Help getting a train from Paris to Rome

Trains from Paris would be on the SNCF (French railway) site. But I don't think they are selling tickets for the fall months yet. Youur difficulty may also be due to current COVID travel restrictions. I looked at a random day this month and found an early morning train with one change in Torino. I don't think you'll find a train with no changes. That trip is nearly 11 hours.
If you're looking for fast, consider flying on one of the budget European airlines

Why not fly?
Why spend 20+ hrs on a train and make at least 2 changes?

Part of your problem is that Italian trains for fall have not been scheduled yet. That leaves the only train on the schedule (at this time) as the NightJet from Munich to Rome. If you look at next week, there are more options, which indicates that more options will open up later on. Considering that a lot of trains have been cut back due to the covid pandemic, it will pay to wait a while before booking this. You still don't know if everything will be open by fall anyway.

Even now, it is minimum of 4 changes and over 13 hours to get from Paris to Rome by train. Seriously consider flying instead.

Hi everyone...thank you so much for the responses.... they help a lot. My mom is taking us on the trip of a lifetime and we were hoping to get a night train. Alas, if flying is the better option... up we will go!

A night train from Paris to Rome? Well, you may as well do it once but I would not recommend it. That being said, you can find schedules and purchase tickets at thello.com. Right now, nothing can be seen or booked and that may be the case in the fall because of the pandemic. Usually, you would be able to see schedules and fares 180 days ahead of travel. You can expect that the train will depart Paris from Gare de Lyon and you will have to change trains in Milan.

Not everyone sleeps--much less sleeps well--on a night train, so that is a somewhat risky option unless everyone in your travel party has night-train experience and knows it will be OK for them. If it is bad, it is very bad, because you get no sleep on the train and are likely to end up crashing in the daytime the next day. At that point your body is off kilter for at least 24 hours (somewhat like having jetlag).

One thing I always encourage folks to do is look at the list of stops the train makes. Every stop is accompanied by braking, station noise and acceleration. Sometimes carriages are decoupled, which means bumping. Will everyone in your group be able to sleep through that sort of thing?

I really don't like dealing with airports in the middle of a trip, am able to take very long trips, and am unusually tolerant of long train (or even bus) rides. So in your situation, I'd consider looking at the train routing with a view to finding an attractive place along the way to spend a night or two. Paris and Rome are both huge, mega-touristy cities, so a break in a smaller place might be a welcome change.

For most travelers, though, I agree that flying is the best option.

My mom is taking us on the trip of a lifetime and we were hoping to get a night train. Alas, if flying is the better option... up we will go!

There are no night trains from Paris to Rome, but there has been night trains from Paris to Venice via Milan and Turin. They were operated by Thello and are currently suspended due to the pandemic. It is not clear if and when they will return. But if they do, one option is the night train from Paris to Turin or Milan and a high speed train from there to Rome. As mentioned there are also day train, high speed trains with one change in Turin. They are pretty slow from Lyon to Turin as there is no tunnel under the Alps there, so the rail line goes over the Alps. That part of the route is however very scenic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09t_WJz_mM But the full route takes 11 hours or so.

The alternative is to fly. Air France and Alitalia flies between Rome and Paris, as well some low cost airlines.

I actually had this mapped out for the trip we would have taken in 2020. We decided to break up the journey by adding Mürren, Switzerland to our itinerary.

Paris-Switzerland-Florence.

Must you take a train from Paris to Rome? The reason I ask is because you can fly nonstop for as low as $20.

Unless you can sleep anywhere, I would recommend flying, as getting no/little sleep whilst on the train will wipe out your first two days in Rome.

Taking the train from Paris to Rome is a very romantic idea, but ultimately, it is a sizable waste of time and money. I always fly to Rome from Paris and I always depart from Orly rather than from CDG. ORY is much easier to reach from Paris and is a vastly easier airport to use. There are a number of airlines servicing the ORY - FCO but I typically use Transavia.

My personal opinion is that the EU will not likely be open for tourism much before 2022, so I would only make reservations which are fully refundable.

