London to Bologna by train?

[Sensibletrousers]

Wondering if it would be possible / enjoyable to take a trip to Northern Italy all
on trains (starting on Eurostar at St Pancras)? Are there some good sleeper trains, or scenic routes through / around the Alps en route to Bologna? Any interesting places to stop on the way?

Are there any travel agencies out there who could help put a trip together?

Would be two adults and two teens, and they want to visit the Ferrari and Lamborghini factories! I’d like a couple or days at Como but maybe not possible?

I’m just back from interrailing and have done some of the route. A few tips: Milan Centrale is very very busy, and most trains in Italy go through there. On the fast train’s reservations are compulsory but it’s very nice, especially in business class. The regional trains are not as good and can be dirty and old.

The Bernina express is great, but there are some ordinary trains on the route if you don’t want to spend too much.

Man in Seat 61 is the best website for info, and the eurrail website will help with routing and costs. Happy to help with any more details!

In Italy regional trains are frequently unreliable too.

No idea on getting there but one of my life affirming memories is being on a train to Italy aged 8 with my parents and waking up at about 5.30am as we were going through the Swiss Alps. I'm now 62 and I've never forgotten it. Stunning.

The other thing to mention is that the line was closed between Milan and Tirano recently by a landslip, so our journey involved a couple of trains and a rail replacement bus. All worked smoothly but only thanks to the info shared by trip advisor. The staff at the station were fairly clueless

We did the Lamborghini factory tour and it was short, but great. The Ferrari museum was also interesting. And I think Ducati does factory tours, if you're into motorbikes.

While you're there, try a cookery course in Bologna. I can't remember the one that we did, but we spent the morning making pasta and ragu and then ate it for lunch. We met the chef in the centre of town before we started cooking, and she showed us how to shop for the ingredients.

Also try to visit a balsamic vinegar 'farm'. We went to the Villa San Donnino which is between Modena and Bologna. I'm not sure if it's the same now as it was then, but they had a large tent set up in the vineyards and you could try the different types of vinegar (including one with ice cream) and then take a quick look to see how the vinegar was made. We also visited a lambrusco manufacturer while we were there.

I'm not sure how you'd get there by train, but we used to take the train to Milan via Zurich when we lived in Germany. The scenery over the Alps was lovely. You could probably get to Como via Milan or Zurich. South Tirol is also a lovely part of Italy, with lots of lakes and mountains and interesting things to do (mountain museums, Oetzi the ice man, Trauttmansdorff). I actually prefer South Tirol to Lake Como.

There used to be a sleeper train from Paris to Venice, but I'm not sure if it's still going. So that could be an option if you've never been to Venice. Or take a night train from Paris to the South of France, and then take a train along the coast to Milan.

@Anoooshka Sadly that sleeper train has been cancelled! I have fond memories of catching the train in Bologna on Christmas Day and waking up in Paris on Boxing Day!