1 February 2012. Train times valid from 11 December 2011
to 9 June 2012.
Taking the train to Italy ...
London to Italy by train from
£62 one way, £115
return...
...by
Eurostar & TGV high-speed train, with great
scenery, no baggage fees, no check-in fees, no
airport taxes, no remote airports, no
2-hour check-ins. And children under 4 go free.
UK to Italy by train?
Of course! It's easy, comfortable,
scenic, surprisingly quick,
environmentally-friendly &
affordable. In fact, it's amazing that some people
still think you have to fly. Take the 09:12 Eurostar
from London to Paris in 2 hours 25 minutes from £39 one-way,
then travel by
high-speed TGV train from Paris to Turin or Milan
arriving in the evening, from £23 one-way. Next
morning, Italian
Frecciarossa high-speed trains whisk you from
Milan to Florence in 2 hours and
Rome in
3½ hours or
take a
Frecciabianca train to Venice in 2½ hours. Better still,
for amazing scenery in the Swiss Alps, take an afternoon Eurostar to
Paris and a 198 mph
TGV-Lyria
to Zurich. Next morning, take a
EuroCity
train
via the fabulous Gotthard Pass route to Milan, with
connections for Florence, Venice, Rome & Naples arriving in
the afternoon. This
page explains all you need
to know to plan & make a flight-free trip to Italy, and
it tells you the cheapest way to buy tickets either online
or by phone.
For a summary of the train service via each route,
click here...
UK to
Italy by Eurostar & TGV... The no-fly zone!
Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, dinner in
Milan...
This is the 14:41 TGV
from Paris to Milan waits to leave the Gare de Lyon.
Breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, afternoon tea in the
Alps, dinner in Milan. And
not an airport security queue in sight.
Find out more...
Sponsored links...
London to Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice, Bologna, Florence,
Rome
& Naples
Rome...
Rome's famous Trevi fountain is just 20 minutes walk from
the Stazioni Termini, where you arrive by train from
Paris & London...
Florence...
The best view of Florence is from the
top of the Duomo's dome. 6
euros,
463 steps, no lift.
Venice...
This
is the Rialto Bridge, just 15
minutes walk from the station where your train arrives.
This photo was taken on a short break to
Italy, without flying...
This is Venice Santa Lucia station,
on the banks of the Grand Canal. You can walk to your
hotel or stroll to St Mark's Square via the Rialto
Bridge. Or you can take a 'vaporetto' (water bus, seen here),
water taxi, or (if you're really made of money) a
gondola...
What are the options for travel to Italy by train?
There's a whole range of possible routes and trains for travel from
the UK to Italy by train, all leaving daily, some fast and
direct, some slower but more scenic, some using an
overnight sleeper, some using daytime trains. Here's a
quick run-down of the options, just choose whichever appeals
to you most.
Most of
these options are surprisingly fast, civilised, scenic,
low-stress, low-carbon and affordable. A couple are slower but amazingly scenic. Why not go
out one way and come back another, or stop off in Paris,
Turin, Milan or Switzerland?
Leave London
in the afternoon by Eurostar to Paris and take the daily
Thello sleeper train
from Paris to Milan, Verona and Venice. You're there
next morning! This is the most time-effective option,
and in couchettes it's the cheapest option although it's
more expensive with a private sleeper. The route is shown in red on the route map
above. Thello plans to start a sleeper train from Paris to
Bologna, Florence and Rome in June 2012.
Option 2:
By Eurostar & TGV, with overnight stop in Paris, Turin or
Milan...
This is
also the cheapest option, and it's a
fast, direct & scenic way to reach Italy. Three daily
high-speed
TGV trains link Paris with Turin and Milan, from just £23 each way.
Take the 09:12 Eurostar to Paris and the afternoon high-speed
TGV from Paris to Turin or Milan arriving in the
evening. Stay overnight and continue to Verona,
Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples next day by
Italian high-speed train. Or travel to Paris on an
evening Eurostar, stay overnight and take a morning TGV from
Paris Milan next day. This route is shown in dark blue on
the route map above.
Option
3:
The scenic route via the Swiss Alps, overnight stop in
Zurich...
This is a
bit more expensive &
a bit longer than options 2 or 3, but worth it for the
Swiss Alpine scenery. Take an afternoon
Eurostar to Paris and an evening
high-speed Lyria TGV to Zurich
and stay
overnight. Next morning, take a
EuroCity train
to Milan via the fabulous Gotthard Pass route through the Swiss
Alps. Change in Milan for an Italian high-speed train to Verona, Venice,
Bologna, Florence, Rome or Naples. This route is marked in
orange on the route map above.
Option
4:
The scenic route via Munich, by Eurostar & sleeper or TGV...
Take a late afternoon Eurostar to Paris
and the high-quality
City Night Line sleeper
train from Paris to Munich. Some sleepers
even have a private shower & toilet. Then take a EuroCity
train from Munich to Verona via the scenic Brenner Pass through the
Austrian Alps. Change in Verona for
onward trains to Venice, Bologna, Florence or Rome.
This option takes over half a day longer than using
the direct Paris-Italy sleeper trains, but it's a
higher-quality German sleeper train and a very scenic route
through the Brenner Pass. You can also use daytime trains from London to Munich, stay
overnight, then take an onward EuroCity train to Italy next morning. This
route is marked in green on the route map
above.
Option
5: The ultimate scenic route, using the
"Bernina Express"...
This
is the five-star scenic option. It's far slower than
all the other options
and takes more organisation, but it's
worth it! Travel from London to Zurich by afternoon Eurostar &
evening
TGV, stay overnight in Zurich. Next day,
take a Swiss InterCity train to Chur and
the fantastic narrow-gauge panoramic 'Bernina Express'
to Tirano through world-class scenery in the Swiss Alps.
An Italian regional train links Tirano with Milan
arriving late afternoon. Why not go out this route, and
back by a direct route? For details, see the
Bernina
Express page.
Option
6: The luxury option, on the "Venice
Simplon Orient Express"...
The famous & fabulous
Venice Simplon Orient Express runs from London to Venice, usually
running once a week from March to November.
This luxurious 24-hour journey in historic vintage Pullman
cars & Wagons-Lits sleepers costs around £1,690 per
person including meals. Expensive, but you're worth it...
See the Venice Simplon Orient Express page.
This is the route marked in red on the
route map above, and for most
practical purposes, it doesn't take any longer than an
afternoon of stressful airports & soulless flights plus a
night in a hotel. Take an
afternoon Eurostar to Paris and the
Thello sleeper train
from Paris to Milan, Verona or Venice, arriving next
morning. Thello is joint venture between
Trenitalia and Veolia, their Paris-Venice sleeper train
started on 11 December 2011 and they plan to start a sleeper
train between Paris and Bologna, Florence & Rome in June
2012. The original Paris-Venice and
Paris-Florence-Rome sleeper trains run by Artesia (a
consortium of Trenitalia and French Railways) ceased
on 10 December 2011, so there's no direct
train from Paris to Florence or Rome for 6 months, probably
for the first time since World War 2. The new Thello
trains use similar couchettes and sleeping-cars to the
previous Artesia sleeper trains but they promise a higher quality of on board service. This is no bad
thing as service quality on Artesia had declined to such an
extent that I could no longer recommend their trains.
I will be checking the new Thello service personally
very shortly. Restoring service quality to the
Paris-Italy sleeper trains is a great idea, because it's a
wonderful way to reach Italy - I've always enjoyed having
dinner in the restaurant car as the sun sets over the
rolling green hills and picturesque villages of the French
countryside, then waking up in my sleeper or couchette to
coffee and croissant and a classic Italian landscape of
red-roofed houses and poplar trees.
London ► Milan, Verona, Venice,
Bologna, Florence, Rome
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar,
leaving London
St Pancras at 15:01 (14:01 on Saturdays) arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
18:17 (17:17 on Saturdays).
By all means choose an earlier Eurostar if if you'd like
to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare de Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D. Why not
take the earlier 14:01 Eurostar and have dinner at the
famous Train Bleu
restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon before catching your
sleeper train to Italy?
Travel overnight from Paris
to Milan, Verona or Venice by Thello sleeper train, leaving Paris
Gare de Lyon at 19:45 daily,
arriving next morning in Milan Centrale at 05:38, Brescia at 06:43, Verona at 07:25, Vicenza 08:13, Padua 08:51 and Venice (Santa Lucia station
in central Venice) at 09:34. The train has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes
and a
restaurant car.
More photos & information about the Thello sleeper train
from Paris to Venice.
Map of Venice showing Santa Lucia station.
Connection to Bologna,
Florence & Rome: The Paris-Florence-Rome
sleeper train run by Artesia ceased running on 10
December 2011. Thello plan to start a
Paris-Bologna-Florence-Rome sleeper train in June 2012,
but in the meantime, if you want to use a sleeper train
to Italy to avoid an overnight hotel stop, you can take
Thello's Paris-Verona-Venice sleeper train and change at
Verona. The Thello sleeper train from Paris
arrives at Verona 07:25, remember that a delay is
possible so I don't recommend tight connections. A
Eurostar Italia 'Frecciargento' leaves Verona at 08:55
arriving Bologna at 09:45, Florence Campo di Marte
station, on the edge of the city centre at 10:25 and
Rome Stazione Termini at 11:50.
Rome,
Florence, Bologna, Venice,
Verona, Milan ► London
Connection from Rome,
Florence & Florence: The Rome-Florence-Paris
sleeper train run by Artesia ceased running on 10
December 2011. Thello plan to start a
higher-quality Rome-Florence-Paris sleeper train in June
2012, but in the meantime, if you want to use a sleeper
train from Italy to Paris to avoid an overnight hotel
stop, you can use Thello's Verona to Paris sleeper train
as follows: Take
a Eurostar Italia Frecciargento to Verona, leaving Rome
Stazione Termini at 17:10, Florence Campo di Marte
station (on the edge of the city centre) at 18:35 or
Bologna at 19:15, arriving Verona at 20:05.
There's time for a coffee before joining the sleeper to
Paris.
Travel
overnight from Venice, Verona or
Milan to
Paris by 'Thello' sleeper train, leaving Venice Santa
Lucia station on the banks of the Grand Canal in central
Venice at 19:57, Padua 20:33, Vicenza 20:52, Verona
21:24, Brescia 22:06 or Milan Centrale at 23:38 and
arriving in Paris Gare de Lyon at 09:29 next morning.
It will arrive at 08:14 from 31 December to 21 January,
and from 18 February to 4 March. The train has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes
and a
restaurant car.
In Milan, you can board the train from 23:05 onwards.
More photos & information about the Thello sleeper train
from Venice to Paris.
Map of Venice showing Santa Lucia station.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:30. By all means choose a later Eurostar if if
you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while, or if this has cheaper
tickets available.
From London to Paris by Eurostar,
see the Eurostar page
for photos & information about on-board facilities.
See the Thello sleeper train page for an illustrated description of each type of couchette
& sleeper, and for more information about
this train, including the restaurant.
Enjoy dinner with wine in the restaurant (see
a sample menu), then settle down
for the night in your sleeping-berth... Or bring
your own food and wine and picnic in your compartment.
850 miles of travel and a bed for the night, city centre
to city centre. It's always been a great trip - the scenery is excellent south of
Paris as the train speeds towards Italy, with leafy
valleys, small French villages and picturesque churches. During the night,
the train passes through Switzerland and the Simplon Tunnel
under the Alps, running in places at up to 100
mph. The trains can arrive late, so allow for at
least a 60 minute delay in your schedule and stay relaxed.
Don't worry about missing your Eurostar on the return
journey, as international 'CIV' conditions of carriage
entitle you to be rebooked on the next available Eurostar
if the sleeper runs late. Until 10 December 2011,
the sleeper trains to
Italy were run by Artesia,
a Trenitalia-led consortium of the French and Italian
national railways formed to run the Paris-Italy trains,
from 11 December they are run by Thello, a new
partnership of Trenitalia and Veolia. The Thello service will use similar equipment
to Artesia but with a significantly higher level of service
quality, with new staff and new catering.
A sleeping-car on the 'Thello' sleeper train to
Venice boarding at Paris Gare de Lyon...
1, 2 or 3 bed
sleeper, beds folded away, sofa folded out.
The Paris-Venice sleeper train (and when
it starts in June 2012, the Paris-Florence-Rome sleeper
train) are now run by Thello, a consortium of Trenitalia and
Veolia with no French Railways involvement. You can no
longer book this train through SNCF French Railways, either
at French stations or on the French railways websites,
although Thello have their own sales point at Paris Gare de
Lyon. However, anyone from any country worldwide can
easily book
a London-Paris-Italy journey online as follows, with easy
e-ticketing:
Step 1, buy
your Eurostar ticket online at
www.eurostar.com. You simply print out your
own ticket, or you can choose to collect it at London St
Pancras. Eurostar booking opens 120 days ahead, but I
strongly recommend waiting until the sleeper
train bookings open, so you can confirm the sleeper train's
Paris departure and arrival times, in case of any changes
due to engineering work, then booking both tickets at the
same time.
Step 2, buy
your Paris-Italy 'Thello' sleeper ticket online at
www.trenitalia.com. Bookings should open 120 days
ahead, although most other Italian trains only open 90 days
ahead. Simply use the journey planner
to book from Paris to Venice (or Milan, Verona, etc) and back,
looking for the direct EN (=EuroNight) train with 0 changes in
the search results.
Ignore the fares as it's only showing
full-price fares at this stage. Select the direct EN train and
hit 'Continue'.
On the next page, change the accommodation type to the
type of couchette or sleeper you want. 'Double
seat compartment' means 2-bed
sleeper. 'Single seat compartment' means 'Single bed compartment'. You are booking individual berths, so if you book 2
tickets in a 2-berth sleeper, you'll get the whole
compartment and sex is irrelevant, if you book 2 tickets in a 3-berth sleeper
you'll get two of the three beds, with the third berth
sold to someone else, and the compartment will be
single-sex. Couchettes are always mixed sex unless
you opt for a 'ladies only' 4-berth couchette.
Still on the same page, look for the 'More fares' drop
down box and change it first to 'Smart'. See if
this cheapest fare is available for your selected date
and accommodation type. If not, try 'Go' instead,
which is the next cheapest. Smart =
'budget train fare', no refunds, no changes. Go
= the next cheapest fare, limited changes or refunds.
Once you've found the cheapest fare, be it 'Smart' or
'Go', continue with the booking.
Select the option 'Ticketless with invoice by email'.
You don't need a ticket, you simply pay and book online,
then quote your booking reference to the sleeper or
couchette attendant when you board the sleeper train in
Paris.
You can also book at the Thello website,
www.thello.com, which is a simpler
system, but it's currently only in French.
Remember that if you select 1 adult you are booking one
berth in a compartment, for example when it says 'Cabine
2 lits' that's the price for one bed in a 2-bed sleeper
(lits = beds), you are not booking the whole compartment
unless you are booking two tickets.
www.raileurope.co.uk
now also sells Thello tickets, but be warned, Thello have
only
allowed them to sell the more expensive fares, the cheapest fares are not available through Rail
Europe. For example, Paris-Venice starts at 35
euros (£32) at
www.trenitalia.com or
www.thello.com but starts at £73 on
Rail Europe.
Step 3, book
onward Italian trains separately at
www.trenitalia.com. Always allow at least an hour
after the scheduled arrival of the sleeper for connections,
preferably more, as it often runs an hour late or sometimes longer.
