What if we took one of these cheap flights from Paris to Milan or Rome late Saturday afternoon (21st), then train to Florence, stay 2 nights as planned, and take train to Rome on Monday night (23rd)?

I beleive this is a bit cheaper than sleeper train.

PLEASE HELP!

Ang-

I'm not sure what you're asking. Are you asking us if we think it is a good idea to fly instead of taking to train? Or are you asking us whether you should fly into Milan or Rome? Or are you asking us if flying is cheaper than train?

I'll try to answer them:
1. whether you take the train or fly is your personal (and your future husband's) preference.
2. If you fly, fly into Rome. Florence is closer to Rome than to Milan.
3. It will probably be cheaper to fly, but then you have to add in: train ticket from Rome/Milan to Florence + extra night of hotel.

I disagree somewhat with beth--if you are an artist who is especially interested in Renaissance art, then you would probably find Florence more interesting. Otherwise, Venice has plenty of great art of its own, and certainly much more interesting variety in its architecture.

Thanks, yk.. you answered my question.

Now I have ANOTHER question: If my flight arrives in Rome at 6:00pm, what time should I book the train? I'm not quite sure how much time I should alot for baggage claim, getting to the train station, etc. 1.5 hrs? What's the best way to get to the train station from FCO?

Phew... so much I don't know yet!

Hi Ang-

I would say, you should be thru the airport within 1.5 hrs at most (including getting your luggage). Here is a thread on how to get from FCO to Roma Termini station:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34482039

The Leonardo Express train leaves FCO at :07 & :37 past the hour and the trip takes 35mins.

So, I suppose if you catch the 7:37pm LE train, you'll get into Termini at 8:12pm.

Or, if you want to splurge, you can either take a taxi or an airport shuttle to take you to Termini station.
Do a search here by typing "Rome Airport" in the search box above and you'll find more info on the alternative transportation.

There is an hourly ES train that leaves for Florence from Termini at :30 past the hour at that time of night. If you're lucky, you'll catch the 8:30p, otherwise, you're looking at the 9:30p.

You don't need to buy your ES ticket until you arrive at FCO, so you'll have a better idea of which ES train you'll be able to take.
For ES schedules:
www.trenitalia.com/en

HI
I'm belatedly chiming in (congratulations, by the way).

You are a museum and art lover, Florence is art lover's heaven unless you are a modernist. Venice is one of my top two favorites in the world, but the art in Florence is much more significant imo.

All of the places you are going to will be hot and very crowded in August.that most especially goes for Florence (or Venice) which is so small to begin with. Be sure that as much as you can will be reserved in advance, including some museum timed entries, and reserved seats on trains. And allow time for crowds and delays.

I love those same old movies with sleeper cars, and I have not taken a sleeper car myself. But my general impression of trains in Italy and France is that they run pretty well but are not of an former era, and not particularly romantic. Again, I won't address honeymooning in a sleeper car, but personally I'd rather get myself to my cozy hotel with a soft mattress, soft lighting, and a Do Not Disturb sign.

You've all been extremely helpful. I will move forward in my travel planning, now armed with the wisdom you've all given me.

Merci, Gracias, Gratzie...