My wife & I are traveling for our 15th anniversary to Europe. We have discounted plane passes that requires us to travel through Paris in September. Our goal is to:

- Arrive in Paris and take night train to Rome
-Spend 4 nights in Rome. Maybe a day trip to Amalfi Coast?
-Take the train to Florence and spend 2 nights. Maybe attend a 1/2 day cooking school. We LOVE to cook!
-Take train to Paris for the remaining 4 nights. (maybe day trip to Geneva if possible)

Will this work for someone who has never been to Europe? We plan on taking the train to all locations. Thanks for your help!

Perhaps you've done this, but you might want to look at a map to get a sense of distances. Rome to Amalfi by train and then bus will take you about 4 hours each way. Also, Geneva is much too far from Paris for a day trip. With what looks like 10 nights, I would stay in two different places at most.

Hi Chewy - Instead of going by train both ways, why not fly from Paris to Rome (e.g. Easyjet)? That way you'd gain a day ...

Geneva might be a viable stop-off on the train route between Florence and Paris - rather than as a day-trip.

Steve

This looks like a very nice anniversary present to each other. However, .....

I think it's a bit much, particularly if you try the "day trips" you've identified. I love both the Amalfi Coast and Geneva, but as day trips I just don't think they work - way too much time in transit.

As far as trains are concerned, are you committed to all trains once you reach Paris? With the exception of taking the train from Rome to Florence, the other trips will take a long time and will be expensive as compared to air - for instance, I just checked Trenitalia vs. RyanAir for Florence to Paris and on a per person basis, it's on the order of 50 € for air vs. 150 € for train, and 2 hours for air vs. 12 hours for train. These estimates are for sometime in late March this year - so just dummy dates, and don't include transport to and from airports, and you'd have to take care regarding any additional luggage costs for air, but still, the cost and time differences are pretty great.

Plus, regarding your "night train" for Paris to Rome when you first arrive in Paris - you will lose this entire day (as well as the day before if you're coming from the US).

Just some thoughts. Hope this all works out for you - sounds like a very nice anniversary gift.

Sam

If I were committed to train travel and had to go through Paris, I think I'd look at an itinerary that took me to the south of France via fast train straight out of CDG airport.

From there, presuming I wanted to go to Italy, I'd head there via Liguria to Firenze, and then consider taking the night train from Venice to Paris.

But in truth, were it me, and I loved to cook, I would fly to Paris and make my way to San Sebastian, Spain via fast train, and maybe poke around that side of France if there were interesting train stops -- but San Sebastian would really be all I'd need other than Paris.

I'd fly from Paris to Rome and/or Rome to Paris. I've taken the train and I've flown and flying is better and cheaper and IMHO, safer & more comfortable.

Last year my daughter and I took the night train Paris to Venice because we LOVE trains. Fortunately a woman in our compartment was a light sleeper and woke up when the robber was cruising through the cars. He apologized for entering the wrong compartment (yes the door had been locked.) We woke up at 6 to a woman down the hall screaming that she'd been robbed. Lots of people were. The conductor said it's common (!?!). Apparently they have little interest in putting a stop to it and the locks can be easily lifted from the hallway. So I no longer view night trains as romantic and fun.

Thanks for posting that rosetravels. I'll no longer recommend that night train -- certainly not without relating your warnings.

Thanks to Rosetravels - I will not be doing the night train from Venice to Paris with my daughter!

That's scary, rose. I wondered what you meant by "safer" until I read on.

Chewy, happy anniversary! Is Rome and the Amalfi Coast a "must"? If it is, I'm sure you can work out an itinerary (although I, too, would recommend flying the longer distances, on one of Europe's excellent low-cost airlines, like EasyJet), but if it is not, and since you have to fly through Paris, I would also recommend someplace more "convenient" to Paris.

Also, do you know whether you can sleep well on a train? I do, but many people don't. So you arrive in Paris jet-lagged, have to wait without sleep for the night train, and then maybe don't sleep well on the way to Rome? That sounds like a bad start to what would otherwise be a wonderful vacation. Better to fly on to Rome the same day as you arrive, and assume the next day you will spend recovering from jet lag. It's just that Rome is pretty far from Paris - 694 miles. I would be like flying to Boston and then taking the night train to Durham, North Carolina.

An enormous amount of gratitude to everyone who responded! This is why forum communications are so valuable. Our trip is in September and I thought the trains would be cheapest route if we bought a Europass. Overall, I now should reconsider.

My 2 must locations are Paris & Rome, my wife really wants a day or two in Florence. Is this possible?

What is the best online site to check out airfares of inexpensive French/Italian airlines to book ahead or should I wait until I arrive at CDG to schedule?

The cheapest would probably be EasyJet from Paris Orly (note not CDG) and to Rome Ciampino (note not FCO). I entered some random dates for September and the price is 36.99€. There are extra charges for checking bags (9€ per bag) and for speedy check-in. They are very strict about luggage weight and check-in times. I would not attempt the early morning flight.
http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/step2.asp

For budget flights within Europe, check www.whichbudget.com, which will show all the budget airlines that fly from one city to another.

I would start with Paris, since that is where you arrive. You can get over jet lag more easily in the place with the shortest flight, then take the longer route home if you connect through Paris after visiting Rome. Or you could spend one night in Paris at the beginning or the end. Safer than connecting the same day onto another airline than that on which you do your transatlantic flight, in case your plane is late, since you will be traveling on two different tickets, and the second airline will not honor your ticket if you miss the flight.

Have you already bought your plane tickets? If not, look into open jaws tickets, into Rome, out of Paris. You can do this with frequent flyer miles also.

Thses days (maybe not forever in today's economy), cheap flights are the best way to cover distances in Europe. From Pisa airport (not too far from Florence) you can fly Easyjet to Paris Orly, which has convenient transportation into the city.

I love trains too, but you don't have much time. 11 or 12 nights? 2 nights in Florence means at most one and a half days, a good part of which you want to spend in a cooking class -- if there's one available on that day at that time.

Would it be possible to squeeze in a few extra days? I gather you're coming some distance, so part of your time in Europe will be spent getting over jetlag.

Jet lag will definitely be an issue. Could I take the train from Rome to Florence and then the plane from Pisa to Paris (Orly)? How far is Pisa from Florence?

Yes, that would be fine. Pisa is a short train ride from Florence.

hi chewy

great idea for your anniversary.

10 days gives you just enough time to sample 3 places, or really enjoy two - your choice.

if Paris and Rome are musts AND you want florence too, the idea of flying striaght to Rome from Paris is the best one, IMHO. then train to Florence and fly back to Paris from Pisa.

I agree that the amalfi is a coast too far, on this occasion, unless you could get flights back to Paris from Naples.

personally, I would want some "down time" between Rome and Paris; Florence doesn't really count as that as it will undoubtedly be VERY busy in September. my preference would be to fly to Nice, and spend a few days by the sea; you couild then take the TGV back to Paris.

Alternatively, after Rome take the train to Orvieto, pick up a hire car, and drive slowly back towards Pisa, enjoying the Tuscan countryside. Fly back to Paris as above. i know that misses out your cookery school, but couldn't you buy a book?

I just think that three cities may prove tooo much in 10 days.

regards, ann

And also note: if all your train trips are in Italy, it is hardly ever a cheaper to get a train pass. The routes you mention would be cheaper by purchasing individual point-to-point train tickets.