FIRST CLASS TO TUSCANY

For those not overly keen on air travel, yet keen on travel in general, travelling through mainland Europe – and beyond – is a good compromise. The website www.seat61.com covers virtually the entire globe with its airport avoiding routes, I chose to use it for my holiday in Tuscany this year.

I had already decided on my accommodation, a vineyard at Grieve in Chianti, about 30 miles from Florence. I also wanted to spend a little time in Rome, so had booked a coupe of days in a hotel there as well. I decided that I would treat myself and travel the entire journey first class, barring the short hop from Florence to Rome, which I would arrange when I was in Italy using the standard domestic train service.

My journey started from London Waterloo. I would pick up the Eurostar and travel to Paris, at which point I would swap onto the TrenItalia overnight sleeper. I used the seat61 website to book the entire journey through a specialist operator listed on the site. I would strongly advise anyone to look at this website as it often works out cheaper to book legs of the journey separately – in my case, Eurostar to Paris and Paris to Florence – and there are tour operators listed who can make sure your changes are as seamless as possible.

London to Paris

The Eurostar has two passenger services: one is the same concept as a roll-on/roll-off ferry, where passengers drive their cars on; the other is a standard train service. The car option limits the passenger to just sitting in their car while they make the journey. Trains depart around every 15 minutes and prices start at around £60. The passenger service allows the passenger to get up, walk around and use the buffet car. There is approximately one train an hour.

The Eurostar terminal at Waterloo is a little cramped, with it being temporary until they finish the swanky King’s Cross terminal. Booking in and getting trackside is relatively hassle free – a short passport and security check and it’s down to finding your seat. I chose to travel in the first class passenger service, though have travelled standard class on many occasions. The difference between the two is simple – first class comes with a complimentary meal, free champagne or wine and slightly bigger seats. There is also a facility to plug your laptop in, something I’ve not noticed in standard class so business travellers might want to check if that facility available.

Eurostar trains are very smart, clean and comfortable. In my experience at least, they have also been reliably punctual. There is no scramble for seats as every ticket is pre-booked. There is no problem getting your luggage on board as each carriage has plenty of racks for storage. Each carriage will have toilet facilities and a refreshments trolley to compliment the onboard buffet car. The journey time from Paris to London is approximately two-and-a-half hours, with only 25 minutes spent underwater.

Paris to Florence

My connecting train to Florence went from Paris Bercy, about seven metro stops away. All the ticket machines at Paris Gare du Nord, where the Eurostar arrives, have several language options. The Paris metro is much like any other subway service. The maps are easy to negotiate and the signage is self-explanatory, so there was no real need for me to inflict my appalling French dialect on any Parisians. If you have luggage, the hop across Paris does involve a bit of lifting, carrying and some staircases. If you’d prefer to avoid the metro, it is probably worth grabbing a cab from outside Gare du Nord. Whatever the case, it is important to leave enough time between your Eurostar service and connecting Italian service, whether you prefer to get going or spend best part of a day in Paris.

For those travelling from Paris Bercy, bring a book. The station is out in the suburbs of Paris and there is not much to do. Although there are a few places to eat around the station, the main concourse is compact and only has a few croissant shops and vending machines. If there are no seats downstairs it is worth venturing upstairs. When I passed through Bercy in August 2006 the restaurant upstairs was under construction, so it may well be open now.

I was booked onto the first class TrenItalia sleeper service, booked in conjunction with the Rail Europe company, so was able to use the lounge area on the upper concourse. This lounge is easy to find, just to the right of the lift. The lounge offers a place to store your luggage, free drink, local and national papers and comfy seats.

On the train
Stepping onto the train, you will be faced with a long corridor, with the cabins coming off on the left-hand side. Though the corridor is snug, there are windows along the length of each carriage and plenty of room to walk up and down. At the either end of each carriage there are a couple of toilets, with a basin big enough to have a quick wash and clean your teeth in the morning. It is worth having some idea of when you are arriving at your destination so you can avoid the inevitable queue for the facility. If you hear the call of nature during the night it is no problem; the corridor stays lit throughout the journey. The cabins are lockable, so can be as private as you want them to be.

The first-class cabin differs from standard class by having a wash basin, complimentary toiletries, morning coffee and croissants and a plug for shavers. Cabins comprise two rows of facing seats. The seats themselves are comfortable enough and there is a decent amount of legroom, once you have got your cases out of the way. The cabins have capacity for six passengers. The rows of seats slide down to form two beds, the other four beds come down from the wall in a cantilever action. Although it is entirely up to you what time you pull the beds down, the conductor will come and construct the beds for you. The beds are comfortable, though the top beds are accessed via a ladder, so a certain amount of flexibility is needed. It’s probably worth visiting the loo first if you are going to sleep in one of the these beds, navigating the ladder on a moving train in the dark can test your co-ordination.

Each bed comes with a blanket and pillow and the cabin is kept a snug temperature, though there is a temperature control button. The windows can be opened – though this can be a bit noisy – and have a blackout cover. By each bed is a personal light, so you can catch up on some reading should your fellow passengers go to bed early. It is worth remembering that, should you not be in a party of six, you will be travelling at close quarters with a few strangers. This might be an ideal time for you to break out the bread, wine and pate that you bought in Paris. The first class passengers will enjoy first crack at the restaurant car. There is a sit down area for full hot meals, while there is also a buffet facility for light snacks and drinks.

Aside from the conductor coming in to sort out the beds, the only other time you will see them is when they collect your passports. Don’t be alarmed at parting with your passport, the conductor collects them to show to the border guards so you aren’t awoken in the night..

Florence (Firenze) and beyond

The train arrives at Firenze Sud, which is minutes away from the main terminal of Firenze Santa Maria Novella. There is no need to buy a ticket for this short hop as your overnight sleeper ticket will be valid. Just have a quick check at the boards and jump on one of the regular local services. Santa Maria Novella is a transport hub and there are many connecting rail, bus and taxi services at the station. The station right in the middle of Florence, so the sights are just a walk away.

After I’d spent a week in Tuscany, I came back to Florence in order to get a train to Rome. I bought tickets from a machine at the station and used a normal domestic service. I am by no means fluent in Italian, but it is worth picking up some phrases that may help you when buying tickets, asking train times and understanding announcements. Even so, the ticket machines have an English facility and there are large digital boards to keep you up to date. There are direct and stopper train services to Rome.

When I went for my return leg from Italy to Pairs, I left from Rome Termini. Rail Europe were happy to arrange the return from Rome, so there was no real headache trying to tie up train times. The train went from Rome, through Florence and straight to Paris. At the time of the return journey, northern Italy was suffering heavy rain and some of the trains were delayed. Our train was late into Paris, so I missed my connecting Eurostar service. If this happens, it is important to get the TrenItalia staff on the Paris Bercy concourse to stamp your ticket. Once you get to the Eurostar terminal, you can show the Eurostar staff and not be charged for another ticket. When I arrived at Eurostar I was simply processed and put on the next train without any fuss. If you are on time to Paris and don’t want to travel across town using the Metro, it may be worth booking a taxi – there are very few stationed at Paris Bercy.

Once I’d arrived back at Gare du Nord it was simply a case of getting on the Eurostar for a relaxing return to London, with more complimentary champagne.

And another interesting train holiday to read about......."Return ticket to the slopes"

USEFUL WEBSITES:

www.eurostar.com

www.seat61.com

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