Jennifer

I will be going to France next year and while I'm in Europe I thought about going to Italy and I was wondering what is the most convinent(sorry I can't spell)way to get there(train,plane..). I really don't want to take a car because I know I'll get lost.help me. thanks

randy

take the train. less hassles with train stations. check out eurail site for point to point fares. www.europerail.fares <BR>Randy

Jennifer

thnx Randy

Myer

Try the German (yes German) site for France, Switzerland and Italy. <BR> <BR>Excellent for train schedules. They don't just give you a sampling but all the trains for a given day and range of hours. It also lets keep some selected times and add earlier of later. <BR> <BR>http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en <BR>

Myer

I tried the site Randy suggested and found nothing. Cold he have misspelled the following <BR> <BR>http://www.raileurope.com <BR> <BR>If that's the case I much prefer the German site I listed above. <BR>

Bob Brown

Hi Jennifer. The best way from Paris to Milan is to take the train that leaves Gare de Lyon at 8:04 and arrives in Milan at 14:55. About a 7 hour trip. <BR>If you travel on a weekend, the cost is 79.27 euros, second class one way. <BR> <BR>This next statement is going to sound a little blunt, but I don't know of a way to make it tactful. Regardless, here goes: Those of you who refer people to Raileurope are not really doing them a favor. <BR>Why? Because RE prices are at least 25% higher than the same ticket purchased in Europe and often the schedule information is inadequate or even incorrect. <BR> <BR>In Jennifer's case, the cost of a second class WEEKEND ticket from Paris to Milan Central is listed on the SNCF web site as costing 79.27 euros. Rail Europe lists the same second class ticket for $120. <BR>Converting euros to US $ at today's exchange rates, 79 euros comes out to about $69. The RE price is more than 50% higher than the SNCF cost. <BR> <BR>Also, as an aside, the German web site, despite its usual excellence, does not list prices for the Paris - Milan trip. <BR> <BR>Also there is some discrepancy between RE and the SNCF in listing the station from which the train departs. <BR>The SNCF site says the train leaves from Gare de Lyon. The RE site says Paris Bercy. My guess is that the SNCF knows the stations from which its trains leave. The DB (German) web site also says the train departs from Gare de Lyon. <BR> <BR>And, Jennifer, because weekend trains are often crowded, I think you will need to purchase your ticket a few days ahead of time. <BR> <BR>I suggest going on a weekend because the price is considerably more expensive for weekday travel. Also, don't take the route via Lausanne. It is considerably more expensive to buy that ticket compared with the TGV route through Torino Porta Susa. <BR> <BR>You can acquire your tickets in Europe through the SNCF web site, if you have a credit card.

xxx

Thanks for this information, Bob. You spelled it out very clearly. Can you take it one step further and explain how to obtain a ticket for this route from the SNCF website with a credit card number? <BR> <BR>Merci

Geoff

Fly. If the train is $69 each way, it's not much different from $145 round trip Air France. And you get there in 1/4 of the time. Air travel inside of Europe is no longer expensive with all of today's competition.

Ben Haines

The night train leaves from Paris Bercy, and the day trains from Paris Gare de Lyon. Detail is in the Thomas Cook European Timetable, which may be in the reference library of a city near you. <BR> <BR>A plane may not be the saving it looks. If you take a night train you pay fifty US dollars extra for a sleeeper berth, but cut out a hotel night, and of course do the whiole trip in bed, rather than using three hours of daytime in air travel. If you take a day train you see some impressive Alps. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR>

xxx

Ben, is there more than one daytime route from Paris to Milan? I recall an earlier poster (Elvira?) mentioning this. If there are two routes, which is more scenic? <BR> <BR>Thank you

Bob Brown

Let me answer if I can two questions here. The French national rail system has a web site at www.sncf.com. <BR>If you look in the upper right corner there is an English flag icon that will eventually get you an english language screen. I find it best to wait until I am at the screen that asks for your departure and destination stations before asking for English. <BR> <BR>Since I bought about this time last year the rules have changed a little bit. <BR>I got a six letter confirmation code which I printed and took with me to Paris. I then dropped by Gare Montparnasse and completed the purchase. <BR>The way it seems to work now is that you state that you are going to pick up the tickets in France. Then you pursue it all the way through with a credit card number. I have been afraid to push it past the point of putting in a credit card number for fear of purchasing a ticket I did not want!! <BR> <BR>The route from Paris to Lausanne and the Valley of the Rhone is probably more scenic, but it takes longer and costs more. Althougb the high ranges of the Alps are on either side of you, you really cannot see them from the train because you are down in a very deep valley. For example the Dom, the Matterhorn, and Monte Rosa are tucked away behind numerous ridges. <BR> <BR>The flying option would be viable, too. <BR>I was not aware that prices had come down so. I know that the advent of Ryan Air and some of the other lower cost airlines have had quite an impact. <BR>But, getting to Orly from downtown Paris is no trivial task. Your airport to city ground transportation will probably eat up 3 hours total time. So the train is only about 2.5 hours slower!! <BR>And the cost is non trivial. <BR>

Bob Brown

I just checked the French SNCF site again. I found out that the approach is very much like it was last year. In fact, the policy is more liberal. You may make your reservation over the web. When you do, tell the system that you will "collect" your ticket in France. You have a week in which to pay for the ticket. <BR>Last year, as I recall I made the reservation 2 days before I left, or 3 days before I had to buy the ticket in Paris. The policy now seems allow you a little more time between reservation and actual purchase. <BR>Last year, I made the reservation from home via the SNCF web site, printed out my notice which came via email, presented the notice at Gare Montparnasse, and paid for my ticket with a credit card. <BR>It was really quite simple and straight forward. <BR>And cheaper than Rail Europe. <BR>

s.fowler

Here's the [relatively] new address for the Deutschebahn site: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/det...in/query.exe/e

BB

Topping for BB

Ben Haines

For xxx: There is more than one daytime route, and they appear in the Thomas Cook European Timetable, which may be in the reference library of a city near you. <BR> <BR>Table 44 via Modane. <BR>Paris Gare de Lyon 0804, Milan 1455. Or Paris 1104, Milan 1755. <BR> <BR>Tables 42 and 590. By the Simplon tunnel <BR>Paris Gare de Lyon 0744, Lausanne 1154 to 1300, Milan 1650. <BR>Or Paris Gare de Lyon 1304, Lausanne 1654 to 1700, Milan 2050 <BR> <BR>Tables 41 and 550. Through the finest scenery and civil engineering <BR>Paris Gare de Lyon 0744, Zurich 1346 to 1407, Arth-Goldau 1448 to 1452, Milan 1835 <BR>Or Paris Gare de l'Est 0728, Basel 1317 to 1404, Milan 1925 <BR>Or Paris Gare de l'Est 1316, Basel 1733 to 1752, Arth-Goldau 1946 to 1950, Milan 2245 <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines