My husband and I are considering taking an overnight train next spring from Paris to Venice. We decided on this option vs. the plane because it would maximize our time in Paris and give us one full day in Venice vs. flying.
Has anyone ever taken an Artesia Night train before? If so, whate was your experince.
We are cosidering booking a 2-person sleeper, arther than a 6-person. Expensive, but hopefully worth it.
One question, are you assigned a specific room / berth? Can you lock them from the outside, or is it only this inside? My only concern is leaving our luggage unattended while we go to eat in the dining car.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
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I would love to know the answer to these questions too... I%26#39;m going to do the exact same thing... I already reserve my ticket though and I got my seat and bed number... I%26#39;m staying in one of those rooms with 3 people because I%26#39;ll be traveling alone... so wondering about luggage safety etc too... I booked it because my dad did this years and years ago and he said it%26#39;s fine... but I don%26#39;t know how it is nowadays...
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We did the Paris-Venice trip in 2002 hoping to save a nights accommodation and maybe see a little of the sights along the way. Why I thought I would see the country at night time is beyond me now.
We had a private,first class 2 berth cabin that was tiny, so little that fitting us and two suitcases was a real struggle. Staff refused to assist us to put one up on the shelf over the door, citing back injuries, but we couldn%26#39;t do it so it sat on the floor and we put our feet on it. There was a basin with a potty under it in the corner and a toilet down the end of the carriage but no shower. The berths were above the seat accessed via a ladder (fun for a tubby 56 year old) and so tight was the space that we did not attempt to change clothes. The cabin was lockable. A plastic half glass of warm champagne was gratis on leaving Paris. Dinner in the dining car was then E25 each plus drinks and was only just reasonable in quality but quite copious in quantity.
I really didn%26#39;t sleep but my husband did. However, coming into Venice at dawn was rather magical for a first time into that city. Shame we arrived to a vaporetto strike and had to lug the suitcases up and over about 12 bridges to the eccentric Palazzo Zenobio.
Several things come to mind from our experience. One is that wandering Paris until the train is due to leave but having no base hotel room to return to is rather strange, even though we were able to leave the luggage with the hotel. Second is that you can%26#39;t check in to your hotel in Venice till after lunch hough again they will probably let you leave your luggage. Third, this trip is far from luxurious, though it is expensive. I don%26#39;t know if the trains have been upgraded since then. I noted in my diary %26quot;Don%26#39;t bother, fly%26quot;. Fourth, the actual time door to door may be your deciding factor as the trains run from city centre to city centre, not from airports that are miles away.
Why only one full day in Venice? Are you booked on to somewhere else? Or did you mean it would maximise your time in Venice.
Anyway you can always look on it as an adventure. Despite my grizzle here, it was a new experience and that entry to Venice with pink light on the water as we came over the causeway was rather lovely.
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Oh wow I never realised it can be such an inconvenience... I can imagine my cabin will be even more cramped because there will be 3 of us... and the food is very expensive too... are we allowed to bring our own food?
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I don%26#39;t know what travel with three would be like. These were definite two berth cabins. However, once inside you can do what you want. Your own little space. Might be different in a 6 berth cabin.
It is do-able just not quite the Orient Express voyage I had somehow envisioned. I had thought romantic, our own bathroom, a bit of space. Nup! I have had better trains in Australia doing Sydney to NSW north coast.
All part of the adventure I suppose...
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Yes, you can bring your own food :)
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I%26#39;ve not used the overnight trains between Paris and Italy but have read some reports that trains are more basic vs the night trains from Paris to Germany and Spain (both of which I have used).
You should be able to deposit your luggage for a few hours in lockers at departure station in Paris after check-out from accommodation there.
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Thank you everyone for the help and advice... very useful information about the luggage locker...
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Thanks eveyone! I just we%26#39;ll just chalk it up to one of those%26#39;adventures%26#39;. Hubby is still pretty keen on trying out the train.
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My family with 4 members traveled last August and got the 4-bed couchettes, that was a good thing because we didn’t need to share with strangers.
If you can have enough money for a private first class berth instead of a couchette, definitely you will have hotel-quality safety measures and complete privacy. Another thing, I think that if you reserve two berths in advance, they will place your reservation as adjacent berths which can open into a small-like apartment.
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%26lt;%26lt; not quite the Orient Express voyage I had somehow envisioned. I had thought romantic, our own bathroom, a bit of space. %26gt;%26gt;
We did the Orient Express trip earlier this year and it uses authentic pre-war sleeper carriages. So, there are bunk berths (top sleeper scrambles up the ladder) and one toilet (at the end of the corridor serving 8 2-berth compartments).
It%26#39;s a fabulous experience, particularly if you love train travel (which I do), good food (tick that box too) and general luxury (who doesn%26#39;t?), *but* it%26#39;s not 21st century all-mod-cons.
Many years ago, I travelled overnight from Paris to Italy, sleeping on the floor of an 8-seat compartment (a couple of other travellers commandeered the luggage racks), and I can still remember the magic of watching the sunrise over the Alps, somewhere en route.
What I%26#39;m trying to say is that if overnight train travel appeals, give it a try, but if you%26#39;re ambivalent, you%26#39;ll probably hate it!
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