ssbnorman

My wife and I will be spending 3 weeks in France beginning in mid May. We have rented a car for most of the trip but will finish with a train from Nice to CDG (Paris). We take lots of luggage. Having no experience in train travel, what do we do with all our luggage when we board in Nice for the day trip? We have booked first class tkts if that makes any difference.

ira

Hi ss,

>what do we do with all our luggage when we board in Nice for the day trip?

You haul it up the steps of the train to the passenger area.

You lug it down the length of the car to the luggage racks at the end of the car (They are always at the other end of the car.) This is where you put your large suitcases.

You put your small suitcases on the rack abouve your seats.

starrsville

Make sure you can handle all your luggage yourself 'cause you will have to do what ira describes without any help. If you can't, pack lighter or ship some stuff home (at a premium price).

ssbnorman

Thx, You have, pretty much, confirmed what I assumed. I had hoped to read that you tip the porter and he takes care of everything. I only hope this is the biggest "crisis" of our 3 wks in France.

starrsville

I am NOT a light packer, but it really will be much better if you can manage to get the luggage down to one rolling suitcase each and a smaller duffle or similar that can ride on top. It will be VERY hard to manage more than two pieces of luggage each.

Weadles

I learned the hard way after many trips by train through France and Italy. Take as little as possible. Most train stations have few porters available, and lots of steps going up to the tracks. And even in first class, you may not have much space for all that luggage.

Also, when you get off the train, you have to think how you're going to carry it on a bus or stuff it into the small trunk of the typical European taxi.

janis

"We take lots of luggage."

How much do you cal "lots"?

Train travel is not like a cruise. You really have to make some decisions about what to leave home. The train may be your toughest problem, but even the car may present obstacles. Unless you rent a large (and expensive) car there may not be enough room for "lots" of luggage.

Underhill

Okay--we too take a lot of luggage. When we enter a first-class carriage we've usually been at the end where the luggage-racks are. If you get on the train early enough, there should be plenty of room to pile your suitcases up.

You can run into a problem if your seats are in the upper deck of the train; hauling suitcases up those winding stairs isn't easy. So what we do is put them in the racks where we board the car, then use cable combination locks to secure each suitcase to the others and then to the pole at the end of the rack. Smaller cases can be taken upstairs and put in the overhead racks.

One caution: sometimes you are faced with your train's leaving from the other side of the tracks from where you enter the quays. That means hauling suitcases down and then up a whole lot of stairs to cross beneath the train tracks. That's when you really need a porter.

We had that kind of problem once at Montélimar, when my husband was dealing with a bad back, and the stationmaster had one of his staff escort us across the tracks on a kind of ramp used for moving crates--in between trains, of course!

Jean

And if you must take lots of luggage, make sure that your rented car has an enormous trunk. It's not a good idea to have any luggage visible (i.e., in the back seat).

nibblette

Can you pare your luggage down? There are lots of tips on packing here on fodors if you search.

Agree with the others. Porters are few and far in between and you will, for the most part, have to handle your own luggage. You may have problems getting on the trains since the stairs up are narrow.
Be forewarned, people are not patient. If you have several pieces of luggage to get on board, you will only be able to get 1, at most 2, pieces on and off at a time. People will not wait until you are done going back and forth with the pieces. Expect people to try to push past you while you are trying to deal with your luggage. And with lots of luggage, both of you will have to assist in getting them on the train (one handing pieces to the other). So make sure both of you can lift all pieces.
And you may have problems finding storage space all together with lots of luggage. Makes it more difficult and awkward getting off the train.

Other posters gave excellent advice about the car. Standard-size cars in Europe are small. If you have a lot of pieces or if they are very large, all may not fit in the trunk. Makes you a target for thieves.
So you will have to upgrade to a large car. It will be much more expensive (rental as well as gas - $$$ in Europe). Make sure you ask about the trunk capacity before booking your car.
Will this be worth taking a lot of luggage?

ssbnorman

This will be our third trip driving in Europe and we are familiar with the cars. That is not a problem. This will be our first time to use the train and your posts have been very helpful. Thank you.

