We are committed to flying into Paris for our trip to Italy next month, so we would like to take an interesting route to Florence - via trains. We will be leaving Paris on the 24th of august and need to be in Florence by 5:00pm the evening of the 25th. We can do an overnight train from Paris to Florence ($$$), but we thought it might be fun to travel through Monaco - a place we have never been. It's easy to get to Monaco from Paris. I'm having trouble, however, getting from Monaco to Florence! SNCF will only take us as far as Ventimiglia.

Maybe this is not do-able? Can anyone recommend another stop between Paris and Florence which is easy to get in and out of?

Thanks.

I absolutely wouldn't do it, especially considering the fuss and bother. It's just a huge pile of expensive rocks, not worth making any special plans for.

There are a bunch of more fun places to travel by train through than Monaco, try doing it through Bescancon and then choose a path through Switzerland.

If you only have a day or so before you need to arrive in Florence then going via Monaco will mean spending a lot of time in transit. It's possible to travel overnight or during the day to Monaco from Paris, or 6 hours on the TGV. So if you could leave the evening of the 23rd then you could have some time in Monaco on the 24th and then leave the following day for Florence.

French trains will only take you as far as Ventimiglia, then you'll need an Italian train for the remainder of the journey. You can use bahn.com to see routes. The most scenic part is between Monaco Monte Carlo and Ventimiglia along the French coastline I'd say.

It's pretty, but I'd have to agree with the other posters unless you're already wanting to be in the south of France, then just go direct from Florence from Paris.

...and probably the best way to travel from Paris to Florence is by air....

Monaco is an uninteresting place and the train route from Monaco to Florence is actually rather dreary, especially if you are not stopping. The train only intermittently paralells the sea with a view of the coast. A lot of the time it goes through tunnels or tracks inward, or chugs (slowly) through industrial seaports.

There is a scenic train that goes from Paris through the Alps to Torino -- an infinitely more interesting destination than Monaco. It takes 5 hours. From Torino, you have the options for getting to Florence either quickly by fast trains through Milan or a clunkier route via Genoa and along the Riviera. If you choose the Riviera, I would recommend getting off the train for a night to really appreciate the views. If you are curious to see the lives of the rich and famous in a tourist trap and eat subpar food, you can substitute Portofino for Monaco -- and it is much, much prettier. However, I highly recommend you choose someplace more enjoyable, either picturesque Camogli, or if you really like to swim and hang out with Italians at night, pretty Sestri Levante.