Hello, My husband and I are traveling from London to Rome with stops in Paris and Florence. We would like to spend a 1 - 1 1/2 days in Geneva on our way from Paris to Florence. I would appreciate any suggestions on the best way to book by train.
Thanks!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Karen, for London to Paris, the Eurostar train is best unless you want to fly. www.eurostar.com. Book as early as you can to get the best discounted fares. Be sure to check in by 30 minutes in advance. Paris to Geneva can be booked on www.tgv-europe.com up to 90 days in advance to get the best discounted fares. Geneva to Florence is best booked on the Swiss train website www.rail.ch. Note that they have changed their website recently and I'm not seeing the bookings permitted more than 30 days out. I need to see what's up. Florence to Rome. You can book up to 119 days out on www.trenitalia.com. Fares can be as low as 19Euro for this run. Note that the discounted tickets are either non-refundable, non-exchangable or both.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16247 posts
You can buy Geneva to Milano Centrale on SBB. I checked a date in late May, almost 3 months from now, and found prices for the direct train ( no changes) of 95 CHF regulars fare, 27 CHF Special,Offer price. With these you get a code and pick up the tickets at the station in Switzerland. The. Book Milano Centrale on Trenitalia. You can get Super Economy fares as low as 9 euros on some trains, but 19 euros is more likely. Book up to 120 days ahead.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16247 posts
by the way, Karen, when are you going?
Posted by
OP
Murrieta
3 posts
Larry and Lola,
Thank you for the information. It was very helpful. We are going mid-May.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16247 posts
Excellent. For mid-May, you could get discount tickets on all your trains by booking now. As Larry wrote, London to Paris on Eurostar; Paris to Geneva on TGV. Then get Geneva to Milan on SBB (or rail.ch for English) and get that 27 CHF fare I mentioned. Fiinally, book Milan to Florence on Trenitalia. Just remember that these discount fares are not flexible-you are locked into a particular train. We never mind that and appreciate the lower fares. But it does limit your flexibility.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
I haven't checked your specific routes, but if you haven't looked at the discount European airlines, you may want to. They are often cheaper than the train. I used skyscanner.com to see what's out there. Just be sure to check location of airport (which may be farther away than you expect), read/follow instructions and fine print carefully, and if you'll need to check bags, arrange that before arriving at airport... or fees can increase markedly.
Posted by
OP
Murrieta
3 posts
Thanks much to all for the information. We are finalizing our plans this week and will book train/plane this weekend. I may need to start another string, but on the off chance can any of you recommend a low-moderately priced hotel near the train station in Geneva? I am just looking for something clean with a decent bed (w/en-suite bath) to lay our heads for a night.