This is my first time to Europe and I was wondering if anyone had any advice...I will be traveling from Rome to Paris and was looking online at trains, thinking this would be the best way to make the trip (particularly overnight trains). I am so confused!!! I looked on several sites...trenitalia.com, rail pass, rail saver, eurorail, etc. and everything seems so expensive and I'm not sure the best place to look for these tickets. I saw several threads on this site of people traveling from Paris to Rome for around 80 Euro, but everything I am finding seems to be in the $240 range. There are so many different passes out there that I'm wondering if I would save some money that way, since we will be doing some train travel through Italy before we leave for Paris. I would prefer a non-stop train because I would be too nervous that I would miss a connection if I fell asleep. I would like to save money, but also want to be comfortable. Are these trains safe overnight?
Our itinerary is:
Sept. 4 leave Chicago
Sept. 5 arrive in Rome 7:50am
Sept. 6 train to Naples, hire driver from Naples to Positano
Sept. 10 hire driver from Positano to Naples, train to Rome
Sept. 12 overnight train to Paris to arrive in the morning
Sept. 15 fly back to Chicago
Any advice would be much appreciated!

Amy - Why don't you fly Naples-Paris?

Meridiana & Easyjet fly this route.

Meridiana currently quotes € 110

www.meridiana.it (Naples-CDG)
www.easyjet.com (Naples-Orly)


Alternatives from Rome include:

www.easyjet.com (CIA - Orly)
www.ryanair.com (CIA - Beauvais)
www.airberlin.com (FCO - CGD)

Ryanair currently quotes € 54. Good fare - if you don't mind the inconvenience of Beauvais

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for the info...I will look into that. If we did fly, it would be out of Rome. My husband really wants to see Rome and I don't think the one night we spend there in the beginning of our trip will be enough.
What is the hassle with Beauvais?? I have seen a few other threads where people mention this airport...

>What is the hassle with Beauvais?? I have seen a few other threads where people mention this airport...

The hassle is that it is situated half cross France from Paris. Ryanair markets it as "Paris" while it is anything but. Otherwise nothing wrong with the airport itself.

>Sept. 6 train to Naples, hire driver from Naples to Positano
Sept. 10 hire driver from Positano to Naples, train to Rome

Is it planned to splurge on a private driver and then to save on the remaining tickets? Because the driver won't be cheap, it will be more than you get out of the cheaper flights etc.

Hi amy,

A driver Naples/Positano will be about 100E each way.

You can look at flights from Rome to Paris at www.whichbudget.com.

www.voyages-sncf.com is offering 1cl dbl sleeper for 180E pp (Flexi Fare)

A 2cl couchette is 130E pp.

beauvais is located about 80 Km (48 miles) from Paris.

There is a bus which takes about one hour and costs about 13 Euro

Website for the airport with that info is

http://www.aeroportbeauvais.com/

You can also get the same info from the Ryanair site.

Hi Amy,

I was in a similar situation in deciding how to get from Paris to Rome. I opted for the Artesia night train, after researching all the various options. You can buy tickets on Rail Europe and they'll be shipped to you within a few days. The cost for a private sleeper car for two people was about $280 per person. This is pricey BUT you do a save one night's hotel, and I think train travel is part of the European adventure! True, the budget airlines have cheap fares but... they fly from out-of-the-way airports and will suck up valuable daytime sightseeing time. Anyway, whatever choice you go with, you'll have a great trip! I hope this info was useful! Oh, also check out Alitalia and see what their oneway fares are like -- you might luck out on a $100 or $150 one-way fare to Paris...

< Otherwise nothing wrong with the airport itself. >

Isn't it basically a shed with a runway?

The reason we decided on a private driver to and from Rome and Positano is because there are 4 of us traveling and we want to stop at Pompeii on our way to Positano. We didn't want to do trains, buses, and more buses with all of our luggage (and what would we do with it when we are touring Pompeii for three hours?). But, after adding up how much it would cost for the train to Naples with the driver, we are going to compare that cost to renting a car and just keeping it while we are down there. I've heard that it can sometimes be a hassle having a car on the Amalfi coast, but our hotel offers parking.
But, back to the question at hand...I guess I was just surprised at how much it costs to take the trains in Europe. But as alexsmith said, I would be saving on a hotel room if I took the night train to Paris. I had heard other people post that they got fares for around 80 euro, but I didn't see anything like that. Honestly, I am totally confused by the trains, many sites offering tickets, and all the passes available. It's really intimidating to a first time traveler to Europe!
How safe are the night trains, especially if you have to share a cabin with a few strangers???

