indeed, it could be Italy's most under-rated city, even if you're not an aficionado of 'The Italian Job'.   Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the famous Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon before catching your TGV to Italy?

Summary timetable...

For connections to/from Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Verona & Venice, see the Journeys in detail section below.

*  Following day, overnight hotel in Paris necessary.  Southbound, why not book an earlier Eurostar and have dinner in Paris, northbound book a later one and have a leisurely breakfast.

** No Eurostar connection early enough at weekends.  But you can always take a Eurostar the night before and stop over in Paris.

How much does it cost?   How to buy tickets   What is the Paris-Milan TGV like?   Paris-Milan TGV video guide   Map of Milan showing stations

IMPORTANT:  Engineering work alterations...  These trains are affected by engineering work on a number of specific dates in March, April, May & June 2013, click here to see which dates are affected.  If you go online to www.raileurope.co.uk or www.voyages-sncf.com and these trains show up for your date of travel in the search results, that's fine and they are running normally, but if you go online and don't see these trains in your search results it means one of two things, either that they are currently closed for sale while the engineering work is firmed up and they will open for booking in due course, or possibly that they have been cancelled.  Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing which it is!  Alternatives via Switzerland will be shown, of course.

Southbound journeys in detail...

London ► Italy, 05:40 departure from London (Mondays-Fridays only)...

If you can get into central London early enough (remembering Eurostar's 30 minute check-in of course), it's now possible to travel from London to Florence, Venice, Verona or Rome in one day, at least on weekdays.  Remember that you can also join the weekday 05:40 Eurostar to Paris at Ebbsfleet or Ashford.

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 05:40 Mondays-Fridays, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:17.  There is no Eurostar early enough at weekends, unless you want to leave London the night before and stop overnight in a hotel in Paris.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).

• Travel from Paris to Turin or Milan by high-speed Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon daily at 10:41 arriving Turin Porta Susa at 16:17 and Milan Porta Garibaldi at 17:46.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from France into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps, see the video guide below.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.

• For Bologna, Florence or Rome, get off the TGV at Turin Porta Susa.  A Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Turin Porta Susa at 18:14 daily, arriving Bologna 20:20, Florence Santa Maria Novella (SMN) at 21:04 and Rome Stazione Termini at 22:30.

• For Verona or Venice, get off the TGV at Turin Porta Susa.  A Frecciabianca train leaves Turin Porta Susa daily at 17:19 arriving Verona 20:27 and Venice Santa Lucia at 21:40.

• For all other destinations simply check train times from Turin or Milan to any Italian destination at www.trenitalia.com.

• How much does it cost?   How to buy tickets    Map of Milan showing stations   Paris-Milan TGV video guide.

London ► Italy, 09:17 departure Mon-Fri, 09:31 Saturdays, 09:22 Sundays...

This service has a convenient mid-morning departure from London, and you can reach Turin or Milan in the evening the same day.  However, you'll need to stay overnight in either Turin or Milan before onward travel to Florence, Venice, Rome or Naples.

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 09:17 on Mondays-Fridays, 09:31 on Saturdays or 09:22 on Sundays, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 12:47.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).  Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the famous Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon?

• Travel from Paris to Turin or Milan by high-speed Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon daily at 14:41 and arriving Turin Porta Susa at 20:13 and Milan Porta Garibaldi at 21:45.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from France into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps, see the video guide below.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Turin or Milan.  Atahotel The Big & Atahotel Executive are very convenient as they're just across the road from Milan Porta Garibaldi station.  Hotels in Turin.  Hotels in Milan.

• For Bologna, Florence, Rome or Naples:  If you stay overnight in Turin (a lovely city!), a Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Turin Porta Nuova at 08:02 or Turin Porta Susa at 08:14, and arrives Bologna 10:20, Florence SMN at 11:04 and Rome Termini at 12:30.  By all means book a later train and have a leisurely breakfast, or explore Turin for a few hours.  If you prefer to overnight in Milan, new private operator NTV operates superb high-speed Italo trains from Milan Porta Garibaldi station (where the TGV from Paris arrives) to Bologna, Florence, Rome Tiburtina and Naples Centrale in competition with Trenitalia, see www.italotreno.it for times, fares and online tickets.  For example, the 08:34 Italo from Milan Porta Garibaldi will get you to Bologna Centrale at 09:47, Florence SMN in the city centre at 10:25, Rome Tiburtina (a taxi ride from central Rome) at 11:54, Naples Centrale 13:05.  Or there are earlier or later trains.

• For Verona or Venice:  If you stay overnight in Turin, there's a Frecciabianca train leaving Turin Porta Nuova at 07:05 or Turin Porta Susa at 07:19, arriving Verona 10:27 & Venice 11:40.  If you prefer to stay overnight in Milan, the same train leaves Milan Centrale at 08:05.  But by all means have a leisurely breakfast at your hotel and catch a later train, check train times at www.trenitalia.com.

• For all other destinations simply check train times from Turin or Milan at www.trenitalia.com.  Allow at least an hour to connect in Turin or Milan to allow for any delay, and remember that the TGV from Paris arrives at Milan Porta Garibaldi, Italo trains also leave from Porta Garibaldi, but most other Italian trains leave from Milan Centrale, a 10 minute €6 taxi ride or 25 minute walk from Porta Garibaldi.

• How much does it cost?   How to buy tickets    Map of Milan showing stations

London ► Italy, 20:01 departure from London, hotel in Paris, morning TGV to Italy...

This service is useful if you need an evening departure from London, after business hours.  You stop overnight in a hotel in Paris, then take a morning TGV to Milan with arrival in Italy in the afternoon.

• Travel from London to Paris Gare du Nord on any evening Eurostar you like.  The last one leaves London St Pancras at 20:01 arriving Paris Nord at 23:17.  There's also a 20:31 on Sundays.

• Spend the night in Paris.  These hotels near the Gare de Lyon get good reviews:  Hotel Terminus Lyon (right in front of the station, 3-star, doubles €139);  Mercure Paris Gare de Lyon (on the station itself, 4-star, doubles €120);   Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon (opposite the station, 4-star, doubles €139);  Mistral Hotel (800m from Gare de Lyon, 1-star, doubles €68);  Hotel de Reims (5 min walk from Gare de Lyon, 2-star, doubles €86).  More Paris hotels.

• Next morning, travel from Paris to Milan by high-speed TGV leaving Paris Gare de Lyon daily at 07:49 arriving Turin Porta Susa at 13:25 & Milan Porta Garibaldi at 14:45.  A cafe-bar is available.  Alternatively, have a leisurely breakfast then take the later TGV leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 10:41, arriving Turin Porta Susa 16:17 and Milan Porta Garibaldi 17:46.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from France into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps, see the video guide below.

• For Bologna, Florence, Rome & Naples:  If you take the 07:49 TGV from Paris, get off in Milan Porta Garibaldi at 14:45 and take the 15:34 high-speed Italo train from Milan Porta Garibaldi to Bologna arriving at 16:47, Florence Santa Maria Novella 17:25, Rome Tiburtina (a taxi ride from central Rome) 18:54 and Naples Centrale at 20:05.  You can check these times at www.italotreno.it.  If you choose the 10:41 TGV from Paris, get off at Turin Porta Susa.  A Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Turin Porta Susa at 18:14 daily, arriving Bologna 20:20, Florence Santa Maria Novella (SMN) at 21:04 and Rome Stazione Termini at 22:30, you can check these train times at www.trenitalia.com.

• For Verona & Venice, get off at Turin Porta Susa.  If you take the 07:49 TGV from Paris arriving Turin at 13:25, a Frecciabianca train leaves Turin Porta Susa daily at 14:19 arriving Verona at 17:27 & Venice Santa Lucia at 18:40.  If you choose the 10:41 TGV from Paris arriving Turin at 16:17, a Frecciabianca train leaves Turin Porta Susa daily at 17:19 arriving Verona 20:27 and Venice Santa Lucia at 21:40.

• For all other destinations simply check train times from Turin or Milan at www.trenitalia.com.  Allow at least an hour to connect in Turin or Milan to allow for any delay, and remember that the TGV from Paris arrives at Milan Porta Garibaldi, Italo trains also leave from Porta Garibaldi, but most other Italian trains leave from Milan Centrale, a 10 minute €6 taxi ride or 25 minute walk from Porta Garibaldi.

• How much does it cost?   How to buy tickets    Map of Milan showing stations   Paris-Milan TGV video guide

Northbound journeys in detail...

Italy ► London on the 06:00 TGV from Milan...

• From Rome, Florence or Bologna:  Travel from from Rome, Florence or Bologna to Turin or Milan by any afternoon or evening high-speed train you like, and stay overnight in Turin or Milan.  For example, a Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Rome Stazione Termini at 17:00 and arrives Turin Porta Nuova at 21:15;  Alternatively, another Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Naples Centrale daily at 17:00, Rome Stazione Termini at 18:25, Florence SMN at 20:00 & Bologna at 20:38 arriving Milan Centrale at 21:40.  But by all means book an earlier train if you like.  You can check train times to Turin or Milan from any Italian city using www.trenitalia.com.  Alternatively, new private operator NTV now also operates superb high-speed Italo trains direct to Milan Porta Garibaldi station from Bologna, Florence, Rome Tiburtina and Naples Centrale, in competition with Trenitalia, see www.italotreno.it for times, fares and online tickets.

• From Venice or Verona:  Travel from Venice or Verona to Milan or Turin by any afternoon or evening train you like.  For example, a Frecciabianca leaves Venice Santa Lucia at 18:20 or Verona at 19:30, arriving Milan Centrale at 20:55 and Turin Porta Susa at 22:40.  Or there are earlier trains, or indeed later trains as far as Milan.  You can check train times from any Italian city to Turin or Milan using www.trenitalia.com.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Turin or Milan.  Atahotel The Big & Atahotel Executive are very convenient as they're just across the road from Milan Porta Garibaldi station.  Hotels in Turin.  Hotels in Milan.

• Travel from Milan or Turin to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Milan Porta Garibaldi daily at 06:00 or Turin Porta Susa at 07:39 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 13:23.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from Italy into France via the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps and Modane.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.

• Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord (2 stops on RER line D).

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord daily at 15:13, arriving London St Pancras at 16:39.

• How much does it cost?    How to buy tickets    Map of Milan showing stations   Paris-Milan TGV video guide

Italy ► London on the 08:50 TGV from Milan...

• From Naples, Rome, Florence or Bologna:  Travel from from Rome, Florence or Bologna to Turin or Milan by any afternoon or evening high-speed train you like, and stay overnight in Turin or Milan.  For example, a Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Rome Stazione Termini at 17:00 and arrives Turin Porta Nuova at 21:15;  Alternatively, another Frecciarossa high-speed train leaves Naples Centrale daily at 17:00, Rome Stazione Termini at 18:25, Florence SMN at 20:00 & Bologna at 20:38 arriving Milan Centrale at 21:40.  But by all means book an earlier train if you like.  You can check train times to Turin or Milan from any Italian city using www.trenitalia.com.  Alternatively, new private operator NTV now also operates superb high-speed Italo trains direct to Milan Porta Garibaldi station from Bologna, Florence, Rome Tiburtina and Naples Centrale, in competition with Trenitalia, see www.italotreno.it for times, fares and online tickets.

• From Venice or Verona:  Travel from Venice or Verona to Milan or Turin by any afternoon or evening train you like, and stay overnight in Turin or Milan.  For example, a Frecciabianca leaves Venice Santa Lucia at 18:20 or Verona at 19:30, arriving Milan Centrale at 20:55 and Turin Porta Susa at 22:40.  Or there are earlier trains, of course.  You can check train times from any Italian city to Turin or Milan at www.trenitalia.com.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Turin or Milan.  Atahotel The Big & Atahotel Executive are very convenient as they're just across the road from Milan Porta Garibaldi station.  Hotels in Turin.  Hotels in Milan.

• Travel from Milan or Turin to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Milan Porta Garibaldi at 08:50 or Turin Porta Susa at 10:15 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 16:11.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from Italy into France via the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps and Modane.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.

• Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord (2 stops on RER line D).

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord on at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays), arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).

• How much does it cost?    How to buy tickets   Map of Milan showing stations   Paris-Milan TGV video guide

Italy ► London on the 16:10 TGV from Milan, with overnight stop in Paris...

This service is useful if you need to be back in London in time for the start of the business day!

• From Naples, Rome, Florence or Bologna:  Travel to Milan by Frecciarossa high-speed train leaving Naples Centrale at 10:00, Rome Termini at 11:25, Florence SMN at 13:00 or Bologna at 13:38 arriving Milan Centrale at 14:40, then take a €6 taxi ride or 25 minute 1.8 km walk from Milan Centrale to Milan Porta Garibaldi.  Alternatively, travel with new private operator NTV who operate high-speed Italo trains in competition with Trenitalia, leaving Naples Centrale at 10:45, Rome Tiburtina (a €10 taxi ride from central Rome) at 11:55, Florence SMN at 13:25 or Bologna at 14:03, arriving Milan Porta Garibaldi at 15:18.  This saves changing stations in Milan! see www.italotreno.it for times, fares and online tickets.

