mitzi_girl

I am starting to do the travel arrangements for a christmas jaunt to Europe. My husband is currently overseas and I am going to meet him around Dec 23 in Paris.
I have never been there before. I have no idea where to start as far as getting from Paris to Rome. Would I be best to book us the train from Paris to Nice and go around that way. I have been reading a lot of the forums - can you not just rock up and buy tickets for the train without it being hugely expensive? Do you buy those unlimited train travel tickets? I am so lost and don't know where to start. He said 'book 2 nights accomodation in Paris and rest we will just wing it"!! That is a bit too scary for me!
Any clues will be mostly greatly appreciated!!
Also - is Paris to Rome too much for 15 odd days?
Merci!

lindy27

You can just book the train tickets the day of at the train stations. Italian trains aren't very expensive and hard to buy online so I would probably do that for at least the Italian portion. I wouldn't "wing it" for New Year's, I've heard it can get pretty busy in the larger cities around then.

I would do at least 4 nights in both Paris and Rome. Places along they way on the train are Switzerland, Milan, or Florence (there are a ton more options) which you could pick 1-2 to stop at.

Mimar

For starters, for yourself, you'll want an open jaws (multi-city) plane ticket, into Paris, out of Rome.

Another possibility is to fly from Paris to Rome. Easyjet goes from Paris Orly to Rome Ciampino, Air Berlin from Orly to Rome Fiumicino. (Orly is easier to get to and less crowded than Charles De Gaulle airport.)

Paris and Rome provide plenty to entertain you for 15 days -- or longer.

But if you want to stop in Nice, that would be "nice" too. But, traveling in December, stick to the bigger cities. If the weather's bad, cities still offer lots to see and do.

Christina

The period between Christmas and NY's is the most expensive time in Paris for hotels, and of course, people are traveling, so I would not just "wing it" for either accommodations or train travel. Of course you can take the train the entire way from Paris to Rome, but it's a long trip, and I doubt it would save you any money over a cheap flight. At that time of year, I imagine hours and hours of the views out the windows are not going to be that fascinating, either.

What's your idea of "hugely expensive"? Train fares are often higher at last minute, although at some times, like holidays, they won't be that different but they will be full, anyway, so you can't just buy a seat that easily at the station before departure. The TGV train is not cheap, and that is a very long trip, people sometimes have some strange idea that they can travel for 8 hours on a high-speed train for 25 euro or something. It's not that expensive, though, regular fare is around 150 euro. I don't know if it will be more that week, though. YOu can get some real cheap tickets in advance on some days, but again, perhaps not during that holiday period. I don't know.

annhig

hi mitzi,

a good place for sussing out train timetables and costs, especially cross border ones, is www.bahn.de. you could try the various permutations - Paris - Rome, Paris - Nice - Rome [paris -Venice - Rome?] to see if you can find one you like.

but you will need to start maknig decisions pretty soon - hotels will fill up quickly because strangely lots of people choose not to be at home during this period.

if you decided on a week in each of Paris and Rome, you might think about an apartment in each place - which could be cheaper and nicer.

mitzi_girl

Thank you for all your help. We have now booked for 4 nights in Paris from Dec 23 and will then make our way south - either car or train. I am really looking forward to it, but really wish it was going to be a summer trip! Will it still be freezing down Nice way??? Oh well.. .Europe cold is better than Canberra cold!! Thanks.

annhig

good luck, mizzi!

crepes_a_go_go

When we do Paris and Rome, we buy cheap airfare on Vueling. It flies into and out of Rome Fiumicino and Paris CDG. Last time we did it, we bought tix online for 30€ pp. Much nicer than EasyJet or any other budget airline I've used.

We've also done the train thing from Paris to Nice to Italy. In the summer, you will see some beautiful scenery but in winter, um, not so sure. Also, it was a loooong ride. Vueling was much preferable not to mention cheaper and faster.

At any rate, good luck with everything!

mitzi_girl

Thank you, thank you! We will just stay in France this time, we think and do a good look at Italy next time. I think after Paris we might lurk around the south for the rest of the holiday. What are the places to see down there, s'il vous plait?

PalenQ

Would I be best to book us the train from Paris to Nice and go around that way. I have been reading a lot of the forums - can you not just rock up and buy tickets for the train without it being hugely expensive?<

Well by all means consider the France-Italy railpass as a good deal for all the travel by train in each country over a 15 day period - the first class pass is especially a bargain and IMO first class is the way to go for the average tourist taking the trip of a lifetime - four decades of incessant European rail travel has proven this beyond a doubt for me. For loads of great info on train travel in each country i always spotlight these fantastic IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com - for schedules all over Europe i always use the Wunderbar German Railways site - www.bahn.de

PalenQ

Would I be best to book us the train from Paris to Nice and go around that way. I have been reading a lot of the forums - can you not just rock up and buy tickets for the train without it being hugely expensive?<

When talking about trains in France then if you just show up and buy say a Paris to Nice ticket you could literally pay $100 or more than if you go to www.voyages-sncf.com - French Railways web site and scour it for so-called PREM fares - deep discounted tickets but only sold in allotments - so many for each train and they can well sell out as soon as the hit the site some 90 days (not sure of time frame) out - so the early bird gets the worm here. And though the railpass can be used on any train in theory passholder seats are also limited so if buying a pass make that reservation when buying it as it may or may not be available when you turn up in Paris - talking specifically about the Paris to Nice TGV trains.

PalenQ

Re - passholder seats on popular TGV trains like those between Paris and Nice - the French Railways has apparently set a limit on the number of railpass seat reservations they will make on each train and perhaps none available even on some IME

with a railpass you need only pay the 3 euro seat reservation fee - about $4 to ride any TGV in France but too many folks have reported that they were told, at the ticket window, that there were no passholder seats remaining BUT that they could buy a full fare ticket for that same train. Thus is my admonition to anyone whose plans rely on TGV trains say to Provence or Nice from Paris (the line with the biggest apparent problem because it is so popular i guess) is to make that reservation when you buy your pass to guarantee it as chances are problematic that if you just show up you will get one - you may or you may not - hard to tell.

Underhill

We went from Paris to Rome on the overnight Palatino Express, which I hope is still running. We left Paris in the early evening and arrived in Rome the next morning, without all the stress of plane travel. The part of the trip that ran along the Mediterranean was beautiful.

PalenQ

Underhill - it cannot be running or at least on the same route as the newer Artesia Night Trains never see the sea but take a route via Milan and Florence to Rome

A few years back there were separate overnight trains between Paris and Florence and Paris and Rome but they were combined into a single Artesia Night Train serving both cities - thus the route i suspect you are talking about - along Italy's west coast via Genoa and Pisa is no longer taken.