GETTING TO KNOW EURAIL
Train Station in Rome, Italy
Do Buy a Eurail Pass
Using the Eurail sytem is a great way to get around Europe. The train stations in France and Italy are conveniently located and generally easy to use. If you're used to riding trains in the States, you'll likely feel only slightly intimidated and generally at home in a Eurail station. You'll find all the familiar sites and people including conductors, employees manning information booths and usually some sort of restaurant from a small cafe in the smaller stations to sandwich shops in the larger ones. Rome's train station is also outfitted with shops and even a bookstore.
Though I usually make a point of speaking the language in the countries I visit, I don't speak French or Italian. Even so, I got by by using a few key phrases French or Italian, or in my lazier moments, by speaking Spanish. In any case, you will usually find people who can communicate in some English, though it is always a good practice as a matter of courtesy, to begin the conversation using the foreign language phrases you know or have picked up in a guide book.
You can buy Eurail tickets online at http://www.eurail.com. Trains are clean, comfortable, and equipped with plugs and the all-important cafe car. If you travel first classs, you can also reserve three course meals including wine (and really good capuccino if you're in Italy, though only a watery brew in France). The view of the French countryside is scenic and relaxing and, in many cases, makes up for the time you might have saved by flying. It's a good idea to make reservations in advance before you leave the States, though, adjustments can be made at train stations after arrival. If you miss a reserved train, you can take a later train by speaking with the information personnel and paying a few extra euros.
Ticket office hours, train station, Florence, Italy
Think Twice about the Night Train
If you're not a nineteen-year-old college student, or an older traveler on a budget (like, ahem, yours truly) I can't recommend the night train in good conscience. If you do opt for a sleeper car on the night train, expect a long, sleep deprived night in an approximately five by nine residue ridden compartment that somehow manages to house three sleeping bunks. The mattresses seem comfortable until you try to sleep on them, and concern about the possibility of some of the less savory passengers breaking the lock and entering your room will definitely cross your mind at least once. If you have a cold, forget it, it will get worse during the journey, and unless you're like my infatigable travel partner, you'll be knocked out for three or four hours after arriving at your destination. A word to the wise: if you're traveling on the night train, definitely find your car before you get on the train. Once onboard, you'll only have about a fifteen inch space in which to navigate your way to your own cabin. Trust me when I tell you that trapsing your bags through five or six cabins and the dining car in a fifteen inch space is not the way to capitalize on your vacation enjoyment!