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Fast Train From Milan to Paris

My husband and I will be traveling to Italy and France in June and July, and I'm agonizing over the railpass options. Time is important to us, and we'd like to take a fast train from Milan to Paris. Has anyone done this? How much does it cost? How long does it take?

Posted by
9460 posts

Just backing up Roberto's advice to you. There is no fast train between Milan and Paris. :(

Posted by
15041 posts

If time is of the essence you should fly. Paris to Milan is a long distance and there are no single fast trains options. Flying is almost certainly cheaper in this case. There are lots of flying options between Paris' 3 airports and Milan's 3 airports. Alitalia, AirFrance, Easyjet, Ryanair, all have multiple non stop flights between the 2 cities. Flight time is just over one hour.
Prices range depending on time of travel. Go to the websites of the above airlines and check for the dates of travel. A one way ticket will probably range from 50 to 100 euro max per person.

Posted by
11294 posts

"I'm agonizing over the railpass options." If you post your itinerary, others here can help you with your transit options. But unless you have an unusual itinerary, a railpass is rarely the way to go for France or Italy. These countries both require you to buy reservations for fast trains in addition to your railpass. In Italy, the reservations are not expensive or limited in number; in France, they can be both pricey and limited. Furthermore, if you can commit to buying non-refundable and non-exchangeable tickets on line in advance, you can save a fortune over the cost of a pass. There are some tricks to using the websites, but you save so much money, it can be worth the learning curve.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks for all the helpful advice! It sounds less stressful to check out the flying option rather than buying railpasses and trying to buy reservations in France on top of that. I appreciate the help. :)

Posted by
32171 posts

Andy, To begin with, a Railpass is NOT a cost effective option for a single trip from Milan to Paris. On that route, you have two basic choices...... > Budget Airline - as suggested by the others, that's certainly one option. If you use EasyJet from MXP (Terminal 2) to CDG, the cost will be about €42 but that will vary depending on WHEN you book. Flight time is about 1.5 hours, but of course you'll have to add time at both ends to get to and from the airports, check-in, security, waiting, collecting luggage, etc. Overall, the time will be at least 6 or 7 hours when all is considered. There WILL BE some extra fees, and luggage rules are tight. > Train - this is a reasonable option for that trip. Depending on which train you choose, time will be as short as 7H:24M, reservations compulsory, one change in Basel or Lausanne. You'll travel via EC train in Italy and TGV from Switzerland to Paris (I'd suggest choosing a direct train from Milan to either Basel or Lausanne, with no changes). The fast trains such as the TGV run at up to 300 kmH when they get going, so they're very fast. You'll likely arrive at Paris Gare de Lyon. It should be possible to pre-purchase rail tickets on the internet, which can result in significant savings. However, keep in mind that these are usually non-changeable and non-refundable, and will lock you into a particular train and departure time. Of the two choices, I'd still take the train even if it is a bit longer, as I detest the usual airport hassles. Happy travels!

Posted by
15041 posts

Travel from Milano station to airport: 40 min (incl walk to station). the train ride is 30 min. If departing from Linate, 10 min from city center (taxi). Check in and security: 1.5 hours max (to be comfortable). Flight time (gate to gate): 1h 20 min. Deplaning, use bathroom, baggage claim, ask directions, find French phrase book, eat croissant, curse some Frenchmen along the way, get on ground transport: 30 min.
Reach Paris destination from airport: 1 hour with traffic max (unless at Beauvais with Ryanair). The train ride from CDG to Paris gare du nord is 32 min for example. Orly train ride is 38 min. Total travel time by air, door to door, 5 hours. Cost with Easyjet: somewhere between 50 and 80 Euro, on average. If you can do better by train, go ahead. Trains are more comfortable.

Posted by
32171 posts

@Roberto, "Travel from Milano station to airport: 40 min (incl walk to station). the train ride is 30 min." I wanted to clarify that my time estimate of about 50 minutes was based on using the Malpensa Shuttle from Milano Centrale to MXP Terminal 2. That was tied to the fact that I mentioned EasyJet, which only operates from Terminal 2. I travelled that route in September, and felt that the Malpensa Shuttle was the best option for Terminal 2. The travel time WAS close to an hour. Cheers!

Posted by
2829 posts

There are 3 daily direct TGVs linking Milano and Paris. They take 7h20 and go via Torino, Modane and Lyon. These trains depart from Milano Porta Garibaldi. Beweare when looking out for trains on cities with more than one major station. If you look only from Milano Centrale, this options won't show up for some reason.