London to Italy by train

Travelling by train from the UK to Italy in a single day is typically straightforward, when the usual service is available you can leave London at around 08:00am and arrive in Rome/Roma before midnight.

It will be less of a surprise that direct trains aren't available, but the usual timings into the connections won't require racing against the clock to make a train.
Though making the journey in either direction in a single day requires a transfer across central Paris between two of the city's finest stations, the Gare Du Nord and the Gare De Lyon.
The stations are linked by local cross-city RER trains, so you won't have to squeeze on to the Metro - and the connection typically takes less than 30 minutes.
The end-to-end journey options all allow at least 55 minutes to make the transfer - though note that the journey options with a longer transfer, inevitably provide additional contingency time in the rare event of a delay to the Eurostar.

The other key piece of practical information is awareness of the check-in times for the Eurostar at St Pancras International station - at the Gare De Lyon in Paris you simply hop on board.

Note that this guide is steering away from specifying the time required - and it also doesn't include specific departure and arrival times of the trains, the reason being that these timings can be fluid.
For example, Eurostar has made multiple changes to its recommended check-in times and the specific train details can vary due to works on the lines.

The specific details of the trains on your travel dates can be looked up when booking tickets.
However, if you can't see the usual train service, referenced in this guide, there are two factors which can affect this:

• the usual service is being disrupted on your travel date, or
• the ticket agents are pre-filtering the options and is only offering the simplest / fastest combination of trains for end-to-end journey bookings - meaning that separate tickets will be required for alternative routes and options.

There are daily direct trains on from Paris to Milano which also call in Torino/Turin.
There are currently more trains than ever before on this route, because back in 2021 the Italian national rail operator began operating its very smart Frecciarossa 1000 trains between Paris and Milano, so they now provide an alternative to the long-standing service of TGV trains.

However, the first TGV train of the afternoon which typically departs Paris at around 12:45 is only available on Monday to Friday.
The Eurostar, which usually leaves London at around 08:00 for Paris, connects into this train, but it doesn't have a conveniently timed connection into a Frecce train.
This TGV typically arrives in Turin/Torino at around 18:15 and in Milano at around 19:50, so when not travelling on a weekend, you can breakfast in London and have a comfortably timed evening meal in Italy.
When arriving in Paris on this journey option, the time to make the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to Gare De Lyon is an easy 1hr 25 mins.

When taking the Eurostar, which typically departs from St Pancras International at around 10:30, it offers daily connections into both the afternoon departures on from Paris, by a TGV train, that typically departs around 14:45, and a Frecce train which usually departs at around 15:10.
Though the time for the cross-Paris transfer into the TGV train is around 55 minutes, so is ideal if the Eurostar arrives in Paris on time, but this only allows for around 20 minutes of delay - hence taking the Frecce train is a less risky option.

The ticket agents can often only offer the option of taking the TGV train when booking the end-to-end journey.
It leaves Paris around 25 mins sooner than the afternoon Frecce train, so it also arrives earlier into Torino (before 20:30) and Milano (before 22:00).

Arriving in Milano

Aside from the on board ambience on the trains, the key difference between these two train services on from Paris is that the TGVs arrive at the city's secondary station, Porta Garibaldi, but the Frecce train arrives in Milano Centrale.
If you'll be planning to take a taxi on to your final destination in Milano, it won't matter which of these stations you arrive at.
Both stations are served by line M2 of the Milano Metro which stops at Cadorna, the closest station to the location of The Last Supper.
Though the transfer to line M3, which gets closest to the heart of the city thanks to its stop by the cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II at Duomo station is only available at Milano Centrale.
The transfer to Line M5 of the Metro, which goes to San Siro, is only available at Porta Garibaldi.

However, if you will be spending the night in Milano in order to take an onward train the following day, it's highly likely that it will be departing from Milano Centrale.
There is also a wide range of hotel accommodation within a 10 min walk of Centrale station.
However, if the ticket prices are cheaper when connecting into the TGV train, the logical option is to book it and then take Metro Line M2 on from Porta Garibaldi to Centrale.

Arriving in Torino

Torino/Turin has two main city centre stations, but both the Frecce and TGV trains only call at Torino Porta Susa, a station which had to be reconstructed so that the trains from Paris can serve the city.

Porta Susa is on the opposite side of the city to Porta Nuova station, which is where the trains from Torino heading to Genoa and the Mediterranean Coast depart from.
These two main stations in the city are connected by the Torino metro.

Arriving in Oulx

The TGV trains also call in Oulx-Cesana-Claviere-Sestriere station, but the Frecce trains pass through.

