would you take a TRAIN through france to italy with a 4yr and 2.5yr old? Any tips - or am I mad!

[justonemorethread]

Flights to Italy are ridiculous, especially x4. We have family in France and Italy.

Has anyone done this?

How bad is the Paris-Rome stretch?

Thought we could break it up with a stopover in Paris, overnight train, then cheap bandb in south of France, then overnight to Rome.

Haven't researched yet but have a romantic notion of it being a charming adventure.

Maybe I need bringing to my senses!

Would there be two adults? Do you have an ipad/dvd player/laptop you could plug them into? It's do-able in my opinion, is your holiday long enough to spare the amount of time it would take travelling?

visit seat61.com and get the inside info on train travel.

It may not be cheaper than flying.

Last year - but without DSCs - DH and I did London - Paris and overnight sleeper Paris - Florence. We left London about 2pm, changed stations in Paris via the Metro, boarded sleeper in Paris about 7pm. Arrived Florence around 8am. Tickets included all travel.

This was easy and fairly relaxed. Others were doing it with DCs. Would this be an option?

I would absolutely second seat61.com, and note this wasn't cheap. But it was, absolutely fantastic.

Yes there would be me and Dh. I'm viewing it as part of my holiday, counting the night and day in Paris plus maybe a few days by the coast in France.

Takes a few days out of intense and exhausting Italian family waiting at the other end! And rewarded with stay with said family and no cooking etc.

Will look at website and research, thanks. At the moment flights are 200 pounds EACH!

Feel your pain justonemore!

I had flights planned for Rome in half term day before yesterday and they went up £100 each in the space of a day!
Decided to try for end of August and ironically the hotels are cheaper but the flights as you say cost almost 3 times as much. Grr

Redrosie just wondering, how was the sleeper compartment? Was it 4 beds to compartment? Was it packed? Was there a lot of noise and commotion?

That would be the worst bit of the journey I think.

I know nothing ! I remember regularly getting 10 euro flights some years ago! Yes, end of August gets more expensive. Cheapest I could find was end of July to mid august.

I am not sure that if you do one stopover in Paris plus a "cheap" b&b in the south (good luck with that in the summer) it will be much cheaper. By the time you add up meals and transfers and whatever you might be there. it sounds like it could be bit of a false economy.
Adding to that, luggage plus children... Nah, might not be romantic but I wouldn't do it!

There are different sorts of sleeper compartment at different prices:

• private (this is what we had - two bunks, you could probably all get in there) has a sink. V clean toilets down the corridor.

• one that carries more - about 6

• couchette (that may not be spelt right) where people sleep upright.

It wasn't chaotic at all. I didn't sleep well, but that wasn't discomfort or noise - more excitment.

Your DCs are quite little though ... And it is a long time on the train if they are too young to enjoy the journey IYSWIM?

Info at the link below (on phone can't do propper link)

www.seat61.com/sleepers.htm

Thanks! Of course my angelic children will sleep throughout the journey, there is no flaw in my plan!

hi we have done similar but with slightly older children. Do look at Seat61 and email them with any queries - they are very helpful.

I think the overnight is Paris to Rome which might not work with your plans - you need a good long stretch on the overnighters or you can end up getting up at 5am to not miss Milan or whatever. You can definitely do Nice round to Pisa in four hours or so and that is a beautiful stretch, and Pisa is a hop from Florence which is on the main line down to Rome.

Look at interrail cards - you can get a 10 day card that allows you to travel on 5 of the days (overnights handily count as the arrival day not departure, so eg we went from Paris to Venice overnight, and then out that evening to Padua, all counting as one day) but you need to plan in advance and buy additional reservations on lots of the faster trains - so it adds up.

My other tip is the German rail booking site www.bahn.de - there is an English button top right - it is the easiest timetable search engine for the whole of Europe tho you may need to go to specific country sites to book. These are by the way cheaper than the UK variant Rail Europe and not just because you are buying in Europe.

We are going all the way to Greece on the train this summer - can't wait!

We did Paris to Austria last summer with 5 and 2 yr old. It was fab, def part of the holiday, but not much cheaper than flying as we did sleeper on the way out. Coming back we did a long day journey, which with a variety of books and snacks was great too.

I've done by train to Milan which was overnight from Paris. I've often thought if you book the 4 berth cabin it would be really pleasant with a family. The problem is I doubt it would be cheaper (it cost me at least twice as much as flying) plus hotels in Paris are expensive if you were stopping over. And you need to book super early to get the 4 berth.

Not meaning to put you off, I would definitely do it if you can afford it, I was planning to go to Jordan by train with the DCs before Syria kicked off!

we did train to Lucca in Tuscany with our two last year when DD was just 4 and DS 22 months. Don't be fooled it will be cheaper than flying - it can work out quite expensive. We took the overnight train from Paris to Florence going out then day trains home with an overnight stop in Lausanne. It was definitely part of the holiday but pretty exhausting. The night train was hard work - kids ridiculously excited and no sleeper carriages (they had been left in Italy) so we ended up in a couchette which was ok btu not as much room and all the nicer things of the sleeper were missing. But would I do it again - YES. Day trains coming home were lovely - I would def do one leg by day train as the sceneery is stunning and the kids really enjoyed it. Second calls for an IPAD/DVD player and seconde use of seat61!!!
Good luck

Ooh, thanks for the great tips! I hadn't noticed there were further replies.
Yes on closer look it is not cheaper, but now I've got a b in my bonnet that I want to do it!
Thanks again!