If you're happy with 'no refunds, no changes to travel plans',
you should look for a cheap 'Mini' fare which you will see
after initially selecting a train and hitting 'continue'.
If the sleeper runs late and you miss the connection, you should
be entitled to be re-booked on a later train, even with a Mini
fare, under the 'CIV' international conditions of carriage.
Thello is a new
partnership of Trenitalia and Veolia, operating into France in
competition with SNCF French Railways. As a result, you
can no longer book the Paris-Italy sleeper trains through French
Railways, and indeed Rail Europe (being a French Railways
subsidiary) cannot at present book the Thello sleeper trains.
However, agencies using the German reservation system can
certainly book this train, so try contacting
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66
(lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card
charge, no charge for debit cards) or www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-17:30 Mon-Fri,
09:00-13:00 Sat, £35 booking fee).Click
here for a list of
agencies and other useful information on how to book.
Every day, three
high-speed TGV
trains run by SNCF French Railways link Paris with
Turin and Milan, with onward connections to Florence, Venice, Rome
and Naples. You can leave London in the morning
and reach Turin or Milan the same day, staying overnight
before travelling on to Florence, Venice, Rome or Naples by
Italian high-speed train. Or you can leave London in
the evening, stay overnight in Paris, and travel from Paris
to Milan next morning with same-day onward connections to
Florence, Venice, Rome or Naples. Indeed, if you can
leave London very early, it's just possible to reach
Florence, Venice or Rome the same day, at least on certain
days of the week. This route is usually the most
inexpensive way to reach Italy by train, with Paris-Milan
fares from just £23 each way. It's also a scenic
option, marked in dark blue on the
route map above, although
admittedly not as scenic as the more expensive route via the
Swiss Alps featured in
option 4. Milan is a great city and it offers the best onward connections
to other Italian cities, but Turin is even better with lots
to see, well worth a longer stopover. Indeed, it could
be Italy's most under-rated city, even if you're not an
aficionado of 'The Italian Job'. And why not
take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the famous
Train Bleu restaurant
at the Gare de Lyon before catching your TGV to Italy?
For connections to
Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Verona & Venice, see
the Journeys in detail sections below.
*
Following day, overnight hotel in Paris necessary.
Southbound, why not book an earlier Eurostar and
have dinner in Paris, northbound book a later one and
have a
leisurely breakfast.
London ► Italy
(05:40 departure Monday-Friday, 07:31 Saturdays)
If you can get into central London
early enough (remembering the 30 minute Eurostar check-in of course!), it's now possible to travel from London
to Florence, Venice, Verona or Rome in one day, at least on
certain days of the week. Remember that you can also join
the weekday 05:40 Eurostar to Paris at Ebbsfleet or Ashford,
with options for travel from Ebbsfleet or Ashford on Saturdays
too.
Travel from London to
Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at
05:40 Mondays-Fridays or 07:31 on Saturdays, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
09:17 on Mondays-Fridays or 10:47 on Saturdays. There is
no Eurostar early enough on Sundays. Cross
Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).
Travel from Paris to Turin
or Milan by
high-speed
Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
Lyon at 10:41 on Mondays-Fridays arriving Turin Porta Susa at
16:17 and
Milan Porto Garibaldi at 17:46, or at 12:45 on Saturdays &
Sundays arriving Turin Porta Susa at 18:22 and
Milan Porto Garibaldi at 19:47.
It's a relaxing and
comfortable journey, passing directly from France
into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis
tunnel through the Alps. The TGV has 1st and 2nd
class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks &
tray-meals.
For Bologna, Florence or
Rome: On Mondays-Fridays, a same-day onward
connection is possible, London to Florence or Rome by
train in one day! On Mondays-Fridays, get off the
TGV at Turin Porta Susa. A
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa leaves Turin Porta Susa at 18:14,
arriving Bologna 20:25, Florence Santa Maria Novella
('SMN') at 21:05 and Rome Stazione Termini at 22:45.
However, same-day connections are not possible on
Saturdays, so stay overnight in Turin or Milan and take
any train you like next morning to your final
destination. You can check train times at
www.trenitalia.com.
For example, the 08:25
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa from Turin Porta Nuova arrives Bologna
10:35, Florence SMN at 11:15 and Rome Termini at 12:55,
but by all means book a later train and have a leisurely
breakfast, and/or explore the city for a few hours, or
stay in Milan if you prefer.
For Verona or Venice:
Same day connections are possible, London to Verona or
Venice in one day! Get off the TGV at Milan Porto
Garibaldi and take a 6-euro taxi ride or 25 minute 1.8 km walk to
Milan Centrale. Travel from Milan
to Venice or Verona by
Frecciabianca
train, leaving Milan Centrale at 19:05 on
Mondays-Fridays arriving Verona 20:27 and Venice Santa
Lucia at 21:40, or at 21:05 on Saturdays arriving Verona
22:44 and Venice Santa Lucia at 23:56. Or stay in
Turin or Milan overnight and travel on to Verona and
Venice next day, the choice is yours.
For all other destinations
simply check train times
from Turin or Milan to any Italian destination at
www.trenitalia.com.
London ► Italy
(09:12 departure Mon-Fri, 09:31 Saturdays, 09:23 Sundays)
This service has a convenient
mid-morning departure from London, and you can reach Turin or Milan the same
day. However, you'll need to stay overnight in either
Turin or Milan before onward travel to Florence, Venice, Rome or
Naples.
Travel from London to
Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at
09:12 on Mondays-Fridays, 09:31 on Saturdays or 09:23 on Sundays,
arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
12:47.
Cross
Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).
Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the
famous Train Bleu
restaurant at the Gare de Lyon?
Travel from Paris to Turin
or Milan by
high-speed
Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
Lyon daily at 14:41 and arriving Turin Porta Susa at 20:13
and
Milan Porto Garibaldi at 21:45.
It's a relaxing and
comfortable journey, passing directly from France
into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis
tunnel through the Alps. The TGV has 1st and 2nd
class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks &
tray-meals.
For Bologna, Florence or
Rome: Next morning, the 08:25
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa from Turin Porta Nuova arrives Bologna
10:35, Florence SMN at 11:15 and Rome Termini at 12:55.
But by all means book a later train and have a leisurely
breakfast, or explore the city for a few hours.
For Verona or Venice:
Travel from Turin or Milan
to Venice or Verona by
Frecciabianca
train. There's a train leaving Turin
Porta Nuova at 07:05 or Milan Centrale at 08:05, arriving Verona 10:27 & Venice
11:40. But by all means have a leisurely breakfast
at your hotel and catch a later train, check train times
at
www.trenitalia.com.
For all other destinations
simply check train times
from Turin or Milan to any Italian destination at
www.trenitalia.com.
London ► Italy
(20:01 or 20:31 departure, overnight stop in Paris, on to
Italy next day)
This service is useful if you need an evening
departure from London, after business hours. You stop overnight in Paris,
then take a morning TGV to Milan with arrival in Italy in the afternoon.
Travel from London
to Paris Gare du Nord on any evening
Eurostar you like.
The last one leaves London St Pancras at 20:01 arriving
Paris Nord at 23:17. There's also a 20:31 on Sundays.
Next morning,
travel from Paris to Milan by
high-speed
TGV
leaving Paris Gare de Lyon daily at 07:49 arriving Turin Porta
Susa at 13:25 & Milan Porto Garibaldi at 14:45. A
cafe-bar
is available. Alternatively, have a leisurely
breakfast then take the later TGV leaving Paris Gare de Lyon
at 10:41 on Mondays-Fridays or 12:45 on Saturdays & Sundays,
arriving Turin Porta Susa 16:17 Mondays-Fridays, 18:22
weekends, Milan Porto Garibaldi 17:46 weekdays, 19:47
weekends.
For Bologna,
Florence, Rome & Naples: Assuming you took the
07:49 TGV from Paris, get off in Turin and take the
14:47 Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa from Turin Porta Susa to
Bologna arriving 16:50, Florence Santa Maria Novella
arriving 17:30 and Rome Stazione Termini arriving 19:20.
Change in Rome for Naples.
For Verona &
Venice: Assuming you took the 07:49 TGV from
Paris, get off at Milan Porto Garibaldi and take a taxi (or
25 minute 1.8 km walk) to Milan Centrale. Then take
the Frecciabianca
train leaving Milan
Centrale at 16:05 and arriving Verona at 17:27 & Venice Santa Lucia at
18:40. You can check train times from Milan to other
Italian destinations using the journey planner at
www.trenitalia.com.
For all other destinations
simply check train times
from Turin or Milan to any Italian destination at
www.trenitalia.com.
Allow at least an hour to connect in Milan to
allow for any delay.
From Rome, Florence or
Bologna: Travel from from Rome, Florence or
Bologna to Turin or Milan by any afternoon or evening high-speed train
you like. For
example, you can leave Rome Stazione Termini at 17:46, Florence SMN at
19:30 or Bologna Centrale at 20:10 by
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa, arriving Milan Porto Garibaldi at
21:26 and Turin Porta Susa at
22:13. But by all means book an earlier train if you
like. You can check train times to Turin or Milan
from any Italian city using
www.trenitalia.com.
From Venice or Verona: Travel from Venice or Verona
to Milan or Turin by
any afternoon or evening train you like. For
example, a Frecciabianca
train leaves Venice Santa Lucia at 17:20 or
Verona at 18:32, arriving Milan Centrale at 19:55 and Turin Porta
Susa at 21:43. Or there are earlier trains of course,
or indeed later trains as far as Milan.
You can check train times
from any Italian city to Turin or Milan using
www.trenitalia.com.
Travel
from Milan or Turin to Paris by
high-speed
TGV, leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi daily at 06:07 or Turin
Porta Susa at 07:46 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at
13:23. There is a café-bar serving drinks,
snacks and light meals.
Italy ► London
(11:10 departure from Milan Mon-Fri, 10:12 Sat & Sun)
From Rome, Florence or
Bologna: Travel from from Rome, Florence or
Bologna to Turin or Milan by high-speed train.
Some same-day connections are possible on certain days
of the week: From Rome on Mondays-Fridays, take
the 06:00 Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa non-stop to Milan Centrale arriving
08:59. From Florence or Bologna on
Mondays-Saturdays, take the
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa leaving Florence Santa Maria Novella at
06:55 or Bologna at 07:35 arriving Milan Centrale 08:40.
Take a taxi (or 25 minute 1.8 km walk) from Milan
Centrale to Milan Porto Garibaldi. In all other
cases, you'll need to travel to Milan or Turin the day
before and stay overnight. You can check train
times to Turin or Milan from any Italian city using
www.trenitalia.com.
From Venice or Verona: Travel from Venice or Verona
to Milan by
Frecciabianca
train, leaving Venice Santa Lucia at 06:20 or
Verona at 07:32, arriving Milan Centrale at
08:55. Take a taxi or 25 minute 1.8 km walk from
Milan Centrale to Milan Porto Garibaldi. You can check train times
to Milan using
www.trenitalia.com.
Travel
from Milan or Turin to Paris by
high-speed
TGV, leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi on
Mondays-Fridays at 11:10 or Turin
Porta Susa at 12:40 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at
19:07. On Saturdays & Sundays you leave Milan
Porto Garibaldi at 10:12 or Turin Porta Susa at 11:40
arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 17:19. There is a café-bar serving drinks,
snacks and light meals.
Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord
on Mondays-Fridays at 21:13, arriving London St Pancras at
22:36. On Saturdays & Sundays depart Paris Gare du
Nord at 19:13 arriving London St {Pancras at 20:36.
Italy ► London
(16:10 departure from Milan, overnight stop in Paris)
This service is useful if you need to be back in
London in time for the start of the business day!
From Venice
or Verona: Travel to Milan by
Frecciabianca
train leaving Venice Santa Lucia daily at 11:50 or Verona at
13:02, arriving at Milan Centrale at 14:25. Walk or
taxi from Milan Centrale to Milan Porto Garibaldi.
From Naples, Rome, Florence or Bologna: Travel to Milan by high-speed
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa train leaving Rome Termini daily at 09:46, Florence SMN at
11:30 or Bologna at
12:10 arriving Milan Porto Garibaldi at 13:26 or Turin Porta
Susa at 14:23. This allows an easy same-station change
onto the TGV to Paris in either Milan or Turin.
Alternatively, there is another
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa train leaving Naples at 09:50, Rome
Stazione Termini at 11:15, Florence SMN at 12:55 and Bologna
at 13:32, arriving Milan Centrale at 14:40. Take a
6-euro
taxi ride or 25 minute 1.8 km walk from Milan Centrale to Milan
Porto Garibaldi.
From other
Italian cities: You can check train
times from any Italian station to Milan using
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least 1 hour in Milan
to allow for any delay.
Travel from Milan
to Paris by
high-speed
TGV leaving Milan
Porto Garibaldi at 16:10 or Turin Porta Susa at 17:35,
arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 23:21. A cafe-bar is
available.
Spend the night in a
hotel in Paris. These hotels near Gare de Lyon get good reviews:
Hotel Terminus Lyon (right in front of the station,
3-star, doubles 139 euros);
Mercure Paris Gare de Lyon (on the station itself,
4-star, doubles 120 euros);
Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon (opposite the station,
4-star, doubles 139 euros);
Mistral Hotel (800m from Gare de Lyon, 1-star, doubles
68 euros);
Hotel de Reims (5 min walk from Gare de Lyon, 2-star,
doubles 86 euros);
More Paris hotels.
Next morning, travel from London
to Paris Gare du Nord on any
Eurostar you like. The
first one usually leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 07:13 on
Mondays-Saturdays arriving London at
08:30. On Sundays the first train is the 08:13
arriving London at 09:39. But by all means book a
later one.
SNCF
(French Railways) operates three daily 186 mph TGV
trains between Paris, Turin and Milan.
Previously operated by Artesia (a consortium of
Trenitalia and SNCF) they are now operated entirely
by SNCF in its own right, officially via a new
Italian subsidiary, Società Viaggiatori Italia. On leaving Paris they
sprint over the high-speed line at up to 186 mph
(300 km/h) as
far as Lyon St Exupéry, but they then slow right down to
meander through the scenic Alpine foothills on conventional lines via Chambéry, crossing into Italy at Modane
and heading through Turin to Milan. These
TGVs have 1st & 2nd class seats and are fully
air-conditioned, with interiors designed by
Christian Lacroix. There are power sockets for
laptops and mobiles at every seat and there are baby-changing
facilities and designated spaces for passengers in
wheelchairs. There's
a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks & light meals,
or feel free to bring your own food & wine along for
the journey. In first class you can order a
3-course meal with wine,
served at your seat. You can now buy Paris
metro tickets from the bar car, too. 1st class
TGV passengers can use the 'Grand Voyageurs' 1st
class lounge at Paris Gare de Lyon.
Seating plans for the Paris-Milan TGVs:
Cars 1-4
Cars 5-8 (car numbers greater than 8 mean two
TGVs coupled together).
Designer interiors...
From December 2011, the Paris-Turin-Milan TGV
trains will feature chic interiors by designer Christian Lacroix. All seats have power
sockets for laptops & mobiles. In first class,
you'll be offered a 3-course tray meal with wine served
at your seat, although this is extra, not included in
the fare. The bar car sells
Paris metro tickets, which can save time on your
return.
The TGV crosses
rural France at up to 186 mph...
...then slows right down
through the Alpine foothills.
