Hello,
So I want to take my great new husband to Europe. Our first trip overseas! We love trains and have 10 days and don%26#39;t want to drive - I%26#39;m thinking France and Italy.. I understand there are some romantic overnight trains..? Or maybe a great day trip by train in southern France? I%26#39; d love some advise as I%26#39;d like to plan and pay for as much as possible on dollars before we go overseas...
Thanks!
Kate
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Hello Kate. It is difficult to provide you with any definite kind of advice without knowing the kinds of things you like to do. Nevertheless, let me offer the following: 10 days is not a very long time and I think it would be a mistake to attempt to cover too much territory. If you have a total of 10 days including travel time, then you really only have 8 days on the ground in Europe since you lose a day at either end in travel time. First do some research and reading to help you focus in on a primary target of where you would like to go. Since you posted on the %26quot;France%26quot; forum, I will assume that you have already selected France as the country for this your 1st visit to Europe. Paris is a glorious city with so much to see and do that you could very easily spend 10 wonderful days and still not see the entire city. There is also the possibility of at least 2 great %26amp; easy daytrips from Paris - a train trip to Brugges, Belgium for a day - a train trip to Versailles for a day. I hope this is of some help. Whatever you decide have a great time with the new hubby.
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I like 2Goer%26#39;s answer to your question.
The time you have alloted is not effectively as long as it may appear, particularly considering travel times and the effects of time zone changes. Resist the urge to try and explore too many locations, you%26#39;ll spend too much vacation time %26quot;en route%26quot;. Consider selecting one location for the bulk of your time (5-6 days in Paris passes by in a flash) and then several days outside of the city. I do not know Italy as well as I know France but I%26#39;m sure there are worthy locations (perhaps Florence or Rome) to use as a principal destination with interesting countryside destinations as well.
The night train may sound interesting but high speed trains have made them less important and often unnecessary. Overnight safety has also become a concern on many routes as well.
You could visit Avignon and Provence for several days but keep in mind the train to Avignon is 3½ hours from Paris. For train travel in general, book on line 90 days in advance for best pricing and seat availability:
www.voyages-sncf.com
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Hi Kate,
I assume you want to travel by train. You can try Eurail France Italy Saver pass. You will have an option for 4,5,6,7,8,9 or 10 days within 2 month. And it starts from under $300 for a second class or just for $38.00 more in the first class. If you need reservations just buy them at pass holder fare.
Or if you want to stay mostly in France try Anywhere AnyTime France pass from RailEurope.com. It is an electronic ticket and you can book you trips at a discounted price from anywhere, as long as you have an access to a computer. It cost $159 per person and includes one trip already, if you book at the same time other destinations you will pay only 50.00 per trip, and if you want to do it later you pay $70.00 per trip.
Good Luck!
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I used to be a big fan of Eurail and booked many of our Europe rail tickets through them. Then I learned (here on TA) that booking rail tickets directly with the particular country%26#39;s own rail website was much, much less expensive. I purchased Paris to Nice tickets on the high-speed train for approx. half what the cost would have been through Eurail. An earlier poster included the French rail website %26lt;www.voyages-sncf.com%26gt; If you purchase the tickets 90 days in advance you get the lowest possible price. The French site is tricky to use but the savings is certainly worth the effort
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Just go to www.raileurope.com
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France and Italy are great travel destinations and traveling by train will certainly enhance your european experience.
When you are within France and Italy, you could take the day trains and when traveling from one country to the other, in your case from France to Italy an overnight train, for instance Paris-Milan, is an option. Depending on how many cities and days you wish to travel, a rail pass for France and Italy or point to point tickets could be suitable for you. I suggest you visit Raileurope%26#39;s website to plan your train trip.
www.raileurope.com
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I would strongly encourage anyone planning to travel by train in Europe to go to %26lt;www.seat61.com%26gt; and read about rail travel in Europe. This is a very informative website.
Also, prior to making a decision regarding the purchase of any rail pass or tickets, it is a very good idea to compare the price of the pass to the price of point to point tickets. The price of point to point tickets on the French rail system are much cheaper if purchased on the French rail site, %26lt;www.voyages-sncf.com%26gt;, than if purchased through RailEurope.
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On Rick Steves%26#39; site, there is a worksheet to help you figure out whether point-to-point tickets are cheaper or a pass. He also has a good rail guide. See http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/rail_menu.htm.
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Hi Kate,
If you%26#39;re planning to spend your entire stay in larger cities, travelling by train is just fine. However, while I know that you love trains, if you want to get out into the countryside and explore, you will really need a car, since having to depend upon train/bus schedules will severely limit your ability to explore most regions.
Driving in France is not at all difficult - the roads are in wonderful condition and the signage is great. Furthermore, you can control costs (with the exception of fuel) by arranging for car rental prior to your departure
While trains in Europe are wonderful, they aren%26#39;t particularly %26quot;romantic,%26quot; nor are there any great %26quot;day trips%26quot; via train in the south of France. In all honesty, what you see from the train windows isn%26#39;t at all representative of the area - to experience the region you really need to be able to get out, stop, and explore whenever you want to.
AlpillesGal
PS - I would be really helpful if you could provide more info regarding your interests and exactly just when you will be travelling.
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Thank you everyone for your input- I%26#39;ve decided to take my new guy just to France. He%26#39;s a chef and I think he%26#39;ll enjoy allllll the food! We%26#39;re planning two nights in Paris, train down to Avignon, rent a car for a few days and train back from Bordeaux to Paris. I found a great deal with Rail Europe, Anywhere Anytime France, a sort of pass that lets us pay here and make our train reservations on the web when in France..
Anyway, though I%26#39;ve been to these places before, I%26#39;m going to love seeing every place through my husbands eyes!
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