Somus

Hi,

I'm a first time poster but long-time lurker on this board. I have a question which I hoped one of the more experienced travellers would be able to answer.

I'm planning to take an overnight train from Paris to Italy: either the "Euronight Palatino" to Florence/Rome, or the "Euronight Stendhal" to Venice. My question is, do I need to have a Swiss visa to take either or both of these trains?

I'm an Indian citizen, so I don't get visa-free entry to any of the countries involved. I have a Schengen visa that'll allow me to enter France and Italy, but I do not have a Swiss visa (and unfortunately, I don't think I'll have the time to apply for one before I leave).

None of the trains mentioned actually stop in Switzerland, but I believe all three pass through Switzerland overnight. (According to a website I found, the Palatino used to go via Modane and thus skip Switzerland, but due to construction work at the Frejus tunnel it now goes via Domodossola and hence Switzerland. I have no idea how reliable the website is, you can judge for yourself:
http://xoomer.alice.it/treninter/novita2003.htm)

So, do I need a Swiss visa? Any comments or information would be gratefully accepted. Many many thanks in advance!

PalQ

I believe you will need a Swiss transit visa and risk the chance of being deboarded at the French border in the middle of the night.
You should take the overnight train Paris-Milan, which goes wholly via France and italy and then change to a day train in the morning to either Venice or Rome.
Even the the routes via Switzerland don't stop there and France-Italy pass is valid on it too despite going thru Switzerland i wouldn't be sure that this transfers to passengers - it may but unless you have that 100% sure i wouldn't count on it. After all the train surely will stop in Switzerland at some point even though there are no official stops and folks could 'escape' from the train.
Again i'm not positive about the answer - ask the Swiss Embassy in the U.S. for clarification. Better i think take the Paris-Milan night train.

WallyKringen

Avoid Switzerland and the night trains that all go through there. The visa is too hard to get.

Go via Munich-Innsbruck-Verona to Venice - there is even a night train from Paris-Est at 22:45, and daytime connections, too.

Or take one of the day-time French-soil only trains to Milan and then to Florence/Rome or Venice, like the 08:04 from Paris-Gare de Lyon, or the 14:24, or the 15:50.

But better still - fly to any of the many destinations in northern Italy from any of the three airports in/near Paris:

www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net.

WK

PalQ

After reading Wally's reply i find i errored in saying the Paris-Milan night train went only via France - it does indeed go via Switzerland so take Wally's advice either do a day train Paris-Milan (which definitely does only go thru France and Italy) or the round about night train to Munich route.