Train from Paris to Rome?

How much time do you have?

16 days total. Already planning 3 nights in Paris.

We've done the night train from Rome to Paris and it wasn't all that bad. Reserve a sleeper bed if you can - much safer for two women as there is a steward monitoring the car. Be sure to get a high speed train or you'll be stopping here and there all night long. If you can't get a sleeper bed just be prudent and keep your most valuable stuff under your head or whatever. Myself, wouldn't do it again as I was beat the next day. Better plan, take a day trip on the train from Rome to Paris (or as much as you can givin daylight). That way you get to enjoy the scenery, have a picinc lunch (which you have thoughtfully packed) and catch "some" snooze. Don't know what the train schedules are like anymore. Have you thought of flying? Easy Jet, Ryan Air (be careful of the luggage limitations) may be a quicker, cheap way to go.

Probably the most inconvenient thing about this for you is devoting a whole day (when all is said and done) of your vacation getting back to Paris just to catch a plane.

I would at least investigate (1) flights from your final destination in Italy to CDG and (2) paying a fee to reticket one leg of your flight to or from Italy.

For night trains, you might consider the Nice-Venice train. You don't say when your flight leaves, but for the return to Paris, there is a morning train from Marseilles that goes directly to CDG, bypassing Paris, in a little under 4 hours.

Otherwise, organize your Italian itinerary to end in the city with the best night-train connection to Paris.

I'd suggest seeing if you can get a cheap one-way flight from Paris to Rome or vice-versa. Use the train for only one direction.

After checking Ryan Air (I had never heard of it) Wow what great prices! That might be the way to go. Thank you for all the advice. I'm a novice at this. I booked our flights with miles, initially planning on staying in France the whole time, but who knows when we'll get back to Europe, and my daughter wanted to go to Italy, so we have added it to our itinerary. We have plenty of time, not going until next July, but I need to research!!

Easyjet.com also offers budget flights.

Be sure to check the luggage restrictions. The budget airlines don't allow as much luggage as the major carriers. The penalty fees are steep! This is just more incentive to pack light.

You can "see" all these places in 16 days, but I would not try to stay in all of them. It is possible to take a day-trip to Venice from Florence. That leaves you several days in each place, fewer hotels to arrange for, and shorter train trips when you are traveling. Florence to the French Riviera would be the longest train day (and probably the most scenic), maybe 7-8 hours. Riviera to Paris about 6 hours. If you decide you must include Venice overnight, go Rome-Venice-Florence-Riviera-Paris.

Debbie...please, please, PLEASE try to avoid Ryanair. They fly from the euphemistically-title "Paris Beauvais" airport, which is a 90 minute bus ride from Paris (once you get to the bus station at Porte Maillot in the far northwest corner of Paris), and into Ciampino in Rome which, while not a bad airport, is a little tougher from which to get into downtown Rome. Ryanair is also charges 6 Euro per checked bag (12 Euro if you wait to pay until you arrive at the checkin desk) and only allow a total of 15 kg (33 pounds) per passenger before they slap you with hefty excess baggage fees. Please try Easyjet from Orly to Ciampino or (even better) Vueling from CDG to Fiumicino. Both show costs including all taxes right off the top...Ryanair adds them in after you've selected their bargain 1 cent fares, so they work out to be very comparable.

A night train saves you the cost of a night in a hotel and gives you extra daylight hours for sightseeing. Don't rule out the Paris-Rome night train until you've read the information and have looked at the pictures here: http://seat61.com/Italy.htm#Rome. If you book well in advance at sncf.com (up to three months allowed), you can get discount fares.

I decided to change our airline tickets to fly home from Rome. It made more sense. Now I think we will take a train from Paris to Nice, stay a few days around there and then take a train along the Italian Riviera (any advice on wonderful places along there?) down to Rome and save Florence and Venice for the "next trip".

There is a Paris-Nice night train as well as daytime TGVs. If you book up to three months in advance at sncf.com, you can get PREM'S (discount) fares on any of those trains. For the iDTGV you can book up to six months in advance.