We will be flying in and out of Rome this summer - 13 days total including travel. We want to see and enjoy Rome and the Cinque Terre and are looking at options for adding another country. Ideas include Swiss Alps, Paris, Barcelona... (I could happily stay in Italy, but think the kids would think it's great to see another country or two as well.) And our preference is train travel. Thank you!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23548 posts
If you want to include something outside of Italy such as the Alps, you need to use an open jaw ticket - fly into Rome and home from Zurich for example. Save time and cheaper than round trip to Rome. Paris and Barcelona are a long way away with train travel in double digits time wise.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8299 posts
I agree about flying open jaw. You could fly into Paris first, and take a budget (cheap) flight on EasyJet.com from Paris Orly into Rome FCO. When flying home, look for a flight after 9:00 a.m. from Rome FCO. All the 6:00 a.m. flights go to another European gateway city where you'll sit around until late morning. No use getting up at 3:00 a.m. if you don't have to.
-Barcelona is another good place to fly into and out of. Vueling is the Spanish budget air carrier, and they have a very good reputation on flights within Europe.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
To check train times, use the Bahn website, following Rick's tutorial: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/db_tips.htm
Once you start looking, you'll see how long your planned trips take. Rome to Switzerland is doable; but to Paris or Barcelona, most would want to fly, as the trains take many hours. Furthermore, while some love overnight trains, others say "never again"; do a search on this Helpline to find varied opinions.