The TGV crosses the
Alps via Chambéry and Modane, passing through
the 13.6 km (8.5 mile) long
Fréjus Rail Tunnel, also known less
accurately as the Mont Cénis tunnel. The
tunnel transit takes just 7 minutes, during
which the train enters Italy. Opened in
1871, this the oldest of the large tunnels
through the Alps, and was the longest tunnel in
the world from 1871 until 1882 when the Gotthard
tunnel opened on the Zurich-Milan route.
More mountains...
Now we're in
Italy, leaving the Alps behind...
Introducing the
Frecciarossa trains from Milan or Turin to
Bologna, Florence, Rome & Naples...
A Eurostar Italia
'Frecciarossa' ETR500 train capable of 250 km/h
(155 mph) on the new Italian high-speed network...
First class seating. All seats have power sockets for
laptops & mobiles. A complimentary drink of coffee, juice or sparkling prosecco is
served at your seat...
Second class on a Eurostar Italia AV ETR500
'Frecciarossa' train. All seats have power
sockets for laptops & mobiles.
On the Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples route there's a restaurant car. A 3-course lunch costs
32
euros, a half bottle of wine 9 euros, credit cards
accepted.
...and the
Frecciabianca trains from Turin and Milan to Verona and
Venice.
A Frecciabianca train at
Milan Centrale... Frecciabiancas link Milan with
Verona & Venice every hour or so, at up to 125 mph...
2nd class seating.
Most seats have access to a power socket for laptops or
mobiles. There's a small bar car, and a
refreshment trolley comes down the train...
This is
1st class, more spacious and less crowded. All
seats have power sockets for laptops or mobiles, and
there's a complimentary coffee from the trolley...
A
Frecciabianca to Venice, about to leave Milan. A
strange train - two modern power cars sandwich former
intercity carriages...
It's not
expensive. The cost is the sum of the three
tickets you need, so just add up the price for each leg.
You'll need to go online to check actual prices for your
date of travel.
If you live in
the UK, the best way to buy tickets for this journey is online at
www.raileurope.co.uk (If you don't live in the UK,
see below). Using
www.raileurope.co.uk
you can buy your Eurostar and TGV tickets together all in one
place without relying on postage from France,
it's easy to use, and prices are in pounds. If you use a debit card
and collect tickets at the station there are no fees, and it's
backed by a UK call centre if you need any help. Please
read these tips before booking:
Children under 4 go free, no ticket required.
Children = children over 4 but under 12.
Youth = anyone under 26. Senior = anyone over 60.
You can buy tickets starting in London, Ebbsfleet or
Ashford.
Tickets can be collected at London St Pancras & in Paris free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £2.25 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2.5% credit card fee.
Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
How far ahead can you book? Reservations for the Paris-Milan TGVs open 90 days before
departure. Eurostar reservations open 120 days ahead,
but I strongly recommend waiting so you can book all your
trains together and double-check the TGV's Paris arrival/departure
times as occasionally they vary due
to engineering work. If you ask
www.raileurope.co.uk
for a date more than 90 days ahead, it will offer to send an
email
reminder when reservations open. A
useful facility!
To get an idea of prices if your date of travel is more than
90 days away, ask it for a date within the
next 90 days. Be aware that the 90 days can be
squeezed to 60 or less in the weeks immediately after the
European timetable changes in mid-June & mid-December.
Top tip:
Split the booking! By all means book from London
to Milan all in one go if you're a nervous booker, but it's
better to treat London to Turin or Milan as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
from Paris to Turin or Milan. This gives you more control, allowing you to
pick an earlier Eurostar if it's cheaper or if you want to
stop off in Paris, and you can mix & match 2nd class Eurostar
with 1st class on the TGV, as there are often cheap deals
in TGV 1st class, but on Eurostar the upgrade to 1st
class is expensive.
Step 1, enter 'Paris' to 'Milan' (or Turin) and book from Paris to
Milan & back,
looking for the direct TGV train in the search results with
no changes. Always double-check
the TGV times before booking the Eurostar, as
engineering work occasionally affects arrival or departure times, requiring
a later or earlier Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked from Paris to
Milan & back, click 'continue shopping' and book a
Eurostar from London to Paris & back. Use the Eurostar
times on this page as a guide, but feel free to choose an
earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar back from
Paris if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd
like to stop off in Paris.
Step 3, the painless way to add an
onward ticket from Turin or Milan to Florence,
Rome, Venice, Naples and so on is to click 'continue shopping'
and book from Milan to your Italian destination &
back. However, it is usually cheaper to book your
onward trains direct with Italian Railways at
www.trenitalia.com, as Trenitalia offer discounted
advance-purchase 'Mini' fares, but see the advice on using
the Trenitalia website first. Trenitalia
offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option, you book
online and simply quote your booking reference to the
conductor on board.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
...by phone or in person...
If you live in the UK, you
can buy train tickets to Italy by phone from several European rail
booking agencies, including
www.raileurope.co.uk
on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, closed
Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00
Saturdays. For
more information on buying European train tickets,
see the
How to buy European train
tickets page.
Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged by someone who knows what
they're doing, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free. They get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested itineraries &
prices.
Anyone from any country worldwide can buy tickets direct
from the relevant train operator websites as follows:
How far ahead can you book? Paris-Milan TGVs open
for booking 90 days before departure, you cannot book before
bookings open. Eurostar bookings open 120 days ahead,
but I strongly recommend waiting and buying all your tickets
at the same time. I suggest doing a 'dry run' on both
sites before booking for real, to double-check prices, availability and exact timings for each part of the
journey.
If
you live in the UK, it can be better to buy all your
tickets from www.raileurope.co.uk
as shown
above. Then you can buy your Eurostar & TGV tickets
together in one place without relying on post from France, prices are (or
should be) the same as on www.tgv-europe.com, and it's backed by a UK call
centre. On the other hand, there are no credit card or
postage fees at www.tgv-europe.com
and prices are in euros so it's a fraction cheaper because
you'll get a better exchange rate from your own bank.
It also allows you to request specific seating options (such
as a table for two in 1st class) which Rail Europe currently
doesn't. But it's your call!
Step 1: Book the TGV from Paris to Turin or Milan.
Buy your tickets at the official French Railways
English-language website
www.tgv-europe.com, or the French version
www.voyages-sncf.com
using
these step-by-step instructions.
You can buy tickets for these trains in either direction and
you print out your own ticket.
Step
2: Book the Eurostar from London to Paris.
Go to
www.eurostar.com
and book a suitable Eurostar from London to Paris and back.
Use the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel
free to choose an earlier Eurostar from London or a later
Eurostar back from Paris if these have cheaper seats
available or if you'd like to stop off in Paris. You
can print out your own ticket, or collect it at the station
at London St Pancras. Easy!
Step 3: Buy onward tickets within Italy. You
can buy onward tickets from Milan or Turin to anywhere in Italy
online at
www.trenitalia.com, the official Italian Railways
website. Top tip: in the search results, select
the train you want and click 'continue', then look for a
cheap 'Mini' price' which is the Italian domestic cheap
no-refunds, limited-changes fare. Using the
'Ticketless with invoice by email' option, you simply quote
your booking reference on board the train.
How to buy tickets if you live
in the USA, Canada, Australia, Asia,
Africa or South America...
If you live outside Europe, you can buy tickets for any or
all of these trains online at
www.raileurope.com
(USA),
www.raileurope.ca (Canada),
www.raileurope.com.au
(Australia), or
www.raileurope-world.com
(any other country worldwide). Rail
Europe is North America's biggest European rail agency, a
subsidiary of French Railways. You may prefer buying
all your tickets together from one agency in your home
country in your own currency.
However, be warned that overseas agencies often suppress the
cheapest fares and add extra booking or postage fees on top.
It's usually significantly cheaper (in some cases as much as
65% cheaper) to buy tickets online direct from the relevant
European train operator, with cheap fares and no fees.
Simply follow the
step-by-step advice in the section above to buy tickets
online in either direction at
www.eurostar.com &
www.tgv-europe.com, with self-print tickets.
Alternatively, if you want a compete hassle-free tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged by someone who knows what
they're doing, the people to call are
www.railbookers.com. US residents can call them on
(646) 770 2894 (please
quote 'seat61'), Canadian residents can call (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'), and Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. Tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free.
Railbookers get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested itineraries &
prices.
This option takes an hour or two
longer and costs a pound or two more than using the
Paris-Milan TGVs suggested in option 2, but the
daytime journey through the Swiss
Alps from Switzerland to Italy is a wonderful experience. Take a
lunchtime Eurostar to Paris then an evening Lyria TGV to
either Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel or Zurich and stay
overnight. Next morning, take a tilting EuroCity train
to Milan, twisting and turning through the Alpine scenery,
with onward train connections from Milan to almost anywhere
in Italy. 'Lyria' is the consortium of French and
Swiss railways formed to operate the high-speed
trains from Paris to Switzerland. The most scenic
route of all is via Zurich & the Gotthard Pass, so that's
the route I recommend here. This is the route marked
in orange on the route map above.
Incidentally, Paris-Zurich TGVs were speeded up by half an
hour from 11 December 2011, as they now use the brand-new
Rhine-Rhone TGV line and leave from Paris Gare de Lyon, not
the Gare de l'Est as previously.
Travel from
Paris to Zurich by 198mph
Lyria TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
Lyon
at 18:23 and arriving in Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 22:26. By all means catch an earlier service from London to Zurich
if you want to reach Zurich earlier in the evening,
see the
Switzerland page for full details.
Spend the night in a hotel in Zurich.
Zurich hotels at Hotelscombined.com.
Zurich hotels at Venere.com. For something
special, book the superb
Hotel Schweizerhof, located right next to Zurich
station. One of my favourite hotels, they'll even send
a uniformed commissionaire to meet you at the station and
carry your bags across the road.
Travel from
Zurich to Milan by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving
Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 07:09 and arriving Milan Centrale at
10:50. Alternatively, for for a later start and time
for breakfast at your hotel, leaving Zurich Hauptbahnhof at
08:31 and arriving Milan Centrale at 12:50. This
train takes you through the amazingly scenic Gotthard
route, past towering snow-capped mountains, villages &
vineyards, climbing steadily up to the Gotthard Tunnel
then descending towards Italy, with glimpses of Lake
Lugano.
For Bologna, Florence, Rome
or Naples: Travel from Milan to Bologna, Florence, Rome
or
Naples by high-speed
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa train. If you leave Zurich on the
07:09 you can connect with the 12:20
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa from Milan arriving Bologna
13:25, Florence SMN 14:05, Rome Stazione Termini at 15:45,
Naples Centrale 17:10. If you leave Zurich on the
08:31 you can connect with the 14:00
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa (daily except Saturdays) from Milan
arriving Rome Stazione Termini at 16:59 and Naples
Centrals 18:20, or the daily 14:20
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa from Milan arriving Bologna
15:25, Florence SMN 16:05, Rome Stazione Termini at 17:45
and Naples Centrale 19:10. You can check train times
from Milan to anywhere in Italy at
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least 45 minutes to
connect in Milan to allow for any delay.
For
Verona or Venice: Travel from
Milan to Verona or Venice by
Eurostar City
train. If you leave Zurich on the 07:09 you can
connect with the 11:35
Eurostar
City train from Milan arriving Verona 12:57 and Venice
Santa Lucia at 14:10. If you leave Zurich on the
08:31 you can connect with the 14:35 from Milan
arriving Verona at 15:57 and Venice Santa Lucia at 17:10. You can check train times from
Milan to anywhere in Italy at
www.trenitalia.com, but allow at least 45 minutes to
connect in Milan to allow for any delay.
Italy ► London
From Bologna, Florence, Rome
or Naples: Leave Naples at 12:50, Rome
Termini at 14:15, Florence SMN at 15:55 or Bologna at 16:35
by
Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossa train arriving Milan at 17:40. You
can check train times to Milan from anywhere in Italy at
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least 45 minutes to
connect in Milan to allow for any delay.
From
Verona or Venice: Leave Venice Santa Lucia at
15:20 or Verona at 16:32, arriving Milan Centrale at 17:55.
Travel from
Milan to Zurich by air-conditioned
EuroCity 'pendolino' train, leaving Milan Centrale at 19:10 and arriving Zurich at
23:29. By all means take an earlier train from Milan
to Zurich, the previous one leaves Milan at 17:10
arriving Zurich at 21:29. If you take the earlier
17:10, connections from Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice will
be 2 hours earlier than the ones shown above, check times at
www.trenitalia.com and allow at least 45 minutes to
change in Milan.
Travel from
Zurich to Paris by 198mph
Lyria TGV, leaving Zurich at 07:34
and arriving in Paris Gare de Lyon at 11:37. By all
means have a more leisurely breakfast and catch a later TGV,
see the Switzerland page
for details.
London to Paris
by Eurostar starts from only £39 one-way or £69 return.
Paris to
Zurich by TGV-Lyria starts at just £23 each way if
you book well ahead, maximum 90 days.
Returns are
twice the one-way fare. You'll find full details of
Paris-Switzerland TGV Lyria fares on the
London to Switzerland page.
Zurich to Milan
by EuroCity train starts at just £18 each way if you book in
advance, or around £61 full fare.
Alternatively, stop overnight in Geneva, Lausanne, Bern or
Basel...
You can also
travel from London to Italy with an overnight stop in
Geneva, Lausanne, Bern or Basel instead of Zurich. In
fact this will save a pound or two and maybe an hour or two.
If you go via Lausanne you'll be on the famous Simplon route
to Milan via Brig, which is the most direct & traditional
mainline route between Paris & Milan with the shortest
travelling time. It takes you through the Simplon
Tunnel, opened in 1906, and past many Swiss vineyards.
Going via Geneva is a slightly longer variation on the
Simplon route, but the TGV ride from Paris to Geneva is
very scenic,
more so than the Paris-Lausanne TGV route and so worth the
detour. If you go via Bern you'll end up on the
Lötschberg route, also scenic, although a new base tunnel
has by-passed some of the best scenery. But for my
money, the most scenic of all the main lines through the
Swiss Alps to Italy is the Gotthard route from Zurich via
Lugano to Milan, hence the recommendation above. To
find journey options via any of these cities, first
see the London to Switzerland page for train service
between the UK and that Swiss city. Then use
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents) or
www.sbb.ch
(residents of any country) to find trains between that city
and Milan next morning. Easy!
From London to Paris by Eurostar,
see the Eurostar page
for photos & information about on-board facilities.
Sleek, fast,
and up to 10 times better for the environment
than a flight. This is an afternoon TGV to
Zurich about to leave Paris...
First class
seating. Tables for 4, tables for 2, solo
seats and dual side-by-side. All first
class seats have reading lights and power
sockets for laptops & mobiles...
There's a
cafe-bar car serving drinks & snacks....
Designer interiors... The TGV
trains from Paris to Basel & Zurich feature chic designer interiors by Christian Lacroix.
There
are power sockets for
laptops & mobiles at every seat, baby-changing
facilities and wheelchair spaces. First class fares include a complimentary cold
breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack according to time of
day. You can find a
seat numbering plan & other useful information at
www.tgv-lyria.com. Double-deckers coming
soon: Impressive double-deck TGV Duplex
will be progressively introduced on the Paris-Zurich
route during 2012 & early 2013, see the
TGV Duplex photos here.
Most services are ETR470 'Pendolino' tilting trains
like the ones shown below, but some trains (notably the 08:31 from Zurich and
17:09 from Milan) have recently been replaced with
locomotive-hauled EuroCity carriages. These are still
very comfortable.
