Hi,
i would like to travel from rome to paris in mid august. i am aware that the train ride is about 12 hours long. Should i take a train to Nice, france first??? if so, how do i go about it as there is no direct train from Rome to Nice.
Any help would be great. Eric
The train from Rome to Paris most likely will not go via Nice. I believe that it goes north to Florence, Bologna, Milan, Torino and then west into France. It crosses the alps north of Nice and heads to Dijon. You can go from Rome to Nice Ville and then from Nice Ville to Paris but I'm betting it will take longer.
Eric,
Use the German rail site to find the train route that best meets your needs in terms of schedule, number of changes, night train, etc.
If you want to go to Nice, go to Nice. Otherwise, why worry about the route? Pick the train that gets you to Paris in the time frame you prefer.
There is a direct night train that leaves Rome at 18:40 and arrives in Paris at 09:16. If you sleep well on trains, you can save yourself the cost of a night in a hotel and have more daylight hours for sightseeing.
Popular night trains--and this is one of them--can sell out weeks in advance. If you have a VISA credit card and have registered it with the Verified by VISA program, you might be successful in buying a ticket on that site. That's where you would get the best fare. However, booking on the Trenitalia site is problematic at best. You may have to book it on the Rail Europe site.
Eric,
How set are you on taking the train? Given the time and distance, travel from Rome to Paris would be much easier by budget airline. There are flights from Rome/CIA to Paris/ORY via EasyJet with a flight time of two hours.
However, as you're travelling in mid-August (which isn't too far away), I suspect the cheaper tickets will already have been sold. The cheapest tickets I could find were €123.99 which included all taxes and fees. You'll have to weigh the time factor as well as the cost of rail vs. a flight.
Good luck!
Took the night train from Rome to Paris this June 2009. Stayed at the 2-person compartment and paid 175 euros.
I would not do it again. Take the airplane.
You must know the following: our train was delayed by nearly 3 hours. We arrived into Paris at 11am! According to them, this kind of delay is very common! So, budget your time wisely!
Also, though the train ends in Paris, it is quite a commute from the Paris train station into the center. You need to take a few trains and walk some bit before arriving at the center.
I just did a quick search on skyscanner.com and found deals for $30 with easyjet for mid-August. But be aware that you have to pay for checked luggage,etc.
Take the plane! That's my best suggestion :)
Forgot to add: you don't need to buy tickets in the US for European tickets. I got my train tickets 5 days before departure and there were still plenty of seats in the 2 person and 6 person compartment. Believe me, most locals (Europeans) know that it does not make sense to train travel from Rome/Paris---they take the plane!
But do get your train ticket (should you decide to take the train) immediately upon arriving into Europe!
Rome-Turin (or Milan)-Paris would be quickest if you can find a schedule that allows this in one day. I've gone CT-Turin-Paris in about 10 hours in the past, but couldn't make the right connections on later trips. The CT-Nice-Paris trip took about 14 hours with several train changes along the way. Rome-CT is about 4 hours. If you can stay overnight in Milan or Turin it could work well. The train Milan-Paris used to stop in Turin (maybe still does), so that could be another stoppping off place. There are two train stations in Turin, on opposite sides of town, so be sure you're at the right one. A taxi between the two train stations will be around 10EU. In your situation, if I wanted to go by train and had to stay overnight someplace, I would stay in Nice. From Nice-Paris is about 6 hours. If you are in a hurry, fly.
thank you everyone for all your suggestions. can't believe there are so many fellow travellers out there with such great advice. i really appreciate it.
i think i will be taking the train from rome to florence and then taking another train to Nice from Florence. probably stay there a few nights and then go to paris.
the total train time would be about 9.5 hrs.
any thoughts on this????????
Eric, vancouver BC
Eric,
You can take fast trains directly from Rome to Florence. Your fastest route for Florence-Nice has one connection in Milan. You can easily buy those tickets after you arrive in Rome.
For Nice-Paris your choices are daytime TGVs--some direct and some with connections--and a direct night train. Since August is the month when "everyone in France is on vacation," the cheapest fares are long gone. However, if you book ASAP, you may still be able to get a fare for a little less than full price. Your best fare will probably be on the iDTGV.
Go to www.tgv-europe.com. To keep the site in English and to keep from being bumped to Rail Europe which rarely offers discount fares, choose Great Britain as both your country of residence and the country in which you will retrieve your ticket. You will be able to pick up your ticket in Nice even though you originally chose Great Britain.
The Cote d'Azur will be packed in August. I suggest you book a hotel ASAP.