Aside from the novelty of the tunnel under the English Channel combined with the speed of the train, the Eurostar route from London to Paris isn't particularly scenic, though it has some wow moments...

The journey between Paris and Torino is on the list of the Ultimate European Journeys by express train, as it uniquely combines rushing down a high speed line at more than 285 km/h...

...and a crossing of The Alps mountain range - pictured above!

The TGV and Frecce trains on the Paris to Milano service share the high speed line between the capital and the suburbs of Lyon and the Alpine route through Chambery, Modane, the Mont Cenis Tunnel and Oulx.
Though the Frecce trains divert off the direct route, so that they can call at Lyon-Part Dieu, the city's main railway station.
However, the Frecce trains are still able to reach Milano 14 mins faster, because they can use the high speed line between Torino and Milano...

...but the TGV trains have to take the slower conventional route between the two cities; though they now travel through Novara and no longer call there.

The double deck TGV trains aren't used on the Paris to Milan route, hence there isn't a choice between an upper deck with low headroom and a lower deck with limited views from the window.
The TGV trains, which are used on this international service, are older than the Frecciarossa 1000 trains, which are also the top tier trains used by Trenitalia for its Frecce services within Italy, but the TGVs have been refreshed in recent years.
What both the services share is a bar/bistro car, which offer sandwiches and salads, and a comparatively cramped Standard/Second class seating saloons with limited luggage space within the seating area.

The difference in the on-board experience is starker in the equivalents of First Class as there are two classes of 1st class service on the Frecce train compared to one on the TGV train.
In Premier Class on the TGV the traveller is primarily paying for the additional space and a more comfortable seat than Standard Class, there is no at-seat catering service available.
In contrast welcome drinks and snacks are available in Business Class on the Frecce train and the seating area has a more spacious ambience than the Premiere Cass on the TGV - I'm larger than average and find the Business Class seats to be exceptionally comfortable.
The ultimate on board experience is the Executive Class on the Frecce trains, which features at-seat catering.
Though the trains used on the Paris service don't apparently have the Premium Class, in effect a superior version of Standard Class, which is available for Italian journeys.

Another feature of the Frecce trains are that some carriages/coaches on the train are divided into Allegro areas, in which mobile phone conversations are permitted, and the Silenzio area in which they are not.
When making a booking if you see an Allegro ticket it doesn't indicate a class of travel; also the Silenzio tickets seem to be less widely available.

The TGV train which typically departs from the Gare De Lyon at around 12:45 is usually attached to another train, which is heading to Annecy, they are joined together on the part of the journey between Paris and Chambéry.
So don't be surprised at seeing two apparently different train services on the departure board leaving from the same track at the same time.
Though the train heading to Torino and Milano will be in front of the train heading to Annecy, so for those who want to avoid breaking into a sprint, it's best to be passing through the ticket gates at least four minutes prior to departure.

When looking up the London to Milan journey the ticket agents will also typically offer end-to-end journey options which involve making an additional connection in Lausanne or Zurich.
This is because there are high speed Lyria train services between Paris Gare De Lyon and these Swiss cities, from where rather fabulous international EC trains, which in contrast to the Frecce and TGV trains have restaurant cars, head on to Milano.

These end-to-end journey options tend to be more than an hour longer compared to travelling direct to Italy from Paris, but they can be worth considering for these reasons:

• they can be cheaper;
• more than an hour is typically available for the transfer in Lausanne or Zurich.
• both Lausanne and Zurich HB are comparatively easy stations in which to change trains - the transfer in Zurich simply involves walking from one train to another.
• on Mondays to Fridays it's often possible to arrive at Milano Centrale before 19:00 - which is more than three hours before the afternoon Frecce train from Paris will arrive at Milan's main station.
• at weekends it's possible to be in Milano Centrale before 21:00.

The other plus of travelling through Switzerland is that the journey is much more scenic
If you set off from London on the end-to-end journey which typically involves departing at around 06:00 on Monday to Friday and/or 08:00 daily, you'll then be heading south from Zurich before 17:00.
So within 20 minutes of departure you can be spellbound by the view over Lake Zug.

And when the days of daylight are longer you can appreciate the numerous other highlights of this journey.

Note that you may expect to see an option of connecting in Geneve when travelling between London and Italy by train, but the connections between the necessary trains are tightly timed, hence the ticket agents don't typically offer this route as an end-to-end booking.

As can be seen above it's possible to travel by day by train between London and both Milano and Torino, but an overnight rail journey option isn't available when heading to these two cities from London.

