Hi.
I need to know if there are direct overnight trains from Paris to Madrid & from Barcelona to Rome so that each trip would take up only one day of my select youth pass. Please help me this will be my first trip to Europe and I am very confussed about trains and where to find if it's direct or not.
Thank you so much!
Use the German Rail query page.
There is a EuroNight train, EN 409, leaving Paris Austerlitz at 19:45 and arriving in Madird, Chamartin at 9:13.
I don't see any night trains all the way from Barcelona to Rome. You could take day trains (1 rail pass day) to Toulouse and then take NZ 4678 from Toulouse at 17 min past midnight to Geneve at 8:45, then two more trains via Milan to Rome at 18:30. The last three trains, Toulouse to Geneve to Milan to Rome would be another pass day.
Maria, buenos dias!
A few suggestions that might help with the "confusion".
First, be sure to check the documents that were provided with your Rail Pass for the details on the "7 PM rule". I believe that if you start your journey after 19:00 (7 PM), then you only use one day on your rail pass.
Regarding your rail journeys, I checked the bahn.de website briefly. There's a direct train departing Paris Austerlitz at 19:45, arriving Madrid Puerta de Atocha at 09:58 (Time 14H 13M, no changes). Reservations are compulsory, and these are NOT included in your rail pass - you'll have to pay the reservation fees separately.
For the trip from Barcelona to Rome, you might consider a budget airline rather than train, as that's a LONG trip! The travel times on that route are about 23-29 HOURS, with between 3 and 6 changes! Vueling and ClickAir both fly that route and the lowest fare I found was about Eu$50 (the fare will depend on which date you choose).
As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading Rick's Europe Through The Back Door, especially the "Rail Skills" chapter. Also, be sure to wear your Money Belt and be alert for petty criminals (Barcelona seems to have a bad reputation for that).
Good luck and happy travels!
I can't help you with railpass usage, but if you have your mind set on trains, there is an overnight train that operates Barcelona - Milan on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. It departs at 20:15 and arrives Milan at 10:00. It's operated by Trenhotel, the same group that operates the Paris-Madrid route.
From Milan you can jump on a train to Rome. They run frequently, but the trip still takes 6 1/2 hours.
Ken is largely right on the timing, however... even the shortest possible trip takes 18+ hours. If you have to pay a separate reservation fee for the train, flying might cost less.
Maria, I realize that you want to make the best use of your select youth pass but you can fly on Vueling to Rome FCO in under 2hrs. The fare varies. The farther out you book, the cheaper the fare. As the flight date approaches and the plane becomes increasingly more booked, the price goes up. You might check out www.vueling.com to see if that is a suitable alternative.
