Hi folks,
In 2020, My wife and I are planning a 2 week to Italy and Switzerland. Flying into Rome and then returning via Roam. I have a granddaughter and son in law in Bern. I want to take the train round trip from Rome to Bern for a couple of days. Has anyone done that??? Looking for all help and suggestions.
Best regards
Tommy
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Tommy - I'm far from an expert, but last spring my wife and I were in Italy for three weeks and traveled from Rome to Venice to Florence and back to Rome during that time -- all via train - as detailed in my OGR post on riding the high speed Italian trains from last June (can't seem to figure out how to link it...).
We booked the Italo portions of our trip from the States before we left - directly on their website, which has an English version. Trenitalia - the other rail service - also has a US version of their website and it appears they have a direct link to Bern via Milan on something called Eurocity - which, from what I can tell quickly, is perhaps something they run. Here's their site: https://us.trenitalia.it-inter...pEAMYASAAEgKcz_D_BwE
I have not used this, but it seems to be a direct link to Trenitalia -- as opposed to a number of ticket sites, like trainline, etc. We had good luck with direct booking. We did use trainline (which I think is based in the UK) for some UK train travel a couple of years ago with no problems.
What we found is that on the high speed trains (both Italo and Trenitalia) there are various versions of premium class tickets which if you look carefully are not all that expensive. The trip from Rome to Bern, via Milan, looks to be around 6 hours plus ~30 min in Milan, so the comfort and meals in premium class might be worth it. I don't know where the line from Milan to Bern goes exactly, but I'll bet the scenery must be spectacular - Italian and Swiss Alps, etc.
waaay cool. I think I'll try booking seat 62.... What's interesting to me are the trips he shows from - say - London to Paris to Turin (via TGV) or Milan (via Swiss and Eurocity trains) all with reasonable connections or the possibility of staying overnight (or longer) in one or more of the city stops. Hmmm - I see a plane flight to London in my future... and a dinner in Italy.
sounds good! 
We only did Rome to Florence and Rome to Naples round trips.
I rode the train from Paris to Geneva to Milan to Rome in August. Rode basic coach. There is baggage storage at the front of the car. Nothing fancy. Ride was smooth, and very on-time. They run the trains to the second. And Fast, very Fast ! Nice going around Lake Geneva and through the Alps. Snack car was pretty basic. The cars had monitors showing map, the schedule, and train speed. 249 Km/h = 145 mph
Steve
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