Table
for two... The restaurant car of a
Switzerland-Milan 'pendolino' EuroCity train.
1st class seats,
complete with power recline and sockets for laptops &
mobiles...
The
Zurich-Milan EuroCity trains take the Gotthard Pass route through the Swiss Alps.
As you head south the train runs along the Zuger See, then along the shores of Lake Lucerne.
You'll see lots
of pretty Swiss villages & vineyards. The
Swiss keep their wine a closely-guarded secret and
export very little, give it a try and you'll understand
why they keep it to themselves...
The train enters the Gotthard Pass.
In the depths of winter the landscape is a real-life
Narnia, a winter wonderland with crags and cliffs and snow-capped
mountains. You're not stuck in a plane at 35,000
feet now, this is the Swiss Alps at ground level, up
close and personal. At the peak of the pass the
train enters the
Gotthard
Tunnel, 15 km (9 miles)
long and opened in 1882. Passing through the
tunnel takes just 7 or 8 minutes, reaching the highest
point of the line in the process at 1,151 metres (3,776
feet) above sea level.
This is the Alpine
vista from the train after it emerges from the Gotthard
tunnel, high up on a mountainside as it heads for the
Italian border...
Buongiorno Milano! The EuroCity
from Zurich arrives in Milano Centrale. You've
travelled from London to Italy without a single airport
or flight...
If you live in
the UK, the best place to buy tickets for this journey is online at
www.raileurope.co.uk (If you don't live in the UK,
see below). Using
www.raileurope.co.uk
you can buy your Eurostar, TGV Lyria & EuroCity tickets together
all in one place,
it's easy to use, prices are in pounds, if you use a debit card
and collect tickets at the station there are no fees, and it's
backed by a UK call centre if you need any help. Please
read the following tips before booking:
Children under 4 go free, no ticket required.
Children = children over 4 but under 12.
Youth = anyone under 26. Senior = anyone over 60.
You can buy tickets starting in London, Ebbsfleet or
Ashford.
Ticket delivery & credit cards:
Tickets can be collected at London St Pancras & in Paris free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £2.25 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2.5% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
How far ahead can you book? Reservations for the Paris-Zurich TGVLyria
& Zurich-Milan trains opens 90 days before
departure. Eurostar reservations open 120 days ahead,
but I strongly recommend waiting so you can book all your
trains together and double-check the TGV's Paris
arrival/departure times before booking the Eurostar as
occasionally they vary due to engineering work requiring an
earlier or later Eurostar connection. Be aware that the 90 days
is usually
squeezed to 60 days or less for travel in the weeks immediately after the
European timetable changes in mid-June & mid-December.
Top tip, split the booking! By all means book from London
to Zurich all in one go if you're a nervous booker, then
book Zurich to Milan for the next day. But it's
better to treat London to Zurich as two
separate journeys, one from London to Paris, the other
from Paris to Zurich. This gives you more control, allowing you to
pick an earlier Eurostar if it's cheaper or if you want to
stop off in Paris, and you can mix & match 2nd class Eurostar
with 1st class on the TGV, as there are often cheap deals
on TGV-Lyria in 1st class, but on Eurostar the upgrade to 1st
class is expensive. So book each of your three trains
separately, as follows:
Step 1:
Book from Paris to Zurich. Use
www.raileurope.co.uk
to book from Paris to Zurich & back,
looking for the direct TGV-Lyria train in the search results.
Add this to your basket. Always check
the TGV times before booking the Eurostar, in case
engineering work affects arrival or departure times, requiring
a different Eurostar connection.
Step 2:
Book from London to Paris. Now click 'continue shopping' and book
your
Eurostar from London to Paris & back. Use the Eurostar
times on this page as a guide, but feel free to choose an
earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar back from
Paris if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd
like to stop off in Paris. Add to your basket.
Step 3: Book from
Zurich to Milan. Click 'continue shopping' again
and book a Zurich-Milan EuroCity train for the following
day, and add it to your basket. Top tip:
If you don't see any cheap fares between Zurich and Milan on
the Rail Europe website, try booking this leg at the Swiss
Railways website
www.sbb.ch instead.
Step 4, the painless way to add an
onward ticket from Milan to Florence,
Rome, Venice, Naples and so on is to click 'continue shopping'
and book from Milan to your Italian destination &
back. However, it is often cheaper to book your
onward trains direct with Italian Railways at
www.trenitalia.com, as Trenitalia offer discounted
advance-purchase 'Mini' fares, but see the
advice on using
the Trenitalia website first. Trenitalia
offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option, you simply quote your booking reference to the
conductor on board. Always allow at least an hour
in Milan to change trains, in case of delay.
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy train tickets to Italy by phone from several UK European rail booking agencies, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee applies). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-16:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the How to buy European train
tickets page.
Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. US
residents can call them on (646) 770 2894 (please
quote seat61) and Canadian residents on (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'). Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free. They get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested itineraries &
prices.
Anyone from any country worldwide can buy tickets direct
from each of the relevant train operators' websites as
follows. I recommend doing a 'dry run' on all these
sites before booking for real.
How far ahead can you book? Paris-Zurich and
Zurich-Milan trains open for booking 90 days before
departure, you cannot book before they open. Eurostar
bookings open 120 days ahead, but I recommend waiting and
buying all your tickets at the same time, so you can
double-check the prices, availability and exact timings for
each part of the journey.
If you live in the UK, it can be better to buy all
your tickets from www.raileurope.co.uk
as shown above.
Then you can buy your Eurostar, TGV & EuroCity tickets
together in one place without relying on post from
France, prices are (or
should be) the same as on www.tgv-europe.com, and it's backed by a UK call
centre. On the other hand, there are no credit card or
postage fees at www.tgv-europe.com
and prices are in euros so it's a fraction cheaper because
you'll get a better exchange rate from your own bank.
It also allows you to request specific seating options (such
as a table for two in 1st class) which Rail Europe currently
doesn't. But it's your call!
Step 1, book your London-Paris tickets at
www.eurostar.com.
You can print out your own ticket, or collect it at the
station at London St Pancras. Easy!
Step 2, book your Paris-Zurich tickets at the official French Railways
English-language website
www.tgv-europe.com or the French version
www.voyages-sncf.com
using
these step-by-step instructions.
Tickets can be collected at the station in Paris, or for
some types of fare you can print out your own ticket.
As long as you're
offered a self-print ticket at the end of the booking, you can use tgv-europe to book
journeys in either direction, but if no
self-print option comes up, remember that tickets can only
be collected at stations in France.
Alternatively,Paris-Zurich tickets can be
bought from the Swiss Railways website
www.sbb.ch.
If you're offered a self-print ticket at the end of the
booking then sbb.ch can be used
for journeys in either direction, but if
you don't get offered a self-print ticket then remember that
tickets can only be collected from Swiss stations, not in
Paris.
Step 3, book your Zurich-Milan tickets at the Swiss
Railways website www.sbb.ch, assuming of course that your journey starts
at the Swiss end. You can collect tickets at any main
Swiss station including Zurich. If your journey starts
at the Italian end, one-way or return tickets from Milan
should be booked at www.trenitalia.com, as ticket collection is then at any
main Italian station (Top tip: in the search results,
select the train you want and click 'continue', then change
the 'More fares' box to 'Smart price' which is a cheap
no-refunds, no-changes fare).
Step 4, buy onward tickets from Milan or Turin to anywhere in Italy online at
the Italian Railways website
www.trenitalia.com.
Top tip: in the search results, select the train you
want and click 'continue', then look for a cheap 'Mini'
price' which is the Italian domestic cheap no-refunds,
limited-changes fare. Using the 'Ticketless with
invoice by email' option, you simply quote your booking
reference on board the train.
How to buy tickets if you live
in the USA, Canada, Australia, Asia,
Africa or South America...
If you live outside Europe, you can buy tickets for any or
all of these trains online at
www.raileurope.com
(USA),
www.raileurope.ca (Canada),
www.raileurope.com.au
(Australia), or
www.raileurope-world.com
(any other country worldwide). Rail
Europe is North America's biggest European rail agency, a
subsidiary of French Railways. You may prefer buying
all your tickets together from one agency in your home
country in your own currency.
However, be warned that overseas agencies often suppress the
cheapest fares and add extra booking or postage fees on top.
It's usually significantly cheaper (in some cases as much as
65% cheaper) to buy tickets online direct from the relevant
European train operator, with cheap fares and no fees.
Simply follow the
step-by-step advice in the section above to buy tickets
online at
www.eurostar.com,
www.tgv-europe.com &
www.sbb.ch.
Alternatively, if you want a complete hassle-free tailor-made
tour with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged by someone who knows what
they're doing, rail tour specialist
www.railbookers.com
are the people to call US residents can call (646) 770 2894 (please
quote seat61), Canadian residents can call (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'), and Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on
02 8096 0550. Tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free.
Railbookers get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested itineraries &
prices.
You may
prefer some German and Austrian efficiency on your way to
Italy, as well as some great scenery! It may look like
a long way round (see the route map
above), but cheap fares and high-quality German and
Austrian-run trains now make this an attractive option.
There are two ways to do this route: (1) You can leave
London by Eurostar around 4pm and use the excellent
German-run Paris-Munich City Night Line sleeper train then a
day train next morning through the scenic Brenner Pass, or
(2) you can leave London around 10:25 by Eurostar and TGV to
Munich on day 1, stay overnight in a hotel in Munich, then
take that morning train to Italy through the scenic Brenner
Pass on day 2.
This route
takes significantly longer than using the direct Paris-Venice
Thello sleeper, as you leave London only an hour
or two later, but you arrive the following afternoon instead of
in the morning. You take a late-afternoon Eurostar to
Paris, the City Night Line sleeper train overnight to Munich
then an excellent EuroCity train to Verona through the
scenic Brenner Pass. But this route
involves a high-quality German
City Night Line sleeper train, which even has some
deluxe sleepers with private shower & toilet. The
connection in Munich is a top-quality German or Austrian
EuroCity train with restaurant car which travels via the
wonderfully scenic Brenner Pass route through the Austrian
Alps next morning to Verona. You may well prefer this
option, certainly if you're heading for Verona, or even
Venice.
London ► Italy
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 16:01 (15:31 at weekends), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
19:17 (18:47 at weekends).
It's then a
10 minute walk
from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est. By
all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend
some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.
Travel from Paris
to Munich overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train
'Cassiopeia', leaving Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05
(20:20 at weekends) and
arriving in Munich at 07:10 next morning. It has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed
compartments, standard with washbasin or deluxe with
shower), 4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats.
More
pictures & information about this City Night Line train.
Travel from Munich to
Verona or Bologna on a modern, air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Munich at
09:31
and arriving in Verona at 14:58 & Bologna at 16:20.
A restaurant car is available serving drinks, snacks and
affordable full meals (treat yourself to lunch!).
The scenery through the Brenner Pass is wonderful.
Change in Verona for Venice, change in Bologna for
Florence or Rome, using
www.trenitalia.com to find a suitable onward
connection. Allow at least 45 minutes for
connections in Verona or Bologna.
Alternatively,
you could have a look round Munich, then take a direct
train from Munich at 11:31 to Venice arriving 18:10,
also travelling via the scenic Brenner Pass - this
direct train may be cheaper, too, as one ticket gets you
all the way from Munich to Venice from as little as 39 euros.
Italy ► London
Travel from Venice or
Verona to Munich by air-conditioned EuroCity train,
leaving Venice Santa Lucia station at 13:34 or Verona at
15:02, arriving in Munich at 20:25. Enjoy the
excellent scenery in the Brenner Pass through the Alps,
an elegant restaurant car is available for dinner.
Coming from Rome or Florence, look for a train to Verona
using
www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least an hour in
Verona for connection, to allow for any delay.
Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at
11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.
From London to Paris by Eurostar,
see the Eurostar page
for photos & information about on-board facilities.
By City Night Line
overnight sleeper train from Paris to Munich...
The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent
City Night Line sleeper trains. Called the
'Cassiopeia', it has modern 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars
(1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower &
toilet, 1, 2 &
3-berth standard rooms with washbasin). There is a shower at
the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms,
and all rooms have powerpoints for laptop computers.
There are also
modern air-conditioned couchettes, choose between a berth in a 4 or 6-berth compartment,
and ordinary seats (not recommended).
Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus
sleeping accommodation. The sleeping-car fare includes
a light breakfast.
Click for more pictures
& information about this train.
1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with
washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.
4-berth couchettes:
Ideal for families, much more space per person than
6-berth couchettes.
6-berth couchettes:
A very economical option, far better than a seat for
just a few euros more...
Above: The
'Comfortline' sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich
sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est...
Special
fares from 39 euros (£34) each way if you book
in advance (limited
availability).
* Savings fares =
Special cheap fares, book in advance, limited availability,
no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Normal fare =
fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
How to
buy tickets online...
The cheapest way to book this journey is online, as there's
no booking fees and all the cheap deals are there for you to
see. There are two ways to book it, and I'd suggest
trying both as prices vary between the two:
It's best to book London-Munich in two stages. Step 1,
book the sleeper from Paris to Munich. Enter 'Paris'
to 'Munich' and your dates of travel.
Step 2, after booking the Paris-Munich train, stay on
www.raileurope.co.uk
and click 'continue shopping'. Now book a Eurostar ticket from London to
Paris and back to connect with the sleeper. Use the recommended
Eurostar times above as a guide, but by all means book an
earlier Eurostar outward or a later Eurostar on the way back
if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like to
stop off in Paris.
Step 3, now go to the German
Railways website
www.bahn.de, use the journey planner to bring up the
connecting trains from Munich to Verona
shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket. It
will show if any cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent to any address,
or in some cases printed out yourself. I
recommend registering when it asks you before completing the
purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.
Top tip: To stop off for a few hours in Innsbruck
(up to 24 hours, in fact) simply type 'Innsbruck' into the
'via' box and enter the number of hours stopover you want
into the 'stopover' box. This way, you can still
quality for the Munich-Verona 39 euro fare (if available)
with a stopover in Innsbruck included!
If you have any problems with
www.raileurope.co.uk,
try this option instead. It involves two websites, so do
a 'dry run' first on all sites to check prices &
availability before booking for real.
Step 1, go to
www.bahn.de, the German Railways website.
Book from Paris to
Munich and back on the overnight CNL sleeper train.
Availability of cheap 'Savings' fares ('sparnight' in
German) and
fully-flexible normal fares will be shown, for each type of
seat, couchette & sleeper. You pay by credit card and print out
your own tickets in .pdf format. Easy! Note that
the prices shown on
www.bahn.de are in euros, and are the total cost for
all passengers selected, not per person. I
recommend registering when it asks you before completing the
purchase, so you can easily make the next booking and
retrieve any bookings later.
Step 2, go to
www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar
tickets between London and Paris, using the Eurostar times
above as a guide. By all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, self-printed, or collected at the station.
Step 3, now go to the German
Railways website
www.bahn.de, use the journey planner to bring up the
connecting trains from Munich to Verona
shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket. It
will show if any cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent to any address,
or in some cases printed out yourself. I
recommend registering when it asks you before completing the
purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.
Top tip: To stop off for a few hours in Innsbruck
(up to 24 hours, in fact) simply type 'Innsbruck' into the
'via' box and enter the number of hours stopover you want
into the 'stopover' box. This way, you can still
quality for the Munich-Verona 39 euro fare (if available)
with a stopover in Innsbruck included!