• From Venice or Verona:  A Frecciabianca leaves Venice Santa Lucia daily at 11:50 or Verona at 13:02, arriving at Milan Centrale 14:40.  Walk (1.8km, 25 minutes) or taxi (5 minutes, €6) from Milan Centrale to Milan Porta Garibaldi.

• From other Italian cities:  You can check train times from any Italian station to Milan using www.trenitalia.com.  Allow at least 1 hour in Milan to allow for any delay.

• Travel from Milan to Paris by high-speed TGV leaving Milan Porta Garibaldi at 16:10 or Turin Porta Susa at 17:35, arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 23:21.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from Italy into France via the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps and Modane.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Paris.  These hotels near Gare de Lyon get good reviews:  Hotel Terminus Lyon (right in front of the station, 3-star, doubles €139);  Mercure Paris Gare de Lyon (on the station itself, 4-star, doubles €120);   Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon (opposite the station, 4-star, doubles €139);  Mistral Hotel (800m from Gare de Lyon, 1-star, doubles €68);  Hotel de Reims (5 min walk from Gare de Lyon, 2-star, doubles €86);  More Paris hotels.

• Next morning, travel from London to Paris Gare du Nord on any Eurostar you like.  The first one usually leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 07:13 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving London at 08:30.  On Sundays the first train is the 08:13 arriving London at 09:30.  But by all means book a later one.

• How much does it cost?    How to buy tickets   Map of Milan showing stations   Paris-Milan TGV video guide

What's the journey like?

London to Paris from £39:  See the Eurostar page

Paris to Milan by high-speed TGV train from €29...

SNCF (French Railways) operates three daily 186 mph TGV trains from Paris to Turin & Milan.  Previously operated by Artesia, a consortium of Trenitalia & SNCF, they are now operated entirely by SNCF, officially via a new Italian subsidiary, Società Viaggiatori Italia.  On leaving Paris they sprint over the high-speed line at up to 186 mph (300 km/h) as far as Lyon St Exupéry, but they then slow right down to meander through the scenic Alpine foothills on conventional lines via Chambéry, crossing into Italy at Modane and heading through Turin to Milan.  These TGVs have 1st & 2nd class seats and are fully air-conditioned, with new interiors designed by Christian Lacroix.  There are power sockets for laptops and mobiles at every seat and 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.  In first class you can order a 3-course meal with wine, served at your seat.  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.  Incidentally, SNCF's experienced in-house designer still hasn't forgiven Christian Lacroix for breaking the unwritten rule and using warm colours in 2nd class, cooler colours in 1st class, so see what you think!

Seating plans for the Paris-Milan TGVs:  See seating plans here.

2nd class seats...  See panorama photo.		The 14:41 TGV to Milan at the Gare de Lyon...

Cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & hot dishes...		1st class seats...  See panorama photo.

Scenery from the Paris-Milan TGV...

The TGV crosses rural France at up to 186 mph...		...then slows right down through the Alpine foothills.

The TGV crosses the Alps via Chambéry and Modane, passing through the 13.6 km (8.5 mile) long Fréjus Rail Tunnel, also known less accurately as the Mont Cénis tunnel.  The tunnel transit takes just 7 minutes, during which the train enters Italy.  Opened in 1871, this the oldest of the large tunnels through the Alps, and was the longest tunnel in the world from 1871 until 1882 when the Gotthard tunnel opened on the Zurich-Milan route.

More mountains...		Now we're in Italy, leaving the Alps behind...

Watch the Paris-Milan TGV video guide...

Milan to Florence, Rome, Naples by Frecciarossa from €9:   Frecciarossa info & video

Frecciarossa trains are being refurbished with not two but four classes:  Standard (2nd class), Premium (premium 2nd class), Business (1st class) and Executive (premium 1st class).  Premium & Business classes include snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, Executive includes hot or cold meals and soft and alcoholic drinks.  Originally, only Premium, Business and Executive passengers were allowed to use the restaurant car, but after a public outcry all passengers can now use it.  Unfortunately, Trenitalia's free WiFi on these trains requires an Italian +39 mobile number for registration, so is of no use to non-Italians.  The photos below show the original two-class Frecciarossa still used on some services.  See the Frecciarossa information page for more details and a video guide.

A Frecciarossa ETR500 train capable of 250 km/h (155 mph) on the new Italian high-speed network.  The name means Red Arrow.		First class seats, all with power sockets for laptops & mobiles.  A complimentary coffee, juice or prosecco is served at your seat...

Second class on a AV ETR500 Frecciarossa train.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles.		On the Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples route a 3-course lunch in the restaurant costs €32, ½ bottle of wine €9, credit cards accepted.

...or try the competition, NTV's Italo:   Italo information page   Watch the Italo video

Trenitalia now has competition.  A private company called NTV has started running Italo trains between Milan Porta Garibaldi and Bologna, Florence SMN, Rome Tiburtina and Naples Centrale, in competition with State-run operator Trenitalia.  Italo uses Milan Porta Garibaldi, the same station as the TGV from Paris, so avoids the need to transfer to Milan Centrale.  However, note that in Rome it uses the less central Tiburtina station, a taxi ride from central Rome.  On Italo there are 3 classes:  Smart (2nd class), Prima (1st class) & Club (premium 1st), all with Poltrona Frau leather seats and free WiFi.  For more information about Italo, see the Italo page.

Leather seats in Smart class (2nd class) on Italo.		An Italo train at Rome Tiburtina

Trenitalia's Frecciabianca trains from Turin and Milan to Verona and Venice...

A Frecciabianca train at Milan Centrale...  Frecciabiancas link Milan with Verona & Venice every hour or so, at up to 125 mph...		2nd class seat, most with access to a power socket for laptops or mobiles.  There's a small bar, and a refreshment trolley comes down the train...

This is 1st class, more spacious and less crowded.  All seats have power sockets for laptops or mobiles, and there's a complimentary coffee from the trolley...		A Frecciabianca to Venice, about to leave Milan.  A strange train - two modern power cars sandwich former intercity carriages.  This shows the new colour scheme.

How much does it cost?

Add up the cost of the three tickets you need.  The cheap fares vary like air fares, so you'll need to go online to check actual prices for your date of travel.

How to buy tickets online...

Step 1, book your Paris-Milan TGV...

• First, book the TGV from Paris to Turin or Milan & back with French Railways or one of their Rail Europe subsidiaries:

  - www.raileurope.co.uk if you live in the UK, backed by UK call centre. 

  - www.raileurope.com if you live in the USA.

  - www.raileurope.ca if you live in Canada.

  - www.raileurope-world.com if you live in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa, South America.

  - www.loco2.com works for anyone from any country.

  - www.voyages-sncf.com works for anyone from any country, but read the booking tips.

• All these websites should now sell tickets for the Paris-Italy TGV trains at the same prices, give or take exchange rates, although booking fees may vary.  www.loco2.com, www.raileurope.co.uk & www.voyages-sncf.com charge no booking fee at all if you use a debit card.  www.voyages-sncf.com offers seating options such as 'dual face to face' in 1st class, the other sites don't.

• Booking usually opens 92 days ahead, although the Europe-wide timetable changes on the 2nd Sunday June and in December can shorten this to maybe 60 days for dates immediately after the change.  You can always reserve hotel accommodation risk-free before booking your trains if you use a site like www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• You'll usually get a print-at-home e-ticket.  Easy!

• If you're a nervous first-time booker, www.raileurope.co.uk & the other Rail Europes can in fact book you from London to Milan all in one go if you like, but it's usually better to split the booking into London-Paris & Paris-Milan as shown here, because this gives you more control and allows you to arrange stopovers in Paris or mix-and-match 2nd class on Eurostar with a cheap 1st class ticket on the TGV.

Step 2, buy your Eurostar ticket at www.eurostar.com...

• Now buy your Eurostar ticket from London to Paris direct with Eurostar at www.eurostar.com.

• Anyone from any country can buy tickets at www.eurostar.com, you simply print your own ticket or can choose to collect it at the station from the e-ticket machines.

• Booking opens 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting until 92 days so you can double-check the Paris arrival & departure times for your TGV before committing to a non-refundable non-changeable Eurostar ticket.

• By all means choose an earlier Eurostar than the one suggested, or a later one on the way back, if you want to stop off in Paris or if it has cheaper fares available.  Just make sure you always allow at least 60 minutes southbound, 90 minutes northbound, to change trains and stations in Paris.

• Want to choose your exact seat?  www.eurostar.com allows you to choose an exact seat from a numbered seating plan, look closely for the 'choose exact seat' link towards the end of the process.  See tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

• Travelling from outside London?  At the UK-English version of www.eurostar.com you can buy a through ticket to Paris from 130 UK towns and cities, one-way or return, in either direction.  If your town isn't listed as one of the 130, you can buy a separate ticket up to London to connect with Eurostar, see the advice here.

Step 3, buy Italian train tickets at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com

• The cheapest way to buy Italian tickets from Turin or Milan to other Italian cities is at www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com.

• Booking for Italian long-distance trains normally opens 120 days ahead, but the Europe-wide timetable changes on the 2nd Sunday in June and the 2nd Sunday in December often shorten this to around 60 days. 

• www.italiarail.com is an agency which links directly to Trenitalia's ticketing system.  It's easy to use, it's in plain English, seat61 receives some commission if you book this way and they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you send an email to seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR.

• Trenitalia's own site www.trenitalia.com is also now pretty easy to use, although you'll need to use Italian-language place names such as Firenze for Florence and Napoli for Naples, it has a few quirks, especially when booking sleepers, so see this advice on using it.  However, there is no booking fee and it allows specific seat selection on high-speed trains.

• Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both offer ticketless travel for high-speed, InterCity & sleeper trains, you simply quote your PNR booking reference on board the train.  Simple!

• The competing Italo trains between Milan and Florence, Rome or Naples can be booked direct with Italo at www.italotreno.it, which is also ticketless.

  How to buy tickets by phone or in person...

If you live in the UK and would prefer to book by phone, you can call one of several European rail booking agencies including www.raileurope.co.uk on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, closed Sundays, £8 phone booking fee) or Ffestiniog Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee).  Rail Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 193 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EU, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00 Saturdays.  For more information on buying European train tickets, see the How to buy European train tickets page.

Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements:  www.railbookers.com...

If you'd rather an expert arranged your whole trip for you, with hotels, train bookings and transfers all sorted with one phone call, contact reliable train travel specialist Railbookers, who now operate in the USA, Australia as well as the UK.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday or tour for you.

  UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.com. 

Call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or www.us.railbookers.com.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au. 

  New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website.

Option 3:  London to Italy via Zurich

London to Italy via the Gotthard Pass through the Swiss Alps...

This option takes a few hours longer and costs a few pounds more than using the Paris-Milan TGVs suggested in option 2, but the daytime journey through the Swiss Alps from Switzerland to Italy is a wonderful experience, see the scenery photos below.  Take a lunchtime Eurostar to Paris then an evening TGV-Lyria to either Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel or Zurich and stay overnight.  Next morning, take a tilting EuroCity train to Milan, twisting and turning through the Alpine scenery, with onward train connections from Milan to almost anywhere in Italy.  The most scenic route is via Zurich & the Gotthard Pass, so that's the route I recommend here, it's the route marked in orange on the route map above.  TGV-Lyria is the consortium of French and Swiss railways formed to operate the high-speed trains from Paris to Switzerland.  Incidentally, Paris-Zurich TGVs were speeded up by half an hour from 11 December 2011, as they now use the brand-new Rhine-Rhone TGV line and leave from Paris Gare de Lyon, not the Gare de l'Est as previously.

London ► Italy

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 13:31 (14:01 on Saturdays) arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 16:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  Cross Paris by metro to the Gare de Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D.

• Travel from Paris to Zurich by 198mph Lyria TGV, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 18:23 and arriving in Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 22:26.  This particular departure is an impressive 200mph double-deck TGV-Duplex, I recommend booking an upper deck seat for the best views.  But by all means catch an earlier service from London to Zurich if you want to reach Zurich earlier in the evening, see the Switzerland page for full details.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Zurich.  Search Zurich hotels at Booking.com.  For something special, book the wonderful Hotel Schweizerhof is located right next to Zurich station.  One of my favourite hotels, they'll even send a uniformed commissionaire to meet you at the station and carry your bags across the road.

• Travel from Zurich to Como and Milan by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 07:01 and arriving Como San Giovanni at 10:15 and Milan Centrale at 10:50.  Alternatively, for for a later start and time for breakfast at your hotel, leaving Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 09:09 arriving Como at 12:15 and Milan Centrale at 12:50.  These trains take you through the amazingly scenic Gotthard route, past towering snow-capped mountains, villages & vineyards, climbing steadily up to the Gotthard Tunnel then descending towards Italy, with glimpses of Lake Lugano.

