Railpasses and reservation?

Popular night trains like Paris-Venice and Paris-Rome (train also stops in Florence) often sell out weeks in advance. And train companies limit the number of seats they allocate for passholders. If you have a pass, buy your night train sleeping accommodations supplement before you leave home.

However, if you book far enough in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.voyages-sncf.com, you can get a discount fare for any of the Paris-Italy night trains. And point-to-point tickets in Italy are cheaper than a pass, particularly if you buy them a day or two in advance and can get Amica fares (20% off).

I have some reading suggestions for you. Click on the Railpasses tab at the top of the page you're reading now and study the articles you find there. Go to www.seat61.com (a great train site) and read everything in the Railpasses section there. Click on the Travel Tips tab at the top of the page you're reading now. The articles you'll find there are condensed from Rick's book Europe Through the Back Door and will help you with your planning. Better yet, buy the book.

Budget airlines: Vueling and easyJet fly Paris CDG-Venice Marco Polo. MyAir flies Paris Orly-Venice Marco Polo. Air Berlin and Vueling fly CDG-Rome Fiumicino. EasyJet flies Orly-Rome Ciampino.

Flip flop Venice and Florence IMHO (geography reasons, you might as well travel as far north as you can before going south). Night train would then be from Paris to Venice.

As for reservations, it depends on the train class. Night trains typically require a reservation and the best trains on the Venice-Florence-Rome line require one as well. You can make them either ahead of time or at the train station. Since you aren't planning too much in advance, book at the train station. Trains do fill but it rarely happens.

I would personally cut Greece and spend more time in Italy but if you wish to keep Greece then flying is definately the way to go. Check www.whichbudget.com for details. Flying to Greece can be expensive, however, so be aware that it may not be as cheap as you wish.

Kasinda, usually the "fast" trains such as the TGV have a policy of compulsory reservations. If you're travelling with a Rail Pass, you'll need to pay for these separately. I find that getting the reservation a day or two prior to my outgoing journey is usually sufficient.

I strongly agree with the previous Post in that you might consider dropping Greece on this trip, especially considering the short time frame that you're working with. Use the time to add a day to either Paris, Florence or Rome (whichever is more interesting to you). I also agree that going to Venice first and then Florence would be the best route. You might consider a budget flight from Paris to Venice, rather than rail as it's a long trip!

If you haven't already booked flights, using open-jaw flights (to London and home from Fiumicino) would be the most efficient travel method.

Getting around the cities is easy using the Metro / Tube. London, Paris and Rome all have excellent Subway systems. As this is your first time travelling in Europe, I'd suggest that you familiarize yourself with the Subway maps for each city, so that you have a general idea of the layout. Basically, if you know the direction, it's easy to get on the right train. Depending on how much you'll be using the Tube in London, you might consider an Oyster Card. In Paris and Rome, just buy individual tickets (or in Paris a "Carnet" of 10 tickets for €11.10).

If you're planning on visiting Museums in Paris, you might consider a Paris Museum Pass. It helps to avoid long queues waiting for tickets! I found the Museee d'Orsay and the impressionist art really interesting (it's a beautiful building, formerly a train station).

If you haven't already read it, I'd suggest that you have a look at Rick's "Europe Through The Back Door", as it will provide a lot of good information to help with planning your trip.

Cheers!