JBiscaia33
Traveller
5 comments
Posted 11 years ago
Hello everyone.
I'm portuguese and I'm on my last year of school before university. I chose to travel around europe by interrail, as my senior trip. I'll be going with a friend. We're both 18 and portuguese.
We have our route well planned:
First we go from our little town to Lisbon, then Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Taizé (through Mâcon), Lyon and then Turim, Milan and Trento. Trento is where we will stay with some friends we know there. We have the 10 days of train in 22 days pass. It's our first time (so, if you have any hints or any special advise, it'd be great and we'd be most grateful).
Until Lyon everything is sorted. We have our schedules planned, the days we're spending at every place, etc. We know the prices of the TGV supplements, that we have to book our seats on most TGV and night trains, and we know that we have to choose abo forfait 2e on the ticket, to get the special supplement. I guess all that is under control.
[b]But we've encountered a problem. We were thinking of going from Lyon to Turin, but the only trains we find in the SNCF site cost 47€ or more.[/b] I find this strange. (We will try to get a lift from some Italian folk from Taizé to any part of northern Italy, but it is unlikely)
Is that our only option? To pay 50€ to get in that train and get into Italy? Trenitalia's website tells me there's a train going from Lyon Part Dieu to Torino Porta Nuova, but it doesn't tell me the price.
Could anyone please help me? Thank you so much
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
Hi.
You can also travel for free with Interrail.
Just an example (not running on Sunday):
Lyon Part Dieu dep 0708 - TER free local train
Aix-les-Bains-le-Revard arr: 0825
Aix-les-Bains-le-Revard dep 0855 - TER free local train
Geneve arr: 0957
Geneve dep 1018 - free IC train
Zürich HB arr 1256
Zürich HB dep 1309 - free IC train
Chiasso arr 1611
Chiasso dep 1616 - free local TILO train
Milano Porta Garibaldi arr: 1721
[b]Please support railcc:[/b]
- buy your rail passes and tickets here on the recommended website: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux]
- add locations of your home-town (bars, nice places, ...)
Thank you! :)
Peter :)
JBiscaia33
Traveller
5 comments
Thank you so much.
I just checked those on SNCF and Trenitalia and it's all good and yes, we're travelling with interrail pass.
Now, to Trento from Milan and then from Trento back to Portugal (I have family in Marseille so we could pass through there), what would you think would be the best and cheapest (if not free) route?
Thank you again.
Peter
Traveller
9333 comments
In Italy to Trento. If you want to save money, avoid the high-speed-trains (EUR 10) and use cheaper IC trains: free, but reservation recommended for EUR 3 at ticket machines/internet in Italy - select Global Pass.
Back again via Milano, then IC to Ventimiglia. From there by free local TER trains via Nice to Marseilles.
Also by free trains along the coast (see railcc schedules - [u]https://rail.cc/en/search-interrail-route[/u]).
You could include the Little Yellow Train from Perpignan to Barcelona: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail/villefranche-de-conflent-to-latour-de-carol[/u]
And then via Madrid back home to Lisbon (see as well the railcc schedules).
As general schedule I do not recommend the one of SNCF or Trenitalia. Have a look here: [u]https://rail.cc/en/search-interrail-route[/u]
Peter
JBiscaia33
Traveller
5 comments
Thanks Peter, you're being very helpful.
I encountered some problems while searching for a schedule after arriving in Geneve. I could really use some information on the time and the fare/supplement.
By my plans we'd get to Geneve by 17h, and we wouldn't mind spending the night on a night train from Milano to somewhere near Trento.
I also researched for connection trains here in railcc and there's a connection from Zurich to Tirano, Italy, which would be great, but my problem is travelling from Geneve to Zurich.
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi,
alright I have counted at least eight travel days you are going to need so far:
Lisboa/Portuguese border - Madrid
Madrid - BCN
BCN - Paris (when using day trains)
Paris - Macon/Taize
Macon/Taize - Lyon
Lyon - Torino
Torino - Milano
Milano - Trento
This would leave you with only two days for going back home which almost certainly wont work out (it might be possible if you leave Trento very early and then go as far as you can, short overnight trip, say in Marseille, then to Madrid next day and back home with a regular ticket, that might work).
In case you want to travel home a bit more relaxed you might think of getting a regular ticket for any short train ride such as Macon - Lyon or Torino - Milano.
For searching train schedules, please refer to the link Peter posted already and use the travel engines mentioned there (ÖBB, DB or SNCB).
Do you want to travel Geneve - Zürich - Milano overnight? I dont quite get your question. Anyway, this is not really possible (no overnight trains CH <> IT and it would require two travel days).
Btw, the Abo Forfait reservations are not official reservations for rail passes! If you use them you do so at your own risk...I dont know how SNCF handles passengers with InterRail + Abo Forfait reservation this year.
If you are going to use them we would be quite interested on how it worked out, thank you. :)
The Lyon - Torino connection probably is a SNCF bus but it is far to expensive for rail pass travellers anyway. There were rumours about new Lyon - Torino train connections but no news as of now (and as these would be opreated by Thello probably no big use for rail pass users anyway...).
