Paris for five days - enough time for a train ride to Italy?
 

We will be in Paris for the first time for five days in October. I would love to see at least one city in Italy. Is it too much to try to take the high speed train and stay in Italy for one night? If so, which train line offers the fastest travel time? And which city is the closest - Milan? We really don't want to waste too much time traveling.

High speed day trains (TGVs) go from Paris to Milano via Torino. It's still a long journey. If you want the quickest journey from Paris to Italy, take an overnight train. You can check schedules on www.bahn.de.

The trains to Italy don't actually go at high speeds for the last bit. But if all you want to do is see Italy (and therefore go through the Alps), it's only 5.5 hours to Turin from Paris, whereas all trains to Milan are more or less 7 hours.

Now the fashions in Turin aren't as edgy as in Milan, and the art galleries aren't as sublime. But it IS Italy, it IS elegant, in many respects the urban architecture's more impressive, there's still a Rinascente and Max Maras, and the wine's better, and better value.

I love both Turin and Milano but I will outright confess that one of the main reasons is they both remind me of Paris!

I think you will regret spending all that money and time to bomb into any Italian city for a night. You will find that Paris, for the first time, will leave your head swimming in only five days.

If you INSIST on doing this, check out taking a train or plane to Milan and then switching to Verona. There are other airports nearby (like Bergamo or Brescia) that might also work.

If you are willing to fly, you can practically go anywhere, in which case you might also consider Firenze for a more shocking contrast to Paris.

But my bottomline advice is: Stay in Paris and slow down and enjoy it!!! Sit in the parks and wander through some old neighborhoods.

For me 5 days would be the minimum for a stay in Paris, so no I wouldn't go anywhere.

If you REALLY want to do it, I'd look into flying to Venice (since you don't want to "waste too much time traveling").

Realize with your plan, if you train to Italy and stay one night... you will be leaving yourself only 3 days for Paris.

I agree. Five days in Paris will give you a real taste and feel of this fantastic city. You'd be cheating yourself if you took that much time away from your stay there. Plus, you'd have very little time in whatever city you choose in Italy.

Stay in Paris, and on another trip give Italy the time that it too deserves. You'll be surprised how fast those five days will go by as there is so much to see and do and eat in Paris.

Nina

P.S. Italy isn't a day trip, it's a destination.

Nina

Have you already purchased plane tickets?

If you haven't you could fly in to Paris and out of a city in Italy. IMO that's the only way you could reasonably do this, and even that would be rushed.

Also, think how silly you will feel if you buy a plane ticket and book a hotel and then find out once you are there that you'd rather be in Paris plus it's raining in Italy the day you are scheduled to go!

While Venice is very much a place worth seeing, you are only going to get the most touristy view of it going in for a day. You won't be seeing Italy. You'll be seeing a stage set filled with other tourists.

If you have only 5 days in Paris definitely don;t waste 2 of them trekking back and forth to Italy. It's simply a waste of tinme.

Five days is minimal to see Paris itself. If you must spend time in Italy fly to see something real - like Florence or Rome - and spend a night - but recognize you will see very little of either place.

To spend just one day in Italy you could take the 7am flight from Paris to Rome (arriving 9am) and the 9:30 pm flight from Rome back to Paris (arriving 11:30).

This would give you at least some reasonable time in Rome and still 4 days to enjoy Paris. The cost is about $900 per person on air France - but you might be able to get a budget airline for less - if they have hours that match.

Otheriwse - just enjoy Paris.

Hi S,

>Is it too much to try to take the high speed train and stay in Italy for one night? .... We really don't want to waste too much time traveling. <

I think that you have answered your question.

Train schedules are at www.trenitalia.com.

((I))

I think you'd be shocked at the cost. But if you must do it I would take the Artesia night train to Rome and spend a day, then come back the same way. You've saved hotel costs on both nights that way. Or you could do that to other cities in Italy.