Whats the best site for European train tickets????

Question

I am going to be in Paris, and i want to take a train to Rome (jan 3rd until jan 7th)... Any links the dates added.. please?

Answer 1

There is not just one site, you'll have to use several:

http://www.seat61.com/Italy.htm
http://www.bahn.de - best search engine for connections
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/db_tips.htm - guide to bahn.de
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/rail_menu.htm
http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

If you can't check for the exact times yet, note that there is a schedule change around December 9th. The changes are going to be minor, but it might affect your booking so the system doesn't allow you to see the schedule or make any bookings yet. Check back in late November. For now you can plan with the times you get using random dates in November.

BTW, considering the time you need to travel the distance by train (12 hrs14 min at the least) I suggest you look at flights too:

http://www.skyscanner.net

Oh yeah, and while I gave you the link to Rick Steves' rail site, I do not recommend using him. Instead I recommend following the directions given at the seat61 site. Rick Steves is when all is said and done still an American. While he has travelled extensively around Europe, he has not spent ages on working on all the knick-knacks and the kinks in European rail travel. For him it is "buy a Eurail pass" or "use my agency for help", but not giving you step-by-step instructions on how to do it alone. This benefits him, but not you. He also never bothered to investigate "creative ticketing" nor ever indicated that this sport (yes, Europeans take finding the cheapest possible railfare as a sport) exists.

Answer 2

I agree with t_maia2000, do your own checks.

I would start with using the French and Italian rail planners. The 'local' sites will be the best to get you the information.

France: http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage?_DLG=SvHomePage&_CMD=cmdHomepageUK&WB=HP&rfrr=4685ac17fd2e7656e4918c53b246a3f7
Italy: http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Both these sites find a train for the day I tried, but I know that other times I would find four more connections. So most likely it is the 'change in the schedules' that is spoiling the fun.

If you are short on time go for high speed trains or overnight trains, if you are on a tight budget, try to get the 'slow' trains only for which you do not need reserved seats, but check for the price of both, because the high-speed tickets often come at a discount making them near the same price.

If you are in Paris just for those four days, do not bother taking the train to Rome, as that is going to take a lot of time out of a short stay.
Even flying to Rome would take too much of your time, as each flight takes about half a day when you also count the time you need to go to the airport, check-in time, security check time, half an hour boarding, and the time it takes to get from the airport to the town proper.

Answer 3

Assuming you are from the US, go to http://www.raileurope.com/us/index.htm.
Click on "Tickets and Schedules".

For personal help, I would recommend calling Rick Steves travel for advise and to buy your tickets. Some of the multi-country plans can be confusing. Rick Steves is very helpful at figuring out the best ticket scheme.
http://www.ricksteves.com
click on "Eurail Pass Store"

BY THE WAY - That IS a LONG TRAIN RIDE. Consider using some of the many cheap flights now available in Europe.
Try http://www.europebyair.com
I did a search and found RyanAir and EasyJet for less than US$150. Round Trip, and about 2 hr flight time

Answer 4

why don't you contact a professional travel consultant since the dates and class of service would determine your ticket price. He/She would also be able to verify any oddities like transit visas and other things you may not know about. I have found them to be invaluable and saved a lot of heartache.

Answer 5

search for Euro rail

Answer 6

www.sncf.fr will give you the answer, also in english