However, an overnight stay in a city can be avoided when travelling by train from London to Venice/Venezia, when setting off from Britain on Mondays to Fridays or a Sunday - and the connections between trains aren't as tightly timed as the Monday to Friday daytime option.
The overnight routing typically involves:

• a choice of leaving London for Paris at around 10:30 or 11:30;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare de l'Est - taking that later Eurostar from London provides a little over an hour to make the transfer, so the earlier Eurostar is the safer option;
• depart Paris shortly before 16:00 on a double-deck TGV train heading to Stuttgart Hbf.
• 1hr 35mins after arrival in Stuttgart, shortly before 20:30 a Nightjet train departs Stuttgart for Venezia/Venice;
• the train is scheduled to arrive in glorious Santa Lucia station shortly after 08:30.
  It also calls in Udine and Treviso, so if you will be heading to these cities from London this routing is the best option.

Though as will be seen below it isn't possible to book this route as an end-to-end journey, so separate tickets are required for London to Stuttgart and Stuttgart to Venice.

The TGV train which leaves Paris before 16:00 continues on to München Hbf but it arrives there more than an hour after the departure of the Nightjet train that links Munich to Bologna, Firenze/Florence, Genova, La Spezia, Milano and Roma.
So when travelling on to these cities overnight the departure from London is sooner - and in addition to the connection in München/Munich, the journey option also requires making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare de l'Est, plus a transfer between trains in Stuttgart Hbf.
Not as complicated as it may seem in terms of physical effort required, as the connections in Stuttgart and Munich simply involve walking from one train to another.
However, it is the timings of the connections which place a question mark against the viability of making this journey.
When leaving London at around 09:30am, more than an hour will be available to transfer between stations in Paris, but the connection in Stuttgart is only around 25 mins, into an ICE train which will have spent four hours heading south from Dortmund.
This matters because the punctuality of ICE services cannot be relied upon.
This ICE train is then scheduled to arrive in München Hbf around 45 mins before the departure of the night train to Italy.

All pretty much ideal if the trains are punctual along the length of the route, but because this can't be guaranteed the ticket agents won't offer end-to-end tickets.
Separate tickets are required for the vital night train and if it's missed, due to train delays, it wont be be possible to claim the costs of the overnight stay that will be then required in Munich - and tickets will also have to be purchased, at an expensive last minute price for the journeys by day trains on to Italy.

The only viable alternative is to leave London around three hours earlier at around 06:00 and 06:30 in order to arrive in Munich more than three hours before the night train's departure, and have an evening meal between trains.

As the usual latest possible daytime journey to Italy has a departure from London at around 10:30, the check-in times for the Eurostar require the boarding of one of the first trains of the day to the capital from more distant cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle - and it isn't possible to make the connection when travelling from Scotland.
Leaving other UK cities later is complicated by a lack of night trains from Paris to Italy, so an afternoon departure from London on the most direct route to Milan and Turin isn't possible.

However on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, there is a Nightjet train from Paris to Munich and a daily morning train from Munich to Verona - which on Monday and Wednesday mornings heads on Bologna, but on Saturday mornings it goes to Vicenza, Padova and Venezia/Venice.
Though the train from the French capital is due to arrive in Munich at around 05:45 and the connection of around 1hr 45mins is at München Ost station.
The reward for the effort is the glorious journey on to Italy by the EC train.

Connections are available in Verona to destinations along the Milan to Venice route and from Bologna there are trains on to multiple destinations including Florence and Rome.

On the days when it operates the Nightjet train from Paris typically leaves from the Gare De l'Est shortly before 20:00.
By taking the Eurostar which typically leaves London at around 15:30, more than an hour will then be available to make the transfer in Paris from the Gare Du Nord.

If you want to travel to other cities beyond Milano and Torino, the options for making the London to Italy by train in a single day, depend on when you will be travelling.

The daily option of taking the Eurostar, which typically departs from St Pancras International at around 10:30, allows for an arrival into Milano at around 22:00 - regardless of whether you take the TGV train on from Paris to Porta Garibaldi, or the Frecce train on to Milano Centrale.
Too late to connect into long-distance trains to other cities in Italy, though onward journeys are possible by Regio trains on to other destinations in northern Italy, including to Bergamo and Como from Porta Garibaldi station - and on to Brescia, Lecco and Verona from Milano Centrale.

More destinations can inevitably be reached before the end of the day when taking the Monday to Friday option of boarding The Eurostar, which usually leaves London at around 08:00 for Paris.
That's because the connecting TGV train on from Paris is scheduled to arrive in Torino Porta Susa station at 18:15 and into Milano Porta Garibaldi before 20:00.

On Mondays to Fridays during some, but not all weeks, the TGV train that is typically scheduled to depart from Paris Gare De Lyon at around 12:40, offers connections in Torino Porta Susa station of 35 mins into a train on to Venezia/Venice and of 55mins into a train on to Bologna, Florence/Firenze and Roma.