• For Bologna, Florence, Rome or Naples:  Travel from Milan to Bologna, Florence, Rome or Naples by Frecciarossa high-speed train.  If you leave Zurich on the 07:09 you can connect with the 12:15 Frecciarossa from Milan Centrale arriving Bologna 13:20, Florence SMN 13:55, Rome Stazione Termini at 15:30, Naples Centrale 16:55.  If you leave Zurich on the 09:09 you can connect with the 14:00 Frecciarossa (daily except Saturdays) from Milan Centrale arriving Rome Stazione Termini at 16:55 and Naples Centrale 18:15, or the daily 14:15 Frecciarossa from Milan Centrale arriving Bologna 15:20, Florence SMN 15:55, Rome Stazione Termini at 17:30 and Naples Centrale 18:55.  You can check train times from Milan to anywhere in Italy at www.trenitalia.com.  Allow at least 45 minutes to connect in Milan to allow for any delay.

• For Verona or Venice:  Travel from Milan to Verona or Venice by Frecciabianca.  If you leave Zurich on the 07:09 you can connect with the 11:35 Frecciabianca from Milan Centrale arriving Verona 12:57 and Venice Santa Lucia at 14:10.  If you leave Zurich on the 09:09 you can connect with the 14:05 from Milan Centrale arriving Verona at 15:27 and Venice Santa Lucia at 16:40.  You can check train times from Milan to anywhere in Italy at www.trenitalia.com, but allow at least 45 minutes to connect in Milan to allow for any delay.

Italy ► London

• From Bologna, Florence, Rome or Naples:  Leave Naples at 13:00, Rome Termini at 14:25, Florence SMN at 16:00 or Bologna at 16:38 by Frecciarossa high-speed train, arriving Milan at 17:40.  You can check train times to Milan from anywhere in Italy at www.trenitalia.com.  Allow at least 45 minutes to connect in Milan to allow for any delay.

• From Verona or Venice:  Leave Venice Santa Lucia at 15:20 or Verona at 16:32 by Frecciabianca, arriving Milan Centrale at 17:55.

• Travel from Milan to Zurich by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Milan Centrale at 19:10 or Como San Giovanni at 19:45 and arriving Zurich at 23:29.  By all means take an earlier train from Milan to Zurich, the previous one leaves Milan at 17:10 and Como at 17:45 arriving Zurich at 20:51.  If you take the earlier 17:10, connections from Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice will be 2 hours earlier than the ones shown above, check times at www.trenitalia.com and allow at least 45 minutes to change in Milan.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Zurich.  Search Zurich hotels at Booking.com.  If your budget will stretch, go for the Hotel Schweizerhof.

• Travel from Zurich to Paris by 198mph Lyria TGV, leaving Zurich at 07:34 and arriving in Paris Gare de Lyon at 11:37.  By all means have a more leisurely breakfast and catch a later TGV, for example the 09:34, see the Switzerland page for details. 

• Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord (2 stops on RER line D).

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:13 arriving London St Pancras at 14:39.

How much does it cost?

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 only) or www.sbb.ch (residents of any country) to find trains between that city and Milan next morning.  Easy!

See the London to Paris page for information about Eurostar...

Introducing TGV-Lyria from Paris to Zurich...

These impressive 200 mph (320 km/h) double-deck TGVs are being phased in on the Paris-Zurich route over 2012 & 2013, replacing single-deck Christian Lacroix TGVs.  Book an upper deck seat for the best views of the scenery.  The stairs to the top deck are short, wide and easy, and there are luggage racks and toilets both upstairs and downstairs.  You walk through the train to the cafe-bar at the upper deck level.
Boarding a double-deck TGV Duplex at Paris Gare de Lyon.  You can now travel from London to Zurich by Eurostar & TGV-Lyria just an afternoon & evening, relaxing with a good book and a bottle of wine.  And it's not even expensive!  Watch the TGV Duplex video		The upstairs landing on a TGV Duplex showing the stairs down to the entrance door...

2nd class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck.  There's a mix of unidirectional seating and some tables for four like this...	;	The cafe-bar in a TGV Duplex upper deck in car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks and microwave-style hot meal dishes....

1st class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck, with some tables for two & some tables for four.		A TGV Duplex.  The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green 2nd class.

...and the EuroCity trains from Zurich to Milan.

Most services are ETR470 Pendolino tilting trains like the ones shown below, but some trains have recently been replaced with locomotive-hauled EuroCity carriages which may not have a restaurant car.  These are still very comfortable.
Table for two...  The restaurant car of a Switzerland-Milan pendolino. EuroCity train.		1st class seats, complete with power recline and sockets for laptops & mobiles...

The Zurich-Milan EuroCity trains take the Gotthard Pass route through the Swiss Alps.  You'll see lots of pretty Swiss villages & vineyards.  The Swiss keep their wine a closely-guarded secret and export very little, give it a try and you'll understand why they keep it to themselves...

You'll pass a lake or two...  The Zurich-Milan route passes the Zugersee, the Vierwaldstattersee and Lake Lugano, all in Switzerland.  The Geneva-Milan route runs along Lake Leman, and both Geneva-Milan and Basel-Milan routes pass Lake Maggiore in Italy.  This is Lake Maggiore, seen from the dining-car of the 11:25 Milan to Basel over an excellent lunch of salmon tagliatelle & excellent (but expensive!) Swiss red wine.  Incidentally, on this particular occasion I left Milan at 11:25, changed in Basel onto the 16:34 TGV to Paris, caught the 21:13 Eurostar and was back in central London at 22:36, reaching Aylesbury Vale Parkway at 23:59.  No airports, no flights, and wonderful scenery!

The train enters the Gotthard Pass.  In the depths of winter the landscape is a real-life Narnia, a winter wonderland with crags and cliffs and snow-capped mountains.  You're not stuck in a plane at 35,000 feet now, this is the Swiss Alps at ground level, up close and personal.  At the peak of the pass the train enters the Gotthard Tunnel, 15 km (9 miles) long and opened in 1882.  Passing through the tunnel takes just 7 or 8 minutes, reaching the highest point of the line in the process at 1,151 metres (3,776 feet) above sea level.

This is the Alpine vista from the train after it emerges from the Gotthard tunnel, high up on a mountainside as it heads for the Italian border...		Buongiorno Milano!  The EuroCity from Zurich at Milano Centrale.  You've reached Italy with no airports & no flights...

  How to buy tickets online If you live in the UK...

• If you live in the UK you can buy tickets for this journey online at www.raileurope.co.uk, buying your Eurostar, TGV Lyria & EuroCity tickets together all in one place.  It's easy to use and it's backed by a UK call centre if you need any help or after-sales service.

• www.raileurope.co.uk only accepts UK credit cards, so If you don't live in the UK, click here.

• Reservations for the Paris-Zurich TGV-Lyria & Zurich-Milan trains opens 90 days before departure.  Eurostar reservations open 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting so you can book all your trains together and double-check the TGV's Paris arrival/departure times before booking a non-refundable, non-changeable Eurostar ticket.  Be aware that the 90 days is usually squeezed to 60 days or less for travel in the weeks immediately after the European timetable changes in mid-June & mid-December.

• Top tip, split the booking!  By all means book from London to Zurich all in one go if you're a nervous booker, then book Zurich to Milan for the next day.  But it's better to treat London to Zurich as two separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other from Paris to Zurich.  This gives you more control, and allows you to pick an earlier Eurostar if it's cheaper or if you want to stop off in Paris, and you can mix & match 2nd class Eurostar with 1st class on the TGV, as there are often cheap 1st class deals on TGV-Lyria, but on Eurostar 1st class is expensive.  So book each of your three trains separately, as follows:

• Step 1, click here to book the TGV Lyria from Paris to Zurich, looking for the direct TGV-Lyria train in the search results.  Add this to your basket.  Always check the TGV times before booking the Eurostar, in case engineering work affects arrival or departure times, requiring a different Eurostar connection.

• Step 2, now click 'continue shopping' and book your Eurostar from London to Paris & back.  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.  Add to your basket.

• Step 3, click 'continue shopping' again and book a Zurich-Milan EuroCity train for the following day, and add it to your basket.  Top tip:  If you don't see any cheap fares between Zurich and Milan on the Rail Europe website, try booking this leg at the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch instead.

• Step 4, the painless way to add an onward ticket from Milan to Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples and so on is to click 'continue shopping' and book from Milan to your Italian destination & back.  However, Rail Europe can only access full-price fares within Italy.  It is significantly cheaper to book your onward trains at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, seat61 receives some commission if you book this way and they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.  Always allow at least an hour in Milan to change trains, in case of delay.

• Tickets can be collected at London St Pancras & in Paris free of charge, or sent to a UK address for a £2.25 fee.  There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2.5% credit card fee.  Only UK credit cards are accepted.  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.

  How to buy tickets by phone or in person...

You can buy train tickets to Italy by phone from several UK European rail booking agencies, including Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 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 193 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EU, 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.

  Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements...

A hassle-free option is to get a reliable specialist agency such as Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with hotels, train bookings and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday or tour for you.  UK residents can call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  They get very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.  Browse suggested itineraries & prices.

   How to buy tickets at www.eurostar.com, www.voyages-sncf.com & www.sbb.ch...

Anyone from any country worldwide can buy tickets direct from each of the relevant train operators' websites as follows.  I recommend doing a dry run on all these sites before booking for real.

• Paris-Zurich and Zurich-Milan trains usually open for booking 92 days before departure.  Eurostar bookings open 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend waiting and buying all your tickets at the same time, so you can double-check the prices, availability and exact timings for each part of the journey.

• If you live in the UK, it can be better to buy all your tickets together from www.raileurope.co.uk as shown above.  Prices are (or should be) the same as on www.voyages-sncf.com, and it's backed by a UK call centre if you need any help or after-sales service.  On the other hand, there are no credit card or postage fees at www.voyages-sncf.com and prices are in euros so it's a fraction cheaper because you'll get a better exchange rate from your own bank.  It also allows you to request specific seating options such as upper or lower deck on a TGV Duplex, or a table for two in 1st class, which Rail Europe currently doesn't.  But it's your call!

• Step 1, book your London-Paris tickets at www.eurostar.com.  You can print out your own ticket, or collect it at the station at London St Pancras.  Easy!

• Step 2, book your Paris-Zurich tickets at the official French Railways website www.voyages-sncf.com using these step-by-step instructions.  Tickets can be collected at the station in Paris, or for some types of fare you can print out your own ticket.  As long as you're offered a self-print ticket at the end of the booking, you can use voyages-sncf.com to book journeys in either direction, but if no self-print option comes up, remember that tickets can only be collected at stations in France.

• Alternatively, Paris-Zurich tickets can be bought from the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch.  If you're offered a self-print ticket at the end of the booking then sbb.ch can be used for journeys in either direction, but if you don't get offered a self-print ticket then remember that tickets can only be collected from Swiss stations, not in Paris.

• Step 3, book your Zurich-Milan tickets at the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch, assuming of course that your journey starts at the Swiss end.  You can collect tickets at any main Swiss station including Zurich.  If your journey starts at the Italian end, one-way or return tickets from Milan should be booked at either www.italiarail.com (in plain English, easy to use and they'll refund their small booking fee if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requiring Italian language place names & more fiddly to use), as ticket collection is then at any main Italian station.  If you use Trenitalia.com, you have to select the train you want in the search results and click 'continue', then change the 'More fares' box to 'Smart' which is a cheap no-refunds, no-changes fare.

• Step 4, buy onward tickets from Milan to anywhere in Italy at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, seat61 receives some commission if you book this way and they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.

  If you live in the USA:  www.raileurope.com...

• If you live in the USA or Canada, you can buy tickets for Eurostar, the Paris-Zurich TGV Lyria and the Zurich-Milan train online at www.raileurope.com (USA) or www.raileurope.ca (Canada).  This is Rail Europe Inc, a US-based subsidiary of French Railways, not to be confused with Rail Europe 4A, which is a separate subsidiary selling to Australia, Africa, Asia and South America based in Paris, or Rail Europe Ltd which is another subsidiary based in the UK.

• But a word of warning.  www.raileurope.com & www.raileurope.ca have been known to suppress the cheapest fares for the US market.  That means you may find your train ticket cheaper on www.voyages-sncf.com (for French train tickets) and www.eurostar.com (for the London-Paris Eurostar), which show all the cheap fares and have no booking fees.  You can easily use www.voyages-sncf.com by selecting 'Antarctic' as your country of residence and making sure you are offered print-at-home or ticket collection at station option.  In fact, I'm currently seeing similar prices on raileurope.com as voyages-sncf.com for the Paris-Milan TGVs, but even so, you might want to do a price comparison!

• I recommend buying onward tickets from Milan to other Italian cities at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, seat61 receives some commission if you book this way and they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train. 

• Tailor-made tours by train:  Alternatively, a hassle-free option is to get a reliable specialist agency such as Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you.

  In the USA & Canada, call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or see website.

     In Australia, NZ, Canada, Asia, Africa, South America:  www.raileurope-world.com.

• If you live in Australia or NZ, Asia or Africa, you can buy tickets for Eurostar, the Paris-Zurich TGV Lyria and the Zurich-Milan train online at www.raileurope-world.com.  They sell print-at-home tickets in many cases or they will send tickets to any country worldwide except the USA for a small fee.

