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Anyone ever taken the train from London to Sicily?

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firstek

Hi Guys,
I hate flying and have to travel between Malta and London frequently, I was thinking about maybe getting the Eurostar to Paris, then the train down through Milan and Rome and finally Sicily , with the journey ending with the Ferry to Malta! Admittedly it's not ideal for every time etc, but cheaper than driving with fuel costs/ tolls/stopover fees!
Has anyone tried this? Any tips ?
Thanks in advance
Debbie 😀

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How to drive in MaltaUK Car in MaltaExporting a car bought in Malta to the UKHow to get to Malta with a rental car?Italian Car registration Malta.
bernie_iris_fabian_david

Hi Debbie,

You have to love travelling by train if you decide to do that, I guess :)
I've done part of the journey. I live in Austria and have gone to Calabria and back by train (that was in 2002, though), and to Pescara (about as far south as Rome, but on the east coast), and many other shorter train trips in Italy. The journey was always ok but long, and although trains have been modernised in parts of Italy (I think there are modern high speed trains from Milan to Rome), many trains are still old and slow, especially further down south.
I would definitely recommend booking a sleeper car (you know, the ones where the seats are changed into bunk beds for 6 people for the night) as you will be going for 2 (or 3) days, and I tried sleeping in a normal compartment (6 people) on the journey back from Calabria, which obviously was impossible.

One more thing to bear in mind: the Italians are well known for their tendency to strike. There are frequent railway strikes, meaning nothing goes for a day or two (including international trains), and often the strikes are only announced shortly before they take place.

Oh, and it's good to know a bit of Italian when taking the train in Italy - conductors rarely speak English and announcements (about delays, changed schedules, ...) are only in Italian.

Cheers
Bernie

tearnet

UK to Malta by train & ferry, no airports, no flights...   

It's easy to reach Malta from London by train & ferry, and you get to see Italy on the way.  This page explains how to plan and book the journey.  Just take a mid-morning Eurostar to Paris and afternoon high-speed TGV to Milan on day 1, and stay overnight.  On day 2, take a morning high-speed train to Rome in just 2 hours 59 minutes.  Spend the afternoon exploring the Eternal City before boarding the overnight sleeper to Siracuse in Sicily.  The Rome to Sicily sleeper train really does go direct to Siracuse, it is shunted onto a ferry to cross the Straits of Messina, one of the few places in Europe (or indeed the world) where train ferries still operate, an interesting experience in itself.  Day 3, spend the morning at leisure in Siracuse then transfer to the little town of Pozzallo in southern Sicily for the 90-minute evening ferry crossing to Valletta on Malta with Virtu Ferries,  www.virtuferries.com.  Virtu Ferries operate fast catamarans from Sicily to Malta up to 6 days a week with up to 3 sailings per day, although dates and times vary.  Malta is one of the friendliest islands in the Mediterranean or anywhere else for that matter, and it's a great place for a week or two's holiday, with plenty to see and do.


Taken from this site...

http://www.seat61.com/Malta.htm#.Vou6MjdIgiQ


Terry

firstek

Thanks Bernie!
That's a big help, I'd not considered any kind of rail strike there in Italy!
We speak Italian ( my husbands' family are Italian) so we should be okay ,if we put our listening ears on for announcements etc! It's just to break the monotony up of the flight there! Like I said, I would have driven but the costs are too much and I think our son would be out of his head with boredom!! Thanks again 😀
Debbie

firstek

Thanks Terry!
It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has done this trip !
It looks exciting and I think it would work for my little family, it would certainly be an experience and less stressful for me I believe! I'll report back on here if we go ahead and do it! But for now..... It's the plane again next month!
Debbie 😀

DavideM

Hi! i'm italian maybe i can help you.
I want to advertise you that express trains in Italy are very expensive!
From Milan to Rome you can use Frecciarossa (just check Tranitalia website) or Italo (another company) but they are very expensive! ordinary trains are cheaper but they are not so quick.
So this journey could be interesting but very very expensive
if you hate flying, i can suggest you to take the ship from Genova to Palermo, it will take several hours but if you book a cabin can be ok (but in winter could be not so relaxing)

PurpleG

Hi, I'm interested in trying this. I love flying and I love traveling and it would be a new experience. How much does it cost to do the whole trip - I'm on a budget.

tearnet

You can use this website to work out the current fares..

https://www.raileurope.com/train-ticket … _origin=MT

The fare for the ferry from Sicily to Malta is currently around €90 for a foot passenger (one way).

http://www.virtuferries.com/

Terry

PurpleG

Thanks Terry.

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