point-to-point tickets or Railpass Italy-France

Where are you looking up the prices? I hope it is on the site of the companies running the trains ( www.trenitalia.com and www.sncf.com plus https://www.thello.com/ who operates a Milan-Nice train ) and not a reseller.
If you are on a limited budget, why are you going first class? Second class is perfectly adequate.

I would advise checking again, as a railpass is rarely the cheapest option in Italy.

You should consider the limited number of reservations available to pass holders in France.

You only have 3 rail journeys here, and you know the dates. Buy nonrefundable tickets in advance. Buy now and you should be able to get Venice-Nice for 136 euro total for 4, Rome-Venice for 108 euro, Nice-Paris for 160 euro. You may have to pay up to get the times you want, but these are prices in August for purchase today. First 2 at www.trenitalia.com and the last at www.sncf.com.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I was looking at first class tickets because I am very nervous about train travel with luggage (big suitcases), and am hoping first class will be less crowded, so easy to get on and get off and have more spaces available for luggage. Maybe my worries are not necessary. I will book the 2nd class tickets for the family. Yes, the point-to-point tickets are a lot cheaper than railpass if I book now.

You mentioned LARGE suitcases?! It doesn't matter what class you travel, getting on and off the trains are the same - several steep narrow stairs and narrow aisles. Also there are frequently a flight or two of stairs to get to your track. Depending whether the train originates where you get on, the time to board may be short. If you read this forum - pack light with smaller suitcases. Be sure that between you, all suitcases can be carried at the same time in one "trip".

Barb

vickie,

I agree with the others. Railpasses are rarely a good value in Italy, as tickets are relatively inexpensive (especially if purchased well in advance).

However, a few points to keep in mind....

• All of the routes you'll be travelling include some high speed trains, which require compulsory reservations (those will be provided with the tickets).
• The cheapest tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, so choose carefully when you purchase. You can purchase tickets for trains in Italy on either the Trenitalia or www.italiarail.com websites (the latter is reportedly easier to use). The cheapest tickets go on sale 120 days from departure date.
• Tickets on the fast trains are specific to train, date and departure time, so can only be used on the ONE train listed on the ticket. If you board another train in Italy even by mistake, you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
• You'll need to know which stations you'll be using in each case, since most cities have more than one. In Rome you'll be using Roma Termini, in Venice it will be Venezia Santa Lucia and in Nice it will be Nice Ville.
• On the trip from Venice to Nice, you'll be using a combination of trains, depending on which departure you choose. One of the easiest and quickest trains will be a departure from Venice at 07:50, arriving Nice at 15:51 (time 8H:01M, one change at Milano Centrale, reservations compulsory on both legs).
• If you decide to use a route that includes Regionale trains in Italy, you MUST validate the ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or again hefty fines. That also applies to Buses, Metro, etc.
• The train from Nice to Paris will likely be a high speed TGV (again, reservations compulsory, time 5H:37M if you use one of the direct trains). You'll arrive at Gare de Lyon and you can get from there to the area where your hotel is located via Metro or Taxi. You can pre-purchase tickets for the Nice-Paris route on the www.capitainetrain.com website.
  

Unless you have a generous budget, I wouldn't bother with first class tickets. On the fast trains especially, second class is quite comfortable. You may find it helpful to have a look at the excellent Man In Seat 61 website as that has a LOT of good information on travelling by train in Europe.

There will be fewer people in first class, sometimes none. So it will be easier to find places for your large suitcases (that is not smart but that is your business) but no train moves until everyone is on or off. So it may be a little more crowded, slower getting on and off in second class but you will make it.

Bag storage space on the trains is the same in both classes. There will be fewer people sharing it in first, but I've never had a problem in second, either. The lighter you pack, the happier you will be on your travel days. An airline carry-on sized suitcase holds plenty of clothes for two weeks, even without doing any laundry.

FYI, the first class pass can compare better against tickets than does the second-class version, since you the pass price only jumps about 25% from 2nd to 1st (e.g., $236 to $293 per person), while most ticket prices jump closer to 50%. With advance purchase ticket discounts for booking now, the difference between first- and second-class prices also shrinks.

A group of 4 will usually be seated in pairs of seats in either class (not the single seats that are available on one side of the aisle in first class). I would request facing seats around a table, if offered that choice.

You don't have to "request" any particular seats if you book them on national rail sites like trenitalia. A seat map is displayed and you choose what seat(s) you want. Buy the ticket, print it at home and it's yours!

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I just want to report back that I have all of my train tickets booked for my family of 4. I bought super economy tickets for Rome->Venice and Venice to Nice. For Nice to Paris, I bought first-class tickets for upper deck. It is my husband's birthday that day, so I think it's ok to splurge. :-)