I've done the helpline research on google advance on the much-recommended night train from Paris to Venice but has anyone had any positive experiences with taking that train ride during the day? Is it scenic? I prefer not to fly and would actually enjoy watching Europe go by while sitting on a train eating yummy cheese, bread and wine and napping here and there. Any ideas? Grazie mille.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
I've done the Paris-Venice day train trip a couple of times, but not recently. I took trains going to Milan, changing there for a train to Venice. The first time it worked perfectly. The second time the first train was late arriving in Milan, so I caught a train to Verona and from there went to Venice, and arrived after dark. Lots of the trip is scenic, especially the Alpine part. The train people seem to tweek the schedule almost every year, so you need to see what will work this year. Any schedule with only a few minutes to change trains in Milan could be a problem.
I looked for myself recently and it looked like a connection in Torino (Turin) would work better than the Milano connection.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I haven't taken that trip, but from the timetables at www.bahn.de it looks like your best routes are Paris-Torino-Venezia and Paris-Basel-Venezia. On the Bahn site after you get summary timetables for Paris-Venezia Santa Lucia, click on the arrow to the left of each departure time to see the connecting points. Then click on the map link or the "Show intermediate stops" link for each route to see exactly where the trains go.
When are you going to take this trip? If you book well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) on each country's national rail site rather than with Rail Europe, you can get cheap discount fares. There are some tricks to getting the best fares. If you want to know more, just ask.
Posted by
OP
San Francisco, CA, USA
278 posts
Thanks to you both! Looks like the Paris-Torino-Venezia route is in my future. We'll be travelling next summer so we have a good amount of time to plan and purchase tickets. I am so looking forward to this European "road trip" without the hassles of driving a car. Grazie mille and Happy Travels to you!
Posted by
Freedonia
16303 posts
Let me throw in another idea....not about the route....but about time. Why not break up the trip, and spend one night in the Alps?
Posted by
OP
San Francisco, CA, USA
278 posts
A great idea! I'm just remembering that when my college-age daughter went to Europe last summer, her favorite place turned out to be Interlaken, which continues to surprise me. I thought for sure it would have been Rome or Paris. Thank you for the suggestion. The overnight stopover would give me and my husband a break in the long ride and provide an opportunity to see a place that our daughter really enjoyed. Grazie mille.