We have got four days between paris and rome. Any suggestions? We have seen Burgundy and quite a bit of france, not around Lake Geneva though. We are also thinking of the Italian Lakes. We will probably be going by train because one way hire between countries seems very expensive. Would two nights on the Italian lakes be enough? where else for the other two nights? Done Florence, Venice, Sienna and Lucca. Would Positano be easy to get to from the lakes and then to Rome? Please any suggestions most appreciated.

Positano is quite a distance from the Italian lakes area (plus it is south of Rome so you will do some “backtracking” to get back to Rome). By train from Como to Naples will take you at least 7 hours with 1-2 changes, and then you need to get on to Positano which will be about another hour. I would pick one area and not try to do both in only 4 days. There is enough to see in either for 4 days, and splitting into 2 days each will not give you enought time to see either, IMO.

I see from your other posts that you are going in September. The Italian lake area will certainly be lovely then. You can take the super-fast TGV from Paris and get to Como in as little as 8 hours, most of it a gorgeous ride. You could do this as a night train trip, of course you won’t get to see any scenery, and the other disadvantage of night trains is that many require one or more changes, some very late at night or early in the morning. There is a night train which leaves Paris at 8:30 pm and arrives into Como at 7:30 am with one change in Milan at 7 am, not too bad.
Go to rail.ch for schedules. (This is the Swiss Railway site, but I find it the easiest to use, and it will show routes all over Europe, not just to or within Switzerland. The French rail site if scnf.com, the Italian rail site if trenitalia.com)

Position would also be lovely in September. I would look into flights from Paris to Naples, there are some discount carriers and Alitalia may also be offering good fares. The fastest train from Paris to Naples will take about 14 hours (some of via TGV), you might consider a night train if prices are competitive with discount carriers. Most of the night trains I see on the schedule require several changes at odd hours, there is a train which leaves Paris at 8:30 pm, requires a change in Milan at 7 am, but does not then arrive into Naples until 2:30 pm, rather a long day and late arrival.

The other area you mentioned, around Lake Geneva would also be wonderful in September You can take the TGV to Lausanne in 4 hours from Paris, might be a good way to break up the long journey between Paris and Rome. To Rome from Lausanne is 8 hours, there is also a no-change night train that departs Lausanne at 11:30 pm and arrives into Rome at 10 am, or a train which leaves at 6:45 pm, has a change in Milan at 10:30 pm, has a one hour layover for the connection, and arrives into Rome at 7:30 am. You could also look into flying from Geneva to Rome, there are some discount airline still operating from Geneva I believe (try German wings), and sometimes even Swiss has bargains. (Note most flights from Geneva on Swiss will connect through Zurich, so door to door the train might be faster, also add in the time to get from Rome airport into Rome.)

The trains are amazingly efficient around Geneva, Lac Leman areas, the french-speaking part of Switzerland. I love the towns of Morges, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, etc. along the lakeside (canton of Vaud). Also the Geneva airport and train station are one in the same so makes it all quite efficient transfering plane to train, if applicable.

sorry I have been so long in saying thankyou for your reponses. I have been away to Byron Bay far north of new south wales for a holiday. Your information Cicerone - very helpful, as was Suze, thank you both.

Easyjet has a cheap flight from Paris Orly at 12:35, arriving Naples at 14:45 (weekdays). Sunday departure 13:00, arrive 15:10. The only drawback is the limit on baggage.