Best way to get from Florence to London

there is a sleeper car option from florence to paris that goes from about 10pm to 10 am. Seems like we would save on a hotel night this way, then enjoy a morning ride from Paris to London. IF all of this would actually be enjoyable. I await more feedback. Thanks.

I would look for flights from Pisa to a London airport.

Why Pisa?

Fly via one of the budget airlines. It is a long and tortuous route to London including several train changes. IMO a sleeper train is hardly fun. It works if it is single train between two points with an 8 to 10 time. My guess is it could take day to get to London via train and probably more expensive than the plane.

Barry - There is a British Airways flight from FLR that departs 7:50a and arrives LGW 9:00a for $115 pp or there is a flight that departs FLR at 6:05p and arrives LGW 7:15p for $139. There is also an Easyjet flight from Pisa to London for €35.99 pp. Baggage would be an additional €15 pp. Thanks Swan. I've done the sleeper car thing once. I don't understand the fasination. I know others will disagree, but that's my opinion.

I see. thanks very much for those details. We have never gone to europe and are so far removed from it that it is hard to know what would be an attraction and what would not. Seems like the sleeper car option is nice because we dont have to pay for a hotel for that night, and it would be a memorable experience. That is why I am interested. But maybe its more miserable than memorable. Looks like a great deal on the flight. Is there anyone reading this that has taken the train ride from paris to london? Is that an attraction in and of itself?

Barry, I've done the Paris-London Eurostar, and in my opinion it's not an attraction in and of itself. Plus the fare would be about £91.00 pp. That's the cheapest fare I saw mid week in October

Just the kind of info I am looking for, Joel. Thank you very much. I will wait for the remainder of the day to see if any other opinions come in, and plan on booking the flight tonight unless persuaded otherwise. THanks again.

You may not have to get a hotel room for the night but for what you will pay for: Train ticket Florence-Paris Sleeping accommodation, either sleeper or couchettes Florence-Paris Métro/RER/Taxi from G.Lyon to G.Nord
Food along the (very long) trip Eurostar fares Paris - London I could fly and have a pretty darn good hotel. Or fly, have a decent hotel, and put a fair wodge of wonga back in my pocket. I haven't done the Bercy - Firenze SMN route by sleeper, but I have used several sleepers over the years and have now had my last one.

Meridiana Airlines flies non-stop Florence to London Gatwick. I flew Meridiana from Amsterdam to Florence in 2009 and it was a great flight. They don't charge a premium for one-way flights and often offer good fares with early booking. You can book online or by calling their London call center. From Amsterdam, I was looking at a fairly expensive and very long train ride or a 2 hour $100 flight. Besides saving money, I felt that flying was a better use of my vacation time.

Unfortunately I think the idea of a night train is romanticize in part by the movies. At one time it was about the only way to go long distances. Yes, you do save a hotel room but it is not the same. Unless you are a person who sleeps like a rock and absolutely nothing bothers them, you night sleep will be marginal. Many report that they just cannot sleep on the train. I am a little surprise that you can get a train from Florence to Paris without a change. Discounted airlines with all the extra fees and limitations are not perfect either but for that distance it probably is your best choice.

It's done: I booked a flight to London, and I am doing so with the confidence that it is the best use of our time on this trip. this morning I wasn't sure what would be best, and now as the day ends I have fantastic feedback from people from all over who have volunteered their time to steer me in the right direction. This web site is incredible!! Thanks much to all of you and happy travels. Maybe I'll see you in a "what to do in London" thread next. Best wishes. Barry