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Route and trains - France and Italy, is interrail worth it?

  • 3 March 2022
  • 4 replies
  • 742 views

Hello!

My name is Maja and I am planning to travel through France and Italy this summer with my  boyfriend. We have all of our destinations and dates ready, but I have a few questions  regarding the trains (interrail). Here is our route:

  • London-Paris 

  • Paris-Nice night train

    • In Nice we would like to visit Cannes, Antibes and Monte Carlo as day trips. Should we book transportation separately or via interrail?

  • Nice-Vernazza (Cinque Terre) 

  • Cinque Terre-Florence

  • Florence-Venice (from Venice we fly to Greece)

 

So I was thinking about buying the global pass for 1 month with 5 travel days. Should that work or do we need the 7 travel days due to the overnight train? I was also wondering if it is cheaper to book all of the trains separately (not with an interrail pass) since most of these trains require seat reservations. I would be so glad to get  some tips from you experts, as I have tried researching online by myself without getting any wiser.  

 

Best regards, Maja

4 replies

R
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Userlevel 7
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To check regular fares, you can use the Eurostar, SNCF (France), Trenitalia (Italy) and Trainline website (the last one should have all trains mentioned) and then check which travel days would be good to use Interrail for, taking into account the mandatory reservations.

Regular fares for long-distance trains will get higher as the travel date comes closer.

However, do take into account that the summer timetable, starting 12 June, has not yet been completely published, especially for regional trains in Italy and France. To get an idea, you can look on the same day of the week, but before 12 June.

For a night train, you don't need an extra travel day, as long as you do not change trains after midnight.

Day trips from Nice can be too short for extra travel days. You can look up prices to see if 2 extra travel days are worth it.

You wil need reservations for:

  • London-Paris (30 EUR in 2nd class)

  • Paris-Nice night train (seat: 10 EUR, couchette 2nd class: 21.60)

(Interrail adds an extra fee of 2 EUR per seat and train.)

The other journeys can be done without reservations. It costs a little more time, but you're more flexible and save costs. In the Trenitalia planner, in the results overview, you can change to "Regionali”, which will only show journeys with regional trains and these are reservation-free:

 

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
M

Thank you so much for your useful advice!! Much appreciated:smile:

M
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Userlevel 7
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In the region around Nice/Cote d¨Azur are cheaper daytickets valid only on local=TER trains, as far as Ventimiglia in IT and west Cannes/Grasse. Around  11/12€, Local buses are even much cheaper: 1,50 or 2€/ride, all the way. Very slow though

Fares in IT are not overly high, but also depend a lot on which trains you want to use: the ´super´fast Frecce or the slower IC or even Regionale.

Note that in march now IR is discounted 10% and total price also depends on your age.

€* Lon-Par charges very high supplmt for IR, if you hit a really low advance fare this may even be cheaper (not likely though in high summertime).

As it is now, there are only plans and nothing DEFinit for the overnite Par-Marseille/Nice.

R
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Userlevel 7
Badge +9

I€* Lon-Par charges very high supplmt for IR, if you hit a really low advance fare this may even be cheaper (not likely though in high summertime).

This is not correct.

The normal fares in 2nd class are always more expensive than 30 EUR (price of an Interrail reservation). The lowest permanent fare is currently 41 EUR; a current temporary offer is 39 EUR. I don't remember ever having seen fares below 30 EUR.

As it is now, there are only plans and nothing DEFinit for the overnite Par-Marseille/Nice.

This train is already in operation. The next one leaves Paris-Austerlitz at 21:20 today.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.

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