Leaving Tomorrow! Need Train Advice
 

I have posted this before but got no replies. I am going to Venice via Aix en Provence on a Eurail PASS. I do not understand their schedule and I don't know where to catch the train for an overnight train to Venice. Do I have to go through Switzerland or back to Paris.Will the ticket people help me figure this out when I arrive in France?Should I buy the Thomas Cook schedule? Please put me on a route out of France, I am getting worried!

You actually did replies when you posted this the first time. <BR> <BR>"How to get from Aix to Venice" <BR> <BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/crossro...messagesframe& <BR> <BR>But I will bring it back up to the top again for you, <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

I may sound critical with this comment, but the advice given so far is not very precise. This schedule is more difficult that what meets the eye. <BR>None of you gave precise departure and arrival times. You should try it; you might find that the schedule is not that easy to figure. <BR> <BR>The shortest route time wise wherein you travel on one calendar day is this: <BR>Leave Aix at 6:34 on train RE 80133 to Marseilles. Change in Marseilles; leave at 7:22 on RE 17475 for Nice Ville. Change again; leave NV at 10:02 on IC 343 for Milan arriving at 15:50. Leave Milan at 15:05 on train IC 621 for Venice, arriving at 17:57! (6 PM our thinking) <BR> <BR>You also could leave Aix at 7:07. <BR>Change in Marsailles to leave at 8:01. <BR>Change in Ventimiglia to leave at 11:40. <BR>Change in Genoa to leave at 15:18 and arrive in Venice at 20:06. That is 13 hours. <BR>You can also go by Lyon. Leave at 7:07 and arrive in Geneve at 11:22. Leave Geneve for venice at 12:18 and arrive at 20:06 <BR>You also go by Milan on this route, too. <BR>13 hours on this one. You end up on the same train out of Milan. <BR> <BR>If you could leave the day before and spend the night in Lyon, you could have a shorter trip the next day. And actually shorten the total trip time. <BR>Leave Lyon at 7:07 and arrive in Milan at 12:45. Leave Milan for Venice at 13:05 and arrive in <BR>Venice at the S. Lucia station at 15:57. <BR> <BR>By the way, the French SNCF scheduler has got to be the worst one in captivity. Try find a few trains it and you will tear your hear. Rather than telling you that there is no train at the time you specify, the system tells you that there are no more seats!! <BR>The German scheduler knows more about French trains than the SNCF system! <BR>I kid you not. The best route I saw was the one listed first and it was not findable using the SNCF system!!

Bob, <BR> <BR>Your answer is informative, but it does not provide an OVERNIGHT train solution to her request for one. My answer (on a previous thread) was meant to convey that an overnight solution should involve spending some of the day (preferably going to spend an overnight) in Nice, Menton, Monaco or Ventimiglia. <BR> <BR>I wouldn't count on her even seeing this at this late date. Maybe e-mail it to her. She had trouble, it seems, finding her earlier posts, on which information WAS posted, quite a few days ago. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

You are right. I did not read the second post totally. That is what happens when someone is out to help you, but you bifurcate your message and ask two or more different things. <BR>A lawyer friend said to me once, rifle it don't shot gun it. <BR>