How to buy tickets by phone...
If
you prefer to book by phone, just call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no
booking fee, 2% credit card charge but no charge for debit
cards), or a booking agency such
as
European Rail
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00
Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee).
If you prefer a hotel to a sleeper train, and don't mind an
extra few hours' journey time, it's also possible to travel
by daytime trains, taking Eurostar to Paris and a high-speed
TGV from Paris to Munich on day 1, staying overnight in
Munich, then taking a Munich-Verona train through the scenic
Brenner Pass on day 2.
London ► Italy
Day 1, travel from London to Munich by Eurostar to Paris
and TGV to Munich, leaving London St Pancras at 10:24,
changing trains and stations in Paris and arriving
Munich at 21:36. Other services are available via
both Paris and Brussels/Cologne,
see the Germany page for full details.
Day 2, travel from Munich to Verona, Bologna or Venice
by high-quality German or Austrian-run EuroCity train
via the scenic Brenner Pass through the Austrian &
Italian Alps. A train leaves Munich at 09:31
arriving Verona at 14:58 & Bologna at 16:20.
Change in Verona for Venice, change in Bologna for
Florence, Rome or Naples. Or have a leisurely
breakfast at your hotel and perhaps a wander round
Munich, then there's a direct EuroCity train from Munich
to Venice leaving Munich at 11:31, arriving Venice Santa
Lucia station on the Grand Canal in central Venice at
18:10. Both these trains have an elegant
restaurant car serving drinks, snacks and affordable
full meals. Treat yourself to lunch!
Italy ► London
Day 1, travel from Venice or Verona to Munich by
air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Venice Santa
Lucia station at 13:34 or Verona at 15:02, arriving in
Munich at 20:25. Enjoy the excellent scenery in
the Brenner Pass through the Alps, an elegant restaurant
car is available so treat yourself to dinner.
These high-quality EuroCity trains are run by the
Germans and Austrians. Coming from Rome or
Florence, look for a train to Verona using
www.trenitalia.com, allowing at least an hour in
Verona for connection, to allow for any delay.
Day 2, travel from Munich to London by TGV to Paris and
Eurostar to London, leaving Munich at 09:45, changing at
Stuttgart and Paris, arriving London St Pancras at
19:36. Other services are available via both Paris
and Brussels/Cologne,
see the Germany page for full details.
How much does it cost?
London to Paris by Eurostar
starts at £39 one-way or £69 return 2nd class or £107
one-way, £189 return 1st class (no refunds,
non-changeable, price rises as cheaper seats are sold).
Paris to Munich by TGV starts at 39 euros (£34) each way
2nd class, 69 euros (£60) each way 1st class.
Munich to Verona, Bologna or Venice by direct
German/Austrian EuroCity train starts at 39 euros (£34)
each way.
How to buy tickets...
You need to book this trip as three separate journeys:
London-Paris & back, Paris-Munich & back, and Munich to
Verona, Bologna or Venice & back.
Option 1 is to book London-Paris and Paris-Munich at
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents only), then Munich to Verona, Bologna or
Venice at the German railways website
www.bahn.de.
Option 2 is to book London-Paris at
www.eurostar.com, Paris-Munich at
www.bahn.de
and Munich-Verona/Bologna/Venice also at
www.bahn.de.
This works wherever you live, as all tickets will either
be print-at-home or sent by bahn.de to any address
worldwide for a small fee. If necessary,
Paris-Munich can also be booked at
www.tgv-europe.com.
Note that
www.bahn.de
will only book the direct EuroCity trains from
Munich to Verona, Bologna or Venice. If you want
to travel to Venice or Bologna with a change of train in
Verona, or to Florence or Rome with a change of train in
Verona or Bologna, you should use
www.bahn.de
to book the direct EuroCity train from Munich to Verona
or Bologna, then use the Italian railways website
www.trenitalia.com
to book the onward train from Bologna to Florence,
Bologna to Rome or Verona to Venice and back.
See
here for advice on using trenitalia.com.
From London to Paris by Eurostar,
see the Eurostar page
for photos & information about on-board facilities.
By
TGV high-speed train from Paris to Munich...
Sleek, fast,
and up to 10 times better for the environment
than a flight. This is TGV about to leave Paris Est...
There's a
cafe-bar car serving drinks & hot & cold snacks...
Designer interiors...
The TGV trains from Paris to Munich feature chic
interiors by designer Christian Lacroix. Above
left, 2nd class, above right, 1st class. All seats
have power sockets for laptops & mobiles. Watch the video:Inside a Christian Lacroix TGV.
...and
after an overnight stop, by
EuroCity train from Munich to Italy via the scenic Brenner
Pass.
A EuroCity train about
to leave Munich. On this route, most trains use
Austrian cars like this, some use German.
First class leather seats
in a 6-seat compartment. Some cars are open plan.
The
restaurant car. Treat yourself to lunch!
Second class
open-plan seats...
Option 5, the ultimate scenic option: London to
Italy via the "Bernina Express"
This is a much slower option than the others, but you can
still leave London on day 1 afternoon, arriving Milan on day
2 in the afternoon, after a slow and fabulous journey on the
narrow-gauge 'Bernina Express' from Chur to Tirano through
the Swiss Alps. You'll find this option described in
detail on the
Bernina Express page.
Option 6, the luxury option:
London
to Venice on the "Venice Simplon Orient Express"
Book online direct with Venice Simplon Orient Express,
with no travel agency commission & no booking fees.
This is the luxury option, from London to Verona or
Venice aboard the fabulous
Venice Simplon Orient Express.
It's not cheap, but yes, it's definitely worth it if you
have the money - London to Venice costs around £1,830 per person one way
or £2,750 return including sleeper and excellent meals, wine
extra. The VSOE usually runs once weekly from
March until October leaving London on Thursday mornings. Passengers travel in restored
1920s or 1930s British Pullman cars from London
to Folkestone with lunch, wine and champagne included in the
fare. At Folkestone, passengers are taken by
coach to Calais via the Channel Tunnel.
Beautifully restored 1920s sleeping-cars then take
passengers from Calais to Venice via Paris, the scenic Arlberg Pass, Innsbruck, the
equally scenic
Brenner Pass & Verona, arriving in Venice in the evening
the day after leaving London. For more details of the
journey including photos,
see the Venice Simplon Orient
Express page. For departure dates, timetables, fares
& to book tickets online, see
www.orient-expresstrains.com.
Is it the real reincarnation of the Orient Express?
Not really, see the Orient
Express page to find out about the real Orient
Express. But is the VSOE really worth
over £1,830 per person? Definitely yes, this train
meets and even exceeds expectations. Food, accommodation and
service are absolutely fantastic, and you will not be
disappointed. Though personally, I have no
hesitation in saying 'yes' for other reasons - Nicolette and I
boarded the train with nothing planned or premeditated, but the train
weaved its very special magic and before the
wagons-lits squealed to a halt in Verona we were engaged...
Pisa is famous for its leaning
tower, Siena for simply being a fabulous city in the heart
of Tuscany. They are easy to reach by train from
London, no flight necessary...
By all means stop off in Florence for a few
hours, there's a
left luggage office in Florence costing
only a few euros, open 06:00-24:00 daily.
If
you're going to Pisa, local trains link Florence's
main Santa Maria Novella station (SMN) with Pisa
Centrale every hour,
taking 1 hour 20 minutes. The famous Leaning
Tower of Pisa is about 2km or 30 minutes walk from
Pisa Centrale
station, taxis available. Top tip: If
you travel to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower,
travel to Pisa S. Rossore station, as this is only a
5-10 minute walk from the tower. Some trains from
Florence go direct to Pisa S. Rossore (one stop beyond
Pisa Centrale), others require a change at Pisa
Centrale.
If
you're going to Siena, there are local trains
from Florence's main Santa Maria Novella station (SMN)
to Siena every hour or so through the day, taking 1 hour
30 minutes. Arriving in
Siena, it's quite a hike up the hill from the station to
the old town, so consider a bus or taxi.
If
you're going to Lucca, there are regular local
trains from Florence SMN throughout the day taking
around 1 hour 20 minutes.
You can check times for any of
these local trains at
www.trenitalia.com (choose a date within the next 7 days to see fares
as well as times). No reservation is necessary or
even possible on any of these local trains, you just
turn up in Florence, buy a ticket from the self-service
machines (which have a touch screen with English
language facility) or the ticket office, and hop on the
next train. Remember to validate these local
tickets in the small
yellow
validation machines at the entrance to the
platform
Frequent
trains link Bologna with Modena in less than 30
minutes, and trains link
Bologna with Ravenna every hour or two in around
1 hour 25 minutes.
You can check times for any of
these local trains at
www.trenitalia.com (choose a date within the next 7 days to see fares
as well as times). No reservation is necessary or
even possible on any of these local trains, you just
turn up in Bologna, buy a ticket from the self-service
machines (which have a touch screen with English
language facility) or the ticket office, and hop on the
next train. Remember to validate these local
tickets in the small
yellow
validation machines at the entrance to the
platform.
Don't worry about the
onward ticket from Florence or Bologna to Sienna,
Pisa, Lucca or Ravenna as you can easily buy a local ticket at the station when you get to Florence or Bologna. No
reservation is necessary as these are local trains,
you just buy a ticket and hop on. You can buy
local tickets
from the ticket office or from the many
self-service
ticket machines (these machines being a quicker &
easier option than the ticket office). The
ticket machines have a touch screen with an English language facility and
they accept euros coins and notes, or credit cards.
Train travel in Italy is
cheap: The fare from Florence to Pisa is
around 5.80 euros each way, Florence to Siena around
6.30 euros each way. Don't forget to validate
your local ticket in the little
yellow
validation machines at the entrance to the
platform before boarding the train.
London to Pompeii, Sorrento,
Capri, Ischia, & Elba...
Up Pompeii! The narrow-gauge Circumvesuviana train
from Naples to Sorrento arrives at Pompei Scavi Villa di Misteri.
The main entrance to the ruins of Pompeii is just across the
road, for visitor info see
www.pompeiisites.org. For Circumvesuviana train information, see www.vesuviana.it.
Above: The ferry from Naples, arrived at
Capri. For ferry information, see
www.snav.it
Sorrento, Pompeii &
Herculaneum...
First,
travel from London to Naples using any of the options
explained in the
London to Naples section.
For Sorrento, Pompeii &
Herculaneum (Ercolano), take the narrow-gauge Circumvesuviana Railway
(www.vesuviana.it) from Naples Garibaldi station.
These little electric suburban trains run every 30 minutes throughout the day. No
reservation is necessary (or even possible), you just buy a ticket at the station
for a few euros and hop on. Naples Garibaldi
(Circumvesuviana) station is right next to Naples Centrale
station where your mainline train arrives, so interchange is
easy. Just follow the signs to 'Circumvesuviana', it's
round a corner at the side of the concourse, along a
passageway and the Circumvesuviana platforms are
half-underground round the back. Incidentally, Naples
Porto Garibaldi station is yet another set of mainline
platforms in the same triple-station complex, it's
'Circumvesuviana' you want, not 'Porto Garibaldi'). Naples to Pompeii
costs around 2.50
euros one-way or 4.50 euros day return, journey time about 40
minutes. Naples to Sorrento costs around
3.50 euros one-way or 6.50 euros day return, journey time
55-65 minutes. The Circumvesuviana trains are old and
have no air-con, but new air-conditioned trains are now
being delivered. You'll get great views of both the
Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius on the way to Sorrento.
You can check train times on the Circumvesuviana
Railway website, www.vesuviana.it,
and fares (if you can take the time to work out how to use
it!) at public transport website
www.unicocampania.it. Note that the
Circumvesuviana is a private railway, separate from Italian
State Railways (Trenitalia), so railpasses and ordinary
Trenitalia tickets are not valid on it. For the same
reason you won't find train times & fares to Pompeii or
Sorrento on
www.trenitalia.it.
The Roman ruins at Pompeii are
truly amazing and should not
be missed. The station you want is 'Pompei Scavi
(Villa dei Misteri)' on the Circumvesuviana line to Sorrento, don't confuse
this with 'Pompei' station which is on another
Circumvesuviana line serving Pompei's new town. The
main visitor entrance to Pompeii ruins is right outside
Pompeii Scavi station, across the road and to the right.
For visitor information see the official Pompeii &
Herculaneum website
www.pompeiisites.org.
Capri...
First,
travel from London to Naples using any of the options
explained in the
London to Naples section.
For Capri,
take a taxi or walk (it's about 25 minutes on foot) from
Naples Centrale station to Naples Beverello ferry quay.
Fast ferries taking just 45 minutes link Naples Berevello
with Capri every hour or two between 07:00 &18:00, see
www.snv.it for times &
fares. the ferry fare is about 19 euros, plus a euro
or two per item of large luggage. No pre-booking is
necessary for the ferry, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop
on.
Alternatively,
you can take the local Circumvesuviana Railway to Sorrento (www.vesuviana.it),
from where there are regular ferries to Capri, crossing time
about 25 minutes. Just be aware that it's a longish
steep walk from Sorrento Circumvesuviana station down the
hill to the ferry terminal.
Ferries from
both Naples & Sorrento arrive at
Capri's busy Marina Grande, there's a funicular railway up
the steep hillside to Capri town itself. Bring plenty
of money to Capri, even a small beer costs 7 euros!
Ischia...
First,
travel from London to Naples using any of the options
explained in the
London to Naples section.
For Ischia,
take a taxi to Naples ferry terminal and sail from Naples to
Porto Ischia with either
www.caremar.it (sailings every hour or two, crossing
time 45 minutes fast ferry or 90 mins conventional ferry) or
www.alilauro.it.
For Elba,
take local trains from Florence to Piombino Marittima
via Pisa and Campiglia.
www.trenitalia.com will give you train
times. Moby Lines (www.mobylines.it)
sail every hour or so from Piombino to Portoferraio on Elba,
crossing time 1 hour, foot passengers 7 euros one-way.
Step 2, catch a connecting
train from Rome or Naples to Salerno. Regular trains link these
cities throughout the day, and indeed some Eurostar Italia
Frecciarossas from Milan go direct to Salerno. You can check train times & fares
and buy tickets for this leg of the journey at
www.trenitalia.com (see this
advice on using it first). It's not too difficult
to buy a ticket at the station when you get to Rome, though
it's better to pre-book at busy times of year.
Step 3, regular
SITA bus services link Salerno & Amalfi, running
hourly or better between 06:00 & 22:30 on Mondays-Saturdays,
slightly less frequently on Sundays, journey time 1 hour 15
minutes, fare about 1.80 euros one-way, you simply buy a
ticket on the bus. See
www.sitabus.it to confirm exact bus times. At the
time of writing, the English version of
www.sitabus.it doesn't work, so leave it in Italian and
under 'Scegli la Regione' select 'Campania' (the name of
this region). On the next page, select 'Orari linee
Campania'. On the next page, look for Quadro 14 & 15
and click for a .pdf format timetable. To check fares,
you'll need to use public transport site
www.unicocampania.it, though it can take some time to
work out how to use it!
Alternatively, regular buses link
Sorrento (see above) with Positano,
Praiano & Amalfi, with the occasional bus direct from
Naples, also operated by SITA, see
www.sitabus.it. Sorrento-Amalfi takes 1 hour 30
minutes, buses run hourly or so, and the fare is around 2.40
euros. The journey along the coast road is dramatic,
the bus hugging the cliff and it rear end swinging out
precariously at every hairpin bend, with regular stand-offs
where the bus cannot pass oncoming traffic on the narrow
roads without someone backing up!!
