Train France - Italy
 

I'm trying to find cheap train tickets from Paris - making our way through the south of France towards Italy, eventually to Rome. I've checked raileurope.com and the prices seem a bit high, even for the the 7 day France-Italy pass. Any suggestions on where I might find cheap train prices? Or at least can I have some idea on the prices & is it better to wait & just buy them when I'm there??

RailEurope has an extra charge on the tickets. Try http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/...mp;_AGENCY=VSC

www.trenitalia.com (Italy) and www.voyages-sncf.com (France) and look for PREM fares.
These fares can be much cheaper than full fare tickets but are hard to get as the train gets closer and are often non-refundable, non-changeable so your itinerary is set in concrete.
There have been legions of complaints about both sites on Fodors.
You may not save that much over the pass, which can be used on any train - though in France you must pay 3 euros per reservation mandated on TGV and TEOZ Corail trains and in Italy on Eurostar Italia (ES) and InterCityPlus (ICp) trains you must pay a $10-15 surcharge over the pass. For pass info i always recommend BETS (800-441-2387) for their expertise in my years of dealing with them and they don't charge any mailing or handling fees except on rush orders (if a rail novice go to www.budgeteuropetravel.com and request their free European Planning & Rail Guide that has lots on rail travel in both countries as well as detailed rail maps and a fare chart. www.ricksteves.com also has good info on European rail and deals available in Europe as well as a list of budget airlines. www.railsaver.com will tell you if a pass is a good deal for your route, but they i believe use often deceptive Raileurope pricing - RailEurope pricing is not always more than tickets in Europe, not nearly, but often is.
If you wait to buy tickets there then the pass is probably the best deal because you'll be paying full fare - if you go online and do the PREM route you'll probably save money not buying the pass, though losing flexibility.

Thanks for the info, sounds a bit more complicated than I thought. I guess I was just figuring train travel to be pretty cheap; at the rail pass price you can almost rent a car for the same amt (granted gas is expensive too...)

I'm on the sncf email list, and I just got an email saying that they had special fares of 35 euro from Paris to Venice, Florence, and Rome. I don't know what the restrictions or dates were, because I didn't click through (not likely to be going that way soon), but you might check the sncf site referenced above.

Just note that you have to put in a country of residence that is not the US when buying the tickets and do not select the option for insurance. Then you can print the tickets, and it doesn't matter where you actually live.

Hi AS,

You can buy your tickets in France and to Italy at www.voyages-sncf.com. Look for PREMS fares starting 60 days in advance.

To Italy and within Italy, you can buy your tickets at www.trenitalia.com. Look for 15, 29 and 39 E fares starting 60 days in advance.

These will almost always be cheaper than a railpass.

((I))

One correction to ira's post: You can now book tickets at sncf.com up to 90 days in advance. To be sure to get a PREM'S ticket, if any are available, book as soon as the 90-day window opens.

Are you sure that there are PREM fares for international travel? I didn't think so. There could be a PREM fare for Paris-Nice, but not from Paris to any destination in Italy, as far as I know.

On the surface, it may seem that car travel (cost) is competitive with train travel - - but it should be noted that the highway tolls are well over $100 to drive from Paris to Nice (I think).

Neither ground mode is nearly as cheap as flying - - although the option of (stopping and) seeing what is in between makes the comparison apples and oranges. For low-cost intra-Europe air carriers, see www.whichbudget.com

Best wishes,

Rex

Yes, there are PREM'S fares for international travel (e.g., night trains from Paris to Germany or Italy).

One more SNCF online booking note: You can book tickets on the new iDTGV up to 120 days in advance--and sometimes more when a special offer is made.

Even Raileurope offers PREM fares between France and Italy on some routes such as on Riviera trains between Nice and Milan - $25 fares on many thru them.
As for whether PREM fares are always better than a railpass, pricewise yes usually but you lose any flexibility - fine for folks who have their itinerary in concrete. But walk up fares are so expensive passes then often make dollars and sense.