Have you considered taking overnight trains that run the route and can cost really low if you book far enough in advance - much cheaper than flying since you save on a night in a hotel and save time as well as even flying takes up to half a day getting to airports and back in and that also adds to the cost.

Anyway in case you did not realize there was such a train - www.thello.com is the name of the train company with things like 59 euro or cheaper sleeping berths and train fare included if you book well enough in advance.

For lots of great info on overnight trains and accommodations on them in general I always spotlight these IMO fantastic sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. But some folks just cannot sleep on overnight trains, even in the most comfy of compartments due to the inherent bit of noise from train tracks, etc so if a light sleeper fly.

I'm a big advocate of train travel in Europe, but in this case I recommend that you fly. If you book well in advance, fares on budget airlines are very cheap. You can fly from FCO (Fiumicino) to ORY (Orly) on either easyJet or Vueling for less that $50 US. However, you'll have to pay for checked baggage.

Take either a train or a shuttle bus to FCO. The fare on the Terravision shuttle bus from Termini to FCO is €4.

Train fares all inclusive can be as low as 39 euros p.p. - this plus saving say $150 or so the average Fodorite hotel means taking the train will be much much cheaper or could be depending on how early you book than flying and again save a half-day of sightseeing. Board in central Rome, get off in central Paris.

As I said in my previous post, I like trains--and that includes night trains because I can sleep well on them.

The OP needs to know that it can be very difficult to get discount faretickets for the new Thello service because the allotted number of seats sell out quickly. Booking is available up to 120 days in advance at either trenitalia.com or thello.com.

I just checked fares for 24 April. Smart fare tickets (€35) for a bunk in a 6-person couchette are already sold out! Go fare tickets (€80) and Standard fare tickets (€100) are available.

Smart fare tickets (€55), Go fare tickets (€96), and Standard fare tickets (€120) are available for a bunk in a 4-person couchette.

Couchettes are all the same size. The only difference is in how many bunks are pulled down. It's well worth paying a litle more for the extra space for both people and luggage.

IMO, unless you can get a Smart fare on the Thello train, you'll be better off flying on a budget airline.

We used Rome Cabs for our transport to and from the airport in Rome. Reliable and well priced...wouldn't hesitate to use them again. http://www.romecabs.com/

We recently travelled on the Thello overnight service from Paris to Venice.

We had a 6 berth couchette (5 of us) - I had booked the extra seat under our dog's name, and there was no fuss when I indicated one of our passengers hadn't come for the trip (assumed that this type of strategic booking is fairly common).

Didn't get a lot of sleep - and were all wide awake looking at the deep, sparkling snow when we stopped at the Swiss border - but it was certainly much more comfortable than trying to doze on a long flight.

Another plus - food and wine was great - we took our own picnic - purchased from around "our" Paris apartment for this special meal!

Arrived in the morning in Venice - walking out of the station straight on to the Grand Canal - MAGIC!

thank you all so much, i am sure i will be reaching out again, since i am a 'seasoned bride' on her honeymoon, and dont now about the train, will checkin at the prices for flying. thank you again.cyndee

cyndee8,

If you want privacy on the night train, it comes at a price. A bed in a 2-person sleeper costs €180. There are no discount fares for sleeper beds. Cheap tickets on a budget airline plus a night in a hotel will cost a lot less than €360. That's why I said in my previous post that unless you are willing to share a couchette with strangers and get discount fare tickets in a 4-person couchette, you'll be better off flying.

well yes it depends of course on whether or not you want privacy - I always travel in multi-berth couchettes and have always found the folks there nice folks - have had some really interesting discussions - a great way to meet Europeans - so yes it depends on privacy or not and most find couchettes just dandy and a travel experience.