• Prices at www.raileurope-world.com are now the same as on voyages-sncf.com, at least according to every recent test booking I've done, give or take a small fee, so it's fine to buy here, avoiding the need to overcome any redirection or payment problems you might have at voyages-sncf.com.  You're buying from Rail Europe 4A, the 4A stands for Australia, Africa, Asia and South America, it's a subsidiary of French Railways based in Paris with offices in Australia, India, Singapore and a few other countries.  They should not be confused with Rail Europe Inc based in the USA, which is a different company (although still a French Railways subsidiary) with different policies.

• I strongly recommend buying onward tickets from Milan to other Italian cities at either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.  However, Italiarail.com is in plain English and happily accepts English place names, whereas Trenitalia.com requires Italian-language place names, for example 'Roma' for Rome, 'Napoli' for Naples, 'Firenze' for Florence, 'Venezia Santa Lucia' for Venice and has a few quirks, although one advantage is that it allows you to select specific seats.

• Tailor-made tours by train:  Alternatively, a hassle-free option is to get a reliable specialist agency such as Railbookers to arrange your whole trip, with train bookings, hotels and transfers all sorted with one phone call.  Just tell them when and where you want to go, and they'll create the best rail holiday for you. 

  In Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au

  In New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website. 

  In Canada, call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or see website.

Option 4:  London to Italy via Munich

London to Italy by high-quality trains through the scenic Brenner Pass...

You may prefer some German and Austrian efficiency on your way to Italy, as well as some great scenery, see the Brenner route video.  It may look like a long way round (see the route map above), but cheap fares and high-quality German and Austrian-run trains now make this an attractive option.  There are two ways to do this route:  (1) You can leave London by Eurostar in mid-afternoon and use the excellent German-run City Night Line sleeper train to Munich then a day train next morning through the scenic Brenner Pass to Verona, or (2) you can leave London by mid-morning Eurostar and afternoon TGV to Munich, stay overnight in Munich, then take a morning train to Italy through the scenic Brenner Pass next day.

(1)  Using the Paris-Munich City Night Line sleeper train...

This route takes significantly longer than using the direct Paris-Italy Thello sleeper, as you leave London only an hour or two later, but you arrive the following afternoon instead of in the morning.  But it involves a higher-quality German City Night Line sleeper train, with some deluxe sleepers with private shower & toilet, and the connection in Munich is a top-quality German or Austrian EuroCity train with restaurant car which travels via the wonderfully scenic Brenner Pass route through the Alps to Verona next morning.  You may well prefer this option, especially if you're heading for Verona.

London ► Italy

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:31 (14:01 on Saturdays), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  On Fridays, there's also a 16:01 Eurostar arriving 19:17.  In Paris, it's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Travel from Paris to Munich overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05 and arriving in Munich at 07:10 next morning.  It has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower), 4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats. More pictures & information about this City Night Line train.

• Travel from Munich to Verona or Bologna on a smart, air-conditioned Austrian EuroCity train, leaving Munich at 09:31 and arriving in Verona at 14:58 & Bologna at 16:20.  A restaurant car is available serving drinks, snacks and affordable full meals, so treat yourself to lunch as the scenery drifts by!  The scenery through the Brenner Pass is wonderful, see the Brenner route video.  For the best views find an unreserved seat on the right hand side of the train.  All seats have power sockets for charging mobiles, laptops or cameras.  Change in Verona for Venice, change in Bologna for Florence or Rome, using www.trenitalia.com to find a suitable onward connection.  Allow at least 45 minutes for connections in Verona or Bologna.

• Alternatively, you could have a look round Munich, then take a direct EuroCity train from Munich at 11:31 to Venice arriving 18:10, also travelling via the scenic Brenner Pass - this direct train may be cheaper, too, as one ticket gets you all the way from Munich to Venice from as little as €39.  This train also features a full-service restaurant car.

Italy ► London

• Travel from Venice or Verona to Munich by air-conditioned Austrian EuroCity train, leaving Venice Santa Lucia station at 13:34 or Verona at 15:02, arriving in Munich at 20:25.  Enjoy the excellent scenery in the Brenner Pass through the Alps, arguably the best views are from the left-hand side of the train, see the Brenner route video.  An elegant restaurant car is available for dinner, so treat yourself!  All seats have power sockets for charging mobiles, laptops or cameras. Coming from Rome or Florence, look for a train to Verona using www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least 45 minutes in Verona for connection, to allow for any delay.

• Travel from Munich to Paris by the City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Munich daily at 22:50 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est 09:24 next morning.  This train has ordinary seats, couchettes (4 & 6-bunk) and a sleeping-car (1, 2 or 3-bed rooms, deluxe with shower or standard with washbasin).  More pictures & information about this City Night Line train.  Walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.

See the London to Paris page for information about Eurostar...

By City Night Line overnight sleeper train from Paris to Munich...

The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  Called the Cassiopeia, it has a modern Comfortline sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe compartments with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth economy compartments with washbasin).  There is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in economy sleepers, and all sleepers have powerpoints for laptop computers.  There are also modern air-conditioned couchettes, choose between a berth in a 4 or 6-berth compartment, and ordinary seats (not recommended).  Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast. Click for more pictures & information about this train.

Dinner before boarding?  For a good meal in a classic Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in Paris, catch the earlier 14:01 Eurostar & dine at the Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road from the Gare du Nord.  For a cooked breakfast in Munich or evening meal before boarding the Paris-bound sleeper on your return, try the typically Bavarian Mongdratzerl restaurant, located in the hauptbahnhof itself.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable option, economy with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		Night Train to Munich...  The Comfortline sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est... More pictures & information about this train...

...and next morning, by EuroCity train from Munich to Italy via the Brenner Pass.

A lovely scenic journey with a proper restaurant car for lunch or dinner - see the Brenner route video.

The Munich-Verona EuroCity trains use Austrian coaches.		EuroCity 2nd class, mainly 6-seat compartments but some open-plan seating.  There's also a restaurant car...		EuroCity 1st class, open-plan.  Sometimes available in 6-seat compartments.

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets online...

The cheapest way to book this journey is online, as there's no booking fees and all the cheap deals are there for you to see.  There are two ways to book it, and I'd suggest trying both as prices vary between the two:

How to buy tickets online...

• The cheapest way to book is online direct with the relevant operators.  Anyone from any country can buy tickets this way, you simply print your own tickets.

• Booking usually opens 92 days ahead for City Night Line & the EuroCity train, 120 days ahead for Eurostar, but I strongly recommend waiting until 92 days so you can buy all tickets together, doing a dry run on both sites first to check times and prices.  This way, you can confirm the sleeper train's departure time from Paris before booking a non-refundable, non-changeable Eurostar ticket, as it's not unknown for engineering work to mean an earlier departure from Paris!

• Step 1, book the Paris-Munich sleeper train:  Go to www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to Munich and back, looking for the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  Availability of cheap Savings fares ('Sparnight' in German, limited refunds, no changes) and regular fully-flexible fares will be shown, for each type of seat, couchette & sleeper.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  The prices shown on www.bahn.de are the total cost in euros for all passengers selected, not per person.  

• I strongly recommend registering when it asks you, before you pay, so you can easily make the next booking and retrieve and re-print any tickets later, from any PC anywhere.

• Step 2, book the train from Munich to Verona or Venice:  Still on www.bahn.de, enter Munich to Verona (or, only on the direct 11:31 train, Venice Santa Lucia) in the journey planner, looking for the trains shown in the train times above.  It will show if any cheap 'spezial' fares are available.  Tickets can be printed out on your own PC printer.  Top tip:  To stop off for a few hours in Innsbruck (up to 48 hours, in fact) simply type 'Innsbruck' into the 'via' box and enter the number of hours stopover you want into the 'stopover' box.  This way, you can still quality for the Munich-Verona €39 fare (if available) with a stopover in Innsbruck included!

• Step 3, book the London-Paris Eurostar:  Finally, go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris.  Use the Eurostar times above as a guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  The easiest option is simply to print out your own ticket.

• If you don't live in London, www.eurostar.com can book cheap through tickets from 130 other UK towns and cities to Paris.  If your town isn't listed (or if the system fails to find a through ticket available) you can buy a separate ticket up to London to connect with Eurostar, see the advice on buying special connecting tickets from other UK towns & cities here.

• Want to choose your exact seat on Eurostar?  www.eurostar.com allows you to choose an exact seat this towards the end of the process, look closely for the 'choose exact seat link.  See tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

• Step 4, book onward Italian trains from Verona to other Italian cities at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, seat61 receives some commission if you book this way and they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee, allows specific seat selection).  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train. 

How to buy tickets by phone...

If you prefer to book by phone, just call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge but no charge for debit cards), or a booking agency such as European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee).

Scenery on the Brenner route... Between Munich and Innsbruck, the train runs through the Tirol, on a broad valley between tall mountains.  Leaving Innsbruck, the train snakes through a narrow pass between the peaks, parallel with the impressive Brenner pass road.  Watch out for Jodok, where the train does a 180 degree turn in a small valley, around the village and its pretty church and through the Jodok spiral tunnel, climbing all the way.  South of Brenner itself, the valley widens out, with plenty of vineyards in evidence.  Look out for hilltop castles and forts!  Uniquely, in this part of Italy you'll find both Italian and German languages used.
Snowy peaks in the Austrian Tirol between Munich and Innsbruck...		Lunch in the restaurant...

The little church at St Jodok...		On the Jodok spiral, curving round the village...

Vineyards, mountains and castles south of Brenner as the train heads for Trento & Verona...

Watch the video:  Scenery through the Brenner Pass...

(2)  Using daytime trains with overnight hotel in Munich...

If you prefer a hotel to an overnight sleeper train, and don't mind an extra few hours journey time, you can use daytime trains, taking Eurostar to Paris and a high-speed TGV from Paris to Munich on day 1, staying overnight in Munich, then taking a Munich-Verona train through the scenic Brenner Pass on day 2.

London ► Italy

• Day 1, travel from London to Munich by Eurostar to Paris and TGV to Munich, leaving London St Pancras at 10:25 (11:01 on Saturdays), changing trains and stations in Paris and arriving Munich at 21:36.  Other services are available via both Paris and Brussels/Cologne, see the Germany page for full details.

• Stay overnight in Munich.  Book a hotel.

• Day 2, travel from Munich to Verona or Bologna on a smart, air-conditioned Austrian EuroCity train, leaving Munich at 09:31 and arriving in Verona at 14:58 & Bologna at 16:20.  A restaurant car is available serving drinks, snacks and affordable full meals, so treat yourself to lunch as the scenery drifts by!  The scenery through the Brenner Pass is wonderful, see the Brenner route video.  For the best views find an unreserved seat on the right hand side of the train.  All seats have power sockets for charging mobiles, laptops or cameras.  Change in Verona for Venice, change in Bologna for Florence or Rome, using www.trenitalia.com to find a suitable onward connection.  Allow at least 45 minutes for connections in Verona or Bologna.

• Alternatively, have a look round Munich, then take a direct EuroCity train from Munich at 11:31 to Venice arriving 18:10, also travelling via the scenic Brenner Pass - this direct train may be cheaper, too, as one ticket gets you all the way from Munich to Venice from as little as €39.  This train also features a full-service restaurant car.

Italy  ► London

• Day 1, travel from Venice or Verona to Munich by air-conditioned Austrian EuroCity train, leaving Venice Santa Lucia station at 13:34 or Verona at 15:02, arriving in Munich at 20:25.  Enjoy the excellent scenery in the Brenner Pass through the Alps, see the Brenner route video.  Arguably the best views are from the left-hand side of the train.  An elegant restaurant car is available for dinner, so treat yourself!  All seats have power sockets for charging mobiles, laptops or cameras. Coming from Rome or Florence, look for a train to Verona using www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least 45 minutes in Verona for the connection, to allow for any delay.

• Stay overnight in Munich.  Book a hotel.

• Day 2, travel from Munich to London by TGV to Paris and Eurostar to London, leaving Munich at 09:45, changing at Stuttgart and Paris, arriving London St Pancras at 19:39.  Other services are available via both Paris and Brussels/Cologne, see the Germany page for full details.

How much does it cost?

• London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £39 one-way or £69 return in 2nd class, £107 one-way or £189 return in 1st class.

• Paris to Munich by TGV starts at €39 (£34) each way in 2nd class, or from €69 (£60) each way in 1st class.

• Munich to Verona, Bologna or Venice by direct German/Austrian EuroCity train starts at €39 (£34) each way in 2nd class, €69 (£59) each way in 1st class.

• Onward tickets from Verona to Florence, Rome or Naples start at just €9 each way in 2nd class, from €29 in 1st class.

How to buy tickets...

• You need to book this trip as three separate journeys:  London-Paris & back, Paris-Munich & back, and Munich to Verona, Bologna or Venice & back.

• Option 1 is to book London-Paris and Paris-Munich at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only), then Munich to Verona, Bologna or Venice at the German railways website www.bahn.de.

• Option 2 is to book London-Paris at www.eurostar.com, Paris-Munich at www.bahn.de and Munich-Verona/Bologna/Venice also at www.bahn.de.  This works wherever you live, as all tickets will either be print-at-home or sent by bahn.de to any address worldwide for a small fee.  If necessary, Paris-Munich can also be booked at www.voyages-sncf.com.

