Originally Posted by
nschuchert
I checked the train schedules and it doesn't look like there's a night train between Barcelona and Nice. It would stink having to lose a whole day on the train (leaving in the AM, arriving in Nice in the PM). Is there a possibility that they'd operate a night train between the two places during the summer?
If we both have first class train tickets will we get our own sleeper room to ourselves so we won't have to worry about our stuff being stolen? We're definitely gonna get the 1st class train passes, well worth the 30-50 extra dollars.
And no, we haven't booked the FCO-LHR flight yet so it won't be on the same itinerary as the AA LAX-LHR flights. However, luggage shouldn't be an issue as I'm only planning on bringing on a backpack and a bag that is small enough to be carried on to the plane. My dad got me this luggage from a company called Red Oxx for Christmas. Great stuff! This bag can be carried on and it's absolutely huge on the inside. It's tough, durable, looks cool, I guess they make bags for the Airborne. I'm only gonna be bringing shorts, tshirts, sweatshirts, and maybe a pair of jeans so I'll be packing fairly light.
I'm really looking forward to Rome! How far is Pompei from Rome? If it's like a 2 hour train ride I'd be interested in taking a day trip out there to check it out. I've been to London before and really liked it. I can definitely seeing myself enjoying it a lot more because I'm older. I think I was 11 years old when we went. I've got a ton of books on the places we're going to, but just need to take the time to read through them and all that to figure out the places we can't miss in each city. Does it look like we have enough time time in each city to hit all the "must see" stuff?
Thanks for the advice everyone (and I'll definitely look into those hotels!).
I'm not 100% sure, but I think train schedules for next summer probably aren't fully loaded yet, thus I would expect a Barcelona to Nice train to be there.
If there isn't a train that terminates in Nice, there might be a train from Barcelona to Milan, Florence, Rome, etc that stops in Nice. Alternatively, changing in Perpignan also might work (though this will definitely be longer, as I think the Perpignan-Nice trains are local and will make multiple stops).
In regards to the Pompeii trip, it's a solid 3 hours each way from Rome. Possibly a little more, depending on the connection time in Naples. I've also heard they were starting "tourist" trains from Rome to facilitate day trips (i.e. very early non stop departure from Rome, and a late evening return). I did a quick google search and didn't find much about it, though, so I don't know if that will pan out.
If you really want to do Pompeii, I would fit it in by either traveling from Florence to Pompeii, then going up to Rome, or by going to Rome first, then down to Pompeii, then fly from Naples back to the UK for your flight back to the States. This definitely adds travel time to your trip, and the trip is fairly tight to begin with, so unless it's a real priority for you, it might be better to save Pompeii for another trip.