Option 1: By Eurostar &
Thello sleeper train, via Milan...
Train times London ► Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar,
leaving London
St Pancras at 15:01 (14:01 on Saturdays) arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
18:17 (17:17 on Saturdays).
By all means choose an earlier Eurostar if if you'd like
to stop off in Paris, or if this has cheaper tickets
available.
Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare de Lyon, just 2 stops on RER line D. Why not
take the earlier 14:01 Eurostar and have dinner at the
famous Train Bleu
restaurant at the Gare de Lyon before catching your
sleeper train to Italy?
Travel from Milan to Genoa, Cinque Terre or La Spezia by air-conditioned InterCity train
leaving Milan at 08:05 arriving Genoa (Piazza Principe) at
09:42, Monterosso (Cinque Terre) at 11:03
and La Spezia at 11:19.
For the other Cinque Terre villages (Vernazza,
Corniglia, Manarola & Riomaggiore) change at
Monterosso for a regular local train service. You
can check times at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
Train times Genoa, Cinque Terre, La Spezia ► London
Travel
to Milan by air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving
La Spezia at 18:40, Monterosso (Cinque Terre) at 18:55, and Genoa (Piazza Principe) at 20:19, arriving Milan at
21:50. From the other Cinque Terre villages, take
one of the regular local trains to Monterosso to join this InterCity
train there, you can check times at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
Travel
overnight from Milan to Paris by 'Thello' sleeper train,
leaving Milan Centrale at 23:38 and arriving in Paris
Gare de Lyon at 09:29 next morning. It will arrive
at 08:14 from 31 December to 21 January, and from 18
February to 4 March. The train has
1-bed, 2-bed & 3-bed
sleepers,
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes
&
restaurant car. In Milan, you can board the
train from 23:05 onwards.
More photos & information about the Thello sleeper train.
Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare du Nord, just 2 stops on RER line D.
Travel
from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du
Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:30. By all means choose a later Eurostar if if
you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while, or if this has cheaper
tickets available.
Milan to Genoa by InterCity train costs
about 17.50 euros (£15) one-way 2nd class or 23.50 euros (£20)
1st class. Returns are twice the one-way fare.
Milan to
Monterosso or La Spezia costs about 23 euros (£20)
one-way 2nd class or 30.50 euros (£26) one-way 1st class,
twice this for a return.
How to buy tickets online...
You can buy your London-Paris
& Paris-Milan tickets
online, see the 'how to buy tickets' section in the
London to Milan section. This
is the easiest and cheapest way to book.
You
can then book the train from Milan to Genoa or Cinque
Terre online at
www.trenitalia.com.
Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and simply quote your booking reference
to the conductor on board. Look for either the
'Base' fare or a discounted advance-purchase 'Mini'
fare.
If you have any difficulties
booking the Milan-Genoa train at Trenitalia.com you can
buy in the UK through
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents only). However, no discounted 'Mini'
fares are available through Rail Europe.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee applies). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
Option 3:
By Eurostar & TGV with overnight hotel in Milan...
Travel from London to Milan by
Eurostar & TGV
as shown above.
Stay overnight in Milan.
Travel from Milan to Genoa,
Cinque Terre, La Spezia on any suitable train, see
www.trenitalia.com
for train times, prices and online tickets.
Option 3:
By Eurostar and Lunéa sleeper train
via
Nice...
Train times London ► Genoa,
Cinque Terre, La Spezia
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 16:22, arriving in Paris Gare
du Nord at 19:47. Cross Paris by métro to the Gare
d'Austerlitz.
Travel from Paris to
Nice overnight on the 'Train
Bleu',
leaving Paris Gare d'Austerlitz at 21:23 and arriving
next morning in Nice at 08:42 The
Train Bleu is a Lunéa
service with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd
class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.
Hop on a local train from Nice
to Ventimiglia on the
Italian frontier, there's one at 09:25 arriving at
10:13.
Travel from Ventimiglia to Genoa
by InterCity train
leaving Ventimiglia at 10:58 and arriving San Remo
11:15 & Genoa (Piazza Principe, the main station) at
13:06.
Change in Genoa for onward
trains to La Spezia & Monterosso.
The scenery between Cannes, Nice,
Monte Carlo & Ventimiglia is wonderful, as the railway
runs along the coast past villas, rocky inlets and
yacht-filled harbours.
Train times Genoa, Cinque
Terre, La Spezia ► London
Travel from Genoa or San Remo
to Ventimiglia by train, leaving Genoa (Piazza
Principe) at 14:53 (up to 10 minutes later on some
dates), San Remo at 17:14, and arriving Ventimiglia at
17:31. You can check train times at
www.trenitalia.com.
Travel from Ventimiglia to
Nice by frequent local train. There's a train at
17:47 and 18:17, journey time 50 minutes.
Travel from Nice to Paris overnight on the 'Train
Bleu',
leaving Nice at 20:00 and arriving in Paris Gare
d'Austerlitz at 07:37 next morning. The
Train Bleu is a Lunéa
service with 1st class 4-berth couchettes, 2nd
class 6-berth couchettes & reclining seats.
Cross Paris by métro to
the Gare du Nord.
Travel from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 09:13 arriving
London St Pancras at 10:36.
How much does it cost?
London to Paris by Eurostar starts at £39 one-way or £69 return;
Paris to Nice overnight on the Train Bleu starts at £30 each
way in a 2nd class 6-berth couchette or £51 each way in a
1st class 4-berth couchette if you book in advance, rising
to £95 2nd class or £149 1st class each way fully-flexible.
You should book in three
stages, using the train times above as a guide.
First book a couchette on the overnight train from
Paris to Ventimiglia & back. Then click
'continue shopping' and add a ticket from London to
Paris & back to connect. Finally, click
'continue shopping' again and add a Ventimiglia to
Genoa ticket on the relevant trains.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee applies). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
London ► Rimini, Ancona,
Bari, Brindisi, Lecce (option 1, by sleeper)
Travel
from London to Paris by Eurostar then from Paris to Milan by
'Thello' overnight train, leaving London at
15:01 (14:01 on Saturdays) and arriving in Milan at 05:38 next morning.
The Paris-Milan overnight train has sleeping-cars,
couchettes and restaurant car, see the
London to
Milan section above for full details of times and fares.
A modern, air-conditioned
Frecciabianca
train leaves Milan at
07:35, arriving Rimini at 10:45, Ancona at 11:38,
Pescara at 12:49, Foggia at 14:29, Bari at 15:12,
Brindisi at 16:37, Lecce at 17:04.
Travel from London to Milan
as shown here and stay overnight. You leave
London by Eurostar at 09:12 (slightly later at weekends), change trains & stations in
Paris and take the 14:41
high-speed Paris-Italy TGV from Paris to Milan, arriving
21:45.
Next morning, a modern, air-conditioned
Frecciabianca
train leaves Milan at
07:35, arriving Rimini at 10:45, Ancona at 11:38,
Pescara at 12:49, Foggia at 14:29, Bari at 15:35,
Brindisi at 16:37, Lecce at 17:04. But by all
means take a later train, you can check train times using
www.trenitalia.com.
Frecciabianca
trains are fully air-conditioned, with a refreshment
trolley but no restaurant or bar car - feel free to take your own picnic and maybe
bottle of wine along. Seat reservation is
compulsory on Frecciabianca trains, so everyone gets a
seat. All seats in
both classes have power sockets for laptops & mobiles
(2-pin, 220v).
From Bologna to Bari,
you travel in a Frecciabianca train, running
along the seaside for much of the way...
This is
1st class, less crowded and more spacious.
...and
this is 2nd class.
Lecce, Brindisi, Bari,
Ancona, Rimini ► London (option 1, by sleeper)
A modern, air-conditioned
Frecciabianca
train leaves
Bari at 11:43, Ancona at 15:28 and Rimini at 16:17,
arriving Milan Centrale at 19:25. Have dinner in
Milan. Alternatively, you can leave Lecce at 12:00, Brindisi at 12:24, Bari at 13:29, Foggia at 14:35, Pescara at
16:14,
Ancona at 17:27 and Rimini at 18:19, arriving in Bologna
at 19:14. Change onto the 20:40
Eurostar
Italia Frecciarossa train arriving Milan Centrale at 21:45.
The
'Thello' night train for Paris leaves Milan at 23:38, and a
Eurostar connection will get you back to London at
12:30 next day. Sleeping-cars and couchettes
available plus restaurant car, see the
London to Milan
section for details.
A fast, modern, air-conditioned
Frecciabianca
train leaves
Lecce at 12:00, Brindisi at 12:24, Bari at 13:29, Foggia at 14:35, Pescara at
16:14,
Ancona at 17:27 and Rimini at 18:19, arriving in Milan
at 21:25. But by all means take an earlier train,
you can check train
times using
www.trenitalia.com.
Next morning, take either the
06:07 (daily), 10:12 (weekends) or 11:10
(Mondays-Fridays)
high-speed Paris-Italy TGV to Paris and change there for Eurostar to
London arriving in the evening,
as shown here.
How to buy tickets online, for the Thello sleeper option...
This takes 3 websites, so do a dry run on all three before
booking for real.
Step 1, book the
London-Paris Eurostar at
www.eurostar.com. You print your own ticket, or
can collect it at London St Pancras.
Step 2, book the
Paris-Milan Thello sleeper train at either
www.trenitalia.com (available in English) or
www.thello.com (currently only in French, but
simpler to use as it specifically books this sleeper
train). If you use Trenitalia.com, it can help
to know that 'double seat compartment' means 2-bed
sleeper. Look for the direct Paris-Milan 'EN'
train in the search results, ignore the full-price
Flexi fares it gives at this stage, select the train
and hit continue, and on the fares selection page
see if there are any cheap 'Smart' or 'Go' using the
drop down 'More fares' box. Both
Trenitalia.com and Thello.com offer 'ticketless'
travel for this train, you pay online and simply
quote your booking reference to the conductor when
boarding.
Step 3, book onward trains
from Milan to Rimini, Ancona, Bari and so on, at
www.trenitalia.com, looking for the cheap 'Mini'
fares when you reach the fare selection page.
Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and simply quote your booking
reference to the conductor on board.
How to buy tickets online, for the daytime TGV option...
Step 1, go to either
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents)
or
www.tgv-europe.com (residents of any country) and book
your trains from London to Paris and (as a second
transaction) Paris to Milan or Bologna. See the 'how to buy tickets' part of the
London to Milan section.
Step 2, if you are using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
the painless way to add an onward ticket from Milan or
Bologna to Rimini, Ancona, Bari, etc., is to click
'continue shopping' and book the onward ticket with Rail
Europe. Make sure you allow at least 1 hour to
connect. However, Rail Europe can only sell
full-price 'Base' fares for trains within Italy, not the
discounted advance-purchase 'Mini' fares, and their
database of Italian trains isn't always complete.
The cheapest way to book the
train from Bologna or Milan to Rimini, Ancona, Bari, and
so on, is online direct with Italian Railways
at
www.trenitalia.com,
see the advice on using
the Trenitalia website. Look for a discounted
advance-purchase 'Mini' fare. Trenitalia offers a
hassle-free 'ticketless' option, you book online and
simply quote your booking reference to the conductor on
board.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy train tickets to Italy by phone from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open on Sundays, £8 booking fee) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee applies). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
Take the train to your cruise ship at Civitavecchia...
Civitavecchia
is the cruise port just north of Rome. It's often used
as the starting point for Mediterranean cruises, and it's
also a departure point for ferries to Sardinia.
Civitavecchia is on the main Genoa-Pisa-Rome rail route,
just 81 km (51 miles) north of Rome. Frequent
InterCity and regional trains link Rome's main Stazione
Termini with Civitavecchia, and you'll also find direct
InterCity trains from Genoa & Pisa to Civitavecchia.
The InterCity trains from Rome take 40 minutes and cost 9.50
euros, but they only run
every couple of hours and require a reservation. The
regional trains take 49-63 minutes
but run at least once per hour, often up to three times an
hour, they cost only 4.50 euros one-way, no reservation is
necessary you just buy a ticket and hop on the next train.
For travel from the UK to
Civitavecchia, it's usually easiest and fastest to travel to Rome
first, then travel back north to Civitavecchia by regional
train.
See the London-Rome section
above, then use
www.trenitalia.com to find train times and fares from
Rome to Civitavecchia (pick any date within the next 7 days
to see times and fares for regional trains, the fares don't
show up further ahead than this, and won't change as the
price is fixed). Buy tickets as far as Rome in
advance, but it's easiest to just buy your
Rome-Civitavecchia ticket at the station on the day, using
the self-service machines which have a touch screen with
English language facility. No reservation is required
or even possible for regional trains, you just buy a ticket
and hop on the next train. Don't forget to validate
your local ticket in the little
yellow
validation machines at the entrance to the
platform before boarding the train.
In Civitavecchia, the station is
an easy 10 minute walk from the port entrance, though if you
have baggage you may prefer to use a taxi.
UK to Sicily by train? No problem. You can
travel all the way by train, experiencing one of Europe's
last train ferries where the train is physically shunted
onto a ship for the short sea voyage across the Straits of
Messina to Sicily, or you can use an overnight cruise ferry
to Sicily from either Genoa or Naples. Each of these
three options is explained below.
By train all the way...
This makes for a comfortable journey from the UK to Sicily,
taking just 1 night, 2 days, although more London-Sicily
options may become feasible once Thello restore a Paris-Rome
sleeper train in June 2012. The journey shown here is
the fastest option, but by all means take a bit longer, stop
off on the way and spread out the journey.
London ► Catania, Palermo, Syracuse
Day 1, travel from London to
Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at
09:12 on Mondays-Fridays, 09:31 on Saturdays or 09:23 on Sundays,
arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
12:47.
Cross
Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).
Why not take an earlier Eurostar and have lunch at the
famous Train Bleu
restaurant at the Gare de Lyon?
Day 1, travel from Paris to Turin
or Milan by
high-speed
Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
Lyon daily at 14:41 and arriving Milan Porto Garibaldi at 21:45.
It's a relaxing and
comfortable journey, passing directly from France
into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis
tunnel through the Alps. The TGV has 1st and 2nd
class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks &
tray-meals.
Day 2, travel from Milan to Naples
by high-speed
Eurostar Italia Frecciarossa, leaving Milan Centrale at
07:20 and arriving Naples Centrale at 12:10. A
restaurant car is available serving affordable complete
meals, drinks and snacks, and there are power sockets for
laptops and mobiles.
Day 2, travel from Naples to
Sicily by air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Naples
Centrale at 13:55 arriving Palermo 23:00, Catania 21:13 and
Siracuse 22:30. Yes, all this InterCity train really
is
direct from Naples to Sicily (in fact, it starts in Rome).
The train reaches Villa San Giovanni at 18:05, and to reach
Messina on Sicily, the whole
train is shunted
on board a ship and ferried across the Straits of
Messina. The crossing takes about 30 minutes, and you
can either remain on board the train in the ferry's
hold, or get out and go up on deck for some fresh air. Travelling
on both a train and a ship at the same time is an
interesting experience! The
train has a refreshment trolley, but feel free to take your
own picnic and bottle of wine for the journey.