• Note that www.bahn.de will only book the direct EuroCity trains from Munich to Verona, or the once-daily direct trains to Bologna or Venice.  If you want to travel to Venice or Bologna with a change of train in Verona, or to Florence or Rome with a change of train in Verona or Bologna, you should use www.bahn.de to book the direct EuroCity train from Munich to Verona or Bologna, then use either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in plain English, they'll refund seat61 users the €3.50 booking fee if you email seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or www.trenitalia.com (requires Italian-language place names and has a few quirks so see this advice on using it, no booking fee) to book the onward train from Bologna to Florence, Bologna to Rome or Verona to Venice and back.

See the London to Paris page for information about Eurostar...

Paris to Munich by 200mph TGV Duplex...     Watch the TGV Duplex video

There are power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats, baby-changing facilities and wheelchair spaces.  The train speeds through undulating open green countryside for much of the way, past pretty French villages of the Champagne region.  After a brief stop at Strasbourg you cross the border into Germany.  Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride!  I recommend selecting an upper deck seat for the best views.
Boarding a double-deck TGV Duplex.  These impressive 200 mph double-deck trains link Paris and Munich, a relaxing journey catching up on your reading over a bottle of wine.  And it needn't even be particularly expensive.  Watch the TGV Duplex video		Above:  The upstairs landing on a TGV Duplex showing the stairs down to the entrance door...

2nd class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck.  There's a mix of unidirectional seating and some tables for four like this...		The cafe-bar in a TGV Duplex upper deck in car 4, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine, beer, snacks and microwave-style hot meal dishes....

1st class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck with a club duo on the left, a club quatre on the right.		A TGV Duplex.  The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green indicates 2nd class.

...next morning, take a EuroCity train from Munich to Verona via the Brenner Pass.

A EuroCity train about to leave Munich.  These EuroCity trains use classic Austrian cars like this.		First class leather seats.  On a few trains you'll find 6-seat compartments.

Second class seats, mostly in 6-seat compartments with side-corridor, but some cars are open-plan...		The restaurant car.  Treat yourself to lunch, or just a beer, coffee or half bottle of wine...

Option 5:  To Italy via the scenic Bernina Express

This is a much slower option than the others, but you can still leave London on day 1 afternoon, arriving Milan on day 2 in the afternoon, after a slow and fabulous journey on the narrow-gauge Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano through the Swiss Alps. 

You'll find this option described in detail on the Bernina Express page.

Option 6: By Venice Simplon Orient Express

This is the luxury option, from London to Verona or Venice 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 £1,920 per person one way 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 £1,920 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... 

For information, photos & online tickets see the Venice Simplon Orient Express page.

Venice Simplon Orient Express:  An LX-series sleeping car built in 1929 boarding at Calais...		2-berth sleeper compartment...		Dressing for dinner is de rigeur...

	One of Trenitalia's modern Minuetto local trains used between Florence & Siena.
	The beautiful main square in Siena.

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...

London ► Siena, Pisa, Lucca

• Travel from London to Florence using any of the options explained in the London to Bologna, Florence & Rome section.

• 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, local trains link Florence's main Santa Maria Novella station (SMN) with Pisa Centrale every hour, taking 1 hour 20 minutes.  The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is about 2km or 30 minutes walk from Pisa Centrale station, taxis available.  Top tip:  If you travel to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower, travel to Pisa S. Rossore station, as this is only a 5-10 minute walk from the tower.  Some trains from Florence go direct to Pisa S. Rossore (one stop beyond Pisa Centrale), others require a change at Pisa Centrale.

• If you're going to Siena, there are local trains from Florence's main Santa Maria Novella station (SMN) to Siena every hour or so through the day, taking 1 hour 30 minutes.  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, there are regular local trains from Florence SMN throughout the day taking around 1 hour 20 minutes.

• You can check times & fares for any of these local trains at www.trenitalia.com (choose a date within the next 7 days to see fares as well as times).  No reservation is necessary or even possible on any of these local trains, you just turn up in Florence, buy a ticket from the self-service machines (which have a touch screen with English language facility) or the ticket office, and hop on the next train.  Remember to validate these local tickets in the small grey-green validation machines at the entrance to the platform

London ► Modena, Ravenna

• Travel from London to Bologna using any of the options shown in the London to Bologna, Florence & Rome section.

• Frequent trains link Bologna with Modena in less than 30 minutes, and trains link Bologna with Ravenna every hour or two in around 1 hour 25 minutes.

• You can check times for any of these local trains at www.trenitalia.com (choose a date within the next 7 days to see fares as well as times).  No reservation is necessary or even possible on any of these local trains, you just turn up in Bologna, buy a ticket from the self-service machines (which have a touch screen with English language facility) or the ticket office, and hop on the next train.  Remember to validate these local tickets in the small grey & green validation machines at the entrance to the platform.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

• See the London to Bologna, Florence & Rome section for fares from London to Florence or Bologna.  Buy your tickets from London to Florence or Bologna as explained in that section. 

• Don't worry about the onward ticket from Florence or Bologna to Sienna, Pisa, Lucca or Ravenna as you can easily buy a local ticket at the station when you get to Florence or Bologna.  No reservation is necessary as these are local trains, you just buy a ticket and hop on.  You can buy local 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. 

• Train travel in Italy is cheap:  The fare from Florence to Pisa is around €7.80 each way, Florence to Siena around €8.50 each way.  Don't forget to validate your local ticket in the little grey & green validation machines at the entrance to the platform before boarding the train.

	The Circumvesuviana Railway links Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii & Sorrento every 30 minutes, see www.vesuviana.it.
	Up Pompeii!  The Circumvesuviana train from Naples arrives at Pompei Scavi Villa di Misteri.  The entrance to the ruins of Pompeii is just across the road, for visitor info see www.pompeiisites.org.
	Above:  The ferry from Naples, arrived at Capri. For ferry information, see www.snav.it

Sorrento, Pompeii & Herculaneum...

• First, travel from London to Naples using any of the options explained in the London to Naples section.

• Now take the Circumvesuviana Railway (www.vesuviana.it) from Naples Garibaldi station, located right next to Naples Centrale, to Herculaneum (Ercolano), Pompeii or Sorrento.  These little narrow-gauge electric suburban trains run every 30 minutes throughout the day, no reservation necessary (or even possible), you just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.

• The Circumvesuviana trains leave from Naples Garibaldi station, right next to Naples Centrale where your mainline train arrives.  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.  Don't follow signs to 'Piazza Garibaldi' as this is another set of mainline platforms in the same triple-station complex, it's 'Circumvesuviana' you want.  

• Naples to Pompeii costs around €2.80, journey time 40 minutes.  Naples to Sorrento €4.00, journey time 55-65 minutes. 

• The Circumvesuviana trains are old and have no air-con, but some new air-conditioned trains are now in service.  You'll get great views of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius on the way to Sorrento.  Outside the weekday rush hours it's not crowded, there are lots of seats, frequent trains and it's very easy to use.

• 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.  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 & Herculaneum website www.pompeiisites.org.

Capri...

• First, travel from London to Naples using any of the options explained in the London to Naples section.

• For Capri, 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 times & fares.  The ferry fare is about €19, plus a euro 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, you can take the local Circumvesuviana Railway to Sorrento (www.vesuviana.it), from where there are regular ferries to Capri, crossing time about 25 minutes.  Just be aware that it's a longish steep walk from Sorrento Circumvesuviana station down the hill to the ferry terminal.

• Ferries from both Naples & Sorrento 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 over €7!

Ischia...

• First, travel from London to Naples using any of the options explained in the London to Naples section.

• For Ischia, take a taxi to Naples 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...

• First, travel from London to Florence using any of the options explained in the London to Florence section.

• For Elba, 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 €12 one-way.

Amalfi, see from a bend in the winding Amalfi coast road.  SITA buses (www.sitabus.it) link Amalfi with both Salerno & Sorrento...

• Step 1, travel from London to Milan, Rome or Naples using any of the options explained in the London to Rome & Naples section.

• Step 2, catch a train from Milan, Rome or Naples to Salerno.  There are direct Trenitalia Frecciarossas from Milan and Rome direct to Salerno, check train times & fares and buy tickets at either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.  Private train operator Italo also goes direct from Milan or Florence to Salerno several times daily, buy tickets at www.italotreno.it.

• Step 3, regular SITA bus services link Salerno with Amalfi, running every hour or better between 06:00 & 22:30 on Mondays-Saturdays, slightly less frequently on Sundays, journey time 1 hour 15 minutes, fare about €2.10 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, take a ferry from Salerno to Amalfi or Positano!  See www.coopsantandrea.com for a timetable of small coastal ferries from Salerno (Concordia dock, 800m from the railway station) to Amalfi and Positano.  At the time of writing, they had departures from Salerno at 08:40, 09:40, 10:40, 11:40, 14:10 and 15:30, journey time to Amalfi just 35 minutes, but check their website for current timings.  A good option in summer when the narrow coast road is clogged with traffic!

• 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 €2.80.  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!!

You can travel via Paris & either Milan or via Nice.  Both options are shown here, though the route via Nice is probably more scenic, possibly cheaper, and you won't have to get up as early!  You can also travel by daytime trains with an overnight hotel stop in either Milan, Turin, Paris or Zurich.

Option 1:  By Eurostar & TGV...

This is the cheapest, fastest and most comfortable option from London to Genoa.  The whole journey can be done in just one day.

London ► Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 09:17 on Mondays-Fridays, 09:31 on Saturdays or 09:22 on Sundays, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 12:47.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).  Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the famous Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon?

• Travel from Paris to Turin by high-speed Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon daily at 14:41 and arriving Turin Porta Susa at 20:13.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from France into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps, see the video guide.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.  In Turin, transfer by taxi, local train or walk (25 minutes) from Turin Porta Susa to Turin Porta Nuova station.

• Travel from Turin to Genoa by regional train, leaving Turin Port Nuova at 21:20 and arriving Genoa Piazza Principe at 23:32.

• For Cinque Terre & La Spezia, stay overnight in Turin, and continue the next day.  You can check train times from Turin to La Spezia or Monterosso at www.trenitalia.com.

La Spezia, Cinque Terre, Genoa ► London

• Coming from Cinque Terre or La Spezia, take a train to Turin and stay there overnight.  You can check train times from Turin to La Spezia or Monterosso at www.trenitalia.com.

• Travel from Genoa to Turin by InterCity train, leaving Genoa Piazza Principe at 07:08 arriving Turin Port Nuova at 08:55.  Transfer by taxi or local train or walk (25 minutes) from Turin Porta Nuova station to Turin Porta Susa station.

• Travel from Turin to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Turin Porta Susa at 10:15 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 16:11.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from Italy into France via the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps and Modane, see the video guide.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.

• Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord (2 stops on RER line D).

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord on at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays), arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

• UK residents can book London-Paris-Turin at www.raileurope.co.uk.  If you want to stop off in Paris, or to travel 1st class on the TGV (as there are often some good value 1st class fares available) but still travel affordably on Eurostar (as 1st class Eurostar fares are expensive) simply split the booking, first book London to Paris, add this to your basket, then book Paris to Turin.

• Alternatively, anyone from any country can book the London to Paris Eurostar at www.eurostar.com and print out their own ticket.  Then buy a TGV ticket from Paris to Turin at www.voyages-sncf.com.

• Then buy a Turin to Genoa ticket at either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.  Regional trains require no reservation, so you may as well buy this ticket at Turin station when you get there, but InterCity trains require a reservation and have cheaper fares if you pre-book, so book this up to 90 days ahead at either www.italiarail.com or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.

Option 2:  By Eurostar & Thello sleeper train, via Milan...

London ► Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:31 (14:01 on Saturdays) arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  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 Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D.  Why not take an earlier 14:01 Eurostar and have dinner at the famous Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon before catching your sleeper train to Italy?

• Travel overnight from Paris to Milan by Thello sleeper train, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 19:59 daily and arriving next morning in Milan Centrale at 05:38.  The train has 1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed sleepers, 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes & restaurant car. More photos & information about the Thello sleeper train.  Map of Venice showing Santa Lucia station.

• Travel from Milan to Genoa, Cinque Terre or La Spezia by air-conditioned InterCity train leaving Milan at 08:10 arriving Genoa Piazza Principe at 09:42, Monterosso (Cinque Terre) at 11:16 and La Spezia at 11:36.

• For the other Cinque Terre villages (Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola & Riomaggiore) change at Monterosso for a regular local train service.  You can check times at www.trenitalia.com.

Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia ► London

• Travel to Milan by air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving La Spezia at 18:40, Monterosso (Cinque Terre) at 18:55, and Genoa Piazza Principe at 20:19, arriving Milan at 21:50.  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 www.trenitalia.com.

• Travel overnight from Milan to Paris by Thello sleeper train, leaving Milan Centrale at 23:38 and arriving in Paris Gare de Lyon at 09:30 next morning.  The train has 1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed sleepers, 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes & restaurant car.  In Milan, you can board the train from 23:05 onwards.  More photos & information about the Thello sleeper train.

