Please let me know of any experiences you have had when traveling to Paris and Rome in January, with regards to costs of plane tix & lodging, packing, rail fees, ANYTHING. lol thank you!

Hi Stephanie, now you have to help us a little, how many coming, what sort of money do you like to spend $1000 a night or $50, anything you like to do, pray, horse ride, shop, shoe make? How long are you coming for, and special dietry needs? Where are you coming from?

Just put together some stuff and we can see how we can help.

Well since we don;t know where you are coming from only you can figure out what plane fares will be.

As for your other expenses - that depends on how you want to live. Some people are happy with cheap and cheerful/shared bath lodging and having a sandwich for lunch and dinner in a casuale cafe. Other people want luxury hotels and Michelin * restaurants.

You need to provide some parameters - how many people, what you expect from hotels/hostels and places to eat.

Not sure what you mean by cost of packing. There is no cost of packing except what your airline might charge for checked luggage - and again that depends on where you are coming from and what airline you are using.

nyt: >>Not sure what you mean by cost of packing. There is no cost of packing except what your airline might charge for checked luggage - and again that depends on where you are coming from and what airline you are using.<<

I'm guessing by the 'packing' bit stephanie is just asking what sorts of clothes to pack??

Stephanie: There really isn't that much difference in costs traveling in January than other times of the year. Airfares <i>might</i> be a little cheaper but not necessarily. Both cities are essentially 12 month a year destinations.

And by 'rail fees'/train fares . . . that entirely depends on which train journeys you are taking.

In general, costs depend more on your style of travel (budget/middle of the road/posh) than the time of year

So sorry. First time posting.
My boyfriend and I will be traveling in 2017. We picked January bec we love cold weather (never get it here in Louisiana) and figured fares would be cheaper after Christmas (even tho we'd love to be there for Christmas- we figured prices would be doubled). We want to stay in 2-4 star hotels. We are thinking about Eurail to get from Paris to Rome. I asked about packing bec we don't really know how cold it will be. It's so humid here, when it's 40 degrees it feels like 30. We don't have a favorite airline - and in casually researching tickets for our time period, apparently Jan '17 is too far in advance so I can't estimate prices. We can fly out of Houston, TX or New Orleans, La. Thanks for responding!

>>We are thinking about Eurail to get from Paris to Rome.<<

Eurail is not a train. It is a company that sells rail passes. You would not at all need a Eurail Pass to travel from Paris to Rome (and actually that specific trip is easier and usually cheaper to fly)

>>We want to stay in 2-4 star hotels. <<

FYI -- stars don't really mean anything. They tell you which amenities are included (an elevator, restaurant on site, etc) but nothing about the quality or even the price really. There are lovely 2* places that are nicer than some 3* or 4* properties. What matters is your actual nightly budget.

Airfares could be cheaper in January -- BUT since that is when business travel picks up again after the holiday, you might be surprised.

It is about a year to early to begin thinking what to pack

Lol. Thank you so much. I really appreciate anything you have to say!

No the any railpass to just go between Paris and Italy - a long long day trip but there is an overnight train possibility that could make sense and save on the cost of a hotel.

I travel often to Paris and Rome, Florence and Venice in January and at least in Italy it is much much cheaper for me as hotels are at a low season price - I pay about half for the same room as I would in high season if I could even get it in high season. Paris may be different as I always stay with family when there so have not researched hotels but I suspect lower cost hotels that may be full in summer may be much more available in winter.

Besides accommodations being significantly cheaper at least on the lower end I have not seen any difference seasonally with other cost factors except trans-Atlantic air fares can be also significantly lower though airlines are getting better at reducing flights to prevent empty seats more than discounting it seems.

Rail prices are not seasonally affected - for lots about trains in Italy and France check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted train tickets that would be your cheapest bet; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Do not get a rail pass. Check point-to-point tickets 3 months out from your date of travel and buy online for the cheapest fares.

No one can say what airfares will be this far in advance.

The star system of rating hotels in Europe is totally different from that in the USA, so don't think in terms of stars. Just determine a nightly budget, in euros, that you are willing to spend.

No way anyone can tell you what to pack at this point. Last January it was positively balmy at my house here - almost shirt-sleeve weather. Two nights ago, we nearly froze. Just check the weather reports a few days before you leave and pack accordingly.

I always think in terms of stars, it's a good way to get about what you want, even in Europe. And if i want a certain level of hotel, the prices don't matter if that's what I want--within reason, I suppose, but I've never been in a city in Europe so expensive that I couldn't afford a mid-level hotel (3* ish), which is waht I want. Prices vary from city to city and especially the capital cities to smaller places, so I don't set a specific budget.

