Paris - Venice Artesia Night Train

Chris, I have not been on this particular train but the 221 Stendhal, as it is known in Italy is one of the most popular night trains going in southern Europe. It is indeed an Artesia train. I can't be certain but I just don't think they will mess with this run. They also have the 220 Stendhal going in the opposite direction. These trains run full. Most night trains can be booked 90 days out regardless of what Rail Europe shows. I would suggest watching closely to the dates and as soon as it appears on the French www.tgv-europe.com website, see if you can get a special discount fare. You will need to select Great Britain on the opening page to see the next page in English. Then, on the next page, choose Great Britain as the place where you will receive your tickets. That will keep the site in English. Don't worry. You can walk up to the train stations in France and pick up your tickets.

The 9 August train is now listed at tgv-europe.com. The cheapest tickets are going fast!

Larry and Tim, very much appreciate the replies!

Due to the amount of train travel and our situation, we've opted to go with the italy/france pass. But given that the train in question is so popular, I feel confident booking the passholder fare now and not worrying about the change in schedule.

Strange thing was when I went to tgv-europe.com and proceeded to mock "book" P2P tickets, though I had selected to purchase 2 tickets at once in the 1st class double sleeper, it reserved Seat 12 Upper and Seat 16 Lower - these seem like they'd be apart. Are the numbering schemes simply different, and is there a way to tell if me and my wife will be in the same double sleeper?

Thanks!

You're welcome, Chris. You and your wife will be in the same sleeper. All sleepers are the same size; the only difference is how many beds are pulled out. I expect that in your case the middle one of the three is #14.

For a detailed description of your train, including photos, go here.

Tim, that makes so much sense. Thanks for the link as well!

-Chris

I have a question realted to this.
If I buy on the site night train from Florence-Paris am I able to pick up the tickets in the UK at Manchester for example sine we are flying Manchester-Venice, Venice-florence, then Florence-Paris??

bluedenim,

Yes, you can pick up a Florence-Paris ticket in Manchester that you booked on tgv-europe.com; but you will have to have it sent by mail to an address in Manchester (like your hotel). You will NOT be able to pick it up at a UK train station.

I am booked to go Paris to Venice on the artesia night train. I tried to book 6 months out and received an email saying my booking would be held and then made as soon as bookings were open 90 days ahead. I had requested a private double cabin for two in first class. When my booking was finally made it has been made in a four berth cabin. My emails to eurorailways asking why this is have been answered with the advice that there were no doubles left (how this is possible when I should have been on a list ready as soon as bookings opened I can't say) They've advised that they have booked the whole 4 berths for just the two of us but have not answered my questions about the differences in the cabins. Information is hard to get, I can't tell if we've been booked in second class though that appears to be the case. We've been charged the same price as we would had we received a private double. Can anyone explain if there is a difference between the private 2 berth and the four berth we have been booked on. Thank you

Sleepers have 1, 2, or 3 beds. Couchettes have 4 or 6 bunks. Since there will only be two of you in the couchette, you'll have plenty of room. Only two bunks will be pulled down.

Thanks for this. I guess I'm not worried about the space, it's the 'standard'. Are these 4 bunk cabins the same standard as the double cabins?

For detailed descriptions of the sleeping accommodations, including photos, go here.