• Cross Paris by métro to the Gare du Nord, just 2 stops on RER line D.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.  By all means choose a later Eurostar if if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while, or if this has cheaper tickets available.

How much does it cost?

• See the London to Milan section for fares from London to Milan.

• Milan to Genoa by InterCity train costs about €18.50 (£16) each way 2nd class or €25 (£21) in 1st class.

• Milan to Monterosso or La Spezia costs about €25 (£21) each way 2nd class or €32 (£27) in 1st class.

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 either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.  Both sites offer a hassle-free ticketless option, you book online and simply quote your booking reference to the conductor on board.  Look for a cheap advance-purchase Super-Economy or Economy fare.

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 09:00-19:00 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 193 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EU, 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:  By Eurostar and Intercités de Nuit couchette train via Nice...

Train times London ► Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:31, arriving in Paris Gare du Nord at 18:47.  Cross Paris by métro to the Gare d'Austerlitz.

• Travel from Paris to Nice overnight on the Train Bleu, leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 20:38 and arriving next morning in Nice at 08:35.  The Train Bleu is a French Intercités de Nuit overnight train with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.

• Hop on a local train from Nice to Ventimiglia on the Italian frontier, there's one at 09:25 arriving at 10:13.

• Travel from Ventimiglia to Genoa by InterCity train leaving Ventimiglia at 10:58 and arriving San Remo 11:15 & Genoa Piazza Principe (Genoa's 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 14:53 (up to 10 minutes later on some dates), San Remo at 17:14, and arriving Ventimiglia at 17:31.  You can check train times at www.trenitalia.com.

• Travel from Ventimiglia to Nice by frequent local train.  There's a train at 17:47 and 18:17, journey time 50 minutes.

• Travel from Nice to Paris overnight on the Train Bleu, leaving Nice at 19:55 and arriving in Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 07:37 next morning.  The Train Bleu is a French Intercités de Nuit overnight train 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 10:39.

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.

• Nice to Ventimiglia costs €6.70 full-price, bought on the day.

• Ventimiglia to Genoa costs from €9 with a super-economy fare, €18 full-price.

How to buy tickets online...

• Go to www.raileurope.co.uk.

• 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.  This will cover both the couchette train and the onward local train to Ventimiglia.

• Then book a Ventimiglia to Genoa ticket at either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com.

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 09:00-19:00 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 193 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EU, 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.

London ► Rimini, Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, Lecce (option 1, by Thello sleeper)

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar then from Paris to Bologna by Thello sleeper train, leaving London at 14:31 Mon-Fri, 14:01 Saturdays or 13:31 Sundays and arriving in Bologna at 06:00 next morning, as shown in the London to Bologna section above.  The Paris-Bologna overnight train has sleeping-cars, couchettes and restaurant car.  Have breakfast in Bologna.

• An air-conditioned Frecciabianca train leaves Bologna at 09:42, arriving Rimini at 10:34, Ancona at 11:26, Pescara at 12:37, Foggia at 14:11, Bari at 15:18, Brindisi at 16:12, Lecce at 16:40.

London ► Rimini, Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, Lecce (option 2, daytime travel + hotel stop)

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar then Paris to Milan by high-speed TGV, leaving London at 09:17 Mon-Fri, 09:31 Saturdays or 09:22 Sundays, arriving Milan Porta Garibaldi at 21:45, as shown in the London to Milan section above.

• Stay overnight in Milan.  Hotels in Milan.

• Next morning, a modern, air-conditioned Frecciabianca train leaves Milan Centrale at 07:35, arriving Rimini at 10:34, Ancona at 11:26, Pescara at 12:37, Foggia at 14:11, Bari at 15:18, Brindisi at 16:12, Lecce at 16:40.  By all means take a later train, you can check train times using www.trenitalia.com.

On board the Frecciabianca train...

Frecciabianca trains are fully air-conditioned, with a refreshment trolley but no restaurant or bar car - feel free to take your own picnic and maybe bottle of wine along.  Seat reservation is compulsory on Frecciabianca trains, so everyone gets a seat.  All seats in both classes have power sockets for laptops & mobiles (2-pin, 220v).

From Bologna to Bari, you travel in a Frecciabianca train, running along the seaside for much of the way...		This is 1st class, less crowded and more spacious.		...and this is 2nd class.

Lecce, Brindisi, Bari, Ancona, Rimini  ► London (option 1, by Thello sleeper)

Lecce, Brindisi, Bari, Ancona, Rimini  ► London (option 2, daytime travel + hotel stop)

• An air-conditioned Frecciabianca train leaves Lecce at 14:13, Brindisi at 14:36, Bari at 15:40, Foggia at 16:42, Pescara at 18:17, Ancona at 19:27 and Rimini at 20:17, arriving in Milan at 23:25.  By all means take an earlier train, you can check train times using www.trenitalia.com.

• Stay overnight in Milan.  Hotels in Milan.

• Next morning, take either the 06:00 or 08:50 high-speed Paris-Italy TGV to Paris and change there for Eurostar to London arriving in the evening, as shown in the London to Milan section above.

How much does it cost?

Fares for the London-Milan part of the journey are shown in the London-Milan section above.

You can check these fares & fares for other journeys using www.trenitalia.com.  Advice for using trenitalia.com.

How to buy tickets online for the Thello sleeper option...

This takes 3 websites, so do a dry run on all three before booking for real.

• Step 1, book the London-Paris Eurostar at www.eurostar.com.  You print your own ticket, or can collect it at London St Pancras.

• Step 2, book the Paris-Milan Thello sleeper train at either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Thello's own site www.thello.com.  Both sites offer ticketless travel for this train, you pay online and simply quote your booking reference to the conductor on board.

• Step 3, book onward trains from Milan to Rimini, Ancona, Bari and so on at either www.italiarail.com (again, they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com, looking for cheap super-economy or economy fares.  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.  However, Italiarail.com is in plain English and happily accepts English place names, whereas Trenitalia.com requires Italian-language place names, for example 'Roma' for Rome, 'Napoli' for Naples, 'Firenze' for Florence, 'Venezia Santa Lucia' for Venice and has a few quirks, although one advantage is that it allows you to select specific seats.

How to buy tickets online, for the daytime TGV option...

• Step 1, go to either www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) or www.voyages-sncf.com (residents of any country) and book your trains from London to Paris and (as a second transaction) Paris to Milan or Bologna.  See the 'how to buy tickets' part of the London to Milan section.

• Step 2, book the train from Bologna or Milan to Rimini, Ancona, Bari, and so on online at either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com, looking for cheap super-economy or economy fares.  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.  However, Italiarail.com is in plain English and happily accepts English place names, whereas Trenitalia.com requires Italian-language place names, for example 'Roma' for Rome, 'Napoli' for Naples, 'Firenze' for Florence, 'Venezia Santa Lucia' for Venice and has a few quirks, although one advantage is that it allows you to select specific seats.

How to buy tickets by phone or in person...

You can buy train tickets to Italy by phone from any UK European rail booking agency, including Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00 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 193 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EU, 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.

Take the train to your cruise ship at Civitavecchia...

Civitavecchia is the cruise port just north of Rome.  It's often used as the starting point for Mediterranean cruises, and it's also a departure point for ferries to Sardinia.  Civitavecchia is on the main Genoa-Pisa-Rome rail route, just 81 km (51 miles) north of Rome.  Frequent Frecciabianca, InterCity and regional trains link Rome's main Stazione Termini with Civitavecchia, and you'll also find direct trains from Genoa & Pisa to Civitavecchia.  The InterCity trains from Rome take 50 minutes and cost €10, the Frecciabianca trains take 40 minutes and cost €14, but Frecciabianca & IC trains only run every couple of hours and require a reservation. The regional trains take 49-68 minutes but run at least once per hour, often up to three times an hour, they cost only €5 one-way, no reservation necessary, you just buy a ticket and hop on the next train.

For travel from the UK to Civitavecchia, it's usually easiest and fastest to travel to Rome first, then travel back north to Civitavecchia by regional train.  See the London-Rome section above, then use www.trenitalia.com to find train times and fares from Rome to Civitavecchia (pick any date within the next 7 days to see times and fares for regional trains, the fares don't show up further ahead than this, and won't change as the price is fixed).  Buy tickets as far as Rome in advance, but it's easiest to just buy your Rome-Civitavecchia ticket at the station on the day, using the self-service machines which have a touch screen with English language facility.  No reservation is required or even possible for regional trains, you just buy a ticket and hop on the next train.  Don't forget to validate your local ticket in the little grey & green validation machines at the entrance to the platform before boarding the train.

In Civitavecchia, the station is an easy 10 minute walk from the port entrance, though if you have baggage you may prefer to use a taxi.

Take the train to Lake Como...

Como is such a popular lakeside destination!  There are two basic options for reaching Como:

• Take a morning Eurostar to Paris around 9am, then take the afternoon TGV from Paris to Milan as shown in this section above.  It's quite a scenic route!  You arrive in Milan Porta Garibaldi at 21:45.  A regional train leaves Milan Porta Garibaldi at 22:39 arriving Como San Giovanni at 23:38, fare around €5, buy at the station in Milan.  This is the fastest option, London to Como in one day!

• Alternatively, take an afternoon Eurostar and evening TGV-Lyria to Zurich, stay overnight and take a direct EuroCity train through the Alps via the wonderful Gotthard route  to Como San Giovanni.  You'll find times, prices, and how to buy tickets from London to Como via this route in this section above.  This takes a little longer and requires an overnight stop, but this breaks up the trip and the journey through the Swiss Alps is quite spectacular.

• Regional trains link Milan and Como San Giovanni every hour throughout the day, fare €5, use www.trenitalia.com to find train times.  No reservation possible or necessary for these regional trains, just buy a ticket and hop on the next train.

London to Sicily

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 three options is explained below.

	Gently does it...  The Milan to Palermo sleeper express is taken off the ferry at Messina.  Yes, the trains to Sicily really are direct, and really do get shunted onto a ferry to cross the straits from Villa San Giovanni to Messina. Photo courtesy of David Smith.

Option 1, by train all the way...

This makes for a comfortable journey from the UK to Sicily, taking just 1 night, 2 days.  The journey shown here is the fastest option, but by all means take a bit longer, stop off on the way and spread out the journey.

London ► Catania, Palermo, Syracuse

• Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 09:17 on Mondays-Fridays, 09:31 on Saturdays or 09:22 on Sundays, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 12:47.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon, 2 stops on RER line D.  Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the famous Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon?

• Day 1, travel from Paris to Turin or Milan by high-speed Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon daily at 14:41 and arriving Milan Porta Garibaldi at 21:45.  The TGV has 1st and 2nd class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & tray-meals.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from France into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps, see the video guide above.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Milan.  Hotels in Milan.

• Day 2, travel from Milan to Naples by Frecciarossa high-speed train, leaving Milan Centrale at 08:15 and arriving Naples Centrale at 12:55.  A restaurant car is available serving affordable complete meals, drinks and snacks, and there are power sockets for laptops and mobiles.

• Day 2, travel from Naples to Sicily by air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Naples Centrale at 13:55 arriving Palermo 23:00, Catania 21:13 and Siracuse 22:30.  Yes, all this InterCity train really is direct from Naples to Sicily (in fact, it starts in Rome).  The train reaches Villa San Giovanni at 18:05, and to reach Messina on 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 get out and go up on deck for some fresh air.  Travelling on both a train and a ship at the same time is an interesting experience!  The train has a refreshment trolley, but feel free to take your own picnic and bottle of wine for the journey.

• If you want to stop off in Rome or Naples, you'll find two daytime InterCity trains and an overnight sleeper linking Rome and Naples with Sicily.  The InterCity trains leave Rome at 07:39 and 11:39, or Naples at 09:55 and 13:55, with portions for both Palermo and Catania, Siracuse arriving in the evening.  The sleeper train leaves Rome daily at 21:20, arriving Palermo 10:40, Catania 08:31 and Siracuse 10:00.  You can check times and buy tickets for all these trains at www.trenitalia.com.  The sleeper train has 4-berth Comfort couchette and a standard sleeping-car with 1, 2 and 3 bed compartments with washbasin, see the photos here.

Syracuse, Palermo, Catania ► London

• Day 1, travel from Sicily to Naples by air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Siracuse daily at 07:33, Catania at 08:43 and Palermo at 07:00, arriving Naples Centrale at 16:05.  There's a refreshment trolley on board, but feel free to take your own picnic and beer or wine.  This InterCity train is shunted onto a train ferry to cross the Straits of Messina, an interesting experience in itself.  The train continues to Rome, but you should get off in Naples.

• Day 1, travel from Naples to Milan by Frecciarossa high-speed train, leaving Naples Centrale at 18:00 and arriving Milan Centrale at 22:40.  A restaurant car is available serving affordable meals, drinks and snacks, and there are power sockets for laptops and mobiles.  There's also an earlier 17:00 train from Naples, but it's best to allow longer to change trains in case the InterCity from Sicily is late.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Milan.  Hotels in Milan.

