Hello Everyone!!,
This will be our first trip to Europe and my wife and I will be traveling from Paris (Bercy station) to Rome (Termini). First how are the trains, are they similar to Amtrak or better. Second is an upgrade to a first class double compartment worth the investment. And finally if we book through the SNFC site choosing the first class upgrade and reservation, is this all we have to pay or are there additional charges. I know this is a lot of questions for one post, but I thought I%26#39;d throw it all out there at once and see what sticks. Thanks in advance for al of your help. Mbrutus
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Hi
We just retuned from Paris last week.
We used to Bercy from Milano by night train.
The compartment was only for two people.. You can lock the door.
So you can sleep safely. Next morning they serve breakfast.
But I don%26#39;t know that is Italy%26#39;s train or France train. SNFC is France train.
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Ok, I had to laugh,,because the trains in Europe are nothing like Amtrak...I wish this were not true but Amtrak%26#39;s best trains don%26#39;t compare to the average ones in Italy or France.
We travelled in a couchette from Termini to Pisa earlier this year (2nd class) with 4 other people and that is ok for a 2 hour trip, but since you%26#39;re overnighting it and saving the cost of hotel, and it is your first trip to Europe, go for it and upgrade.
As for how to book the tix, I%26#39;ll have to defer to others on that since we purchased our tix at each destination a day earlier.
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%26gt;%26gt; First how are the trains, are they similar to Amtrak or better. %26lt;%26lt;
They are for sure a change from the HUGE American gabarit, (there are no such things as three-storey automobile transport waggons here!), but their rolling comfort is _way_ higher, and that%26#39;s true for all Europe !
The fittings might be less luxurious than in an American sleeper but are nonetheless comfortable.
Cheers,
S.
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we took the night train from Florence to Paris (same train as the Rome train ) I am too old to sleep in 6 shelf couchettes -- but the kids in them appeared to be having fun
my husband and I had a two berth private compartment -- it was very comfortable with great seats during the day, comfortable bunks with plenty of headroom, lights for reading, plenty of room to store stuff (you have to have your luggage in your compartment) -- they bring coffee and a packaged croissant as you pull into Paris -- I like the sway of a train for sleeping
There were a bunch of choices including very fancy double compartments -- we had the least expensive choice in double compartments which had roomy seats and very comfortable bunk beds with sheets and blankets -- I do think it is worth having a private room and a bunk for a trip this long and overnight -- we got on at about 10 pm and were in Bercy at about 8 am
only problem at all was the lack of cabs at Bercy -- we had to wait a long while -- but that won%26#39;t be a problem at Termini which has a lively cab rank (be sure to go to the official cab rank and not let a tout guide you into a cab out front -- you will pay 4 or 5 times the legitimate fare if you do that)
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Thanks Everyone!!!!!
Much great information, about the trains. I just need more information on booking should I contact SNFC direct is there an english tele number? I%26#39;ve read the post on in this forum on booking with SNFC but, there is no mention, or at least none I could find about charges for reservations. Any information will help!! Thanks again, Mbrutus
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When you make your booking online with SNCF the price you pay will include the cost of the seat reservation if a reservation is required. In the case of a night train, when you select your class and accommodation, the price will again include the cost of that particular accommodation. If you are having trouble with booking on the SNCF site - and it can frequently be difficult when it comes to making international reservations - there is a phone number that will take you directly to an English language representative in MorganB%26#39;s post.
Hope this clears up any uncertainty.
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First-class compartments are quite comfortable, and the Paris-Rome trip is a lot of fun. The run along the Mediterranean is beautiful--at that point our conductor shed his jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeves, and just stood by the windows gazing out at the view. He was all business in Paris but became more and more Italian as the trip went along.
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Sorry, I don%26#39;t want to be the party pooper here, but travelling by train from Paris to Rome is no bundle of fun: it%26#39;s long, smelly and expensive. You%26#39;ll be much better off (comfortwise and moneywise) flying EasyJet between Paris Orly and Rome Ciampino. But that%26#39;s just my two cents from a jaded European who considers train travelling just as another travelling option to be chosen from and not some kind of romantic once in a life time experience !
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Sorry, but I have to disagree with the previous poster. My family and I ( a group of 7) took the overnight train from Bercy to Rome Termini on Monday June 26. We had a wonderful time.
I ordered the tickets online through the raileurope.com website. We reserved 1st class sleeper cars that held 2 passengers each. I got the tickets well in advance (about 6-8 weeks) because I heard they can run out of 1st class sleeper cars. Be sure to get discount tickets for Seniors, children or students if any of these apply.
Once you get the tickets by mail guard them well and remove the ticket receipt from the ticket booklet. That way if you loose the ticket you can seek a refund using the receipt. My sister lost her entire tickets and we ended up having to buy a new one in Paris. She had to ride in a 6 passenger couchette (not really bad) because there were no more 1st class doubles left.
We really enjoyed the train ride. The view is fantastic. I slept in the top bunk and did not really sleep all that well. I was worried about the luggage falling or sliding onto me. If I were to do it again I would have placed the luggage on the floor, prior to going to sleep.
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while I don%26#39;t disagree that flying might be a good choice -- in our case we had 70 pounds of books plus other luggage -- even our regular luggage would have been too heavy to fly easy jet without huge luggage penalties and with the books, it was out of the question to even fly a regular carrier
for us then, the train worked well
it was not smelly, dirty or unpleasant (although being stuck in a 6 shelf couchette with strangers would likely have been unpleasant) our two person cabin was comfortable and the beds were also comfortable -- and there was plenty of storage for luggage, even our giant book container
cheap airlines have ridiculously low luggage allowances and a habit of not loading luggage and taking zero responsibility for any problem -- that is how they do it so cheaply (read about a problem at Ryan for example where luggage just stacked up at Stansted for days and people simply didn%26#39;t have it on their trips -- %26#39;we don%26#39;t care%26#39; is the motto of budget air companies