I did the night train from Rome to Paris and had a private two bunk compartment with my husband -- so not the horror show of 6 shelves with strangers, and it was bearable, but barely. We had 70 pounds of books plus our clothes and stuff for a 3 mos stay and so could not fly. I am glad to have had the experience, once, maybe -- but I wouldn't recommend it. There is no housekeeping during the trip and so by about 2 am the bathroom is beyond gross and the cabins themselves are not secure; don't assume because you locked the door that a thief could not slip in while you sleep and snag your purse.

Traveling at night there isn't a view really. I'd take Easyjet (note the luggage requirements -- they are not difficult but they are strictly enforced and be sure to check in on line ahead of the trip). We have flown with them several times within Europe and also used Vueling when traveling to Spain and had satisfactory experiences with both.

You can also fly from Orly which is easier and cheaper to get to by cab. (CDG is cheaper by train -- but I'd take a cab traveling with your Mom). We used the trains until we were middle aged and now that we are old have the luxury of a cab and to Orly it doesn't cost much more.

IN Europe trains are the thing for short trips -- 3 hours or less. Consider a 45 min trip to Reims for the Champagne houses when you are in Paris:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/reims-cathedral-st-remy-and-taittinger/
But for long haul trips, the plane is cheaper and more convenient and you don't lose a night's sleep.

As mentioned there are also day train, high speed trains with one change in Turin. They are pretty slow from Lyon to Turin as there is no tunnel under the Alps there, so the rail line goes over the Alps. That part of the route is however very scenic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09t_WJz_mM But the full route takes 11 hours or so.

There is a tunnel under the Alps on this route, the Frejus Tunnel. It is 8 1/2 miles long and is mentioned in the referenced Youtube video at the 5:00 minute mark.

There is no housekeeping during the trip and so by about 2 am the
bathroom is beyond gross

Booking a compartment with a private bathroom solves that problem.

There is a tunnel under the Alps on this route, the Frejus Tunnel.

It might just be my language skills that are lacking, but I wouldn't call the Fréjus Tunnel a tunnel under the Alps, but rather through the Alps. It is not that long and located pretty high up in the mountains (over 1300 m at the highest point). But an impressive engineering achievment considering that it was built 150 years ago. Work has started on a new tunnel though.

hey hey blue
how many are "we", how many other places are you planning to see and which countries? how long is this trip? i use rome2rio.com to look at routes, ways to go but do not book with them. keep up with the covid-19 rules. openings/closures, quarantines in each place. i would not book anything unless it is fully refundable, back to credit card or a voucher, to be used at a later date. are you doing multi-city flights?
it amazes me how new travelers want the fastest, least expensive, most direct route this train could be up to 16 hours, and as others have said a night train is a no go for me but others may like it. how early in morning does it arrive and do you have a hotel reserved, since check in is usually 2-3pm, probably more exhausted with a wasted day to recoup. booking trains maybe 3 months ahead when schedules come up, don't know what changes will be made after this pandemic ends and allowed to travel
look at flights, yes there are budget fares with restriction on baggage size and weight. if you check in bag, it will probably be more than flight. how far ahead for train travel, security, departure times, which airports. pack light since each of you will be in charge of your bags, getting them on/off trains, putting them in storage area along with other passengers.
may sound like dolores downer but you need to look at complete picture of your first trip to europe, not just go, go, go. sit, slow down, relax and enjoy with no stress vacation. ask all the questions to help you decide, the forum will give you good bad and ugly advice for you to research.
aloha

Hi again everyone... so we are a party of three traveling. We have on our itinerary the following cities:

London {flying into and out of from the States}
Paris
Nuremberg
Zermatt
Rome

With the possibilities of Rouen in Normandy, and Munich so that we can pay respects at Dachau.

We have decided to fly rt from Paris to Rome but other than that, we will be on trains.

If you are going all the way back to London from Rome at the end, how are you getting there?
It would be easier to fly home from Rome in order not to backtrack.

Thanks for your updated itinerary. But I can't help wondering why you are doing a RT Paris-Rome. In the long run, wouldn't it make more sense to do it one way and have a multicity ticket from home to London and then from Rome to home?
And where do Germany and Switzerland fit in?

