Italy by Rail
High-speed services with Eurostar (UK to Paris) and Artesia (Paris to Italy) brings even Southern Italy within an overnight trip, and you can choose to break your journey with a stay in Paris or connect straight through to Italy.
Your journey to Paris Gare du Nord takes approximately 2 hours from Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International, or 2 hours 40 mins from London St Pancras. There are 20 direct services per day and a choice of seating options:
Standard Class – comfortable seats, 30-minute check-in and access to 2 buffet cars offering a wide choice of snacks, drinks and light meals.
Leisure Select - first class service in dedicated carriages and with large reclining seats, 3 course meal# (at seat), power sockets and magazines.
Choice of hot or cold continental breakfast on trains departing up to 11am. Lunch with a choice of two main dishes on departures between 11am and 2pm. Afternoon meal with starter, light hot main course, pastries and tea/coffee for departures between 2pm and 5pm. Dinner with starter, choice of two main dishes, dessert and tea/coffee of departures after 5pm
Either enjoy a few nights in Paris before resuming your onward journey to Italy or take the metro to Paris Bercy Station to resume your onward journey.
Your high-speed journey from Paris to Italy continues with Artesia, who operate both day and night services.
Three day services per day operate to / from Milan, departing from / arriving into Paris Gare du Lyon station and take 7 hours approximately. They each offer a choice of Standard and First Class seating (with comfortable head and foot rests in both classes of travel). There is a bar buffet offering breakfast, hot meals, sandwiches and hot/cold drinks, as well as trolley service for snacks.
Two overnight services per day operate from/arrive into Paris Bercy:
19.00h departure to Rome (15hrs) via Bologna (11hrs) and Florence (12hrs) with a bar buffet offering breakfast, hot meals, sandwiches, snacks and hot/cold drinks.
20.28h departure to Venice (13hrs) via Milan (9 hrs) and Verona (11.5hrs) with a restaurant car offering dinner, breakfast, sandwiches, snacks and hot/cold drinks.
Both overnight services feature single, double or triple sleepers (private cabins with wash basin and power point) and 4-berth and 6-berth couchettes (shared cabins). All are air-conditions (except 6-berth couchettes) and include a welcome drink and snack. Shared WC and wash basin facilities are on each carriage.
Artesia trains are entirely non-smoking. Facilities for disabled passengers are only available in First Class on day services. Baggage allowance is two items per passenger.
All holidays incorporating rail are provisionally booked on request but are only confirmed 6-8 weeks before departure. In June when rail schedules change there is an additional delay and reservations may be confirmed 2-4 weeks before departure. We will endeavour to book the class of travel requested. In the unlikely event, however, that your preferred class of travel is not available when we make your booking you will be booked in the nearest class available, with a refund given where appropriate. Note all train journey times are approximate.