Torino Porta Susa is the optimum location in which to make these connections because the TGV from Paris arrives in Milano at the city’s secondary station, Porta Garibaldi and NOT the main station, Milano Centrale.

By day

On Monday to Friday, taking a train from London to both Bologna and Florence/Firenze can typically be surprisingly straightforward considering the distance.
The routing involves:

• leaving London for Paris at around 08:00;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon; an on time arrival will allow around 1hr 25mins between arrival and departure;
• taking the TGV at around 12:45 on to Torino;
• 55mins after arrival at Torino Porta Susa station a high speed train will depart for Bologna and Florence/Firenze;
• The train will arrive in Bologna Centrale at around 21:25;
• Shortly after 22:00 the train will arrive at wonderful Firenze S.M.Novella station.
  An hour later a Regio train will depart for Empoli, Pisa and Livorno.

On weekends between mid July and mid September, an entirely different route is available, but it involves making a non-guaranteed 30min connection in Milano.
The routing involves:

• leaving London for Paris at around 08:00;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon; an on time arrival will allow around 1hr between arrival and departure;
• taking a high speed Lyria train on to Zurich;
• around 55 mins after arriving in Zurich HB station, from the same main concourse at around 17:30 a brand new EC train with a restaurant car will head to Milano Centrale;
• the EC train should arrive in Milano Centrale 30 mins before the final high speed Frecce train of the day departs for Bologna and Florence/Firenze;
• the train is due in to Bologna Centrale shortly before 22:30 and the arrival into Firenze S.M.Novella station is scheduled for around 23:15.

By night

For those prepared to gamble on the punctuality of German high-speed ICE services there is a daily option available which involves:

• Leaving London at around 09:30am, note that this only around 90 minutes after the train which enables the journey to be completed in a single day
• More than an hour will be available to transfer between stations in Paris, but the vital connection in Stuttgart is only around 25 mins, into an ICE train which will have spent four hours heading south from Dortmund.
• This ICE train is then scheduled to arrive in München Hbf around 45 mins before the departure of the night train on to Florence/Firenze and Bologna
• This train is due to arrive into Firenze S.M.Novella station is scheduled for around 06:15, but it is due to arrive in Bologna uncomfortably early at 05:15.

On Tuesday and Sunday, there is a journey option available, which involves

• Taking the Eurostar which typically leaves London at around 15:30;
• More than an hour will then be available to make the transfer in Paris from the Gare Du Nord, to the Gare de l'Est where the Nightjet train to München/Munich will depart shortly before 20:00
• If you're prepared to leave this train at around 05:45 when it arrives at München Ost station - on Monday and Wednesday mornings there is connection of around 1hr 45mins into a train on the beautiful route on to Bologna.
• This train is due to arrive in Bologna at 14:10.
• The next Frecce train on from Bologna is due to arrive into Firenze S.M.Novella station at around 15:05.

The trains which head to Italy from Paris arrive in Torino/Turin at Porta Susa station, but the trains on from Torino to Genova leave from the city's Porta Nuova station.
The two stations are linked by the Torino Metro.
Connections which allow more than hour to make the cross-city transfer into Regionale trains on to Genova are available when departing London at around 08:00 on Monday to Friday and around 10:25 daily.

After connecting in Paris, the earlier start time from London should lead to an arrival into Torino Porta Susa at around 18:15.
At around 19:30 a Regionale train typically departs from Torino Porta Nuova which is scheduled to arrive in Genova Piazza Principe station at 21:30, before going on to the city's other main station Genova Brignole.

When travelling to Milano the later daily option from London allows for a choice of travelling on from Paris by a TGV or a Frecce train, but when heading to Genova, you will need to take the TGV which typically departs around 14:45.
Though the time for the cross-Paris transfer into the TGV train is around 55 minutes.
This TGV is then due into Torino around 1hr 10mins before the final Regionale train of the day on to Genova departs from Torino Porta Nuova at around 21:30; this train terminates at Genova Piazza Principe station.

Avoiding the Metro Transfer in Torino

On Monday to Friday it's usually possible to depart London at around 06:00 and with connections in Paris and Zurich. the scheduled arrival time in Milano Centrale is shortly before 19:00.
Fifteen minutes later an InterCity express train is usually scheduled to depart for both of the main stations in Genova, Piazza Principe and Brignole.
The easy transfer in Milano Centrale station only involves walking from one train to the other, but its possible to take the pressure off making the connection, but depart an hour later on another IC service which calls in Genova Piazza Principe on route to Ventimiglia.