I have always planned to take the NT from Paris to Venice...itineraries have not yet worked with it. However, I have studied it. The hours are perfect for a night train, Paris late evening to breakfast time in Venice. If you have never taken a night train, do it. Some people hate them and others love them. My husband and I love them and take them whenever we can...just for the NT. You will never know unless you try it, but only with a private compartment. IMO, they are great fun.

PS. ...and I never take an overnight flight to Europe because they are so horrible...just so you know the type of person or sleeper this is coming from.

You should book an open-jaw or multi-city ticket and fly back from Rome. It will save you time and money traveling back to London, and you'll avoid the London airport departure tax. Book: US-->London Rome->-US

Absolutely fly open jaw -- we have been doing this for 30 years and it is always better -- even if it costs a bit more than a round trip ticket you don't have to pay to backtrack in both time and money.

We have in recent years flown into Paris and out of Madrid, into Rome and out of Amsterdam, in to Moscow and out of Paris, and into Rome and out of London. You don't book 'one way', you book the 'multi city option'. Especially when you are covering the kind of distances you are, open jaw is really the sensible choice. If you can book with the same airline, both legs, it should cost the average of the round trip into each city.

Yes, Open jaw into London and out of Rome. Train to Paris, then to Nuremberg (7 hours, 1 change), then to Zermatt (9 1/2 hours, 4 to 5 changes) then to Rome ( 8 hours, 4 to 5 changes).

If you really want to do a night train, you can go Paris to Zermatt (7 hours, 2 to 3 changes) then to Nuremberg (9 hours, 4 to 5 changes). You can get a night train to Rome from Munich after a 1 1/2 hour connection from Nuremberg.

Wow!!

You guys really know your stuff and are so helpful! Thank you . First want to say thank you to badger for the video. Also if we were to take a night train, we are most certainly getting a room with a private bathroom. My husband and I watched it and it was a great way to see what we would be in for. Speaking of the referenced video, thanks sam for pointing out the tunnel I totally would have missed it! Also, Sam, thanks for your last post... the itinerary you put-up seemed so seamless and effortless!!!

jehb2.... when you planned it did you plan to go on to Rome from Florence?

Hey MaryPat, that is truly the cheapest airfare I have ever seen!

S J- I read your comment and the others to follow regarding an open-jaw or multi-city plane. It's habit over $600 additional to our budget and we have decided that we will retain our original plan. We will take a flight back from Rome to Paris and then return to London through the Chunnel.

Hi CJean- Those are great questions... here is what we have so far and why... first we all want to see Paris, Rome, and London {London least on the list}. I have studied WWII extensively as my adopted grand mother was a nurse in the war and another adopted grand mother was born in Normandy and when she was 14 the allies invaded. Their stories have provoked my studies to the extreme. That's where Germany enters the picture {and Normandy too}. Switzerland was my mother's original gift. My husband and I are avid snowboarders and she is an avid fan ;) She wanted to take us to the Swiss Alps to ride this coming winter and the trip just evolved from there. Thank you for the suggestion of the open-jaw/ multi city flight itinerary. I did look into that after I read everyone's comments and determined that the cost difference is something we would like to expend elsewhere.

Howdy Wray!!! Thank you for the encouragement. I was beginning to think that I was crazy!! Honestly though it is something that all three of us desperately wanted to do but were super discouraged by the feedback.I may work it back in somehow if I can. With that in mind, would you mind sharing your plot/plan/ itinerary with me? We are definitely taking an overnight flight to London just because we don't have much other choice with our schedules.

janettravels44 and Bets- I did look into the open jaw option and it just isn't something we are willing to do - but great suggestions - I took them to heart when I read your posts.

Thank you all again for taking the time to work with me on this. I certainly appreciate it. I will let you know of any updates or maybe our itinerary when {and if} I get it all worked out!!!

