From Florence to Paris

We took the night train from Milan to Paris, it took 10 hours and we arrived in Paris around 8a. You can take the train from Florence to Milan (about 2.5 to 3hrs) and get on the night train to Paris.

The select pass may be beneficial to you since you are planning to take a night trip. Go to rail europe or the german rail site and plan out the cost of your point to point tickets. If point to point is more than the select rail pass, buy the pass.

Just remember that the night train goes through Switzerland, so that means a three-country pass. Check http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html (click on international tab) and you'll find a T3 sleeper (three in the compartment) for as low as 100 Euro each from Milan to Paris. You can purchase those tickets on-line two months in advance. Easyjet flies Milan-Paris for as low as 16 pounds (about $30 US, plus the cost of getting to the Milan airport, and then into downtown Paris via RER....another 20 Euro, $28 US) depending on when you fly. Meridiana, Volareweb and Vueling also fly from Milan's airports to Paris as well. I've flown Vueling, a Spanish discount carrier and been very pleased with their service. If you find a good deal, it may pay you to fly and spend an extra night in your Paris hotel.

If you book the night train from Milan to Paris far enough in advance, you can get Smart Price fares of 35 EUR for a bunk in a six-person couchette and 55 EUR for a bunk in a four-person couchette. Register and book at www.trenitalia.com.

Sonia

We just did the night train from Milan to Paris last month (an extension of the start at Florence and it was an experience). We did the six person couchette (there were three of us) because I waited too long to get the one with three BEDS. As Rick seemed to do in one of his programs, I fully expected to lay my head down and arrive in Paris refreshed and ready to go. Unfortunately the train stopped several times in the middle of the night and kept waking us up because it sat for so long and was noisy. The bar and restaurant car closed at 11 PM, which made that break impossible. No disrespect to Norm, but you do NOT have to buy a pass for Switzerland because you are only "passing through" and not getting off. If I were doing it over, I'd pay more for the sleeping car, OR consider paying 80 euros to take a quick flight to Paris. No high-speed train, no night train for me again.

Wow Jim....I've never heard of that before! It must be a change in Eurail's pass structure. In the past, it mattered only that you were using that country's rails, not that you got off there or not. According to Eurail's website, the select pass must be used into adjoining countries...."this means that two
countries must be linked by a direct train (not through another country)." I agree with Jim's overnight train comments....it's not like rattling across the open spaces of the U-S or Canada like the old days....too many stops. To me, any train ride longer than 4 or 6 hours is usually better served by an airplane flight....and usually cheaper.

Norm, according to the following quote from the Railpasses section on this site, it's only on an Italy-France NIGHT train passing through Switzerland that no extra fare is charged.

"Passes are good for use only in the countries selected. If your train passes through a country not on your pass, you must buy a separate ticket for that stretch in advance, or pay a fine for purchasing the ticket on board. Examples: Crossing Austria on the Munich-Venice route costs about $30 additional in second class (separate ticket is an option on daytime trains, but you must have Austria on your pass for night trains). Crossing Switzerland on daytime trips from Paris to Italy costs $50 additional (but direct night trains are covered even without Switzerland on the pass)."

That explains it Tim...I kept wondering why I've had to include Switzerland on a pass if I went thru there on a daytime run. It would be nice if they mad that clear on the Eurail website! And not terribly fair to those crossing Austria either. These days though, I find flying a better option....bones probably getting too old to sleep well on trains.