my daughter and i are pplaning a trip to italy and paris. in october {28 days] question how long does it take to travel by train fron paris to venice or cinque terre? we are trying to go cheep aspossible,and see theses cities as well as florance rome lake camo short day trips to pisa and naples what is the least days pass we can get buy with? 6-7-8-?????
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You can answer the first part of your question (how long does it take) at this site
http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml
Hopefully someone else can answer your other question, about railpasses.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
Teresa,
If this is your first trip, you might want to have a look at a copy of Europe Through The Back Door, especially the "Rail Skills" chapter. There's a lot of great information there that will help your trips go smoothly.
The link that Kent provided is a great resource for planning rail journeys. As you're planning to go "as cheap as possible", that means you'll be using regional or "slower" trains more. They are less expensive than the "fast" trains such as the TGV or EuroStar Italia (the fast trains require reservations, which are an extra charge). Therefore, be sure to allow adequate travel time between destinations.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Sacramento, Ca, US
144 posts
That sounds like a wonderful trip and 28 days allows plenty of time to do it. Are you interested in seeing any other parts of France before heading to Italy? You might consider the TGV train to Avignon and spend a few days in Provence. Then it's an easy night train to Venice from Nice. Takes about 8 hours. I sent my nephew & wife on that train. Or, from there, it's about 4 1/2 hours to the Cinqueterre. You could start there and work your way east to Venice, though Lake Como is about 5 hours north in the wrong direction. The best way to travel is with an France/Italy railpass and night trains are a good way to save time if you have a time problem but I don't think you do. You can buy as short as 3 days on a railpass but I think you will need more for a trip of this magnitude. Will you be flying into Paris and out of Venice? I can help you with your travel arrangements, railpasses, hotels or B&Bs (budget) car rentals, airfare, anything at all. I specialize in Europe and also design independent tours for a small fee. Everything else I provide is free of charge.