Flight or Train: returning home from France to Italy

Wow, you are talking about a long train ride. For trains, one option is to take the night train from Paris to Florence (it does not go via Nice). This is the Artesia train. From Florence to Perugia it's about an hour on the Regionale train. Note that this train does fill up so you would have to check into the possibilities right away.

For the plane option, IMHO, RyanAir is one of the worst choices from Paris to Italy. You can fly Easyjet from Paris-Orly to Pisa or Paris-CDG to Milan. But, at this late date, you will pay much higher fares.

First off, there is no Eurail train. EurRail is a travel agency that train tickets to North Americans. I would be very surprised if you could buy a EurRail pass in France. Now that you are in France, go to the station and get the prices for your trip. And price the Italian, I doubt if you will save an money with a pass.

Second, we always take the train if the train travel time is about six hours or less. If less than six or seven hours it will faster than a discount airline.

If you fly easyJet from Paris Orly to Pisa, you will arrive too late to catch the last train to Perugia.

I suggest that you take the direct night train from Paris Bercy to Firenze and a regional train from there to Perugia. Leave Paris-Bercy at 18:52 and arrive at Firenze S.M.N. at 07:13. Take a regional train to Perugia, leaving at 08:02 and arriving at 10:23. See the timetables at www.bahn.de. After you get summary timetables for Paris-Perugia, click on the arrow to the left of each departure time to see the connecting points.

Buy your night train ticket now at any Paris mainline station or SNCF ticket boutique. A bunk in a 6-person couchette is cheapest, but it's well worth spending a little more for the extra space and comfort you get in a 4-person couchette.

Buy your Firenze-Perugia ticket when you get to Firenze. The ticket machines at Firenze S.M.N. have an English option and accept North American credit cards. The 2nd class fare is 9.20 EUR and the 1st class fare is 14.75 EUR.

Finally, even if you could buy one in Paris, a Eurail pass will not be cost effective. You would have to pay a supplement for sleeping accommodations on the Paris-Firenze night train and point to point tickets in Italy are relatively inexpensive, especially for regional trains. And the required passholder seat reservation fees on fast trains in Italy like the EuroStar Italia are 15-20 euro.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your messages. I didn't know that there was no such thing as Eurail passes. I found this information on the Internet when doing my research however, thanks for the update.

I think that I'm going to take the night train as Tim suggested. There's the train that leaves at 18:52 and 20:33 but this one makes a stop in Milano at 5:38 and then departs at 6:30, arriving in Firenze at 8:39am. I was thinking of booking an extra night at my hotel in order to enjoy more of Paris but as I read a review on another site that suggested spending the day and evening at the destination and then taking a night train. I think that I will do this rather than spend another 90€/night (down from 140€/night).

I will decide today and book on-line or buy it at the station.

Thanks for your help. :)

P.S.

I only want a one-way ticket so how do I advance to the next page without clicking on "choose return trip"?

Also, I can't find the cost of the trip. It says "fares not available". Does anyone know what the approximate cost is?

Thanks.

As Frank said, there are Eurail passes but not Eurail trains. They are best bought at home. Some are sold in Europe, but only in select cities and they cost more. Click on the "Railpasses" tab at the top of the page you're reading now for many pages of detailed information.

The 20:33 night train arrives in Milano at 05:38 on its way to Venezia. You will need to wait and take the 06:30 EuroStar Italia train to Milano, arriving at 08:39. Buy your ticket (€44.70) in Milano.

I don't know which site you're using to check fares. If you go to a station today, you should be able to get a bunk in a 6-person couchette for €97 and a bunk in a 4-person couchette for €107 on the 18:52 direct train to Firenze. On the 20:33 train to Milano you should be able to get fares of €82 and €87 respectively. If you wait, you'll pay more.

Hi Tim,

I went on the site that you gave me, www.bahn.de. After typing in my information and chose "english" at the top. It doesn't list the cost of the train ride.

Station/Stop Date Time Duration Chg. Products Standard fare

Earlier

Paris-Bercy Mo, 19.10.09 dep 18:52 12:21 0 EN Fares not available
Choose return trip

Firenze S.M.N. Tu, 20.10.09 arr 07:13

Paris-Bercy Mo, 19.10.09 dep 20:33 12:06 1 EN, ES Fares not available
Choose return trip

Firenze S.M.N. Tu, 20.10.09 arr 08:39

Paris-Bercy Mo, 19.10.09 dep 22:20 19:19 3 RE, TGV, EC, ES Tariff abroad

Am I looking at the wrong page? Should I be looking elsewhere for the prices?

I think I might take the 18:52 train on Monday. Can I purchase the tickets on-line? I just got back to the hotel about 20 minutes ago and it's now 8:52pm. I didn't make it to the train station because I was too busy trying to find a pair of shoes or boots. My other shoes were wet from the rain and I needed another pair. However, shopping in Paris is not as fun or productive as it was in Italy (just my thoughts).

Thanks.

Isabella,

For booking instructions, see the PM I just sent you.

Tim