Train Travel in France and Italy!

Cassidy,

My first suggestion would be to download the free PDF Rail Guide from this website. Click the "Railpasses" tab at the top and then look in the lower right corner. It will answer a lot of questions.

Some comments on your questions:

• Visiting the CT after Rome is an excellent idea, as you'll probably need a rest (Rome can be intense).

• If you're going from France to Italy through Switzerland and your pass doesn't include Switzerland, you'll have to pay separately for that portion of the trip.

• Even with a Railpass, you MAY need a reservation for a specific train! Usually the "fast" trains have compulsory reservations. DO NOT just "hop on the train you want and show them your pass"! If the train has compulsory reservations, you'll be fined on the spot!!!

• You make a reservation at the rail stations.

• The TGV is the high speed train in France (although it travels to/from other countries). Each country has their own variation. The "fast" train in Italy is the EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita.

• I'd recommend Rome to the CT, CT to Florence and then Florence to Milan (all relatively easy trips).

• The longest part of your route will be Avignon-Rome. I'd have to check, but you might pick an intermediate stop to break up that part of the journey, perhaps somewhere in Switzerland.

• If you haven't read it already, I'd highly recommend having a look at Europe Through The Back Door, especially the "Rail Skills" chapter.

I'll have a closer look at your route and try to offer some more specific suggestions.

Cheers!

There are trains from Avignon to Rome that go via Nice and avoid the problem with Switzerland. There is also the possibility of flying from Lyon to Rome on Easyjet but since you already have the pass it might be too expensive.

Cassidy,

Based on the cities you mentioned, I'd probably structure the trip along these lines (since you already have Railpasses, I focused on that method of travel):

- Paris to Beaune: There's a train departing Gare du Lyon at 08:28, arriving Beaune at 10:46 (time 2H:18M, 1 change at Dijon Ville, reservations compulsory for the first leg via TGV).

- Beaune to Avignon: The train I'd use departs Beaune at 09:07, arriving Avignon Centre at 12:40 (time 3H:33M, 2 changes at Chalon-sur-Saone and Avignon TGV, Bus to Avignon Centre, reservations compulsory - NOTE there are several stations in Avignon).

- Avignon to Italy: Due to the "logistics" in this case, I'd probably stop in the CT next. There's a train departing Avignon TGV at 10:27, arriving Monterosso at 19:02 (time 8H:35M, 3 changes in Nice, Ventimiglia & Genova Piazza Principe, reservations compulsory). That's a bit long but seems like the best choice in this case. I specified Monterosso as I don't know which village you're planning on staying in?

CT to Rome: That's an easy trip! There's a train departing La Spezia Centrale at 08:06, arriving Roma Termini at 11:58 (time 3H:52M, NO changes, compulsory reservation - the train from the CT villages to La Spezia runs frequently).

Rome to Florence: Another easy trip! Train departing from Roma Termini at 08:50, arriving Firenze S.M.N. at 10:27 (time 1H:37M, NO changes, reservations compulsory).

Florence to Milan: Train departing Firenze S.M.N. at 09:19, arriving Milano Centrale at 11:29 (time 2H:10M, NO changes, reservations compulsory). From Milano Centrale, it's easy to reach Milan/MXP.

Of course the times I listed are only suggestions and you may wish to arrange this a bit differently. I chose fast trains in order to minimize travel times, and unfortunately these all need reservations which will add to your cost. You can take slower trains if you wish.

Hope this helps?

Cheers!

Cassidy,

A few other points to mention.....

There are a number of train stations in Paris, each serving different areas. You won't have any problem reaching Gare du Lyon from anywhere in Paris via the Metro. If you can provide some information on which Arrondissement (area) your Hotel is located, I can provide more specific directions.

If you've read Europe Through The Back Door, I'm sure you saw the recommendation to wear a Money Belt. Don't forget! Even in the somewhat "rural" setting of the C.T., I spoke with some tourists that were "nicked" on the trains with one losing her US Passport (I don't even want to think about the problems that caused!). Due to the nature of the area, they "let their guard down". I was told by the locals that professional thieves from Genoa often operate on those trains. Keep watch on your luggage also (don't place it on a luggage rack close to the door if possible).

If you're going to be using ATM's for cash, be sure your travel funds are in a chequing account with a four-number PIN. Also BE SURE to take a "backup" card and at least one credit card!

Cheers!

Cassidy:

The German rail site gives the most coverage for Europe and if you put your route in, it will tell you which trains or legs of your journey need reservations.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?ld=212.100&rt=1&newrequest=yes&

thank you all so much for all the help. in fact, we have not bought our railpasses yet (i know, i know we should have already but its been a busy month!!). i was planning on doing it tonite, but after looking at flights from lyon to rome, they seem relatively cheap and obviously much quicker. if we book that flight, should we still get the france/italy pass or just do point-to-point tickets for the trains we will need to take? we would still need to take the train from avignon-lyon to catch that flight, so i guess we would need the 6 day pass which is $305. any quick answers on whether or not that would be cheaper than just buying tickets once we get there??? thank you all so much, its really really nice to have complete strangers helping me do this right!!

If you decide to fly on easyJet from Lyon to Rome, then a France-Italy railpass may not be cost effective. Do a cost comparison. Go to www.tgv-europe.com to get point-to-point fares for Paris-Beaune, Beaune-Avignon, and Avignon-Lyon. Register as a resident of Great Britain or you will be bumped to the Rail Europe site whose timetables are incomplete and whose fares are inflated. Compare the total of those fares to the cost of a 3-day France 2nd class Saver railpass ($215 US). Passholder reservation fees on TGVs are inexpensive (around 4 EUR).

Go to www.trenitalia.com to get fares for Roma-Firenze, Firenze-Cinque Terre, and Cinque Terre-Milano. Since train travel in Italy is relatively inexpensive, point-to-point tickets usually are cheaper than a railpass, particularly when you include the steep passholder reservation fees for high-speed EuroStar Italia trains (15-20 EUR).

Finally, add the total of P2P tickets in France to the total of P2P tickets in Italy. Compare the grand total to the cost of a 6-day France-Italy 2nd class Saver pass plus reservation fees for TGVs and EuroStar Italia trains.

Hi Cassidy, just read your story as I am travelling the same route with my wife in April from Avignon to Rome and then travelling through Italy.
I was interested in how you did the rail trip to Rome and what you thought of it, we were thinking of stopping at CT for a night.
Look forward to your reply.
Cheers.