Hi All,

I am trying to figure out the train connections for the last leg of my trip. from Venice to Paris.

checked out the trenitalia.it site but I get a query asking which station in Paris I want to go to? What am i supposed to put in there (options are many like paris austerlitz, bercy, est, lyon, gare de lyon etc.) we are planning to stay in the 7th arronidsement at Muguet. any pointers on what station i should enter in the query?

thanks
T

While you could enter the station of your choice, based on the location of a hotel you wish to reach eventually - - I think you would want to choose the one served by direct train service (if you're going to use train at all)...

... and that would be Paris Bercy.

Train number 220 departs Paris at 7:58 pm, and arrives Paris Bercy at 8:23 am, according to RailEurope.com

They will sell you a second class ticket ("couchette-T6&quot for $157 (USD) or a first-class ticket ("couchette-T4&quot for $175 (USD). Other sleeping compartment options may exist - - I would check www.SNCF.com (actually I already did that - - read on).

Since I have (had?) the feeling that railsaver.com quotes fares more accurately... "if purchased there" - - I checked this one route. They quote $165 USD for 2nd class. Clicking on overnight journey did not affect the results.

So, I checked SNCF and they showed the fare to be 140 euro 1st class, and yes, there is the choice of a "1st class double" at 180 euro. Unintentionally, I searched for (and got a price for) one traveler (i.e., solo). It asked for the gender of the traveler, so apparently you can be gender matched into a double, even if traveling alone. Asking for the same, for two adults, the price is/was 320 euro (combined).

Best wishes,

Rex

I can't help with the internet because we arranged after we were in Europe. We took a regular afternoon train Venice to Milan. Then transferred to an overnight train in a private sleeper cabin. Worked out great!! Take a nice picnic for dinner, there's good food in the Milan train station. Sorry I don't remember where we landed in Paris.

If going thru RailEurope call BETS, one of their agents who in my experience has been extremely knowledgable and doesn't charge some of Raileurope's handling fees - 800-441-2387. Same prices as RailEurope but staff you talk to is so helpful!

RailEurope's, BETS, etc. prices actually start at $100 Venice-Paris for a T-6 couchette including train fare and then $175 for a double per person off peak (most days) but $225 peak.

topping...

Do you really want to take a train? I'd check Ryan Air or Easy Jet. It's quicker and even with the Ryan Air shuttle from Beauvais (1hr. ride) it might be a viable option.

Rex, PalQ - thanks a ton for the info. I finally figured that I need to change the lines from Bercy onwards to reach Militaire metro.

mdmomof7, we thought loads about whether we want to fly the leg or train it .. .finally decided on train for two reasons
1. we are taking a rail pass all over italy and it is cheaper to extend it to include france than take a flight option (even the low cost ones)
2. we wanted an evening and night on train experience ... just to ensure we r not missing out on any experience

... couldnt reply earlier since i had some trouble in getting to the 'post a reply' screen ... i notice noone else is having this problem. so must be some issue with my laptop ...

thanks again for the info
trippster

I trust that you have done the analysis - - on www.railsaver.com (be sure and click "only if it saves me money&quot - - of your itinerary, to determiine if you really should be buying a "rail pass" in the first place (let alone extending it to cover France).

For some travelers, even if a railpass costs "a bit more", it is worth it not to have to deal with lines, communication, and multiple tickets.