If you can leave the UK capital on a Monday to Friday it's possible to travel from London to Napoli/Naples and to destinations to the south, without having to spend a night in a city.

The journey to Napoli in particular is theoretically straightforward and involves:

• leaving London for Paris at around 08:00;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon; an on time arrival will allow around 1hr 25mins between arrival and departure;
• taking the TGV at around 12:45 on to Torino;
• 1hr 25mins after arrival at Torino Porta Susa station an Intercity Notte train will depart for Napoli.
• The train is scheduled to arrive in Napoli Centrale the next morning at around 08:45 - and it travels on to Salerno.
  Around 45 mins after the arrival in Salerno a Frecciargento train will typically head south to Lamezia Termne, Villa San Giovanni for connections into fast ferries to Messina, and Reggio di Calabria.

Also around 55 mins after the arrival in Salerno an Intercity train, will depart for Sicily - and it is direct to Messina, Palermo, to Taormina, Catania and Siracusa.

Arriving sooner in Sicily is an option for those prepared to take a more convoluted route through Switzerland, which can be available on a Monday to Friday.
This journey involves:

• leaving London for Paris at around 06:00;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon; though an on time arrival will allow only around an hour between arrival and departure;
• Departing Paris at around 10:20 on high speed Lyria service to Zurich Hb station;
• More than an hour later an EC train with a restaurant car will depart on the scenic route to Milano at around 15:30.
• This train is due into Milano Centrale station before 19:00.
• Shortly after 20:00 (8pm) an Intercity Notte train will depart for multiple destinations on Sicily including, Messina, Palermo, Taormina, Catania and Siracusa.

By day

On Monday to Friday, taking a train from London as far as Roma/Rome can typically be surprisingly straightforward considering the distance.
The routing involves:

• leaving London for Paris at around 08:00;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon; an on time arrival will allow around 1hr 25mins between arrival and departure;
• taking the TGV at around 12:45 on to Torino; this train is not available on Saturday and Sunday.
• 55mins after arrival at Torino Porta Susa station a high speed train will depart for Roma;
• The train is scheduled to arrive in Roma Termini shortly before midnight.

By night

For those prepared to gamble on the punctuality of German high-speed ICE services there is a daily option available which involves:

• Leaving London at around 09:30am, note that this only around 90 minutes after the train which enables the journey to be completed in a single day
• More than an hour will be available to transfer between stations in Paris, but the vital connection in Stuttgart is only around 25 mins, into an ICE train which will have spent four hours heading south from Dortmund.
• This ICE train is then scheduled to arrive in München Hbf around 45 mins before the departure of the night train on to Roma/Rome and Bologna
• This train is typically due to arrive into Roma Termini station shortly after 09:00.
  Within 90 mins of the scheduled arrival, trains are due to head south from Rome to a range of cities including, Bari, Lamezia Terme, Lecce, Napoli and Reggio di Calabria.

On Tuesday and Sunday, there is a journey option available, which involves

• Taking the Eurostar which typically leaves London at around 15:30;
• More than an hour will then be available to make the transfer in Paris from the Gare Du Nord, to the Gare de l'Est where the Nightjet train to München/Munich will depart shortly before 20:00
• If you're prepared to leave this train at around 05:45 when it arrives at München Ost station on Monday and Wednesday mornings there is connection of around 1hr 45mins into a train on the beautiful route on to Bologna.
• This train is due to arrive in Bologna at 14:10.
• Shortly after 15:00 a Frecce train is scheduled to depart for Roma Termini station with an arrival at shortly before 17:30,

By day

On Monday to Friday, taking a train from London to Venezia/Venice in a single day is possible.
The routing involves:

• leaving London for Paris at around 08:00;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon; an on time arrival will allow around 1hr 25mins between arrival and departure;
• taking the TGV at around 12:45 on to Torino; this train is not available on Saturday and Sunday.
• 35mins after arrival at Torino Porta Susa station a high speed Frecce train will depart for Trieste - but because of its destination it calls in Venezia Mestre station, which is on the mainland.
• Therefore a short journey by Regionale train is required for an arrival into magical Venezia S.Lucia station before 22:45.

By night

The long-standing direct overnight train from Paris to Venezia/Venice was cancelled at the start of the pandemic and as yet, there are no plans for it to resume.

However, an overnight stay in a city can be avoided when travelling by train from London to Venice/Venezia, when setting off from Britain on Mondays to Fridays or a Sunday.
The routing typically involves:

• a choice of leaving London for Paris at around 10:30 or 11:30;
• making the transfer from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare de l'Est; taking that later Eurostar from London provides a little over an hour to make the transfer, so the earlier Eurostar is the safer option.
• depart Paris shortly before 16:00 on a double-deck TGV train heading to Stuttgart Hbf.
• 1hr 35mins after arrival in Stuttgart, shortly before 20:30 a Nightjet train departs Stuttgart for Venezia/Venice
• The train is scheduled to arrive in glorious Santa Lucia station shortly after 08:30.

