Hi,

I’m considering the Paris – Rome (via Milan change) later this year. However, TA reviews aren’t looking entirely positive. Notwithstanding recent events on trains elsewhere in France, has anyone used this service and what was the experience like?

Thanks.

We overnighted Paris to Florence about 5 years ago. The trains were Italian we were in a shared compartment with 6 others. . The departing train was very late so we spent ages waiting at an uncomfortable Paris Bercy but the trains now depart from gare de Lyon now. The shared compartment was a tad run down and you needed to work out how to errect the bunks and reach a group consensus as to when to do so basically seat makes bottom back rest middle luggage rack top.

Fairly comfortable to sleep on . take food and lots of water to drink, there was no evidence of a buffet car a guard gave out a free small bottle of water and some odd bread crisps about an hour before we were due to get off in Florence . On the return journey the guard advised us to lock the doors to avoid problems with undesirables .

My wife has done the same trip on the expensive ticket which was much more salubrious and avoided the enforcement proximity to a French students feet.

The trip was an experience made better by using it as an excuse for a long weekend in Paris . Longer but more fun than air travel.

Can’t help, but have you checked with the man in seat 61

Ignore me I went on the lacklustre service the thello has noe replaced, so it will be a much posher experience now.

We caught the thello sleeper earlier this month, but stayed on all the way to Venice. We booked a full 6 berth couchette for 4 of us to give us privacy and extra space. Treat it like ‘posh-ish’ camping: it’s not luxury by any means and it was easily the oldest train we travelled on during our three weeks of interrailing around France and Italy. We also made sure we’d taken plenty of supplies on board as the shop isn’t great.

The problem with traveling overnight through the Alps is you miss the views.

I’d treat that journey as a day out and travel during the day.

Just my tuppence worth.

Yep, it was reading the Man on seat 61 which has had me wondering whether it’s ‘better’ to travel in a 4 bed couchette. Would prefer to travel during the day i.e. on the TGV at 250 kph, but the Eurostar timings don’t allow me to do that, without needing accommodation in Paris for a night and then another night in Milan.

Have you looked at via Zurich?
granted, this was coming north, but I managed to leave Tirano (Italian side of the Alps)at 9AM, arrived in Paris at 7PM then on to London. It’s a long day but it used the Bernina Express train to cross the Alps which was totally spectacular and well worth doing. Tirano-Milan’s a couple of hours but Tirano’s a nice enough place to overnight. Did mean changing a couple of times though at Chur and Zurich, but no particularly long waits