bcbrenda

We are planning a trip for our family of 6 to France & Italy, and are now trying to sort through the information on trains. We expect to travel mostly by train, so are considering a Eurail Regional France-Italy pass. I have read some comments that it might be cheaper to just get individual tickets instead, because of the extra fees required to make reservations on particular trains. I can't seem to find out what those extra fees would be, or how to go about making those reservations, unless I just have to wait til we're there and do it at the train stations? Can you enlighten me?

We need to travel economically. Here are our details: 4 kids, age 20, 16, 14 & 12; 2 parents.

Train Itinerary:
London to Paris afternoon of June 12
Local metros to where we are staying in suburb of Paris (5 nights)
Paris to Marseille afternoon of June 17
Paris to Valence -morning June 20
Valence to Lyon-afternoon June 20
Lyon to Marseille* June 21
(I know it would be better to go to Lyon en route to Marseille from Paris, but the schedule doesn't work that way for the friends we are visiting)
Marseille to Arles and back June 23
Marseille to Genoa (cinque terre) morning of June 27
Genoa to Luca (sightsee for a few hours) and on to Florence June 30
Florence to Siena and back someday before July 5
Florence to Rome July 6

I know the Eurail France-Italy Pass wouldn't cover the London-Paris part, but otherwise it looks like it would cost $2664 for the family, for 9 total travel days (somehow it wants to put the adults in 1st class--don't know why) + reservation fees.

I am really overwhelmed at all this.
I would rather not be so locked into a rigid schedule! ie, I'm not really sure in the moment if the whole family will want to go to Lyon, or if it would be better for me to visit my friends there by myself. And we'd rather have the freedom to go to Arles on a different day. But if it'll save us a lot of money, maybe I should just take my best guess and buy the tickets.

Advice please?!!

(I speak enough Intermediate French to go on the sncf site if needed, but I don't really understand the intricacies, like if I should book tickets online & if I can pay from them now from America, etc, or what those extra fees would be if I get the railpass, and if I still have to hurry up and make reservations now for good fares, etc!) I haven't yet braved Italy's train sites.
* Also, I'm not sure how practical it is to get to the train from where we are staying in Marseille. It looks like it's a suburb to the east called La Valentine, so maybe we'll have to rent a car anyway? I don't know how to find out about local busses & trains there.

Thank you!

kybourbon

You've figured out London to Paris is not covered by any pass. The metros will not be covered by the rail pass. Some of your Italy travel would be better done by bus (Florence/Siena). In Italy, seat reservations are mandatory for all, but the slow R trains (likely your trains in the CT and to Lucca will be R's). Your R trains may only be a few € so you would need to compare point-to-point tickets versus the expense of a pass. For the fast trains in Italy, your supplement is 10 per person per train.

As for Florence/Siena the bus drops you in the center of town. The train station is outside the center and you would have to bus after training. You want the rapid bus listed on the left.
http://www.sitabus.it/sita-toscana/Firenze-Siena06.pdf

You can book discount tickets on Trenitalia in advance (as you can on sncf). If your route combines a change of trains and different types of trains, you will have to enter each leg separately or the discounts won't be offered for purchase.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

Your itinerary doesn't make sense. Traipsing back and forth to Marseille and Paris (June 17?).

kybourbon

Here's a list of rail pass fees/supplements.
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/pdfs/reservations.pdf

Although I'm not as familiar with France as I am Italy, I don't believe you realize how long some of your train travel will be.

kybourbon

Also, what do you plan to do with your luggage while you stop in Lucca? Only larger train stations have luggage rooms. This might be a problem when you stop at Valence also.

Sarastro

The reservation fees for pass holders varies from 3€ to 20€, with many only costing 10€. This might be considered a modest fee but iDTGV train tickets start at 19€ when purchased 4-6 months in advance. Additionally, many trains are not available to pass holders, iDTGV trains for example, and available seating is often very restricted.

It´s difficult to comment further as the June 17th to 21st involves a good amount of confusing travel.

Tickets will cost less the earlier they are purchased. French trains simply do not mix the concepts of low prices along with great flexibility, it´s one or the other.

StCirq

Agree your itinerary is kind of a mind-bender. What on earth do you mean by Paris to Marseilles June 17, then Paris to Valence June 20? I don't know how anyone can follow this.

But that aside, I doubt a rail pass is going to help you out. I'd definitely look into family discounts, though.

I can see why you're overwhelmed. I am too. It doesn't make any sense.

GeoffHamer

In France, the SNCF sets aside a limited number of seats on TGVs for rail pass holders. Once that allocation is taken, rail pass holders must pay the same fare as anyone else, so a rail pass may not be a good idea for France.
The transport authority for Marseille is RTM (www.rtm.fr). La Valentine seems to be on bus route 50 which runs about every 20 minutes to Castellane metro station.

bcbrenda

To clarify about the itinerary: We are visiting friends in Marseille who are only available on the weekends (June 17-19 & June 25-26). We don't want to cut our Paris time any shorter. So i thought I'd go on Monday (June 20) to see another friend in Lyon, and stop in Valence on the way, to see some other friends. If it makes more sense, I can skip Valence and have them meet me somewhere else.
I don't have a feel for what this would really be like, so am open to enlightenment!!

bcbrenda

Geoff--thanks for the Marseille info. And I had no idea I might have to pay twice for the TGV's--pass + fare! Ugh!
kybourbon--very useful about italy trains/busses, thanks. And luggage in Lucca--I guess we'll go to FLorence first and do Lucca a different day.

All--another piece of info is that Marseille will be "home base" from 17
16, so luggage will stay there then.

If we do end up needing to change tickets, and we purchase point-to-point, it looks like a 7% fee. Does that sound like I understood it right?