Several international train lines travel between Paris and Florence, including TGV France-Italy, Frecciarossa, Italo and Thello. Check train schedules online or at the train station in Paris. At the time of publication, daytime trains depart Paris twice before noon. Your arrival in Florence on the early train will be late in the afternoon, and on the later train you will arrive in the early evening. Check the train schedule before you book your tickets because some trains will make additional stops and require changes, which might put your arrival in Florence a little later.
The Thello sleeper train takes you from Paris to Florence overnight, providing you with a private sleeping cabin or a communal but more economic couchette cabin. There are no regular seats on this train, but there is a dining car where you can have dinner or breakfast. All cabins come with a wash bin, and the communal cabins are not gender specific. At the time of publication, these trains depart Paris in the early evening every day of the week. They stop in Dijon, France, and Bologna, Italy, and arrive in Florence early in the morning.
All trains for Florence depart from Paris at the Gare de Lyon station. This is one of the busiest train stations in the world, with over 90 million people using it every year, according to Rail Europe. It is located at Place Louis Armand and can be easily reached by bus, subway, taxi or airport shuttle. Parking is also available at Gare de Lyon, as well as a currency exchange, tourist information desk, luggage storage and Wi-Fi connections.
Day trains arrive in Florence at the Santa Maria Novella station, which puts you right in the heart of Italy's renaissance city. Located in the Piazza della Stazione, you can catch a local train to another destination in Italy, take a taxi to your hotel or securely stow your luggage and start exploring the city. The overnight Thello train stops at the Campo Marte station in Florence. This is just two stops from Santa Maria Novella, so you can take another train into the city or catch a bus or taxi right outside the train station.
Taking the train instead of a plane is a great way to enjoy the scenery of France and Italy. You will also be able to use your cell phone, store your luggage close to you and stretch out a little more than you would be able to on an airplane. For the best rates, book at least seven days in advance.
