Trying to check-off capital cities but have already taken the Chunnel from Paris to London?
Ride the rails to Rome, instead.
It’s the perfect city-break combo: art and architecture, food and wine, history and culture. Seeing the Eiffel Tower at sunset and the Colosseum at sunrise is as unforgettable as it sounds.
Take a trip from the City of Light to the Eternal City by train and see for yourself.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Gary Yeowell. Image Location: Paris, France
At a glance: train from Paris to Rome
- Paris’s stations: Paris Gare de Lyon | Paris Gare de l’Est
- Rome’s station: Roma Termini
- How far is Paris to Rome by train: 687 miles
- Fastest duration for high-speed trains: 10h 13m
- Average duration for general trains: from 12h 12m
- Number of trains per day: 22
- Ticket prices: As low as $90 when you book in advance
- Earliest departure: 6:18 a.m.
- Latest departure: 9:00 p.m.
Is a trip to Rome from Paris worth it?
Yes, never in a million years will you wish you didn’t visit Paris and Rome. Seeing the landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, the Colosseum, and the Trevi Fountain alone are well worth the trip.
Remember, these cities are MASSIVE by tourism standards: you’ll never see and do it all in either city during a single vacation, so planning a dual-destination adventure allows you to see the highlights and scribble down what you can’t miss the next time you visit.
How far is Rome from Paris by train?
Rome is 687 miles away from Paris — and this is Europe, so we’re talking about 1105 km (about 687 miles), which is the same but sounds way longer to the amateur American ear. Take numbers out of the equation and what does this distance equal? A more-than-manageable trip but absolutely not a single day (or really an overnight) back-and-forth trip.
🚆 Trainline Tip: Paris and Rome each have direct connections to the USA. Fly into France, fly out of Italy, and spare the environment one jet-load of carbon emissions with a train ride in between.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari. Image Location: Rome, Lazio, Italy
How long is the journey from Paris to Rome by train?
Most trains between Paris and Rome will take between 10 and 14 hours, give or take a few minutes on either side. Use that time to your advantage: watch movies that were filmed in Paris, like Les Misérables, then movies that were set in Italy, like Gladiator (the extended cut, naturally) and Roman Holiday.
🚆 Trainline Tip: Some of that extra time is due to the changes you’ll make: expect two to four changes on your route in cities like Strasbourg, Brig, Basel, Geneva, Lugano, and Milan. Plan ahead and consider breaking up your trip with an overnight stay; we heard Switzerland is lovely literally any time of the year.
How often is the train from Paris to Rome?
Just over 20 trains say au revoir to Paris and buongiorno to Rome each day. Let’s split the difference and assume you’re looking at a 12 hour train ride. We’d advise taking the early train out of Paris. There’s only so much you can do with a few morning hours in Paris, but with an extra hour or two in the evening, you can visit places like the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain that are typically much more crowded before sunset.
Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari. Image Location: Rome, Italy
How much is a train ticket from Paris to Rome?
Prices for train tickets between Paris and Rome start close to $100 but often hit the $150 to $200+ mark. Summer will certainly have some of the highest prices possible, but you can shave some savings off by purchasing your tickets as early as possible. And we don’t mean visiting the train station kiosk the morning before your train departs — purchase them when you book your flight then you’ll be all squared (and saved) away.
Which train station is best from Paris to Rome?
You can’t go wrong taking either Gare de Lyon or Gare de l’Est from Paris to Rome. If you’re not totally tied to a timetable, we’d recommend looking at the connecting cities on each station’s route.
For instance, Gare de l’Est has a route that gives you an hour-long change in Munich. Gare de Lyon has one journey with an hour in Basel and another with a two-hour change in Geneva. It’s not an abundance of time, but does offer a quick way to see a slice of a different city.
Is the train journey from Paris to Rome pretty?
Rome and Paris are separated by nearly 700 miles of French countryside, the snow capped Alps, and the Tuscan countryside. That’s a lot of terrain change and it’s all visible outside of your train window. The view gets a little darker at night, naturally, but that just gives you all the more reason to catch winks while you can.
Image Credit: Getty Images, sigurcamp. Image Location: Rome, Italy
Is there a sleeper train from Paris to Rome?
Sadly, there is no longer a sleeper train between Paris and Rome, or Paris and Italy for that matter. A new service is talked about for 2025; but until then, you’re going to have to sleep in a train chair and wake up to make your connections.
How can you buy cheap train tickets from Paris to Rome?
Buying train tickets to Italy online is a great way to get cheap train tickets from Paris to Rome. Buying a ticket at the station kiosk can be expensive and stressful. Shopping online lets you compare routes, view train operator amenities, select your seats, and find the train that best fits your budget, schedule, and preferences.
Let us help you get from Paris to Rome with plenty of souvenir money left in your pocket. Download the Trainline app and start planning your journey today.
Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari. Image Location: Rome, Italy