Flo 8)
JBiscaia33
Traveller
5 comments
I counted a maximum of 6 travel days. (I think) I can make Portuguese border - Paris in two travel days, Paris - Macon/Taizé would count as one travel day, then Mâcon - Milano could be just 1 travel day if we leave Mâcon really soon. That would leave us 4 days, enough to get home. Or at least to Madrid.
Anyways, I'm really confused about what I should do after Geneve.
And what would you say is the best way to get directly from Barcelona to Paris?
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Oh, alright, so then you are not going to stay in Madrid and Barcelona?
In fact you could make Portuguese border - Paris in just one day if you travel via Irún/Hendaye: :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/lisbon-to-paris[/u]
If you dont want to stay in Madrid this would be the way to go, visit Barcelona on the way back then.
In case you'd want to travel Barcelona - Paris: There are supposed to be direct TGV trains (which will be operated by Elipsos, no information regarding reservation fees for InteRail/Eurail yet) from 28th April taking 6h30 which will be the way to go.
Going overnight makes no sense in that direction since this would require two travel days.
What is your problem after Geneve? There are hourly trains to Zürich, no big deal.
What are you looking for now? Macon - Milano within one day? Or overnight? Or to Torino? Or Trento?
Flo 8)
JBiscaia33
Traveller
5 comments
Oh, thank you so much.
We don't intend to stay in Madrid nor Barcelona. Our first stop would Paris, then Mâcon (bus to Cluny then Taizé then back to Mâcon), then Trento. Then from Trento back to Portugal by the easiest/shortest route.
- My problem with Geneve is about the price. On railcc they're free, but on the railway website they're not. I guess I'll trust railcc, but I just wanted to verify that.
- Another question I have is about reservations and supplements. I read on here that I should use the Abo Forfait 2e option on the TGV from Paris to Lyon, but I've also been told that it might not work...
So now I have Lisbon - Hendaye (connection) - Paris - Mâcon - Lyon - Aix-les-Bains-le-Revard - Geneve - Zurich - Chiasso - Milano. Then from Milano I want to go to Trento. I spoke with some italian friends and they said it's better to go to Trento from Milano instead of getting the Bernina to Tirano (right?) because it might not have connection.
-Then from Milano back to Portugal, passing or not in Marseille.
--- Also: the Sud Express leaves after 19h, so if I leave on the 15th of March, I count the 16th of March as my first day, right?
------ Another also: How/when/where can I/do I have to make my reservation for Hendaye - Paris TGV and Paris-Mâcon/Mâcon-Lyon TGV. And I'm not understanding the time on this schedule, especially from Hendaye onwards: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/lisbon-to-paris[/u]
Thank you
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
[quote]
- My problem with Geneve is about the price. On railcc they're free, but on the railway website they're not. I guess I'll trust railcc, but I just wanted to verify that.
[/quote]
Which website? Which connection? Links please. :)
Read here about Abo Forfait: :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-train-reservation/tgv-sncf/42[/u] Abo Forfait reservation are not official reservation for InterRail, this trick was only suppoosed to help people which were only offered the freakishly expensive 18€ reservations from SNCF, not to use all the time from all travellers. ;)
They still worked last year, I have no experience from this year. You should try to get a regular 6€ reservation first (at a rail station), only if this doesnt work you should think about the Abo Forfait solution. ;)
Have a look at the maps here :arr: [u]http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/switzerland/switzerland.gif[/u] and here :arr: [u]http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/map.php?file=maps/italy/italy.gif[/u]
Look where Tirano is. Look where Milano is. Look where Trento is. ;)
Bernina route runs from Tirano to St Moritz in Switzerland; so the only sensible way to include it in your route would be to go to St Moritz from Geneve, then Bernina route to Tirano - Milano - Trento.
Leaving Portugal with Sud Expresso is not really the proper use of the 1900 rule. You will need a regular ticket to the border at Vilar Fomoso, from then you can use the IR pass. :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/night-train/lisbon-hendaye-th-310/74[/u]
There was a typo, the departure time from Hendaye was wrong. You should ask for the TGV reservation at a CP station in Portugal, they should be able to sell them to you.
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
By the way there are also direct trains Lyon - Geneve of course:
Lyon 0838 - 0957 Geneve
And every two hours throughout the day.
JBiscaia33
Traveller
5 comments
[quote][quote]
- My problem with Geneve is about the price. On railcc they're free, but on the railway website they're not. I guess I'll trust railcc, but I just wanted to verify that.
[/quote]
Which website? Which connection? Links please. :)
[/quote]
It was on CBB's website, Switzerland's railway's website.
[quote]
By the way there are also direct trains Lyon - Geneve of course:
Lyon 0838 - 0957 Geneve
And every two hours throughout the day.
[/quote]
And this train is free?
Would I then get a train from Geneve to Zurich, then Zurich to Chiasso, then Chiasso to Milan and then finally Trento? Sounds good to me.
Do you have any special suggestions on how to get back from Trento to Portugal? Or how to get to the little Yellow Train?
[quote]
Leaving Portugal with Sud Expresso is not really the proper use of the 1900 rule. You will need a regular ticket to the border at Vilar Fomoso, from then you can use the IR pass.
[/quote]
Yeah, they told us that at the station. Anyway, we pass the border after midnight.
Thanks, really, you've been a great help. :D