Train from Genoa to Paris?

I worked hard to find a good train connection between Rome and Paris. What worked best was to go to Turin, and then take the TGV into Paris. There are 2 main train stations in Turin, so you'd want to be sure that you are arriving/leaving from the correct one. I assume there's a direct train from Genoa to Turin.

We took the nice Frecce train from Rome to Turin, stayed overnight in a lovely hotel across the street from the station, then took the 7:30 am TGV. The ride into Paris was beautiful--my son loved seeing the French countryside. Make sure to pack some food--train food was expensive. We loaded up at the impressive buffet breakfast at the hotel. The info at Seat61.com helped with logistics. HTH--Sherry

I doubt there is a direct train from Genoa to Paris. I know there is an overnight train from Nice to Venice - I'm sure there is a reverse train as well. Once in Nice, the high speed train will get you to Paris.

Hope that helps. BG

ashleigh,

To begin with, the rail schedules for July 2015 won't be loaded until about June 2015 so you won't find any information that far in the future. Schedules are usually updated twice yearly in December and June. the easiest method for searching is to just search the current schedules using the same day-of-the-week that you'll be travelling, as that should provide a reasonable "ballpark" estimate.

It will be somewhat of a long trip from Genova to Paris, and the length of the trip will depend on which train you use. One of the quickest and easiest trips appears to be a departure from Genova Piazza Principe at 07:08, arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 16:11 (time 9H:03M, 2 changes at Torino Lingotta and Torino Porta Susa, reservations compulsory on first and third legs).

Here's how the second route works: Turin to Nice is a local train with possibly a change at the old border of Ventimiglia. Next the TGV from Nice to Paris, it doesn't put on speed until after Marseille due to the tracks. So it's three hours from Nice to Marseille and then three hours at high speed from Marseille to Paris. So count on at least eight hours or more. On a good note, a faster train along the Italian coast to Nice is due to begin by next summer, which will shorten your trip a bit.

There are no direct trains from Genova to Paris. The fastest routes take 1-2 connections; see January schedules for an idea, although it would be possible to see some small improvements in the summer schedule. The direct Milan-Paris train departs twice daily; the first one is too early to reach from Genova in the morning but the later will work. this route includes a couple of hours of mountain scenery, as do the fastest connections through Switzerland. Buy tickets about three months out for the best prices, particularly for the French TGV.

How about flying from Genoa to Paris?
Vueling Airlines and Hop! (the latter is part of AirFrance) both fly non stop.
The train trip is a long 10 hours (vs. just over one hour flying) and I bet flying is cheaper too.

Thank you everyone for the thorough replies! I am actually considering a flight just to save time, despite how much I would love to journey through the beautiful French countryside. We pay a ridiculous fee just to get to Europe from Australia and I want to try and make the best use of our limited time in Europe as possible.

I really appreciate the suggestions and may still consider a connection through Turin though... It would be such a beautiful trip.

Thanks again.

We rented an apartment near Gare de Lyon (where the train from Turin arrives) so it made sense for us to take the TGV. We could walk to our accommodations. By the time I factored the airport transfer times, the actual cost difference, and my teenager's preference for the train, we didn't mind the extra travel time. It gave us a nice break between our tour in Rome and our time in Paris to catch up on journal entries, etc. The TGV got in by 1:30pm, so we still had an afternoon/evening in Paris. So much less stressful than leaving from Fiomucino in Rome.

Hope you have a wonderful time in Italy and France--I'd love to return soon.