It's habit over $600 additional to our budget

Open jaw tickets usually cost more than same-city round trips, but they rarely cost more overall. How much vacation time do you consume traveling from Rome to Paris to London to preposition yourself for an LHR departure? How much is this vacation costing you per day? By flying home from Rome, you will gain one to two days of useful vacation time. Not to mention the associated travel costs of moving from an hotel in Rome to Paris to London. For example, the Eurostar does not take you to Heathrow. How much have you budgeted to travel from St Pancras to Heathrow? Associated expenses of traveling like this are not always clearly visible when you are planing unless you fully understand the mechanics involved.

Seasoned travelers are offering you excellent advice. I would not discount the open jaw suggestion too rapidly.

The biggest cost in travel is time. If you have to scurry back to your round trip city you lose at least a day of prime vacation time -- maybe two since you need to be there the day before the flight. And you have the added cost of the return trip. We have done it both ways and always regretted any trip that involved wasting the penultimate day returning to home base. The other thing we have usually regretted is a last day at/near the airport rather than in the city.

If you are convinced that you must do a round trip to London that includes travel to Rome etc then do your onward travel to Italy the day of arrival -- that is a wasted miserable jet lag day so use it to get to your furthest destination. Then work your ways back. And finish in the city from which you depart. That is the process that saves the most usable vacation time. Schedule your onward flight from London to Rome for at least 4 hours after your ETA in London (I think Easyjet may have an insurance policy to guarantee a flight if you miss due to a late arrival -- check to see if they still do). If they have this insurance you could cut it a bit closer e.g. 3 hours. By the time you get to Rome (or Madrid or wherever,) you hotel room will be ready and you will have made the best use of that arrival day. You then finish with several days in London and that next to last day is spend on prime vacation enjoyment not logistics.

London {flying into and out of from the States} Paris Nuremberg
Zermatt Rome

With that itinerary, the logical thing to do is as others have mentioned an open jaw ticket to London and home from Rome. Adding a return trip from Paris to Rome is a really bad idea. If you really don't want an open jaw ticket, at least add Rome after Zermatt, that would reduce the backtracking.

First want to say thank you to badger for the video.

Don't thank me, thank The Man in Seat 61.

S J- I read your comment and the others to follow regarding an
open-jaw or multi-city plane. It's habit over $600 additional to our
budget and we have decided that we will retain our original plan.

I think you are focusing to much on a single cost here. You also need to compare the price of not flying open jaw. Going back from Rome to London is not free. And doing it via Paris does not make is easier. A rough guess is that it will cost you at least €100 per person and will take the better part of a day. So you might need to pay for one more night of accomodation. Or get one less day of sightseeing.

We will take a flight back from Rome to Paris and then return to
London through the Chunnel.

Going from Rome to London by flying to Paris and then taking train trough the Channel tunnel to London sounds like a waste of time. I still think you should fly open jaw, but if you insist on going back to London, take a direct flight to London. Preferably to the same airport your flight home departs from.

If you are convinced that you must do a round trip to London that
includes travel to Rome etc then do your onward travel to Italy the
day of arrival -- that is a wasted miserable jet lag day so use it to
get to your furthest destination. Then work your ways back.

That is a really good idea! I just want to add that if you plan to self connect from London to Rome, book a flight from the same airport you arrived at.

IMHO you would benefit greatly by talking to one of the experts at the Rick Steves headquarters. Their planning and consultation services are half price right now. With such a complicated itinerary, you'll save time and money in the long run consulting with RS.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-help/plan-your-trip-with-our-expert-consultants

If you are dedicated to the idea of US to London as a round trip, perhaps book the intra-Europe as Paris-Rome, Rome-London, doing the open jaw/ multi city booking on a smaller scale.

The plan to fly Rome to Paris and take train to London, has so many time consuming intermediate steps and transfers, it is a poor use of limited time. I doubt the cost difference is as much as $600, when all the pieces are fully accounted for.

Hi Tocard- You are right... they are offering invaluable advice! We do have family friends in London who will cart us around so the added expense there is negligible

janettravels44- Going on to Rome from London is a phenomenal idea--- I might look into that

Hey Badger--- I like Janet's idea too... I will look into it

Bets- I didn't know they did that.... I will reach out

wow didn't know all those different places and countries, no clue as too how many days total is this vacation. as sam has posted about riding trains from one place to another and the times for the ride. don't forget to add in time for morning ritual, leave hotel get to train station, buying more expensive tickets then or pre booking ahead of time for budget ones, knowing exact names of stations you are leaving from and going to, make sure exact date and times so you don't miss. how many nights in that town before next train ride. if night trains is what you want what time is arrival in morning, anything open if it's 5:30-6:00am, will you sit with luggage or book hotel night before and you can check in early with notifying them.
check the eurostar.com site for times from london to paris and cost, is anyone over 60+, there is a senior price. like others have said, call RS headquarters for lots of info and what's good and bad. sit down and plan trip with cities, trains, planes, times and what works for you. europe is a big place and first time people want to see too much in short time.
seeing that you're from northern california, where don't know since i live bay area, it's like lets do a trip to southern california on amtrak and return the next day, need to see disneyland, hollywood and san francisco which i've seen and heard.
hope RS will help out, get your map and and pin each city and draw a line to them
multi-city "SFO - London Rome - SFO" if rome last city. check kayak with info but book with airlines direct. just looking out for your best interest and time saving to enjoy the towns.
aloha

Hey Badger--- I like Janet's idea too... I will look into it

I still think an open jaw ticket is better. But, if you go for this option make sure you have enough time for a self connection. And book a flight from the same airport you arrive at. If you arrive at Heathrow in the morning you do not want to have to travel to another airport.

Hi bluewalea! You can also fly nonstop from Paris (CDG) to Nuremburg on Air France for $102.
I don’t recommend overnight trains unless it’s direct, meaning, you don’t have to change trains. I have taken close to 20 overnight trains and highly recommend it only if it is convenient. Here’s what I recommend:
Fly into London.
Take the Eurostar to Paris.
Take a train to Rouen-Rive-Droite (1h 30m) for the day from Paris.
Fly to Nuremburg from Paris.
Take a 1h 15m train to Munich.
Instead of visiting Zermatt, take a train to Salzburg from Munich (2h) for the day.
Fly nonstop from Munich to Rome on Alitalia for less than $75.

I don’t recommend overnight trains unless it’s direct, meaning, you
don’t have to change trains.

I don't mind changing train, when travelling overnight. As long as I don't have to change train in the middle of the night. But a change in the morning or evening is fine for me.

Instead of visiting Zermatt, take a train to Salzburg from Munich (2h)
for the day. Fly nonstop from Munich to Rome on Alitalia for less than
$75.

Or, bring your bags to Salzburg. Put them in a locker at the station for the day, and in the evening take the overnight train from Salzburg to Rome (direct, the night train from Munich to Rome stops in Salzburg on the way).

Badger....thank you thank ...that is precisely what I needed!!! Thank you

MaryPat-

That's an awesome and perfect recommendation...thank you so much!!

Badger, I don’t see a direct train from Salzburg (or Munich) to Rome. Are you assuming that eventually that service will restart again? If so, keep your eye on it bluewalea.

@MaryPat: Most Nightjet trains are currently suspended due to the pandemic, but ÖBB has invested a lot in them. So I assume that they will return as soon as travel resumes. You can see their route map here: https://www.nightjet.com/de/dam/jcr:6a8041cb-0131-4ad3-84fd-25154548e5dd/nightjet-streckennetz-deutsch.pdf

More information can be found here: https://www.nightjet.com/en/reiseziele/italien/rom The train departs Munich 19:10, stops in Salzburg 21:02 and arrives in Rome 8:22.

I don’t think cost is the most important consideration when weighing open-jaw vs round trip tickets. However, I have, several times, compared prices and have found the differences to be negligible. Since LHR and CDG have come up in some postings, it might even be a little cheaper to avoid them if possible, in one direction. I’ve read that they are among the most expensive to use.
Also, my 2 cents on night trains: did it once. Never again. The good side was that I had a flight back to the U.S. the next day. I had no trouble sleeping after that horrible train ride.