TimS

uhoh_busted,

For the record, the fares I quoted above are for each person, not for two people.

kismetchimera

The flight from Fiumicino (Rome) to Orly airport is only two and a half hours.Traveling many hours by train is not fun and is very tiring..

Believe me I had my share of doing that in my teenager's years.
When I travel between these two cities I always fly..

But of course is your trip and you will decide what is best for you.
Buona Fortuna and Buon Viaggio..

kybourbon

>>>If we fly we would have to essentially get a cab to the airport and then another cab once we arrived in Rome to our hotel, correct? <<<

You have to get from the hotel to the train station so it's the same thing. In Rome, the train from the airport is 14€ or the shuttle bus is 4€. In Paris, the reason I suggested Orly is it's the closest airport to the city center and on public transport. Cheap and fast to get into the city.

>>>Not sure you will get a consensus but kybourbon does not add in some of the costs and time factors (such as cabs to airport, baggage fees?)that would be invloved in the discount airline<<<

Actually, I did factor in bags as most of the fares I looked at for random dates were only 30-35€ (didn't know her travel dates at that point). My estimate above I said 50€. As mentioned above, you have to get to and from train stations just like you have to get to and from airports.

I had your cities backwards so flight prices can be different. The overnight train from Paris to Milan arrives at 5:30 am. That's enough to make me not take it (I'm not a morning person especially without a shower).

>>>But if you are the minority IME - small minority of folks who cannot sleep with the slightest bit of noise then no as you would sleep the next day away. the noise problem is IMO often overblown by folks who probably have never taken an overnight train - heck many hotel rooms I've been in have been noiser than overnight trains<<<

I don't think noise will be as much of a problem on the Thello. On many overnight trains, there seem to be lots of stops and the darn brakes are always squealing. The Thello seems to only make one stop so shouldn't be a problem.

>>>Even better if you get the 2 bed sleeper for 145€. Plus it is more romantic. I'd go for the privacy of a 2-bed sleeper.<<<

That's 145€ each isn't it? 290€ for two?

I haven't used the Thello website to book. Has anyone on this thread tried? The old Artesia website didn't let you book through them and it appears you can't select US and enter your passport # on the Thello site either.

I would book on the French train website if you want any discounts as you won't get them from RailEurope and Trenitalia requires pick up in Italy.

Since your dates are too far out, no one can tell the discount train prices you may or may not get, only regular prices.

kybourbon

FYI - I started a thread months ago about the new Thello service. Man in Seat 61 posted on it that you can't buy the tickets through RailEurope or SNCF French Railways. He said only through Thello and Trenitalia. Since you can't pick up your tickets in Italy and Thello doesn't seem to process US to enter passports, I don't know what your solution would be. Here's the thread. Perhaps things have changed since then?
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...talyfrance.cfm

Dukey1

To reiterate:

you can use a budget airline (be careful which airports are used) and can look them up using www.whichbudget.com or www.skyscanner.net Flying would be the fastest option but also be aware that you will have to get to and from the airport (more mone); be limited in the amount of checked luggage you can bring; spend time checking in and going through security..the usual going by air "issues"

the train will take you from city center to city center (yes, you have to figure out which train station in Paris just as you have to figure out which airport in Paris)

Raileurope is a North American marketing arm and is wholly owned by a combination of the French and Swiss national railroads. It sells tickets and passes; it does NOT run trains

TimS

<<<I would book on the French train website if you want any discounts as you won't get them from RailEurope and Trenitalia requires pick up in Italy.>>>

I just checked the Trenitalia site. For this night train Trenitalia offers the "Ticketless with payment receipt via email" option even though the trip starts in France.

kybourbon

>>>I just checked the Trenitalia site. For this night train Trenitalia offers the "Ticketless with payment receipt via email" option even though the trip starts in France.<<<

That's new then. Whenever I've purchased international tickets the past from Trenitalia, they've required pick-up at a station with self-serve kiosk.

Man_in_seat_61

NORMALLY, Trenitalia.com only does 'ticketless' ticket delivery for its own domestic Italian trains, for international trains it's a case of ticket collection at the station, but only in Italy.

But this is the new 'Thello' train, run as the first ever OPEN ACCESS commercial train into France run entirely by Trenitalia (with partner veolia) with NO French Railways (SNCF) involvement. SNCF cannot and will not sell tickets for this thello train, Trenitalia has HAD to enable e-ticketing in both directions.

Similarly, the Paris-Turin-Milan TGVs are now run entirely by SNCF with NO Trenitalia involvement, Trenitalia will NOT sell tickets for these trains, so SNCF have had to enable e-ticketing in both directions at voyages-sncf.com or www.tgv-europe.com

Politically, SNCF and Trenitalia are at each other's throats!

Welcome to the new competitive non-co-operative open-access world of European Europe!

kismetchimera

Here are the prices for a flight with "easyjet" from FCO to ORLY..how can you beat these prices?



Lowest outbound fares
February €38.99 .
March €36.99 .
April €37.99 .
May €35.99 .
June €35.99 .
July €35.99 .
August €35.99 .
September €35.99

suec1

Just to give you an idea of what you might get if you decide to book a multi-bed compartment - on one trip from Barcelona to Paris my daughter and I were with two young French girls who had gone down to Barcelona for what sounded like a pretty wild weekend. Their bags for the weekend were larger than the bags we were traveling with for two weeks. On another trip my husband and I booked a 4 bed couchette from Amaterdam to Basel I think - we spent alot of time chatting with a German man about US politics, eventually the guys went to the bar car for some whiskey. The 4th berth was evidently for a late boarder that we never even saw. Train travel is really a good way to interact with the locals.

One thing to be aware of luggage space is pretty limited esp. in the multiple berth compartments and be prepared to lift up your bags. My daughter and I usually have to help each other wrestle up our bags but you don't want to have great big ones!

PalenQ

Ah the ubiquitous loud snorers in multi-person compartments!

renee2nay

We are really set on the train. I've read your posts about them and the different options so I guess my questions are the following:
1. We are flying in from the U.S. to Paris (CDG), what would be the best train location to take if we plan to stay close in the city (by the Eiffel Tower, etc)?
2. "For this night train Trenitalia offers the "Ticketless with payment receipt via email" option even though the trip starts in France." Does this mean we can book through here and get our tickets via email?
3. Trenitalia.com is the website and this would be the best train to take from Paris to Rome? Any other tips about this website we should know about?
4. We are 158 days away from our trip so when should we book?

Thanks again for the help, I'm actually kind of excited for the train!

TimS

1. The night train departs from Gare de Lyon. You can get there quickly by metro and/or RER from anywhere in central Paris. Stay anywhere you find a hotel you like, so long as it's in central Paris.

2. Yes.

3. See the post by the Man in Seat 61 above. The train will be operated by Thello which is a new partnership between Trenitalia (Italian national rail) and veolia. SNCF (French national rail) is out of the picture. Thello already is operating the Paris-Venice night train.

4. Assuming that the Paris-Rome night train will be up and running by June, you will be able to book up to 90 days in advance at trenitalia.com. The site is available in English. You can book at thello.com (French only) up to 120 days in advance. If you can't handle French, use Google Translate to book in English.

PalenQ

Here are the prices for a flight with "easyjet" from FCO to ORLY..how can you beat these prices?>

with Easy Jet did you add in all the extra fees and bus out to airport and in?

and once the Thello goes Paris to Rome it will probably offer say 49 euro fares (current says from 35 euros I believe to Milan)?

Plus flying you lose a half day of sightseeing - the overnight train lose nothing and save on cost of a hotel - this is the KEY reason the train should be cheaper than flying - no hotel cost for that night except the train fare, which should approximate the air fare for early bookers at least.

TimS

For a zoomable map of the the Paris metro and RER system, go here: http://tinyurl.com/6xmvms4.

PalenQ

Surprised the SNCF or French Railways are allowing Thello trains even into the Gare du Lyon - the old Artesia trains were relegated to the nearby Paris-Bercy station, actually an extension in many ways to Gare du Lyon - daytime SNCF TGVs going into Milan are I believe relegated to a secondary station there.

Ah the French and Italian train companies battling it out!

kybourbon

Tim - I think #1 she was asking how to get into Paris from CDG, not the night train station.

>>>4. Assuming that the Paris-Rome night train will be up and running by June, you will be able to book up to 90 days in advance at trenitalia.com. <<<

You should be able to purchase four months in advance on Trenitalia like you can for their other tickets. The problem will be Trenitalia's slowness in loading summer schedules which start around June 12. They might have these particular trains loaded early, but it's possible it will be late May or early June.

>>>and once the Thello goes Paris to Rome it will probably offer say 49 euro fares (current says from 35 euros I believe to Milan)?<<<<

Those Smart Fare discounts are only for 4 and 6 berth couchettes. Does anyone have a link to info that this train is actually going to start in July?

TimS

kybourbon, I believe you're right about Renee wanting to know how to get from CDG to Paris.

Renee, the quick answer is to take the RER B from CDG into Paris and then transfer to the metro and/or other RER lines to get to the station closest to your hotel. (See the map link I gave above.)

Right now it's possible to book the Paris-Venice Thello train up to 90 days in advance on the Trenitalia site and up to 120 days on the Thello site. It's only a guess, but I assume that also will be true for Paris-Rome.

Yes, Trenitalia's well-deserved reputation for being slow in uploading their semi-annual timetable changes could affect how far in advance a person is able to book a train for a July departure date.

renee2nay

Thank you Tim and Kybourbon. My question is if we are staying relatively close to the city in Paris what would be the best Paris train station to depart from? I checked Trenitalia and it was asking me for a specific location. I am also confused with that site on times. It is asking for times in 00:00 to 24:00. Does that mean I can choose which time we leave? I assumed times would be set...?

I guess at this point I will have to wait until 90 days out to book our overnight train. I am just worried that the Paris-Rome train won't be up and running and then what will we do? We plan to book our hotels this weekend (7 days at a hotel in Paris and 7 days at a hotel in Rome) so I am worried about not having confirmation of this train trip.

Any suggestions? Also, what is the difference between booking the train trip on Trenitalia or Thello? Thanks again! Appreciate all the help

suec1

Most likely there is not really a choice of departure stations - I would guess the train will depart from the same station as the Paris-Milan run. It will have a set / once an eveing departure time but when you are in the Trenitalia site you are being given the opportunity to see other departure times (does this make sense?)

As far as hotels you might want to make a back up plan and look at how long this trip will take you if the overnight does not happen. Most hotels can be cancelled with at least 24 hours notice - so you could look at the daytime run between Paris and Rome and choose an overnight and cancel if you have to. If I have a minute I'll look at the schedules and post some details.