Train Information and Ticket Purchases
 

I know that there are a variety of forum topics over the years that have touched upon some of my enquiries about train travel but I have been unable to get direct answers to the following questions and would thus appreciate any information or clarification that can be provided.
Just to put my questions in some perspective my wife and I are planning to fly to Paris in mid-September where we are booked for 9 days. This will be our 2nd visit to Paris and during our stay there we plan to take the Eurostar to London, leaving early on one day, staying overnight in London and returning to Paris on the last train the following day. We will then spend a couple of days in Paris and will then take the train from Paris to Rome via Milan. This is our 2nd visit to Rome as well and after 5 days we plan to return via train to Paris. Both trips (Paris-Rome and return will be made on the day train) and yes, we do enjoy train travel.
A couple more days spent in Paris and then return to Canada.
I have tried to get information from Rail Europe on a few occasions and they have been less than cooperative on a number of fronts. I did receive an e-mail from them after sending them a list of questions but their response didn't even address my questions. Also I am frustrated with other rail sites defaulting to Rail Europe.
Here are my current questions.
1. Is it possible and is there any advantage to dealing directly with the train companies (Eurostar, TGV and Trenitalia)?
2. Should I be looking to book tickets/seats for the Paris to Milan leg and then a separate booking with Trenitalia for the Milan - Rome leg or can TGV do it all?
3. I have gone on a number of sites and as a result I believe that I am correct that the earliest I can book TGV and Trenitalia is 90 days before the travel date(s) and Eurostar (Paris-London) 120 days prior to travel. Feel free to make any corrections to this info.
4. Does TGV have a 'Duplex' train Paris to Milan and if so does it travel only on certain days or during certain hours?
5. Can all tickets be picked up in Paris or should I arrange to print them at home or have them sent to our Canadian address?
6. Finally, are the seats assigned arbitrarily by the train companies or can I view a seating plan and request seats based on our preference?
A long post and a lot of questions but I appreciate your help.

For the most complete information on all your train travel questions see The Man in Seat 61 website. It's all there, no need for anyone here to restate it all for you. Have fun!

http://www.seat61.com/

I clearer into might bring in more responses, but generally yes, you're better off dealing directly with the rail lines then through a broker. Long distance trains require reservations and you should be able to select your seats. But now that Renfe (Spain) is offering deeply discounted seats on long distance trains, ones in which you do not get to select your seat, may bring about changes elsewhere.

I heartily recommend the seat61.com site as it is very helpful.

Just so you know: RailEurope is the North American <B>marketing</B> arm of the combination of the French National and Swiss Federal railroads...they use it to sell passes and tickets, etc.

RailEurope controls all North American travel agency access to the European rail computer systems. They often mark up ticket prices. They don't ALWAYS mark them up as people here have erroneously told others; they charge shipping fees, etc.

You are better off dealing with the various national railroads directly through their websites and you are also better off booking cross-channel tickets using any site besides RailEurope.

seat61.com has excellent instructions and tutorials...use them.

In all likelihood, you will pay RailEurope more than you'd pay the national rail companies. For French trains you want to use www.voyages-sncf.com or www.tgv-europe.com. For the former, don't switch to English; for the latter choose Antartica on the first screen - that will keep you from being switched over to Rail Europe.

Why not restructure your trip so that you fly into Paris and out of Rome - to prevent that unnecessary and expensive backtracking from Rome to Paris.

>>>1. Is it possible and is there any advantage to dealing directly with the train companies (Eurostar, TGV and Trenitalia)?<<<

Yes. You can get big discounts buying directly. For Paris/London/Paris, you want to book on Euorstar.

For Paris/Rome, you need to use the French rail website (you must use the departing country) and you might have to buy Paris/Milan and then purchase Milan/Rome on Trenitlia. If you are booking overnight, take a look at Thello.

A day train from Rome to Paris will take between 10 and 12 hours (with changes). Easy Jet flies Paris Orly to Rome in under 2 hours and is usually much cheaper (probably around 70€) than the train.
http://www.easyjet.com/en

>>>3. I have gone on a number of sites and as a result I believe that I am correct that the earliest I can book TGV and Trenitalia is 90 days before the travel date(s)<<<

Not correct for Trenitalia. You can book the fast trains 120 days in advance. Summer schedules aren't loaded yet and might not be until the first week of June. Tickets purchased on Trenitalia for the faster trains include your seat. You can select the exact seat, but the system default to automatic assignment. You must change it to select seat. If you click a different train or class it will default back to auto so you must click it again.

If I understand your timeline correctly, you have 14 days total for this trip and you want to spend two entire days on trains between Paris and Rome? Makes no sense to waste that much of your trip on transport.

Thank you all for your info and suggestions. I am re-thinking the 2nd train journey from Rome return to Paris and will look into the Easy Jet option.

WAGOM

Wagom, I'd encourage you to also look at open jaw tickets. In many cases, they can actually be cheaper than R/T. (Fly into Paris from Canada and fly home from Rome.

Sounds like a wonderful trip!

What sarge said. Returning twice to Paris seems a waste of time and money. Click on the multi-city option at airline web sites and choose into Paris, out of Rome.

If you haven't been to London, there's lots to see there; I'd want more than 1.5 days.

If flying why return to Paris at all?

home --> Paris --> London --> Rome --> home

best use of time and probably cheaper too (use multi-city option when booking)

even you you've already booked your flights, it might be worth checking out this option