• Day 2, travel from Milan or Turin to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Milan Porta Garibaldi daily at 06:00 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 13:23.  There is a café-bar serving drinks, snacks and light meals.  It's a relaxing and comfortable journey, passing directly from Italy into France via Modane and the Mont Cénis tunnel through the Alps, see the video guide above.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord, 2 stops on RER line D.

• Day 2, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord daily at 15:13, arriving London St Pancras at 16:39.

• Alternatively, you may prefer a more leisurely breakfast and the 08:50 TGV train from Milan.  Day 2, travel from Milan to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving Milan Porta Garibaldi at 08:50 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 16:11.  There is a café-bar serving drinks, snacks and light meals.  Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare du Nord, 2 stops on RER line D.  Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 on Mondays-Fridays arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 or at 19:13 on Saturdays arriving London St Pancras at 20:39.

What is an Italian InterCity train like?...

InterCity trains are fully air-conditioned, with 1st & 2nd class & often a refreshment trolley. Seat reservation is now compulsory on all InterCity trains. 1st class has power sockets for laptops, 2nd class usually doesn't.

Italian InterCity train, as operated between Rome, Naples & Sicily...		2nd class 6-seat compartment.  Some cars have open-plan seating.		1st class open-plan seating.  Some cars have 6-seat compartments.

What is the Rome to Sicily sleeper train like?

Standard Italian sleeper on overnight train.  It has 12 compartments, each of which can be used as 1st class Single, 1st class Double or 2nd class 3-berth.

Sleeper in evening/ morning mode, with beds folded away.

Sleeper compartment in night-time mode, set up as a 2-berth.

There are also 4-berth Comfort couchettes, see the photos here.

Through Southern Italy & across on the train ferry to Sicily...

If you stop off in Rome, you can also take a time-effective sleeper train from Rome to Sicily.  Taking the overnight train to Sicily is quite an adventure...

En route to Sicily by sleeper train, at a sunny, sleepy southern-Italian station.  Photo courtesy of Edward Roland		At Villa san Giovanni, the train is shunted onto a train ferry for the crossing to Messina.  This is a sleeper train on board the ferry.  Photos courtesy of Edward Roland

Mount Etna, seen from a Siracuse/Catania to Rome InterCity train.  Photo courtesy of Richard Millbank.		The InterCity train from Sicily to Rome inside the train ferry.		With bow door raised, the train ferry approaches the linkspan at Villa San Giovanni.  Photos courtesy Richard Millbank

Travellers' reports...

Traveller Kathryn Vale reports:  "Our train trip to Palermo was a success: London to Paris by Eurostar, TGV to Toulon then local train to Monte Carlo (all stops to visit family!).  Then Ventimiglia-Genoa and Genoa-Palermo all for €68 including 4 bed 'couchette promiscuo' with juice and newspaper on waking (although no food to buy on board) AND the amazing train on the boat to Messina. We had blue sea on our right shoulder from daybreak in the couchette and all round the coast and some lovely interior trips within Sicily by train too.  The trains were great, the time keeping fine (except the Genoa train which was 40 minutes late, but we caught up on the next day), the staff were helpful - even with not much English/Italian between us!"

Traveller Steve Hutchinson reports:  “We picked up the Rome to Sicily sleeper after having arrived in Rome earlier that morning on the DB sleeper from Munich, enabling an interesting comparison between overnight trains! We had a T3 3-berth sleeper on the Sicily train, which was very comfortable with ample room for our luggage. Despite it being around 30c on departure at 2120 the air conditioning was working quite well, so a comfortable night’s sleep was assured. We woke in the morning as the train was running along the Calabrian coast with amazing views of mountains in the distance. The train then arrived at Villa San Giovanni around 06:00 where it was shunted onto the train ferry. It was effectively split into two portions to fit on the boat. The crossing took about half an hour. We all got off the train and went to the upper deck of the ship to see the views of Sicily on the approach and to get some coffee, which was very welcome! After arriving at Messina the two portions of the train – one for Palermo, the other for Catania and Siracuse - were hauled into the station. This gave the opportunity for anyone who’d got on the wrong portion in the hold of the ferry to change over! There were excellent views of Mount Etna as the Siracuse portion ran along the east coast of the island. The whole journey was amazing; you felt you’d actually travelled and arrived, rather than being delivered in a sterile aircraft. On the return a week later we boarded the sleeper train at Siracuse after an excellent meal at a restaurant round the corner from the station. Arrival at Rome was the following morning around 10:00, after a good night’s sleep”

Traveller Edward Rolands reports:  "We took the overnight train train to Sicily, booking a 4 berth “comfort” couchette. Booking in advance at www.trenitalia.com meant it only cost €34.  It had a lot more space than the 6 berth variety and the air conditioning was functioning a lot more effectively too making for a much better nights sleep. We woke up in the morning as the train was pacing along the Calabrian coast with some lovely views of mountains in the distance and cliffs dropping in to the sea. The train then arrives at Villa San Giovanni where it’s shunted on to the ferry, a process which takes about half an hour.  You may be shunted on to the ferry, then shunted off again, then shunted back on again, as the train is broken up so that it fits!  The crossing takes about half an hour and you can get off and go on deck to enjoy the view - and get some basic refreshments.  On arrival at Messina it takes about half an hour to reconstruct the train which will now be in two bits, one for Palermo, one for Catania & Syracuse. Our Siracuse section was shunted into the platform at Messina Centrale first, 5 minutes before its departure time.  However it was held there until the other section was reconstructed and shunted in to another platform, so we ended up leaving over 20 minutes late.  The final section along the Eastern coast of Sicily has some great views of the mountains in the distance and of course Mt Etna. The train arrived at Taormina only 15 minutes late - the staff seemed keen to make up more time as it didn’t hang around before carrying on it’s journey South.  Overall the journey was brilliant and much better than any flight!"

How much does it cost?

See the London to Rome & Naples section above for fares from London to Rome and Naples.

A Tirrenia Line ship arrives in Sardinia...

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.

London & East Anglia to Italy - the ferry alternative

	London to Holland by Dutch Flyer train & ferry...  A train takes you from London's Liverpool Street station directly to the ferry terminal at Harwich.  You walk off the train into the terminal, get your boarding card & cabin key at the Stena Line check-in desk and walk straight onto the overnight superferry to Hoek van Holland.  The Stena Hollandica is the largest ferry of its kind in the world.  See the Netherlands page for details and see the video...
	Cosy cabins:  The overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry is a floating hotel.  All passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with en suite shower & toilet, free WiFi & satellite TV. This is the cheapest 2-berth cabin...
	... and this is a Captain's Class cabin with double bed & complimentary bubbly in the minibar.
	Onwards to Switzerland by ICE high-speed train:  This is a superb 175 mph German ICE train at Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof. 2nd class seats on the ICE.  A bistro car serves meals on proper china.   Stay overnight in Switzerland, then on to Italy by EuroCity train...

By ferry instead of Eurostar.  Via Dover & Calais?

If you want to avoid the Channel Tunnel, for example if problems are affecting the Eurostar service or if you suffer from claustrophobia, you can travel by train & ferry instead.  At first glance, the obvious route seems to be by train from London to Dover, then the short 90 minute ferry crossing to Calais, then by train to Paris.  If you want to do this, see the London to Paris by train & ferry page, and once in Paris you can pick up any of the routes to Italy shown above.  However, although this is the direct and traditional route, I do not recommend it, unless you happen to live near Dover, as it is now inconvenient, it lacks any integrated ticketing or timetabling and involves awkward bus or taxi transfers between railway stations and ferry terminals on both sides of the Channel.  It now takes so long that you cannot reliably connect with the sleeper train from Paris to Italy the same day, so need to stop overnight in Paris and travel on next day.

London to Italy via Harwich & Hoek van Holland...

Instead I suggest what at first seems a roundabout alternative, marked in black on the route map above, via the excellent overnight superferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland - see the video.  This route offers cheap combined train+ferry tickets from London to Amsterdam with totally painless train-ferry transfers on both sides of the water, then inexpensive onward tickets to Italy.  It's handy if you live in East Anglia as you can travel direct to Harwich without going through London, and it avoids France and Belgium if the French or Belgians are on strike again.  Indeed, you may simply prefer a convenient evening departure from central London, cruising overnight to Holland in a private cabin with shower, toilet, free WiFi and satellite TV on the luxurious Stena Line superferry, spending the next day at leisure in Amsterdam, then taking the excellent City Night Line sleeper overnight to Zurich followed by a scenic onward train ride through the Gotthard Pass in the Swiss Alps to Italy.  It's both civilised and comfortable.  Here's how to do it:

London, East Anglia & Harwich  ► Italy

• Day 1:  Travel by train from London to Hoek van Holland by Dutch Flyer train & luxury ferry.  You leave London's Liverpool Street station at 19:32 on a train to Harwich International.  At Harwich, the station is right next to the ferry terminal and you walk off the train into the terminal, check in at the Stena Line desk and walk straight onto Stena Line's luxurious overnight superferry Stena Hollandica to Hoek van Holland.  All passengers travel in cosy private cabins with en suite toilet & shower, free WiFi & satellite TV.  Deluxe Comfort class or Captains class cabins are also available, with complimentary minibar.  You can get on board the ferry around 9pm, have a late dinner in the restaurant and settle into your cabin.  The ferry sails at 23:15 and arrives at Hoek van Holland at 07:45 Dutch time next morning.  This Dutch Flyer London-Netherlands train & ferry service is a fully-integrated service with special fares from London to Any Dutch Station which cover the train to Harwich, the ferry and onward train to anywhere in the Netherlands, see the Netherlands page for full details.  The same special fare from London is valid from any National Express East Anglia station, for example Norwich, Cambridge, Romford, Ilford, Ipswich.

• Option 1:  Day 2, take daytime trains from Hoek van Holland to Switzerland and stay overnight.  At Hoek van Holland, the station is right outside the ferry terminal.  Take the frequent local sprinter train from Hoek van Holland to Rotterdam (there's usually one at 08:10 or 08:25 for example), and change onto the next available Dutch domestic InterCity train to Utrecht.  Your Dutch Flyer ticket from London to Any Dutch station covers this section, no reservation is necessary, just hop on any train.  Then take the 11:02 high-speed ICE train from Utrecht to Frankfurt, arriving Frankfurt-am-Main at 14:30.  Change onto the 15:36 high-speed ICE train to Basel SBB (arrive 17:47), Bern (arrive 18:56) or Interlaken (arrive 19:57).  Spend the night in a hotel in any of these cities.

• Option 2:  Day 2, spend the day exploring Amsterdam then take the City Night Line sleeper train to Switzerland.  At Hoek van Holland, the station is right outside the ferry terminal.  Take the frequent local sprinter train from Hoek van Holland to Schiedam and change onto the next available InterCity train to Amsterdam, arriving Amsterdam Centraal around 09:48.  Spend the day exploring Amsterdam, left luggage lockers are available.  In the evening, take the 20:31 City Night Line sleeper train Pegasus overnight from Amsterdam Centraal to Basel arriving at 06:54 & Zurich at 08:20 next morning.  The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 & 3 berth rooms, either standard with washbasin or deluxe with en suite toilet & shower), couchettes (4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats.  More information about City Night Line trains.

• Day 3, travel through the Swiss Alps to Italy.  Travel by EuroCity train through the Swiss Alps to Milan, with a whole range of trains to choose from.  For example, the 09:09 EuroCity train from Zurich arrives in Milan at 12:50, travelling via the scenic Gotthard route.  Check onward train times from Milan to other Italian cities using www.trenitalia.com allowing at least 60 minutes to change in Milan.  You can check times and fares from Swiss cities to Milan at either www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only) or www.sbb.ch.  Change in Milan for other Italian cities, check times using www.trenitalia.com.

Italy  ► Harwich, East Anglia & London

• Day 1, Take a EuroCity train from Milan to Basel or Zurich.  Take an afternoon EuroCity train from Milan to Basel or Zurich.  For example, the 15:10 direct EuroCity train from Milan Centrale arrives Zurich at 18:51, travelling via the scenic Gotthard route.  Coming from other Italian cities, use www.trenitalia.com to check train times to Milan allowing at least 60 minutes to change in Milan.

• Option 1:  Stay overnight, then take daytime trains from Switzerland to Hoek van Holland on day 2.  Stay overnight in Basel.  Day 2, leave Basel SBB at 10:12, by high-speed ICE train to Frankfurt-am-Main arriving at 13:08.  Change in Frankfurt onto the 13:29 high-speed ICE train to Utrecht, arriving 16:58.  Now take Dutch domestic trains from Utrecht to Rotterdam and on to Hoek van Holland.  Trains run frequently from Utrecht to Rotterdam & Rotterdam to Hoek, no reservation necessary, just hop on any train.  This section is covered by your Dutch Flyer Any Dutch Station to London ticket.  At Hoek, the ferry terminal is right next to the station.  In suggesting this service from Switzerland I've allowed plenty of time to connect with the overnight ferry, so you could stop off in Utrecht (which has a very nice old town) or Rotterdam for an evening meal.  Just make sure you reach Hoek before 21:00.