If you want to stop off in Rome or
Naples, you'll find two daytime InterCity trains and an
overnight sleeper linking Rome and Naples with Sicily.
The InterCity trains leave Rome at 07:39 and 11:39, or
Naples at 09:55 and 13:55, with portions for both Palermo
and Catania, Siracuse arriving in the evening. The
sleeper train leaves Rome daily at 21:20, arriving Palermo
10:40, Catania 08:31 and Siracuse 10:00. You can check
times and buy tickets for all these trains at
www.trenitalia.com.
Syracuse, Palermo, Catania ►
London
Day 1, travel
from Sicily to Naples by air-conditioned InterCity train,
leaving Siracuse daily at 07:33, Catania at 08:43 and
Palermo at 07:00, arriving Naples Centrale at 16:00.
There's a refreshment trolley on board, but feel free to
take your own picnic and beer or wine.
Day 1, travel
from Naples to Milan by high-speed
Eurostar
Italia Frecciarossa, leaving Naples Centrale at 17:50
and arriving Milan Centrale at 22:40. A restaurant car
is available serving affordable meals, drinks and snacks,
and there are power sockets for laptops and mobiles.
Day 2, travel
from Milan or Turin to Paris by
high-speed
TGV, leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi daily at 06:07 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at
13:23. There is a café-bar serving drinks,
snacks and light meals.
Cross
Paris by metro or taxi to the
Gare du Nord (2 stops on RER line D).
Day 2, travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord
daily at 15:13, arriving London St Pancras at 16:39.
Alternatively, you may
prefer a lie-in then leisurely breakfast and later train
back to London. Day 2, travel
from Milan or Turin to Paris by
high-speed
TGV, leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi at 11:10 on
Mondays-Fridays or 10:12 on Saturdays & Sundays, arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at
19:07 on Mondays-Fridays or 17:19 on Saturdays & Sundays. There is a café-bar serving drinks,
snacks and light meals.
Cross
Paris by metro or taxi to the
Gare du Nord (2 stops on RER line D. Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord
at 21:13 on Mondays-Fridays arriving London St Pancras
at 22:36 or at 19:13 on Saturdays & Sundays arriving London St Pancras at 20:36.
InterCity
trains are fully air-conditioned, with 1st & 2nd class &
often a refreshment trolley. Seat reservation is now
compulsory on all InterCity trains. 1st class has power
sockets for laptops, 2nd class usually doesn't.
An Italian InterCity
train...
2nd class 6-seat
compartments on an InterCity train. Some cars
have open-plan seating.
1st class seating on an InterCity train.
Some cars have 6-seater compartments.
Through Southern Italy &
across on the train ferry to Sicily...
If you stop
off in Rome, you can also take a time-effective sleeper
train from Rome to Sicily. Taking the overnight train to Sicily is quite an
adventure...
En
route to Sicily, at a sunny, sleepy southern-Italian
station. Photo courtesy of Edward Roland
At
Villa san Giovanni, the train is shunted onto a
train ferry for the crossing to Messina. This
is a sleeper train on board the ferry.
Photos courtesy of Edward Roland
Traveller Edward Rolands
reports: "We took the overnight train train to
Sicily, booking a 4 berth “comfort” couchette. Booking in
advance at
www.trenitalia.com meant it only cost €34. It had a lot more
space than the 6 berth variety and the air conditioning was
functioning a lot more effectively too making for a much
better nights sleep. We woke up in the morning as the train
was pacing along the Calabrian coast with some lovely views
of mountains in the distance and cliffs dropping in to the
sea. The train then arrives at Villa San Giovanni where it’s
shunted on to the ferry, a process which takes about half an
hour. You may be shunted on to the ferry, then shunted
off again, then shunted back on again, as the train is
broken up so that it fits! The crossing takes about
half an hour and you can get off and go on deck to enjoy the
view - and get some basic refreshments. On arrival at
Messina it takes about half an hour to reconstruct the train
which will now be in two bits, one for Palermo, one for
Catania & Syracuse. Our Siracuse section was shunted into
the platform at Messina Centrale first, 5 minutes before its
departure time. However it was held there until the
other section was reconstructed and shunted in to another
platform, so we ended up leaving over 20 minutes late.
The final section along the Eastern coast of Sicily has some
great views of the mountains in the distance and of course
Mt Etna. The train arrived at Taormina only 15 minutes late
- the staff seemed keen to make up more time as it didn’t
hang around before carrying on it’s journey South.
Overall the journey was brilliant and much better than any
flight!"
Step 2, book the
Milan-Naples train at
www.trenitalia.com, looking for a cheap 'Mini'
fare when you reach the fare selection page.
Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and simply quote your booking
reference to the conductor on board.
Step 3, book the
Naples-Sicily InterCity train at
www.trenitalia.com, again looking for a cheap
'Mini' fare when you reach the fare selection page.
Trenitalia offers a hassle-free 'ticketless' option,
you book online and quote your booking reference to
the conductor on board.
How
to buy tickets by phone or in person...
You
can buy tickets from any UK European rail booking agency, including
Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, closed on Sundays, £8 booking fee applies) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee applies). Rail
Europe have a travel centre for personal callers at 1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, open 10:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 10:00-17:00
Saturdays. For
more information about how to buy European train tickets,
see the London to Europe general
information page.
This takes 2 nights from London to Palermo, not 1, but it's
a more leisurely option with a cruise thrown in.
Leave London by Eurostar at 16:22,
change in Paris onto the overnight Lunéa service to
Nice, and take a connecting train to Genoa, arriving
lunchtime. See the London to Genoa
section for full details, and information on how to buy
tickets.
Sail from Genoa to Palermo on
Sicily on the daily Grandi Navi Veloci cruise ferry, leaving
Genoa at 22:00 and arriving Palermo around 18:00 next day.
A range of comfortable cabins, bars & restaurants are
available. Book the ferry online at
www.gnv.it.
One traveller reports the ferry as
"Superb, like a cruise ship with cars. We booked a
cabin with a double bed in the prow of the ship, breakfast
served in our cabin, swimming pool in the day, a very
civilised way to travel!"
Sicily ► London
In the return direction, the ferry
leaves Palermo at 22:00 and arrives Genoa at 18:00.
This is too late for the train to Nice/Paris/London, so an
overnight stop may be required, continuing the next day.
Or take an evening train to Milan, stay there, and take a
daytime Milan-Paris-London service, see
above.
You can also
travel from London to Naples by
train, then take an overnight cruise ferry from Naples to
Palermo. Two companies run daily ferries with
comfortable cabins with en suite showers, sailing around
20:00 and arriving around 07:00, in both directions.
See
www.tirrenia.it &
www.snav.it
for times, dates, fares & online booking.
Getting from the UK or mainland
Europe to Sardinia without flying is easy, as there are a whole range of
ferries to Sardinia, from both France (Marseille
or Toulon) and from the Italian mainland (Genoa,
Civitavecchia, Livorno, and others).
From London, one option is to
travel by train to Marseille or Toulon and then take an SNCM
ferry from
Marseille or Toulon to Porto Torres in Sardinia. Start
by checking sailing dates and times at either the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or www.sncm.fr.
Then check train times to connect, using the
London
to France page and allowing at least 2 hours in
Marseille between train and ferry, preferably a bit more to
allow for taxi transfer to port, check-in time, and to allow
for any delay.
However, the SNCM service
from France is not the most frequent, so you might prefer to
travel via Italy. Both Grandi
Navi Veloci and Tirrenia
Lines have overnight sailings from Genoa to Porto Torres
in Sardinia on most nights of the year, as well as sailings
from other Italian ports. Another ferry
company with regular sailings to Sardinia from Civitavecchia
near Rome
is Sardinia Ferries. Start by visiting the
Seat61 Ferry Shop, which can
book most ferry routes and operators, or see each ferry
company's own website to
confirm sailing dates, times and fares. Then see the London
to Genoa or
London to Rome sections above to arrange trains to connect.
Remember to allow several hours for a safe connection
between train and ferry, to include ferry check-in time,
transfer from station to port, and to allow for any delay.
How to
buy tickets:
Book the ferry first. You
can book the ferry online at the
Sardinia Ferries, Grandi
Navi Veloci or Tirrenia
Lines websites, or by phone with the ferry company's UK agents. The UK agent for Grandi Navi
Veloci is Viamare
Travel on 020
8343 5810,
for Tirrenia Lines it is SMS Travel & Tourism, 020
7244 8422, for SNCM
it is Southern Ferries, on 020
7491 4968.
Then book the train from London
to Genoa or Rome as shown on this London to Italy page, or
from London to Marseille or Toulon as
shown on the London to France page.
London to Holland by 'Dutch Flyer' train &
ferry... A train takes you from
London's Liverpool Street station directly to the
ferry terminal at Harwich. You walk off the
train into the terminal, get your
boarding card & cabin key at the Stena Line
check-in desk and walk straight onto the overnight
superferry to Hoek van Holland. The 'Stena Hollandica' is the largest ferry of its kind in
the world. See the
Netherlands page for details...
Cosy cabins: The overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry is a
floating hotel. All passengers travel in a cosy private
cabin with
en suite shower & toilet, free WiFi & satellite TV. This is the
cheapest 2-berth
cabin...
... and this is a Captain's Class cabin with double
bed & complimentary bubbly in the minibar.
Onwards to Switzerland by ICE high-speed train:
This is a superb 175 mph German
ICE train at
Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof.
2nd class seats on the ICE. A bistro car serves
meals on proper china. Stay overnight in
Switzerland, then on to Italy by EuroCity train...
By ferry instead of Eurostar.
Is Dover-Calais the best route?
If you want to avoid the Channel Tunnel, for example
if problems are affecting the Eurostar service or if you
suffer from claustrophobia, you can travel by train & ferry instead.
At first glance, the obvious route seems to be by train from
London to Dover, then the short 90 minute ferry crossing to
Calais, then by train to Paris. If you want to do
this, see the
London to
Paris by train & ferry page, and once in Paris you
can pick up any of the routes to Italy shown above.
However, although this is the direct and traditional route,
I do not recommend it, unless you happen to live near Dover,
as it is now inconvenient, it lacks any integrated ticketing
or timetabling and involves awkward bus or taxi transfers
between railway stations and ferry terminals on both sides
of the Channel. It now takes so long that you cannot
reliably connect with the sleeper train from Paris to Italy
the same day, so need to stop overnight in Paris and travel
on next day.
London to Italy via the
Harwich-Hoek van Holland superferry...
Instead I suggest what at first seems a roundabout
alternative, marked in black on the
route map above, via the excellent overnight superferry
from Harwich to Hoek van Holland. This route offers cheap combined
train+ferry tickets from London to Amsterdam with totally
painless train-ferry transfers on both sides of the water,
then inexpensive onward tickets to Italy. It's handy if you live in
East Anglia as you can travel direct to Harwich without
going through
London, and it avoids France and Belgium if the French or
Belgians are on
strike again.
Indeed, you may simply prefer a convenient evening
departure from central London, cruising overnight to Holland in a
private cabin with shower, toilet, free WiFi and satellite
TV on the luxurious Stena Line superferry, spending the next
day at leisure in Amsterdam, then taking the excellent City
Night Line sleeper overnight to Zurich followed by a scenic onward
train ride through the Gotthard Pass in the Swiss Alps to
Italy.
It's both civilised and comfortable. Here's how to do it:
London, East Anglia & Harwich
► Italy
Day 1:
Travel
by train from London to Hoek van Holland by 'Dutch Flyer' train &
luxury ferry. You leave London's Liverpool
Street station at 19:32 on a train to Harwich International. At
Harwich, the station is right next to the
ferry terminal and you walk off the train into the
terminal, check in at the Stena Line desk and walk straight onto Stena Line's
luxurious overnight superferry 'Stena Hollandica' to Hoek
van Holland. All passengers travel
in cosy private cabins with en suite toilet & shower,
free WiFi & satellite TV.
Deluxe 'Comfort class' or 'Captains class' cabins are also
available, with complimentary minibar. You
can get on board the ferry around 9pm, have a late
dinner in the restaurant and settle into your cabin.
The ferry sails at 23:15 and arrives at Hoek van Holland
at 07:45 Dutch time next morning. This 'Dutch
Flyer' London-Netherlands train & ferry service is a
fully-integrated service with special fares from London
to Any Dutch Station which cover the train to Harwich, the
ferry and onward train to anywhere in the Netherlands,
see the Netherlands page for
full details. The same special fare from London is valid from any National Express East Anglia station,
for example Norwich, Cambridge, Romford, Ilford, Ipswich.
Option
1: Day 2, take daytime trains from Hoek van Holland to Switzerland
and stay overnight.
At Hoek van Holland, the station is right outside the ferry
terminal. Take the frequent local sprinter train from
Hoek van Holland to Rotterdam (there's usually one at 08:10
or 08:25 for example), and change onto the next available
Dutch domestic InterCity train to Utrecht. Your 'Dutch
Flyer' ticket from London to Any Dutch station covers this
section, no reservation is necessary, just hop on any train.
Then take the 11:02
high-speed ICE train from Utrecht to Frankfurt, arriving
Frankfurt-am-Main at 14:30. Change onto the 15:36
high-speed ICE train
to Basel SBB (arrive 17:47), Bern (arrive 18:56) or
Interlaken (arrive 19:57). Spend the night in a hotel
in any of these cities.
Option 2:
Day 2, spend the day exploring Amsterdam then take the City
Night Line sleeper train to
Switzerland. At Hoek van Holland, the station is
right outside the ferry terminal. Take the frequent
local sprinter train from Hoek van Holland to Rotterdam, and
change onto the next available InterCity train to Amsterdam,
arriving Amsterdam Centraal around 10:14.
Spend the day exploring
Amsterdam,
left luggage lockers are available.
In the evening, take the 20:34 City Night Line
sleeper train 'Pegasus' overnight from Amsterdam Centraal to Basel
arriving at 06:54 & Zurich at 08:20 next morning.
The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 & 3 berth rooms, either
standard with washbasin or deluxe with en suite toilet &
shower), couchettes
(4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats.
More information about City
Night Line trains.
Day 3, travel
through the Swiss Alps to Italy. Travel by
EuroCity train through the Swiss Alps to Milan, with a whole
range of trains to choose from. For example, the 09:09
EuroCity train from Zurich arrives in Milan at 12:50,
travelling via the
scenic Gotthard route. Check onward train times
from Milan to other Italian cities using
www.trenitalia.com allowing at least 60 minutes to
change in Milan. You can check times and fares from
Swiss cities to Milan at either
www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only) or
www.sbb.ch.
Change in Milan for other Italian cities, check times using
www.trenitalia.com.
Italy ►
Harwich, East Anglia & London
Day 1, Take a EuroCity
train from Milan to Basel or Zurich. Take an
afternoon EuroCity train from Milan to Basel or Zurich.
For example, the 15:10 direct EuroCity train from Milan
Centrale arrives Zurich at 18:51, travelling via the
scenic Gotthard route.
Coming from other Italian cities, use
www.trenitalia.com to check train times to Milan
allowing at least 60 minutes to change in Milan.
Option
1: Stay overnight, then take daytime trains from Switzerland to Hoek van Holland
on day 2.
Stay overnight in Basel. Day 2, leave Basel SBB at
10:12, by
high-speed ICE train to Frankfurt-am-Main arriving at
13:08. Change in Frankfurt onto the 13:29
high-speed ICE train
to Utrecht, arriving 16:58. Now take Dutch domestic
trains from Utrecht to Rotterdam and on to Hoek van Holland.