We booked way back in Feb for this August and got a flight for 35Euros total with Easyjet. Same flight today cost 178 euros.

Just a note to everyone book early! You won't believe how much you will save!

regards tc

Amy, I am going to recommend a slightly different tact which would save you from alot of the back and forth which your current plan seems to hold.

If you drop Positano...

You can arrive in Rome, stay there for a few days to recover from any jet lag and enjoy the city.

Then you can take the train to La Spezia (north of Rome, in the direction of France) and switch trains/hire a driver to take you to areas of either the Cinque Terre, Portovénere, or Portofino.

Stay for a few days on the Italian Riviera and tour Liguria (there are Amalfi/Positano fans, there are Liguria fans, both are gorgeous and Liguria just happens to be much more in line with the rest of your trip). Then you can price flights out of either Genoa or Nice Airports to go to Paris, or take the train if you like.

Sinc you only have 9 days (from the 5th to the 14th) of vacation, if you stick to your current plan, you are going to be spending massive, massive amounts of time getting to your different destinations and not a lot of time actually at the destinations.

Hi amy,

At www.trenitalia.com, click on "Promotions",

"On the night trains leaving from Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice and Milan: 35 euros in couchette in 6-place compartment; 60 euros for a couchette in 4-place compartment".

You will have to get the tickets when you get to Italy.

Ira,
When you say I will have to get the tickets when I get to Italy, does that mean I book them now and pick them up in Italy - or book them in Italy? That price sounds GREAT! Thank you so much for looking into that.

Amy-I can't believe you'd want to train it, with the hassle and discomfort of an overnight train for 60 Euros, when you can get there by flying with Ryanair in two hours, (leave Rome's Ciampino at 12:35-arr. into Beauvais at 2:30pm) for less money??? (and Tcmazz-your words need to be repeated, I waited 3 days, and my AirOne flight went up 40 dollars! on the budget carriers, you need to BOOK EARLY, BOOK QUICKLY).

I am certainly going on Ryanair, Rome to Paris, (for a grand total of 50 Euros, all fees and taxes!)and I WILL go to Beauvais-if you go and read actual reviews of this journey from Beauvais into Paris on www.airlinequality.com, you'll find that the reviewers say it's actually not bad at all, when you consider the fact that there is so much hassle with the larger airports, going through the interminable corridors, crowds, the wait for passport control, and then the real wait for baggage. On the other hand, at Beauvais, most people get their luggage in a few minutes, have their passport checked, the bus is TIMED to meet the Ryanair flight, and you are on your way-an hour later you're at Porte Maillot in Paris, and the metro is across the street.

I think this a VERY good deal-and you get a nice view of the French countryside to boot on your bus ride in-I'm actually looking forward to this trip, and think others should seriously consider it as well, for price and ease of transfer.

Is this bus ride from Beuvais to Paris something that is regularly running? How did you get info on this? (price, times, etc.)? Do you buy your tickets in advance or when you get there?

Why not Rome - 3-4 days, Amalfi 3-4 days, fly Naples to paris? Less travelling, more fun!

Hi amy,

>ra,
When you say I will have to get the tickets when I get to Italy, does that mean I book them now and pick them up in Italy - or book them in Italy? <

AFAIK, You have to buy them in Italy. You can't get that price on the internet.

The bus to/from Beauvais is scheduled to meet the Ryanair planes.

It's station in Paris is at Port Maillot.

See http://www.aeroportbeauvais.com/bus.php?lang=eng

Amy-the Europe for Visitors site tells you exactly how to buy your ticket for the bus, along with other useful information about Beauvais, and a link to the Ryanair bus as well:

europeforvisitors.com/paris/articles/paris-beauvais-airport-transportation.htm

Hi Amy,

My name is Dana and I found this thread from a google search as I am in exactly the same predicament!

My friend and I are travelling thru Rome from the 8-10th Sep, then want to go to Paris to see Pearl Jam play on the 11th September.

The flights are all so expensive now, and ive never been there before so have no idea whereelse to look.

So there are 4ppl travelling with you..? There are 2 of us, want to hire a large car together on the 11th and drive across..?

Please let me know what you think or if you have found a cheaper route.

Thanks!

Dana

Dana,
Sorry for not replying, I haven't checked this site in a few days...
We can't go to Paris until the 13th. We ended up buying tickets on EasyJet into Orly airport from Rome CIA airport. I think the tickets were only about $120 per person with tax and everything.