Underhill

For all those reasons we've just about given up on train travel in France and either fly or go by car. Much easier to deal with luggage that way, although not as much fun as going by train.

suze

"lots of luggage" could mean different things. Is is more luggage than each person can carry in a single trip up onto the train car? If yes, then I'd plan it so one person stands with all the baggage on the platform, and the other gets on & off the train several times until all is loaded.

First class tickets will help in that your car is likely less crowded.

If this is the end of your trip, you might want to mail/ship some of the stuff home before the train ride?

bob_brown

Take what you want. Then you will be able to judge better what you need the next time.

Intrepid1

I know people are trying to be helpful but there seems to be a lot of "overreaction" to your post IMO.

When you start out on this trip how will you get your luggage from your house to your car or the conveyance to the airport? I suspect there aren't any porters hanging around your front door are there? (or do you force your Mother-in-Law or the kids to do it <LOL&gt

How do you get it from the car to the airline check-in counter? Porter? Luggage cart? Curbside check-in(not if you're traveling overseas I suspect).

AND, you are going to take what...ONE train trip??????? So, you get it all on (as folks have suggested..learn to WORK TOGETHER..the old "I'm poorly and I can't lift anything" routine while batting the over-mascared eyelashes does not work in this situation)...and you find either an overhead rack...you do NOT necessarily have to haul it the length of the coach (sorry, Ira)..or a place behind the seats. You ARRIVE and haul it off and get a luggage cart and get a taxi. So much for the "big problem."

"Lots of luggage" is about as subjective as it gets and for this ONE experience I seriously doubt you need to drastically change your packing habits.

gracejoan

Take whatever you want. You will learn from your experience. You may find, for you, that it is not too much trouble...and then you may find that it is a horrible experience, and next time you will travel much lighter!!

I have always found that I have have far more than necessary..and I pare it down each and every trip...if I live long enough, I may eventually find a way to travel with only what I need!! I doubt it will happen............

RufusTFirefly

I think that you're supposed to take a test to see if you have too much luggage before you go--I've seen it in other threads.

You fill your own car with all of your luggage and two cases of Starbuck's bottled frappicino drink. Then you lift your car over your head, climb a 30 foot extension ladder, and drop your loaded car onto a bicycle rack.

If the bicycle rack breaks, you need a smaller car.

hester

My sister (yes the one that doesn't eat) had this huge suitcase (70 IBS.) also a carry on. My daughter and I had small carry on suitcases. We were going from London to Paris via the Eurostar. We were headed up to the train on the moving sidewalk, at almost the top my sisters suitcase got caught on the threshold of the moving sidewalk. We really had a Fred Flintstone moment we keep running and pushing not only our suitcases but hers to get it over the threshold it wouldn't budge, people were almost rioting behind us since we were blocking the sidewalk. I didn't blame them. We looked like three goofballs. Needless to say I will always use my small suitcase. I may not be as spiffy dressed as dear old sis, but I can manage my bags. Also her huge bag was always searched, her suitcase looked like it could have carried the national treasure. Mine and DD's were never searched. By the way our train tickets were also first class but that big bag was always a hassle. But I can say that suitcase has brought a lot of funny memories. Have a wonderful trip!

starrsville

70 pounds is a LOT of size 0 clothes!

lsujuju

When I traveled in France by train, I had a large rolling suitcase, a satchel bag as a carry-on, and a duffel bag. That darn duffel bag was almost the end of me. One rolling suitcase and carry-on weren't so bad, but throw in the duffel, a beautiful straw bag picked up at the flower market in Nice, a Monet poster, and I was kicking myself for overpacking.

The beginning of my trip was okay, as I was with a large group and I could depend on the guys to help me lift my luggage onto the racks. But the last train I took from Lyon to Paris was the killer - I had to rely on the kindness of strangers.

That being said, those train trips didn't ruin my trip - just a brief headache!