Trains run frequently from Utrecht to Rotterdam & Rotterdam
to Hoek, no reservation necessary, just hop on any train.
This section is covered by your 'Dutch Flyer' Any Dutch
Station to London ticket. At Hoek, the ferry terminal
is right next to the station. In suggesting this
service from Switzerland I've allowed plenty of time to
connect with the overnight ferry, so you could stop off in
Utrecht (which has a very nice old town) or Rotterdam for an evening meal. Just make
sure you reach Hoek before 21:00.
Option 2:
Day 1, take
the City Night Line sleeper train from Zurich or Basel to Amsterdam,
and spend a
free day in Amsterdam. The City Night Line sleeper
train 'Pegasus' leaves Zurich
daily at 20:42 or Basel at 22:07 (day 1), arriving at Amsterdam Centraal
at 08:56 (day 2). The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 & 3-berth rooms, either
standard with washbasin or deluxe with en suite toilet &
shower), couchettes
(4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats.
More information about City
Night Line trains. Spend the day in Amsterdam,
left luggage lockers are available.
Then take the 18:46 InterCity train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam
and change onto the local sprinter train to Hoek van
Holland. The ferry terminal is right next to the
station.
Day 2, travel overnight from Hoek van Holland to London by
'Dutch Flyer' train & luxury ferry. Check in at
the Stena Line desk, then walk
onto the luxurious superferry 'Stena Britannica' and sail overnight
to Harwich in a snug private cabin with shower, toilet,
satellite TV and free WiFi. The ferry sails from Hoek at 22:30
Mondays-Fridays or 22:00 Saturdays & Sundays and arrives at Harwich
International at 06:30 next morning (day 3), UK time.
Take a train on to London arriving 08:45-08:59.
See the Netherlands page for
full details about the 'Dutch Flyer' train & ferry service.
How much does
it cost?
London to
Amsterdam or Utrecht starts at £39 per person each way,
plus the cost of a cabin. Cabins start at £30 for
a single berth cabin or £43 per cabin for a 2-berth, and
are compulsory on the night sailing. The fare
covers the train from London to Harwich, the ferry, and
onward Dutch trains from Hoek van Holland Haven to any
station in the Netherlands, see the
Netherlands
page for full details of fares and cabin types and
costs.
If you prefer
option 1, Utrecht to Frankfurt starts at 39 euros each way,
then Frankfurt to Basel also starts at 39 euros.
If you prefer
option 2, Amsterdam to Basel or Zurich by City Night Line
sleeper train starts at 49 euros one-way with a couchette in
6-berth, 59 euros with a couchette in 4-berth, 79 euros with a
bed in a 2-bed sleeper, 139 euros with a bed in a single-bed
sleeper.
Zurich or Basel
to Milan starts at 19 euros or £17.
How to
buy tickets...
Step 1, buy a 'Dutch Flyer' train & ferry ticket from London to Utrecht or
Amsterdam. Buy
a London to Amsterdam train & ferry ticket as
shown here.
Step 2, book your
trains from Utrecht or Amsterdam to Switzerland:
Go to the German Railways website
www.bahn.de. If you want to take the
Amsterdam-Zurich City Night line sleeper, ask the
system for Amsterdam to Basel or Zurich departing after
20:00, and look for the overnight CNL train with 0 changes.
If you want to book daytime trains from Utrecht to
Switzerland, resist the temptation to book from Utrecht to
Basel all in one go. Instead, split the journey
into Utrecht-Frankfurt (and back) and Frankfurt-Switzerland
(and back) and look for the trains shown above. This
way, the system will offer you German Railways' cheap
Netherlands-Germany and Germany-Switzerland fares for each
leg, from just 39 euros each way for each leg. These cheap fares
will not show up if you ask for a Netherlands to Switzerland
journey all in one go. If you prefer you can book by phone, call
DB's UK office on 08718 80 80 66, lines open
09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 at weekends.
Step 3, book
your trains from Switzerland to Italy. You can do
this easily at either
www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only) or
www.sbb.ch
(residents of any country, self-print tickets or collection
at any Swiss station). One-way tickets starting in
Italy should be booked at
www.trenitalia.com rather than
www.sbb.ch.
Step 4, book
any onward trains within Italy. Do this at
www.trenitalia.com, but allow at least 60 minutes to
make connections in Milan to allow for any delay.
A standard 'Seaways' class cabin with shower & toilet on
DFDS 'Princess of Norway' from Newcastle to Amsterdam.
You can take a train up
to London and travel from London to Italy as described above,
of course, and this is often the easiest and fastest option. If
you want to do this,
read this advice on buying
connecting train tickets up to London. But
DFDS Seaways run an excellent daily
overnight cruise ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam,
and
P&O Ferries
sail overnight from Hull to Holland. Then there's
a direct City Night Line sleeper from Amsterdam to Switzerland
for onward EuroCity trains
through the Alps to Italy. So why not by-pass London,
and have a day in Amsterdam into the bargain before
travelling on to Italy?
Scotland & the north of
England ► Italy
Day 1, take a train to either
Hull or Newcastle, whichever is most convenient for where you
live. Transfer to the P&O overnight cruise ferry from Hull
to Rotterdam or the DFDS Seaways cruise ferry from Newcastle
to IJmuiden, the port of Amsterdam. Both ferries have
bars, restaurants & comfortable en suite cabins, arriving
next morning. For details of timetables, port
transfers, fares & how
to buy tickets for travel to Amsterdam via each of these
ferry routes, see the UK-Netherlands page.
Day 2, spend the day
in Amsterdam, all the sights are easy walking distance from
Centraal station. Left luggage lockers are available
at Centraal station, 4-6 euros for 24 hours, paid for with
Maestro or Visa cards.
Day 2 evening, take
the City Night Line sleeper train 'Pegasus' from Amsterdam
to Zurich. The Pegasus leaves Amsterdam at 20:34 and arriving Basel at
06:54 & Zurich at 08:34 next morning (day 3).
The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 berth rooms), couchettes
(4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats. More
information about City Night Line trains.
Day 3 morning,
take an onward daytime train through superb Alpine scenery
from Basel or Zurich to Milan. For example, the 11:09
from Zurich arrives Milan Centrale at 14:50. See
www.raileurope.co.uk to book this, or check times and
book at the Swiss railways website
www.sbb.ch.
Day 3
afternoon, change in Milan
for an Italian domestic train to Florence, Rome,
Verona or Venice. Allow at least 45 minutes in Milan for
connections. You can check Italian train times & buy tickets
online at either
www.raileurope.co.uk (easiest to use) or
www.trenitalia.com (see
advice
on using Trenitalia.com, can be a bit cheaper but sometimes
struggles to accept UK credit cards).
Italy ►
Scotland & the north of England
Day 1, take a morning train to Milan from Venice, Rome,
Florence, Verona or anywhere in Italy. Allow at least
an hour in Milan for connections.
You can check train times at either
www.raileurope.co.uk (easiest to use) or
www.trenitalia.com (see
advice
on using Trenitalia.com, can be a bit cheaper but sometimes
struggles to accept UK credit cards).
Day 1, take an afternoon train from Milan to either Zurich
or Basel.
For example, the 15:10 from Milan Centrale arrives in Zurich
at 18:51. You can check train times at either
www.raileurope.co.uk or
www.trenitalia.com. Allow at least an hour in
Basel or Zurich for connections.
Day 1, evening: The
City Night Line sleeper train 'Pegasus' leaves Zurich at
20:42 or Basel at 22:07, arriving at Amsterdam Centraal at
08:56 next morning.
The Pegasus has sleepers (1, 2 berth rooms), couchettes
(4-berth & 6-berth) & ordinary seats.
More information about City
Night Line trains.
Day 2: Spend the day in Amsterdam.
Left luggage lockers are available.
Day 2, travel overnight by cruise ferry
either with P&O Ferries from Rotterdam to Hull or with DFDS
Seaways from IJmuiden (near Amsterdam) to Newcastle, whichever is
most convenient for where you live. Next morning (day 4)
transfer to the station and take a train home. For full
details of train & ferry times and how to buy tickets for each
of these routes, see the UK-Netherlands page.
To check
Amsterdam-Zurich sleeper train fares &
book online, go to either
www.raileurope.co.uk or
www.bahn.de (look for the direct CNL train with 0 changes).
Fares from 49 euros with a couchette or 79 euros for a bed
in a 2-bed sleeper Then book Zurich to Milan at either
www.raileurope.co.uk or
www.sbb.ch,
from 19 euros.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or
(when available)
Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
If you have a decent guidebook
you'll see so much more and know so much more about what you're
looking at. It's a sound investment when you remember
what you're spending on the whole trip! I think the Lonely Planets or Rough Guides
are the best ones out there for the independent traveller.
My own book is an essential handbook for train travel to Europe
based on this website called "The
Man in Seat 61". Published in June 2008 and
revised April 2010, it's available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.
Or buy the Lonely
Planets from the
Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.
Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas
you need in .PDF format
from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or
US$4.95 a chapter.
www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
www.venere.com is perhaps the best
specific website for hotels in Italy,
as they're an Italian-based company and have places in even
the smallest towns. The price
you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you just
pay the hotel when you get there. After you've booked,
you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the
hotel's own change and cancellation policy. Click these
links:
www.mrandmrssmith.com (no relation!) is the place to start
if you want something special for an anniversary, honeymoon,
romantic break or other special occasion.
www.mrandmrssmith.com lists hand-picked boutique hotels in
Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, Tuscany, Sicily, Sorrento,
Amalfi Coast and several other locations in Italy.
Tripadvisor hotel reviews...
www.tripadvisor.com is a good place
to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.
It also has the low-down on all the sights & attractions too.
Backpacker hostels...
www.hostelbookers.com: If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget the backpacker hostels. Hostelbookers has online booking of cheap private
rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most Italian cities and
elsewhere in Europe, at rock-bottom prices.
If you want a holiday or short
break to Italy by
train not plane, and would like someone else to organise all
the train tickets and hotels for you, several good specialist
companies can do just that. Railbookers offer
tailor-made individual holidays with departure on any date you
like, for however long you like. If you prefer to go in
a group, Treyn Holidays & Great Rail Journeys offer escorted
tours with specific departure dates.
Railbookers can
tailor-make a flight-free holiday or short break to Italy for you
to your own specification, with train
travel, transfers & hotels all arranged for you, leaving on any date you like. For
example, a 4-night short break to Florence starts at £429 per
person, including travel by Eurostar & onward trains
there and back. An 8-night holiday to Venice, Florence & Rome starts
at £1,159 per person with daytime train travel by Eurostar, TGV
& onwards trains through the Swiss Alps. If you tell
them what you want, they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you. Italy is
one of their most popular destinations, and they get a lot of
repeat business!
See their Italy page to browse suggested itineraries and
prices. You can use London-based
www.railbookers.com to arrange a European train tour
whatever your country of residence, in fact they now have an
office in Sydney Australia (www.railbookers.com.au,
02 8096 0550) or you can call their London office
from overseas on +44 20 3327 0761.
Planet Rail,
www.planetrail.co.uk, 01347 811 810
(please quote 'Seat61.com' when you call)...
Planet Rail offer tailor-made holidays by
rail for both groups and individuals, put together to your own
requirements. Destinations include Italy, Switzerland, Germany,
Belgium, Russia and France. See
www.planetrail.co.uk or call 01347 811810 to speak to one
of their team.
Treyn Holidays
offers train-based escorted tours to Italy, with 2* or 3* hotels and travel
by Eurostar and high-speed TGV in 2nd class. For example, a 9-day
tour to Florence, Venice and Tuscany starts at around
£1,150 per person. An 8 day tour to Lake Garda starts at around
£875. Check details at
www.railholidays.com,
then book online or call 01904 730 727.
GRJ offers
five-star inclusive escorted tours to Italy, with 1st class train
travel and 4* or 5* hotels, from around £1,125 per person.
Tours include a
14-day Grand Tour of Italy to Florence, Venice & Rome from
£2,245, a tour to the
Bay of Naples, Capri & Amalfi from £2,295, and to Lake Garda
from £1,095, all with travel from London to Italy and back by train.
Great Rail Journeys also offer
holidays by train to other European countries. Check
the tour details online, then call 01904 527120 to
book or use their
online booking form.
Erail,
www.erail.co.uk,
020 7619 1080 (please quote 'Seat61.com'
when you call)...
If you prefer to
travel on your own unescorted, with departure on any date you
like, Erail offers an Italian Grand Tour, 9 days to
Rome, Florence & Venice from around £641 per person.
...consider eating at the famous
and remarkable 'Train Bleu' restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon, on the main
concourse, website
www.le-train-bleu.com. Originally the Gare de Lyon's grand buffet, it
opened in 1900 and decorated in a sumptuous art nouveau
style which it retains to this day. The set menus cost
around 54 euros, the food is very good and the
surroundings are perhaps the most spectacular in which you
will ever eat a meal. Truly an experience in itself!
Just go to
www.le-train-bleu.com & email them to book a table, though you'll often
find a table free even if you just turn up. The Man
in Seat 61 says: "This place is special, and
beautifully, authentically French. I ordered a Rum Baba for dessert,
expecting a feeble confection of the sort served in most
British restaurants. A bottle of exotic Martinique rum
materialised on my table. The waiter reappeared,
carrying a generous sausage-shaped sponge roll. Whipping out a long
knife, he deftly slashed the Mark of Zorro into the sponge, and
with a flamboyant gesture emptied half the bottle of
Martinique rum over the top. One deliciously dangerous Rum
Baba later, I somehow still managed to stagger onto my train..."
...Or just a
coffee or beer while waiting at the Gare de Lyon...
A well-worn leather armchair in
the Train Bleu's tranquil bar section is far better than a draughty cafe table
downstairs on the concourse - it's not the cheapest coffee
in the world, and the vintage plumbing in the gents might be
suspect, but the place makes up for that with bags of
character!
The entrance to the Train Bleu
restaurant, up the steps from the main train
departure concourse at the Gare de Lyon.
A dining room at Versailles?
No, the Train Bleu restaurant for lunch before
taking the train to the South of France... Beats a
burger at Luton Airport any day...
Set menu, starter....
Set menu, main course...
...or at the Gare du Nord, try the Brasserie Terminus
Nord...
If you'd like a decent meal near
the Gare du Nord rather than the Gare de Lyon, try the
typically French Brasserie Terminus Nord (www.terminusnord.com),
just across the road from the front of the Gare du
Nord. It's good quality French cuisine in classic
Parisian brasserie surroundings, and so handy for Eurostar.
Main dishes cost around 18-20 euros.
Italian city centres and
cars don't mix, so stick with the train to see the cities. But if you want to get out of the cities and into
the countryside, for example Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast, then hiring a car can be a great idea.
Start with
Holiday Autos,
www.holidayautos.co.uk, they're part of Lastminute.com so are reliable and have a wide range of
locations and very good prices.
The award-winning
website
www.carrentals.co.uk compares many different car hire
companies including Holiday Autos, meaning not only a cheapest
price comparison but a wider choice of hire and drop off
location.
Never travel without insurance from a
reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself).
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome. Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a spare credit card, one designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...
It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which
UK credit cards
have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when
you use an ATM abroad. Taking this advice
can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your
normal high-street bank credit card! You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card,
find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
How to buy tickets if you live
in the 
Take
the train to Italy, then hire a car:
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
