Hello, I’m based in London and would love to travel to Italy (Bologna) by train, but the journey length and cost seem daunting and I keep putting it off each year.
I currently have a 4-day Interrail pass that expires in November but can get a refund if I don’t use it. At this stage, I’d need to pay at least £100 in seat reservations on top of the cost of the pass, plus one extra night’s stopover accommodation each way (I have insomnia so would prefer not to take the overnight train).
The length of the journey also seems daunting. Last year I travelled from London to Aix-en-Provence by Eurostar+TGV and loved the journey - the scenery was beautiful - but it only took one day so it felt manageable. I would want to split the Italy journey into two days.
My friends and family say I should just take a plane (I haven’t flown for 9 years) but I am worried about climate change.
I’m stuck in a rut and would be grateful for any advice please. Many thanks in advance!
Help needed for London to Italy journey
Best answer by ralderton
You’re going to struggle to find a route that meets all your objectives (fast, cheap, easy, not overnight). So it’s probably best to pick which of these is most important.
You’ll need to take the Eurostar to Paris or Lille, and at the other end you’ll be going via Milan. So the choice is which route you take between France and Milan.
The cheapest (reasonable) route will cost
- Eurostar London to Paris €35
- Frecciarossa Paris to Milan €13
- From Milan to Bologna, you can take regional train with no reservation fees, or faster Frecciarossa for €13.
You won’t be able to do that in a single day, so you can overnight in Paris or Milan.
You can, however, get all the way to Bologna in a single day if you’re willing to pay for the more expensive reservations. You just need to decide which is worth more to you. It sounds like it might be better to take the slightly slower, cheaper journey and pay for a hotel in Paris or Milan.
What kind of advice are you looking for?
If you'd like a route proposition, then please mention your travel dates.
Also see:
Thanks for your reply, rvdborgt.
I was considering going this September and am flexible with dates - I would prefer to travel on weekdays as they are less crowded. If it’s too late to go this year, I’m considering next spring or autumn.
I’m looking for advice on:
- Which routes are the least tiring or daunting?
- How to make the trip as inexpensive as possible, given that I’ll need overnight accommodation?
- Should I travel this year with my interrail pass + seat reservation fees, or wait until next year and book individual tickets?
Many thanks!
+9You’re going to struggle to find a route that meets all your objectives (fast, cheap, easy, not overnight). So it’s probably best to pick which of these is most important.
You’ll need to take the Eurostar to Paris or Lille, and at the other end you’ll be going via Milan. So the choice is which route you take between France and Milan.
The cheapest (reasonable) route will cost
- Eurostar London to Paris €35
- Frecciarossa Paris to Milan €13
- From Milan to Bologna, you can take regional train with no reservation fees, or faster Frecciarossa for €13.
You won’t be able to do that in a single day, so you can overnight in Paris or Milan.
You can, however, get all the way to Bologna in a single day if you’re willing to pay for the more expensive reservations. You just need to decide which is worth more to you. It sounds like it might be better to take the slightly slower, cheaper journey and pay for a hotel in Paris or Milan.
Hi Ralderton,
Thanks so much for your helpful reply.
The prices you quoted seem very reasonable. I was thinking it was going to cost at least £200-300. I bought a 4-day Interrail pass in the Black Friday sale last November and it’s valid for a year - but I would need to pay seat reservation fees on top. I can get a refund if I don’t use it by November.
If I book individual tickets rather than using my Interrail pass, will I be in trouble if any of the trains are cancelled or delayed, or if I miss my connection?
For a stopover, I was deciding between Paris and Chambéry (in the French Alps). Chambéry is geographically more halfway, but would involve buying four high-speed train tickets rather than three each way. If I chose Paris the journey might be simpler but might involve arriving in Bologna quite late in the evening with less time to settle in. However, I noticed that on Saturdays and Sundays there’s a TGV that arrives in Milano Garibaldi at 4.53pm (although I’d need to get from there to Milano Centrale for the connection to Bologna).
Do you have any thoughts on which of those stopovers is better?
Many thanks!
+9To be clear, those prices I quote above are the reservation fees, not full tickets!
Although you can often find a Eurostar ticket for around €39 if you look around, wait for a sale, travel at an unpopular time etc.
-
As above, I think you’ve already answered it yourself. It’s always a trade off between the perfect itinerary, the cheapest cost, arriving earlier or later than you’d like, and of course the hotel rates you find.
They’re all good options. I think you just have to trust your gut.
Thanks for your reply, ralderton!
I think it’s going to be very expensive with the interrail pass + seat reservations. If I book early and buy individual tickets for next year, do you know what happens if a train is cancelled or I miss my connection because of a delayed train? Are people usually allowed to get on the next train with the same ticket?
+9Thanks for your reply, ralderton!
I think it’s going to be very expensive with the interrail pass + seat reservations. If I book early and buy individual tickets for next year, do you know what happens if a train is cancelled or I miss my connection because of a delayed train? Are people usually allowed to get on the next train with the same ticket?
It’s a bit messy, but there is some protection. Good advice here: https://www.seat61.com/european-train-travel.htm#if-things-go-wrong
Eg if you take Eurostar to Paris + SNCF (but not Trenitalia) to Italy, then that connection is covered under the HOTNAT scheme. You just go to Gare de Lyon (ideally with proof of delay from Eurostar) and they’ll put you on the next train.
At Milan, a connection would be covered under the slightly lesser AJC scheme. This applies for onward Trenitalia tickets, but not Italo.
I told you it was messy...
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