This is my tentative plan - fly into London take the chunnel to Calais then take the rail onto Florence and travel Italy by rail, take the ferry from Naples to Sicily and fly back home from Palermo. Can anyone give me any advice on this?
Thank you
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Assuming you don't plan to visit places in France on your way from London to Florence, it's much faster and quite possibly cheaper to fly from London to Florence (or nearby Pisa) than to go by train. Overnight ferry from Naples to Palermo will work, but you might be able to fly to Palermo or Catania for about the same price. I presume you've done your homework on open jaws flights into London and out of Palermo, so no comments about that.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23653 posts
That is a little vague to offer much comment. Do make sure the Eurostar stops in Calais as not every train does. It is a long ways and time consuming to go London to Florence unless you are planning stops along the way. Few days in Paris, etc. Otherwise it would make for sense and probably cheaper to fly to Florence or Pisa.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12036 posts
What is your time frame for all of this? i.e. How many days is your trip?
Why not fly London to Florence?
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Flying London-Italy will definitely be cheaper; see www.skyscanner.com. Or just make your first flight to Italy to start with, if London is not a significant destination for you.
If you do take Eurostar, why are you thinking to take it to Calais instead of to the end of the line at Paris? If actually trying to get all the way Florence in one day, it can be done in 12.5-14 hours, either via Paris and Torino or Paris, Zurich, and Milan. Train tickets could cost anywhere between €125 - €500 in 2nd class, depending on how early you book them.