gomarciago

Early enough in trip planning to still change planes. Were planning on taking an overnight train- advantages: extra day in Paris, no cost of hotel, new experience. Disadvantages: difficult to get a fix on cost, husband is tall and large and I am just plain large so will we be confortable?, would like to stop in Padua to see Scrovegni Chapel, will we be rested enough to enjoy it?, concerns over security of bags and uncertainty of having roommates we don't know coming and going, maybe snoring? Advantages of flying: Volareweb offers resonable price, duration of flight plus time getting back and forth to airports is only about half a day giving us an afternoon and evening in Venice, a good nights rest and a shower in the morning. Disadvantages of flying: It will take at least half a day with time added on for transprtation to and from the airports, cost of an extra night's hotel, loose a day in Paris and will need to backtrack to Padua (not a biggie) and I have read some reviews on the web that Volareweb's flights often have big delays and are unreliable. I understand they are a budget airline so no frills- no problem with that for such a short flight. What are your experience???

adrienne

You can't stop in Padua enroute between Paris and Venice. You will have to take the train from Venice. Also, you just can't pop into the Scrovegni Chapel. You need to make reservations and they have strict criteria about these reservations such as reporting 1 hour ahead of your reservation time. You also only have 15 minutes in the chapel.

Overnight train travel isn't for everyone. I happen to love it. But you have to be prepared for 12 hours on the train. I have traveled in couchettes but you would probably want a private compartment. You should have no concerns for security of your bags. Even in a couchette the bags are within your compartment and there's a wagon lit conductor in each car who will take your passports and tickets for the journey so you're not disturbed when crossing the borders.

Where did you get the idea that people "come and go" throughout the night. Everyone in the couchette will have a reservation - there's no swapping around; people don't wander into your compartment. And if you have a private sleeper then you can lock the door.

A second class couchette starts at 70E for 2; 120E for first class. You can look up the berths yourself at
http://www.sncf.com/

Given your concerns about rail travel I think you should fly.

Reading between the lines in your post it appears that you're only going to Venice for one day. Are you continuing in Italy or only going to Italy for the one day in Venice? If you are only going to Venice for 1 day and no where else in Italy I would recommend you stay in Paris for the extra day.

Surfergirl

It will be cheaper and more comfortable for you to fly. You will not save money taking the train unless you have a rail pass that you have to use anyway, and sleep in a couchette, which I believe on the Rialto train (I'll have to check again) is a 4 person couchette. The problem with that is, unless everyone is in the same party, I believe they separate you on gender lines. They have a relatively new car that is more luxurious, supposedly, but I think those are compartments, and they aren't cheap.

Also,if you have difficulty sleeping with noise, you'll have a terrible night.

If the compartments are anything like the latest model night trains in Germany, they created these double decker trains, which means you lose a lot of space, making it extremely difficult for persons above average height and weight to do much of anything, including turning around in the compartment.

Having given you the whole downside to the overnight train experience, we LOVE taking night trains, and we're taking the night train this summer from Venice to Paris. While my husband is tall, he's not large, and I'm small, so maybe that's helped us. Plus, we both like the rumble of the trains, don't mind the 3 a.m. stops with workers outside talking up a storm, love the rocking motion, love the bars where we can sit and meet travelers from around the world and share our history, and love looking out the window wondering where in the world we are.

gomarciago

We already have three nights planned for Venice, then to Florence,Siena and Rome. I have already made reservations for the Scrovegni Chapel. We went last year right after it re-opened after the restoration but had all our souvenoirs from there stolen in the Train station in Florence and since photos are forbidden (understandibly) in the chapel we have only our memories (still valuable). I love early renaissance art and so would like to see it again. I did think we would be able to get off the train in Padova and check our bags (we travel light) at the train station but from what you say this is not posible? I ran a search for threads on the overnight train from Paris to Venice on another site and from what I read there, it was my impression that your roommates may go in and out during the night. Obviously no one locks them into the coompartments so they must be free to enter or exit say to smoke a cigarette or use the restroom for example.

adrienne

Glad you have a reservation for the Scrovegni Chapel. It's fabulous as you know from last year. So sorry to hear your souvenirs were stolen.

If you are in a couchette you can certainly leave during the night for the toilet or whatever. But others do not enter the compartment. I misread your original comment. You also might need to leave and re-enter the compartment during the night. I've never encountered many comings and goings in couchettes.

You're right. There is a train from Paris to Venice that stops in Padua. It leaves from the Paris Bercy train station and get to Padua at 7:41. The site only shows 1 train per day leaving at 20:01. I don't know where the Bercy train station is located. The other Paris train leaves from Gare de Lyon. I hadn't originally checked the train leaving from Bercy since it isn't one of the major central Paris stations.

From the train schedule it looks like either way you'll be spending time in Padua - either getting there from Venice or hanging around for a couple of hours in the morning until your reservation.

adrienne

Just checked Paris by Arrondissement and the Bercy station is just south of the Gare de Lyon in the 12th, so it's within central Paris.

Seamus

I've done both, and would fly. But if you have never taken a night train, it is an experience to try. If you get a sleeper compartment the cost is not a lot less than a cheap hotel. Couchettes are cheaper but like sleeping on the sofa at a friend's house, and you don't have a place to shower. Snoring bunkmates can be a problem (you would NOT want to share a room with me!) but there is no way to control that, save perhaps earplugs. Security can be an issue, there are tales of unfortuantes who had things stolen while sleeping (I never have) but your hotel room could also be robbed.

suze

I've done the reverse, night train Venice to Paris. We had a blast! Definitely spring for a private compartment and take on a nice picnic dinner, bottled water, wine, etc. It's a snug fit if you're both large, but we had the two bunks, sink, window, and a door that locked, our luggage in with us. Toilet down the hall with a watchman sitting in the hall all night.

Flying is most likely cheaper but the airport in Venice is outside of town, while the train station puts you central and able to catch vaporetto easily to your hotel.

gomarciago

Thanks for all the imput. I have always wanted to take a night train but am learning towards flying mostly because we want to be well rested enough to enjoy our time in Venice. Our only other time there I was recovering from Bronchitus (sure I must have caught it on the way over on the plane). I do like the idea of arriving right in the city with the train though.