Provence to Rome by Train

Try the Website for the French train system, SNCF ( http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers ). The Website has sometimes been frustrating to use, but it might work for you. If you want it displayed in English, make sure the drop-down in the far upper right corner says EN, not FR. Are you planning on taking a "regular" train the whole way, or using the super-fast TGV for part of your journey?

Years ago we trained from Avignon to Milan, but not all the way to Rome.

The route requires three connections; How to Look Up Train Schedules Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.

You cannot buy train tickets more than three months in advance, and sometimes less. The French site won't sell you any ticket that starts on the Italian side of the border. Rail Europe will sell both when they become available, but you may still need to add each leg to your shopping cart separately. Or you can buy one ticket from SNCF and one from Trenitalia.com.

Use bahn.de to see the schedule. You cannot buy ticket there because the trip does not start or end in Germany. However, bahn does show nearly all train schedules in Europe. Since schedules are rarely posted more than three, four months just use the same day of the week within the next three months. Train schedule change little from quarter to quarter. Rail Europe is a travel agency that many times does not list all of the train schedules available. It is generally best to buy your tickets from the local train sites.

A new private company Thello is running cross-border trains on that route now between Marseilled and Milan - see https://www.thello.com/?iLangID=3. These will probably be most practical, but you may have to book Avignon-Marseille and Milan-Rome separately.

mknapp,

Are you absolutely committed to using the train on that route, or would you consider other options? A few thoughts.....

• Train - that's going to be a LONG and probably tiring travel day, and probably a minimum of about 12-14 hours, with numerous changes. I looked at a couple of different routes, and one of the most promising was train to Lyon (about an hour), then from there to Milano Porta Garibaldi (as short as 5H:15M with no changes). There's a change at Chambery and the final leg is via TGV high speed, which is the best option. At Milano P.G., you can connect with the Italo high speed (up to 300 kmH) to Rome (about 3 hours). NOTE that you'll probably arrive at Roma Tiburtina rather than the larger Roma Termini, but it's not hard to get from there to other parts of the city. If you really want to arrive at Roma Termini, check Trenitalia high speed routes from Milano. The best solution is to connect with high speed trains as soon in the journey as possible. Note that reservations are compulsory on the high speed trains, and those will be provided with your tickets.
• Train & Air - this will be much quicker and more efficient, and a better use of your valuable holiday time. You'll first have to travel from Avignon by train to Vitrolles Marseilles Aeroport (~1H:15 depending on which train you use) and then take a short Bus ride to the Marseilles-Provence Airport. From there EasyJet offers daily flights from MRS to FCO (1H:20M flight time), with prices currently listed at €41.46 PP (plus a few fees of course).

If booking with budget airlines, a few points to keep in mind......

• Tickets tend to increase in price as the seats fill (sliding scale), so those who purchase early get the best deals.
• The cheapest tickets are usually non-refundable and non-changeable, so choose carefully!
• Be sure to read the Terms & Conditions carefully, especially related to luggage. Some budgets only allow ONE carry-on item per passenger, and they mean ONE. Also, carry-ons may sometimes be put through a sizing frame to ensure they're the approved size.

As the others have mentioned, DON'T use Rail Europe for researching anything. Use either bahn.de, Trenitalia or SNCF. If you decide on the longer rail option, you can purchase tickets online at Capitaine Train, Italia Rail or other sites, as they are often more "user friendly" than those of the rail operators.

Good luck with your planning!

You may referenced web http://www.tgv.com/