A journey by train from London to Italy in a single day is typically straightforward, but many will baulk at a journey time to Milan of over 9 hours.
Though this can be an opportunity to enhance the travel experience by stopping over in one of the many fabulous in between cities - on the journeys options which include a transfer in Lausanne or Zurich, it can be a good idea to give in to temptation and spend the night in either of these cities.
With its direct trains on to Milano and on to Torino spending time in Paris is an obvious stop over location - but other destinations, which also make the going easier, are also worth considering.

Strasbourg isn't on the direct London to Italy route, but aside from being a wonderful city in which to spend some time, there are two other ticks in the 'why stopping off here is a good idea' box.

1. Strasbourg can be reached from London by train by connecting between Eurostar and TGV trains in Lille, thereby avoiding the need to cross Paris between stations - when departing St Pancras on the train which typically leaves shortly after 11:00am
2. There are multiple options for gazing in wonder at Swiss scenery on the second day of travel on to Milano, but an easily timed, typically available, option is to depart daily from Strasbourg at around 10:50, to connect in Basel SBB station for the train on to Milano, which departs shortly before 12:30.

This train on from Basel should arrive in Milano Centrale in time for easy connections on to Bologna, Florence, Genova, Monterosso in the Cinque Terre, Naples, Pisa Rome, Rimini and Torino.

For those travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes this route has the cheapest mandatory rail pass reservation fees.

Aside from the opportunity to have an evening meal in the city widely acknowledged as the culinary capital of France, spending the night in Lyon can be a good idea for two reasons.

1. Lyon can be reached from London by train by connecting between Eurostar and TGV trains in Lille, thereby avoiding the need to cross Paris between stations - when departing St Pancras on the trains which typically leave shortly before 09:00 and shortly after 11:00 and shortly after 15:00
2. The next day's journey on to Milano is by a very smart Italian Frecce train, which departs Lyon shortly before 09:30.
   This train is usually scheduled to arrive in Torino shortly before 13:20, in time for easy connections on to Genova, Bologna and Rome.
   It is then due into into Milano Centrale shortly before 14:10; in time for easy connections on to multiple cities including Como, Monza, Napoli, Padova, Venezia, Vicenza, Verona, Reggio di Calabria and Salerno.

A night or two in Marseille can be a particularly good option for a journey by train from London to destinations on the northern part of Italy's Mediterranean coastline - such as Albenga, Genova, San Remo and Savona.
The journey to Genova in a single day requires a transfer by Metro across Torino centre into the final onward train - and the destinations on the Italian Riviera can't be reached from London in a single day.

Marseille can be reached from London by train by connecting between Eurostar and TGV trains in Lille, thereby avoiding the need to cross Paris between stations - when departing St Pancras on the trains which typically leave shortly before 09:00 and shortly after 11:00 and shortly after 15:00

Then on day two a three stage journey by the coast is required:

1. take the TER trains to Antibes, where the transfer requires waiting on the same voie (platform/track) that the train from Marseille will arrive at;
2. connect there for another TER train over the border to Ventimille/Ventimiglia;
3. take a train on to Albenga, Genova, San Remo or Savona.

It's possible to spend a whole day (around 10-13 hrs) travelling by train from London to Bologna, Padova, Venice, Verona or Vicenza, or as can be seen above, an alternative is to arrive in Italy on day two, having taken an overnight train for part of the route.
Though an easier option than the connections in and out of those night trains is to spend the night in in München/Munich.

Travelling from London to Munich by day is comparatively straightforward and then on day two there are morning departures from München Hbf on the fabulously scenic route on to Bologna, Padova, Venice, Verona or Vicenza.

All of the journey options described above, including:

• journeys through Munich or Stuttgart,
• the overnight stop overs.

are all available when heading to London from Italy, but describing them in detail requires another guide.

The simplest daily options from both Torino and Milan requires an early morning start, but time consuming check-in procedures aren't in place when boarding the Frecce or TGV trains.
When setting off from Milano on any day of the week there will typically be a choice between taking the TGV train, which is usually scheduled to depart from Porta Garibaldi station at 06:00, or the Frecciarossa 1000 train which usually leaves Milano Centrale at 06:25.
Too early in the morning for connections to be available from anywhere else in Italy, except for weekday train from Bergamo to Milano Centrale.

Despite leaving Milano later, the Frecce train is able to race along the high-speed line to the west, so it can beat the TGV train to Torino, and typically departs from Porta Susa station shortly after 07:10.
The TGV isn't usually scheduled to depart Torino until shortly after 07:35, but it takes a more direct route on to the French capital, so it beats the Frecce train to Paris Gare De Lyon by around 7 minutes.
So taking either train from Italy allows around 1hr 30mins to make the transfer on to the Gare Du Nord and check-in for the Eurostar which departs at around 14:45 - not Saturdays.
Though a more easily timed connection is available daily into the Eurostar which departs at around 15:15 and typically arrives into London St Pancras at around 16:30 - time enough to travel on to any other UK city by train.

The daily afternoon Frecce train leaves Italy too late for a Eurostar connection on from Paris - and on Monday to Friday the early afternoon TGV is also into the French capital too late for anend-to-end journey.

However, on weekends the TGV trains leaves earlier, from Milano Porta Garibaldi at around 12:10 and from Torino Porta Susa at around 13:35; so on Sundays only, it's arrival time into Paris allows for a connection into the final Eurostar of the day.
Also on Sundays an easily timed connection is available in Torino from a high speed Frecce train that travels from Salerno, Napoli, Roma, Firenze and Bologna.

For those who would rather not leave Milano so early in the morning, there is a typically a later daily option available:

• Take the EC train, which has a restaurant car, which usually departs from Centrale station at 09:10 on its stunning journey to Zurich;
• Just over an hour after arriving at Zurich HB station, a high speed Lyria train will typically depart for Paris Gare De Lyon;
• Around 1hr 35min should then be available to for the transfer to the Gare Du Nord and for check-in; which doesn't allow for a lot of contingency time
• The Eurostar will typically depart at around 19:15 and get into London at around 20:30.

This later start from Milano typically allows connections from:

• The Frecce train from Genova
• An Intercity train from La Spezia and Monterosso
• An Italo train from Venezia, Padova and Verona
• A Frecce train from Venezia, Padova and Verona (not Sunday)
• An overnight Frecce train from Regio di Calabria, which calls in Napoli, Roma, Firenze, and Bologna (only on Saturday And Sunday)
• A Frecce train from Roma, Firenze and Bologna (on most Monday to Friday)

On Monday to Friday and Sunday, a later departure from Milano Centrale is typically an option.

• Take the EC train, which has a restaurant car, which usually departs from Centrale station at 11:20 on wonderful journey to Basel
• Just over an hour after arriving at Basel SBB station, a high speed Lyria train will typically depart for Paris Gare De Lyon;
• Around 1hr 35min should then be available to for the transfer to the Gare Du Nord and for check-in; which doesn't allow for a lot of contingency time into the final Eurostar of the day on to the UK.
• The Eurostar will typically depart at around 21:15 and get into London at around 22:30.

Eurostar does not sell tickets for the journeys from London to Torino and Milano, but they can be booked with Trainline.
It will sell tickets for the end-to-end journey options which involve taking the Eurostar to/from Paris + the direct trains between Paris and Italy - and also the journey options to and from Milan which involve connecting in Paris and Switzerland.
Though Trainline's tech can tend to automatically favour what the majority of travellers logically require, namely the cheapest price and fastest end-to-end journey times at the departure time and date which is being looked up.
So its search results can exclude journey options such as taking the Frecce train on from Paris, and/or the connections in Switzerland.

Booking ahead

Tickets can be available up to 6 months ahead of the travel date; it depends on when tickets become available for th trains on from Paris and not when tickets are released for the Eurostar.
Though the booking period will be shorter if you want to travel after the second Sunday in December, tickets for travel on and after this date aren't usually placed in sale until October.

Booking separate tickets

Journeys such as:

• travelling on to destinations in Italy, which can't be reached in a single day from London,
• taking the night trains for part of the journey,

require the booking of separate tickets for different legs of the journey.

The night trains, the journeys from Munich and Switzerland to Italy. plus the journeys within Italy can all be booked on the OBB website, the website of the Austrian national rail operator, or on Trainline.
Trenitalia, the website of the Italian national rail operator, will sell journeys from Munich and Switzerland to Italy, but within Italy, it only sells tickets for journeys by its trains.
However, Trainline, enables easy comparison between Trenitalia's trains and the alternative high speed Italo trains.
Trainline will also sell tickets for the journeys from London to Switzerland and Germany.

Though something to keep in mind when having to book separate tickets for end-to-end journeys, such as London to Venice by connecting in Turin, is that the ticket for the second part of the journey will likely have to be re-booked if a delay to a preceding train leads to a missed connection.
Missed transfers into vital last trains of the day, will require an overnight stay, and the cost of this also can't typically be claimed from the ticket agent when having to book separate tickets.
Hence the agents only sell end-to-end journeys if this scenario is highly unlikely, due to easy timings between the required trains.

Hence it can be a good idea to de-risk the journeys which can't be covered in a single end-to-end booking, by taking up the option of breaking the journey with an overnight stay.
Separate bookings will also be required for each day of travel, but if each booking covers all of the trains you'll need to take each day, you won't have to re-book in the event of delay.
Morning departures from the likes of Basel, Lyon, Milan, Munich or Zurich, will also allow contingency time for train delays.

Child tickets

Children aged 4 and under travel for free if you travel with them on your lap.

If you're used to children aged 5-15 travelling at a 50% discount on British trains, it may be a surprise that these terms don't apply to journeys by train between Britain and Italy.
There's no discount on the route at all on the most direct route for those aged 12 to 15 at the time of travel, so those in this age group are charged the Adult fare.
That's because the French national child ticket policy with a discount of 50% only applies to travellers aged 5 to 11 and under - and in Italy those aged 13 and 14 only receive a discount on full price tickets for journeys on the fast trains.
The child discount for those aged for 5 to 11 for the journeys by the Eurostar - and by the Lyria trains to Switzerland, if you take that route - is even less generous at only around a third off the Adult rate.

Seniors

There is no discount available on the journeys for Senior Travellers, as Eurostar doesn't offer a discount and those aged 60 and over can only travel at a reduced rate on the French and Italian trains if they also have the required railcard.

Travelling to connect to and from a Eurostar

If you will be traveling by train from outside the London area to the capital in order to connect into a Eurostar, special discounted tickets are available, which are known as tickets to 'London International CIV'; the CIV ensures that they offer the protection into a subsequent Eurostar departure in the event of the train to London being delayed.
Though they can only be booked at station ticket desks; if you go to the station and book in advance (shortly after you have booked your Eurostar ticket) they will be cheaper, though they can also be booked on the travel date.

This information was gleaned from the ever fabulous Seat61.

Users of Eurail and InterRail passes have to pay mandatory rail pass reservation fees on some European train services.
The three services with most expensive of these fees are Eurostar, the Lyria trains betweeen Paris and Switzerland and the TGV trains between Paris and Milan / Turin.
Pretty much the only European long-distance day trains on which these passes aren't valid are the Frecce trains between Paris and Italy and the Italo trains within Italy.

The Eurostar ticket prices can be more than 4x more expensive than the rail pass reservation fees, so Eurail and InterRail can be value for money, particularly if you have first class pass.
There are also alternatives to the expensive fees on the TGV France-Italy and Lyria trains,
The trick is to travel through eastern France and Switzerland.
Strasbourg or Colmar are good locations for an overnight stop, both can be accessed by paying the Eurostar reservation fees + the fees to travel on the French TV trains - taking the TGV from Lille to Strasbourg saves the bother of having to make the transfer across Paris.
The fees on the TGVs to/from Paris can also be avoided by travelling through Bruxelles and then either on a route through Koln and Offenburg, or through Luxembourg and Metz.
Then a combination of TER trains to/from Basel + any train between Basel and Locarno or Lugano + the 'Ticino' trains between Switzerland and Milan, also avoids the need for any rail pass reservation fees.

For British residents, what can also tip the balance in favour of InterRail is that the journeys to and from London, to connect in and out of the Eurostar, will be covered by the pass.

The quota of seats available on each Eurostar departure is is limited and it's not unknown for it to sell out on some departures months ahead, particularly for travel in June to August and around holiday dates at other times of year.
Reservations on Eurostar trains can now be booked up to 330 days ahead of the travel date.

Because you will need to travel by a specific Eurostar departure when travelling to and from Italy, you'll want to check that rail pass reservations are available for the train you need to take prior to buying a pass
The availability can be looked up on B-Europe as it will show which trains are still available - and you don't need to already have a pass to check this

Also avoid thinking, 'great I can see the reservations on B-Europe, so I'll book the pass now and go back to B-Europe tomorrow' - because at busy times the reservations can be sold out by the time you go back online.
It can be a good idea to return to B-Europe to book the reservations as soon as you have made a pass purchase - and therefore have a pass number.

Each Adult using a Eurail or InterRail pass can take two children aged 12 and under with them - the children will require passes, but there is no charge for them.
Though the reservation fees for the Eurostar, Lyria and TGV France-Italy trains are charged at the Adult rate.
Despite this the money saved on the child ticket costs often results in a pass + the reservation fees, being a cheaper option than tickets when making return rail journey between the UK and Italy with children of this age.