• Option 2:  Day 1, take the City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich or Basel to Amsterdam, and spend a free day in Amsterdam.  The City Night Line sleeper train Pegasus leaves Zurich daily at 20:42 or Basel at 22:07 (day 1), arriving at Amsterdam Centraal at 08:56 (day 2).  The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 & 3-berth rooms, either standard with washbasin or deluxe with en suite toilet & shower), couchettes (4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats.  More information about City Night Line trains.  Spend the day in Amsterdam, left luggage lockers are available.  Then take the 18:46 InterCity train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and change onto the local sprinter train to Hoek van Holland.  The ferry terminal is right next to the station.

• Day 2, travel overnight from Hoek van Holland to London by Dutch Flyer train & luxury ferry.  Check in at the Stena Line desk, then walk onto the luxurious superferry Stena Britannica and sail overnight to Harwich in a snug private cabin with shower, toilet, satellite TV and free WiFi.  The ferry sails from Hoek at 22:30 Mondays-Fridays or 21:30 Saturdays & Sundays and arrives at Harwich International at 06:30 next morning (day 3), UK time.  Take a train on to London arriving 08:45-08:59.  See the Netherlands page for full details about the Dutch Flyer train & ferry service.

How much does it cost?

• London to Amsterdam or Utrecht starts at £45 per person each way, plus the cost of a cabin.  Cabins start at £30 for a single berth cabin or £43 per cabin for a 2-berth, and are compulsory on the night sailing.  The fare covers the train from London to Harwich, the ferry, and onward Dutch trains from Hoek van Holland Haven to any station in the Netherlands, see the Netherlands page for full details of fares and cabin types and costs.

• If you prefer option 1, Utrecht to Frankfurt starts at €39 each way, then Frankfurt to Basel also starts at €39.

• If you prefer option 2, Amsterdam to Basel or Zurich by City Night Line sleeper train starts at €59 one-way with a couchette in 6-berth, €69 with a couchette in 4-berth, €104 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, €144 with a bed in a single-bed sleeper.

• Zurich or Basel to Milan starts at £19.50.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, buy a Dutch Flyer train & ferry ticket from London to Utrecht or Amsterdam.  Buy a London to Amsterdam train & ferry ticket as shown on the Netherlands page.

• Step 2, book your trains from Utrecht or Amsterdam to Switzerland:  Go to the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  If you want to take the Amsterdam-Zurich City Night line sleeper, ask the system for Amsterdam to Basel or Zurich departing after 20:00, and look for the overnight CNL train with 0 changes.  If you want to book daytime trains from Utrecht to Switzerland, resist the temptation to book from Utrecht to Basel all in one go.  Instead, split the journey into Utrecht-Frankfurt (and back) and Frankfurt-Switzerland (and back) and look for the trains shown above.  This way, the system will offer you German Railways' cheap Netherlands-Germany and Germany-Switzerland fares for each leg, from just €39 each way for each leg.  These cheap fares will not show up if you ask for a Netherlands to Switzerland journey all in one go.  If you prefer you can book by phone, call DB's UK office on 08718 80 80 66, lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 at weekends.

• Step 3, book your trains from Switzerland to Italy.  You can do this easily at either www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only) or www.sbb.ch (residents of any country, self-print tickets or collection at any Swiss station).  One-way tickets starting in Italy should be booked at www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) rather than www.sbb.ch.

• Step 4, book any onward trains within Italy.  Do this at www.trenitalia.com, but allow at least 60 minutes to make connections in Milan to allow for any delay.

How to buy tickets by phone:  Special booking form

• To buy tickets for the Dutch Flyer from London to Hoek van Holland plus onward train tickets to Italy or almost anywhere in Europe, fill in the special booking form and email it to European Rail.  They will call you back with a price, usually within 24 hours.  Using the booking form can save a long phone call while they take details and work out trains & prices.  If you'd rather call them, phone 020 7619 1083, but please say you're calling about Dutch Flyer & onward train tickets to Italy as shown on Seat61.  Their lines are 08:30-18:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday.  Note that there's a £35 fee for phone or email bookings, but this is for the whole booking, not per person or per ticket.  European Rail are one of the few agencies (if not the only agency) who can sell both the Dutch Flyer and onward European train tickets.

	DFDS Seaways Princess of Norway about to sail overnight from Newcastle to Amsterdam...
	A Commodore deluxe cabin on DFDS ferry King of Scandinavia from Newcastle to Amsterdam, with minibar, satellite TV, shower & toilet. See the video...
	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 and fastest option.  If you want to do this, read this advice on buying connecting train tickets up to London.  But DFDS Seaways run an excellent daily overnight cruise ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam, and P&O Ferries sail overnight from Hull to Holland.  Then there's a direct City Night Line sleeper from Amsterdam to Switzerland for onward EuroCity trains through the Alps to Italy.  So why not by-pass London, and have a day in Amsterdam into the bargain before travelling on to Italy?

Scotland & the north of England ► Italy

• Day 1, take a train to either Hull or Newcastle, whichever is most convenient for where you live.  Transfer to the P&O overnight cruise ferry from Hull to Rotterdam or the DFDS Seaways cruise ferry from Newcastle to IJmuiden, the port of Amsterdam.  Both ferries have bars, restaurants & comfortable en suite cabins, arriving next morning.  For details of timetables, port transfers, 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 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 08:34 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.  For example, the 11:09 from Zurich arrives Milan Centrale at 14:50.  See www.raileurope.co.uk to book this, or check times and book at the Swiss railways website 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 & the north of England

• 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.  For example, the 15:10 from Milan Centrale arrives in Zurich at 18:51.  You can check train times at either www.raileurope.co.uk or www.trenitalia.com.  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 08:56 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, travel overnight by cruise ferry either with P&O Ferries from Rotterdam to Hull or with DFDS Seaways from IJmuiden (near Amsterdam) to Newcastle, whichever is most convenient for where you live.  Next morning (day 4) transfer to the station and take a train home.  For full details of train & ferry times and how to buy tickets for each of these routes, see the UK-Netherlands page.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

• To check ferry prices & book the ferry online, go to www.dfds.co.uk (Newcastle-Amsterdam) or www.poferries.com (Hull-Rotterdam).  I recommend doing this first.

• To check train fares and buy train tickets to Hull or Newcastle, see www.thetrainline.com or www.nationalrail.co.uk;

• To check Amsterdam-Zurich sleeper train fares & book online, go to either www.raileurope.co.uk or www.bahn.de (look for the direct CNL train with 0 changes).  Fares from €59 with a couchette or €104 for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.

• Then book Zurich to Milan at either www.raileurope.co.uk or www.sbb.ch, with fares from £19.50.

• Then book trains within Italy at either www.italiarail.com (they'll refund the small booking fee to seat61 users if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways' own site www.trenitalia.com, looking for cheap super-economy or economy fares from Milan to Florence, Rome, Naples or Venice from just €9.  Both sites sell the same tickets at the same prices and both usually offer ticketless travel, you simply quote your PNR on board the train.  However, Italiarail.com is in plain English and happily accepts English place names, whereas Trenitalia.com requires Italian-language place names, for example 'Roma' for Rome, 'Napoli' for Naples, 'Firenze' for Florence, 'Venezia Santa Lucia' for Venice and has a few quirks, although one advantage is that it allows you to select specific seats.

The Train Bleu restaurant at Paris Gare de Lyon...

If you've time for lunch or dinner in Paris...

...consider eating at the famous and remarkable Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon, on the main concourse, website www.le-train-bleu.com.  Originally the Gare de Lyon's grand buffet, it opened in 1900 and decorated in a sumptuous art nouveau style which it retains to this day.  The set menu costs around €56 including a half-bottle of wine, the food is very good and the surroundings are perhaps the most spectacular in which you will ever eat a meal.  Truly an experience in itself!  Just go to www.le-train-bleu.com & email them to book a table, though you'll often find a table free even if you just turn up. 

The Man in Seat 61 says:  "This place is rather special and beautifully, authentically, totally French.  I ordered a Rum Baba for dessert, expecting a feeble confection of the sort served in most British restaurants.  A bottle of exotic Martinique rum materialised on my table.  The waiter reappeared, carrying a generous sausage-shaped sponge roll.  Whipping out a long knife, he deftly slashed the Mark of Zorro into the sponge, and with a flamboyant gesture emptied half the bottle of Martinique rum over the top.  One deliciously dangerous Rum Baba later, I staggered onto my train..."

...Or just a coffee or beer while waiting at the Gare de Lyon...

A well-worn leather armchair in the Train Bleu's tranquil bar section is far better than a draughty cafe table downstairs on the concourse - it's not the cheapest coffee in the world, and the vintage plumbing in the gents looks a bit suspect, but the place makes up for that with bags of character!

The entrance to the Train Bleu restaurant, up the steps from the main train departure concourse at the Gare de Lyon.		A dining room at Versailles?  No, the Train Bleu restaurant for lunch before taking the train to Italy... Beats a burger at Luton Airport any day...

Set menu, starter....		Set menu, main course...

...or at the Gare du Nord, try the Brasserie Terminus Nord...

If you'd like a decent meal near the Gare du Nord rather than the Gare de Lyon, try the typically French Brasserie Terminus Nord (www.terminusnord.com), just across the road from  the front of the Gare du Nord.  It's good quality French cuisine in classic Parisian brasserie surroundings, and so handy for Eurostar.  Main dishes cost around €18-€20.

Holidays & tours to Italy by train

	020 3327 0761 (UK) 1-800-408-3280 (USA) 1300 971 526 (Aus) 0800 002 034 (NZ)
	0843 506 8815 Please quote 'seat61'
	01904 730727
	01904 527 120
	020 7619 1080 Pls quote 'seat61'

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 tailor-made tours, holidays & breaks to Italy by train...

Railbookers can tailor-make a flight-free holiday or short break to Italy to your own specification, with train travel, transfers & hotels all arranged for you, leaving on any date you like.  For example, a 4-night short break to Florence starts at £449 per person, including travel by Eurostar & onward trains there and back.  An 8-night holiday to Venice, Florence & Rome starts at £999 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 the Railbookers Italy page to browse suggested itineraries and prices.

  UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.com. 

Call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or www.us.railbookers.com.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au. 

  New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website.

Planet Rail, www.planetrail.co.uk, 0843 506 8815 (please quote 'Seat61.com' when you call)...

Planet Rail offer tailor-made holidays by rail for both groups and individuals, put together to your own requirements. Destinations include Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Russia and France.  See www.planetrail.co.uk or call 0843 506 8815 to speak to one of their team.

Treyn Holidays, www.railholidays.com, 01904 730 727...

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, they offer a 9-day tour to  Florence, Venice and Tuscany  or an 8 day tour to Lake Garda.  Check details & prices at www.railholidays.com and book online or call 01904 730 727.

Great Rail Journeys, www.greatrail.com, 01904 527 120...

GRJ offers five-star inclusive escorted tours to Italy, with 1st class train travel and 4* or 5* hotels.  Tours include a 14-day Grand Tour of Italy to Florence, Venice & Rome, a tour to the Bay of Naples, Capri & Amalfi, and to Lake Garda, 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 & prices 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.

Send your luggage in advance

Enjoy your journey without heavy luggage... 

Let www.carrymyluggage.com deliver your bags door to door.

If you'd like to enjoy your train journey free of heavy luggage, making it easy to get on and off trains with nothing more than a lightweight daypack or handbag, www.carrymyluggage.com will collect your luggage at your home address a few days before you leave, and will deliver it to addresses all over the EU, so it will be waiting at your hotel when you arrive.  It's not cheap, you can reckon on around £78 per case each way, but this is door to door, covering collection from your home in the UK or other EU country and delivery to an address in another EU country.  I've also arranged a 10% discount if you use the Promo code 'seat61' when booking your bags online.  www.carrymyluggage.com are a reliable company, they also work with companies such as Great Rail Journeys, Virgin Trains, First Great Western, Hull Trains, and South West Trains.

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 £14.99.  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.thomascookpublishing.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from selected UK branches of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria station in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2012/13 edition (Dec 2012 to June 2013) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2013 edition (June to Dec 2013)

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.

Guidebooks

If you have a decent guidebook you'll see so much more and know so much more about what you're looking at.  It's a sound investment when you remember what you're spending on the whole trip!  I think the Lonely Planets or Rough Guides are the best ones out there for the independent traveller.  My own book is an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61".  Published in June 2008 and revised April 2010, it's available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk

Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

Find hotels in Venice, Florence, Rome & Italy...

City Tours by Open Top Bus

Buy a ticket for the hop-on, hop-off Open Top Bus...

City Sightseeing's red-and-yellow open top tour buses are now a familiar site in 100 major cities on 6 continents.  They do a hop-on, hop-off tour bus ticket for Rome, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Milan, Verona, Sorrento, Turin, Genoa, Livorno, Messina & Palermo.  I find their bus tours a good way to orientate yourself in a city, returning to explore in more depth later.  It's also less wearing on the feet, especially with kids!

Buy your tour tickets online before you go, redeemable on any day you like within 3 months of buying it, see www.city-sightseeing.com.

Car hire

Take the train to Italy, then hire a car:  www.holidayautos.co.uk

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.

Compare 50 different car hire companies:  www.carrentals.co.uk

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.

Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

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 a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim 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.