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Students travel from Paris to Rome via train

I am helping my daughter plan a two week trip from Paris, France to Rome, Italy-- via train. I'm finding the challenge of figuring out train schedules to be a bit overwhelming! Does anyone have a suggested itinerary? Stops she wants included are Lyon, Marseille, Nice, (these all seem easy enough), Florence, Rome. Getting from Nice to Florence looks daunting, and even the trip from Florence to Rome (which I think should just be a few hours) comes up as a 35 hour trip via EuRail. Is there a site where we can plan it all out at once? We want to book lodging but need to know what transportation options are first. This is new terrain for me so I thank you in advance! Stacie

Posted by
795 posts

If you get Eurail passes (www.eurail.com), it will be simple to look at Eurail's maps and just plan to visit cities in the order encountered. She might want to book a sleeper berth on a night train for longer jaunts. No, it does not take 35 hours to get from Florence to Rome. It takes only an hour and a half via the Le Frecce High Speed Train. Once she has her Eurail pass, all she needs to do is go to www.eurail.com/trains-europe/high-speed-trains/le-frecce#routes and book on their site directly a reservation on this train. Her trip is covered by the Eurail pass but the reservation is only 10 euros for first or second class (I always recommend first class). As for Nice to Florence, it is just a 7 hour train journey. First, in Nice book on the local train to Ventimiglia at the Italian border then switch over to an Italian train to travel to Florence (via Milan). I have lived in both Rome and Florence and can assure you it is no 35 hour trip!

Posted by
5188 posts

Check this website for transportation options :http://www.rome2rio.com

click on train/bus icon & this will take you to the agency that you would need to see schedules & rates, etc...

For example: Paris to Lyon will take 2Hrs 17 mins on TGV (high speed train).

For French trains check this website :http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/

Your daughter may want pick a "home base" in the South of France & then take day trips from there.

She can travel from Lyon to Avignon then take day trips to Nimes, Arles, etc, then she can travel to Nice.
It's a long train ride from Nice to Florence with multiple train transfers.
She may consider flying from Nice to Florence.

Florence to Rome will take 1 Hr, 32 mins by high speed (freccia) train.

Check this website for train schedules in Italy: http://www.trenitalia.com

For itinerary, you or your daughter may want to get a travel guidebook for France (Provence) & for Italy.

EDIT: Check how much it would cost to buy point-to point train tickets before buying the Eurail Pass.
It may not be cost effective to travel with a Eurail pass.

Posted by
15043 posts

Use the German Railway company website, it works the best for cross border travel (Nice to Florence):
www.bahn.com
For Italy (e.g. Florence to Rome) use the Italian company website:
www.trenitalia.com
Use FIRENZE SANTA MARIA NOVELLA (as Florence main station) and
ROMA TERMINI (as Rome main station)

The trip from Nice to Florence looks daunting because it is. It's a very slow rail line.
This is how it works:
NICE VILLE - VENTIMIGLIA
This short trip across the border is covered by a Regional train operated by SNCF, the French Railway company.
Once in Ventimiglia you need to alight the train and catch an Italian train to go to Florence.
The fastest way is a long convoluted route from VENTIMIGLIA to GENOA to MILAN to FLORENCE. Some trains from Ventimiglia to Milan require no changes, others require a change in Genoa. Then in Milan you definitely have to change trains to come down to Florence.
One could also do the entire riviera (which on the map would make more sense, but not on the train timetable because it takes longer). If you choose the slower but more scenic route along the coast the itinerary from VENTIMIGLIA is:
VENTIMIGLIA - GENOA - LA SPEZIA - PISA - FLORENCE
Unfortunately in many cases you need to change trains in each of those intermediate stops as there is no train that goes directly from Ventimiglia to Florence.

From FLORENCE to ROME is a fast 90 min on a high speed train (200 miles). www.trenitalia.com has all the details, but there are lots of trains between the 2 cities, on average 2 or 3 every hour.

Posted by
1174 posts

Go to www.seat61.com for all of your train travel across Europe. Not many opt to use RailEurope for a variety of reasons. Seat61.com will explain all of your choices and give plenty of tips how to save money and time.

Posted by
3 posts

This is very helpful. I figured the trip to Florence was complicated, but was hoping I was missing something. :) I think it is just too early to reserve trains for now, but I will check all of these websites and see what our best options are. I'm learning more than I ever though possible about European trains! Thanks, all! And feel free to continue commenting if you have info to add!!

Posted by
7209 posts

When is the train travel? It's really not too complicated. Just remember to use the country's official train website to book your tickets.

France: www.sncf.com/en
Switzerland: www.sbb.ch/en
Italy: www.trenitalia.com

Buying early can save you lots of money. Stay away from Rail Passes and just stick to point to point tickets. There are lots of choices for low cost airlines when you're traveling long distances and you don't want to stop in the middle somewhere.

Posted by
16893 posts

Many train schedules are not published past June 13, so use an earlier date for your research. Faster trains can usually be reserved starting 3 months ahead, which is more important for the French TGV trains than for the Italian routes, especially for seat reservations with a rail pass.