European Rail Travel - Does This Make Sense: Milan to Paris

I'll be traveling from Milan, IT to Paris, FR in late August. From what I can tell from the Trenitalia website - there is either no service or very limited service during the last 3 wks of August between these two cities because of work being done on the railroad.

So - I'm starting to look into alternates.

1.) Travel via Easyjet - for about $125/person (we're a family of 5). Travel time would be fairly short.

2.) Train from Milan to Zurich. Layover in Zurich for about 2.5 hours (get lunch), train from Zurich to Paris. Cost - $23/person from Milan to Zurich and then $80/person from Zurich to Paris. Travel would be a good part of the day.

I like the idea of the train - and the possibility of seeing another city on this trip (Zurich). Our kids are 13, 15, and 17 - and they are pretty easy travelers.

Is is possible to get up and move about the train? Are there typically snack/beverages available? Would this be a scenic trip?

Thanks!!

Trenitalia doesn't always like showing other operators' trains.

Try TGV Europe (http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/?rfrr=reserver%20un%20billet%20resultats_body_home ). The three daily direct TGVs from Milan to Paris seem to be running normally in August. Note that these trains depart from Milano Porta Garibaldi station and not Milano Centrale.

On the (more scenic) Milan - Zurich route, there is still some disruption following a landslide in June.

No problems in moving around and exploring trains in Europe, and the TGVs and many other long-distance trains have a restaurant or bistro-type car.

I'll be traveling from Milan, IT to Paris, FR in late August. From what I can tell from the Trenitalia website - there is either no service or very limited service during the last 3 wks of August between these two cities because of work being done on the railroad.
You might want to check www.voyages-sncf.com as well. AFAIK, the daytime trains between Paris and Milan are now run solely by SNCF, the French railway company (they were previously run by Artesia, which was a consortium between SNCF and Trenitalia, but that finished last year). So, the timetable info on SNCF website may be more uptodate than Trenitalia. However, it seems quite possible that there are restricted services in late August due to engineering works.

2.) Train from Milan to Zurich. Layover in Zurich for about 2.5 hours (get lunch), train from Zurich to Paris. Cost - $23/person from Milan to Zurich and then $80/person from Zurich to Paris. Travel would be a good part of the day.

I like the idea of the train - and the possibility of seeing another city on this trip (Zurich). Our kids are 13, 15, and 17 - and they are pretty easy travelers.

Is is possible to get up and move about the train? Are there typically snack/beverages available? Would this be a scenic trip?

I suggest you look at www.seat61.com/Italy.htm (http://www.seat61.com/Italy.htm) Obviously, you're only interested in the Milan-Paris part, and you can ignore the Paris-London stretch on Eurostar.

The Zurich-Paris TGVs should have a bar car. Seat61 indicates that some of the Milan-Zurich trains have a restaurant car. You can get up and walk around the trains if you want (although if they're very crowded, this might get a bit difficult).

Seat61 recommends the route from Milan to Zurich as very scenic.

Zurich is also worth a visit. 2.5hrs isn't very long, but should be enough time to walk from the station along the river to the lake and back.

Thanks for the great info - this helped a lot!

We are still deciding, although the general consensus from my family is to travel by train in one of these two options (either Milan-Paris or Milan-Zurich-Paris).

By all means go by train! You get to see something (actually quite a lot) of the countries you are travelling through. LCC flying is not enjoyable anywhere.You'll save time, but get no pleasure out of it. The train will be an enjoyable experience in itself.

Both rail routings are attractive and probably enjoyable. The Gottardo/ Gotthard route is very scenic, and the break in Zürich would be quite nice. Of course: the direct TGV Milan - Paris is more convenient (no change of trains) and the Mount Cenis crossing is also pretty scenic. I'd guess that the Mt. Cenis variant will be cheaper though.

Under normal circumstances, the alternative routing Milan-Paris would be through the Simplon tunnel, passing through/ changing at Geneve or Lausanne. Disruptions between Domodossola and Iselle makes this far less convenient this year, with replacement buses.

A good place to find up-to-date European train times is www.bahn.de, which works well even if the journey does not touch Germany.

Walking around the train is no problem.

For a tourist, the Milan-Zurich is a must. Very beautiful scenery. But personally I would make it Milan - Lausanne which is even nicer, then enjoy a nice meal in that beautiful city, then take the TGV to Paris. The Lausanne train stops in Dijon and that part is scenic, but the rest of the voyage is just farmland where you can sleep for an hour or so.

I'll be traveling from Milan, IT to Paris, FR in late August. From what I can tell from the Trenitalia website - there is either no service or very limited service during the last 3 wks of August between these two cities because of work being done on the railroad.

So - I'm starting to look into alternates.

1.) Travel via Easyjet - for about $125/person (we're a family of 5). Travel time would be fairly short.

2.) Train from Milan to Zurich. Layover in Zurich for about 2.5 hours (get lunch), train from Zurich to Paris. Cost - $23/person from Milan to Zurich and then $80/person from Zurich to Paris. Travel would be a good part of the day.

I like the idea of the train - and the possibility of seeing another city on this trip (Zurich). Our kids are 13, 15, and 17 - and they are pretty easy travelers.

Is is possible to get up and move about the train? Are there typically snack/beverages available? Would this be a scenic trip?

Thanks!!

How are you finding these fares? I can only find the cheapest fares for about $100 for each of those two legs searched separately. And what's stranger is that I can find an $80 fare if I just do a straight Milan-Paris trip. Is there a way to get the cheaper Milan-Paris fare with a day or two layover in Switzerland or will I just have to go the more expensive 2 separate fares route if I want to stop for a day or two along the way?

How are you finding these fares? I can only find the cheapest fares for about $100 for each of those two legs searched separately. And what's stranger is that I can find an $80 fare if I just do a straight Milan-Paris trip. Is there a way to get the cheaper Milan-Paris fare with a day or two layover in Switzerland or will I just have to go the more expensive 2 separate fares route if I want to stop for a day or two along the way?
Which site(s) are you looking at? You may need to avoid www.raileurope.com ...

I would look at www.trenitalia.com for Milan-Switzerland, and then www.voyages-sncf.com for Switzerland-Paris. As always, see Seat61 for further details: A beginner's guide to buying cheap European train tickets . . . (http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm)

However, if you are booking at short notice, you may find that you have to pay (close to) full fare...