2-4* hotels is a big range, though, but in any country in Europe, 3* is mid-level, as you'd expect.

Prices don't have any special issue in Paris in January, presuming it is after New Years. Rail fares don't change based on month, and hotel rooms aren't that different, either, for the most part. They should't be at their peak, though, that's the good thing. Some hotels might have slightly lower rates in mid to late January compared to say, October or June. But not all of them. You can usually get better deals if you stay in a place at least 3 days.

Now plane fares are usually lower in January than, say, July, of course.

Though hotel prices may not vary in Paris there is more of a chance to get a good deal when fewer folks are sparring for the same rooms - thus accommodations can be a lot cheaper in winter when rooms in your price range may be much more easy to get than in high season.

Hi - I'm originally from South Texas, and when I moved to Paris for school, I thought my heaviest winter clothes would be good enough but I almost froze to death! Do yourself a favor and check out places like North Face, LLBean and Land's End - try to get a water-repellent coat with a zip-out lining and a hood, because it's very cold, almost always drizzling and there's usually ice and maybe some snow. Bring a warm hat, good gloves, heavy scarf and comfy leather boots, too. Since you're not traveling until 2017, you have plenty of time to find these items and break in the boots. If you wear silk or cotton thermal underwear, you'll be warm without looking or feeling bulky and can cut way down on luggage.

If you want to go to Italy, you should think about flying rather than taking the train. There are cheap, fast flights out of Paris/Orly and this will save a lot of vacation time. The scenery isn't very nice in winter anyway. Look on EasyJet for good prices.
If you are only visiting Paris and Rome, look for open-jaw flights. It's usually a lot cheaper to fly into one city and fly out of the last place you visit.

You can find good special prices on hotels.com but they are usually non-refundable, so be careful about that. Hotel rooms in Paris are small, but they are clean and comfortable and many have minibars. The star system isn't the same, but if you check the hotel website, all the amenities will be there so you can compare.
There are a lot of new design or boutique hotels around, so just Google that and have a look at prices and neighborhoods.

We have found award tickets at very low rates in January and February. Picking up a couple of FF mile credit cards with a good signing bonus could perhaps cover two tickets. Check out a blog like The Points Guy to see what's available. Also, if you have any flights coming up on a major airline, signing up for a cc while on board often offers more reward points that doing so otherwise.

We've also found very good rental rates in apartments in those months. Can't help much with hotels but we do find discounts in apartment rentals and B&Bs.

Delayed flights from the NE to Europe have been our biggest problem flying to Europe at that time of year. Otherwise, if is one of my favorite times to travel.

Wow. Thank you all so much. Not only do I have some more in depth things to research, but it was all suggested nicely - so used to Internet comments being rude. Thanks to everyone! And I know I'll have more questions- ha ha

Paris is not as cold as the northern US but will be MUCH colder than what you are used to and ice/sleet/snow are certainly an option although relatively rare.

I note you use 40 or 30 as cold - in the winter zero is cold. And 40 is quite warm. Unless you have real winter clothing you will need to get some (including hat, scarf, gloves and waterproofed boot/booties). I had an employee move from Arkansas and her "winter" coat was a raincoat with a liner. This is OK for spring and fall but useless for winter. In NYC last Feb the average high for the whole month was 22. Granted colder than usual, but possible.

Paris will not be that cold - but more like DC. but be aware that days are very short and mainly grey and there is not a lot of scenery - since trees are leafless, grass is brown and there are no flowers.

Rome will likely be warmer - but you need to know that snow is possible there too - although very rare.

For costs look at those for next January - picking out a level of hotel you will be comfortable with. Be aware that in both Paris and Rome many hotels are small and older (as in hundreds of years) with baths often fit into odd corners. Rooms are also usually small - one double bed per room is normal. If you are looking for modern with full amenities be prepared to pay quite a bit.

Stephanie....I live inArlanta, so understand your packing question. Layers are your frind here. And, also those hand warmers you find in the camping section. A great scarf is a must along with a hat, gloves and shoes that are water resistant. Also, you need a small travel umbrella.

I also like an over sized wrap...great for planes and restaurants when you have checked your coat.

The great thing is that if you get cold, it's a great excuse for a chocolat chaud or cafe creme at a cafe. You can always plan a museum or church for chillier days. If you like to shop, spend time in Le Bon Marche or Galleries Lafayette (especially their massive food halls). The covered passages are a great choice for chilly or wet weather.

http://www.timeout.com/paris/en/shop...ges-couverts-1

We love Paris and you can enjoy it, no matter what the weather.