My family and I are planning on taking the train from Paris to Venice this summer. We are not sure if we should be taking the overnight train or one during the day to take advantage of the mountain scenery. Any advice?

It's an awful long train ride to do by day. I did it in reverse Venice/Paris, but via overnight train in a private sleeper cabin. It was great!

The best daytime train - which leaves before 8 in the morning takes about 11 hours. Later trains take longer and have 2 or more changes.

And I'm not sure of the routing - so don;t know what you'll see in the way of mountains.

I would defiitely look into flying.

If you're interested in flying look at www.myair.com.
They fly out of Orly which is very close to central Paris...a very easy trip Paris to Venice.

If you decide on the train I would recommend the night train. It's fun to sleep on the train and interesting to go to sleep in Paris and wake up as you approach Venice; a completely different landscape. Bring some water/juice and snacks for the morning. The buffet car is not very appealing and is expensive. The water is also good for brushing your teeth.