Kealoha

What would you do: overnight train or take the plane from Venice to Paris?

If we take the plane its quicker (which I like). But my boys think (husband and 4-year old)overnight train will be an adventure. If we take the train we'll definitely take a private sleeper. Cost is not a factor.

Thanks!

Kate_W

If all of you are able to get a decent night's sleep in less than perfect conditions, then I'd recommend the train (in one direction) for the "unique experience" factor. But if any of you has enough trouble sleeping that you're likely to get less than 5 hours' sleep on the trip, then don't risk spoiling the next day of your trip.

ira

Hi K,

>But my boys think (husband and 4-year old)overnight train will be an adventure.<

It's worth doing once.
The 10:04 out of Venice arrives Paris Bercy at 08:23

Check prices at both www.trenitalia.com and www.voyages.sncf.com.

SNCF has a PREMS fare of only 380E in a 1cl sleeper.

You can have your tickets sent to your hotel in Italy.

GeoffHamer

The night train will actually be quicker as it will waste less time. It leaves Venezia Santa Lucia at 2004 and arrives in Paris at 0823. A flight will waste half a day when you add journeys to and from the airports and check-in times. The night train has a restaurant car, open for dinner and breakfast.

tcreath

We took an overnight train several years ago. I think its worth it, at least one time, for the experience alone.

That being said, I wouldn't expect to get a lot of sleep. I usually don't have any problems sleeping but got only about 3 hours of sleep on our overnight ride from Vienna to Florence, and woke up extremely tired and quite disoriented.

You should consider what time the train arrives in Paris. If you get into Paris very early in the morning and had very little sleep on the train, you probably won't be able to check into your hotel when you arrive and that could pose a problem.

Overall I think your boys would probably love the adventure of an overnight train, regardless of its consequences.

Tracy

Frances

We took the night sleeper in exactly the same circumstances- we thought it would be fun for the children on a one-off, and it was. We travelled from Livorno to the Channel. We also intended to get a private compartment but despite booking through an agent in October,(for a journey in August) completely failed .I seem to remember that SNCF only opened for booking about three months in advance and no priority was given according to when we placed our booking.
We shared with two adults in a compartment for 6.The toilet in the carriage was foul.
The journey was interesting especially when we travelled through the Cinque Terre but as we approached Paris the train slowed to a crawl and it took an inordinate time to get around the city. At this point the novelty wore off.
Arriving at the Channel it was found that several of the cars on the train had had their rear windscreens smashed . It seems this was a regular occurence as thre train passed under railway bridges. This won't affect you and the journey was 11 years ago but it is part of my memory of the journey.

sdtrach

i would definitely recommend taking the train - i've done it (spent a summer backpacking after graduating college about 7 years ago) and my fondest memories are that of our time spent on the train. as others have said already, it will probably be faster by train, but even with that aside, I recommend it just for the experience!

have a great trip!

Jed

My wife and I took the Krakow-Prague overnight. We had a 2 bunk private room.

Indeed, it was an experience, but like having a root canal, it was not something we enjoyed or would willingly do again. Perhaps, being seniors, we are less tolerant to being uncomfortable.

Of course, each to his/her own.

Whichever you chose, please post back on this thread with your experience so we can benefit from it.

Dukey

Sorry, but being a "Senior" has nothing to do with IMO...I'm over 60 can't sleep on planes upright and have never had a problem sleeping on European overnight trains BUT it depends on the class you book..defintely try for First and not some couchette situation where you are shaing with strangers.

You might take a look at the www.seat61.com website for some more insight.

Jed

Don't be sorry, Dukey. ETHOO (each to his/her own opinion).

Seamus

Another vote for trying the overnight train, especially if you will have a private sleeper - it is something of an adventure for anyone who has not previously done it. Since it is overnight you don't get to see much, but for a while after departure and/or prior to arrival (depending on the time of year you are traveling) there is sufficient light to appreciate the passing scenery. It is also nice to be able to stroll to the dining/bar car. If you are from a country where train travel is not common (such as the US) it is something of an adventure. An unsolicited suggestion - if the 4 yo is accustomed to having entertainment options you may want to bring along something like a portable DVD player.

suze

I've done the train from Venice to Paris in a private cabin (there were two of us). It was a lot of fun. We had to take a normal train to Milan, then transfer on to the overnight train. Take a picnic for dinner along with you.

ira

OOPs, That's the 20:04 night train, not 10:04 PM.

GeoffHamer

The night train leaves Venezia at 2004 and has sleeping cars for Paris - there is no need to change at Milano, or anywhere else. However, if you want to have dinner in Italy, one alternative would be go via Bologna: get a late afternoon train from Venezia to Bologna, leave luggage at the station, walk into the city for dinner, pick up your luggage in time to catch the train which leaves at 2202 and gets to Paris at 0910. Both night trains, from Venezia or Bologna, have restaurant cars.

curmudgeon

Just don't expect a sound nights sleep. While some might be able to sleep through it, the night trains don't actually run from point A to point B. They take a bunch of coaches in point A going to many destinations, and along the way shuffle and reshuffle them until you end up with a train made up of coaches only going to point B. It makes for quite a bit of stops, clunks, and bumps.

And don't expect too much in the way of service, either, even in 1st class. Don't leave valuables unattended.

The Venice train station is quite convenient (on the Grand Canal) and oriented towards tourists. Paris Bercy has more of a commuter train station feel; not much in the way of tourist services.

All that said, it is an interesting experience, and it is nice to avoid the airport hassles. You might also look into day train options; they are a fair bit faster, and you can watch the scenery.