First time tourist! We arrive in Paris 10/27, and need to be in Foggia by the 29th. We planned on taking a train to Geneva from Paris, spend a night, then leave Geneva the 28th for Foggia. Looks like the trains go to Milan then Bologna, then Foggia. Do we need special passes to stay overnight in Geneva? Is this the most efficient route? Any suggestions appreciated!
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1090 posts
It looks like there are two routes. Most of the connections go from Geneva to Zurich and then south to Milan/Bologna/Foggia. That is the high-speed route, but because it's quite a lot out of the way, it actually takes a bit longer than the regional express route through Brig/Domodossola, alongside Lake Maggiore and then to Milan etc. I've long wanted to take the Domodossola route, it looks spectacular, so that's what I would choose. (It doesn't run every day of the week though.) You can investigate route and schedule options yourself on bahn.de in English. The routings showing durations of 13 hours and up run through Zurich, 12:15 hours is the duration of the scenic route and the absolute minimum time this will take. You could spend up to 22 hours on this route if you're not careful.
As for efficient, no it's not - it takes forever. I would not want to sit on trains for 12+ hours straight. Can you break your trip halfway, stay overnight maybe in Bologna and go on the next day? Flying is not a terrific option, either. You could fly to Bari and backtrack a bit by train to Foggia. The shortest flying route is 1 stop from Geneva through Amsterdam, and takes 5 hours. Then it's only an hour train ride from Bari though you'd have to transfer from the airport to the train station. Check skyscanner for more information on intra-European flights. I suspect when all is said and done, it will be about 9-10 hours and more hassle to get there by air and train combined. I'd prefer a two-day journey with a nice city break somewhere.
I don't understand your question about special passes. Are you thinking of a rail pass for France/Switzerland/Italy? If this is the bulk of your train travel, you'd be better off buying point to point advance tickets, one for Paris - Geneva, usually quite cheap, and the other one (or two, if you stop over) tickets individually. There's lots of advice on this site and forum about how to buy train tickets in various countries, or go visit the Man in Seat 61 for a good rail education.
Posted by
Green Bay
21352 posts
Seems this double poster has some answers on the identical one.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
Thanks so much! My husband is very tall, thin but tall and doesn't fit on planes unless we go first class which is to expensive. It's taken me 38 yrs to get him on a plane to get over the ocean! That's why we're sticking with trains! The scenic route looks great, thanks for your help!