Sadly, Italian railway, Thello, no longer offers overnight trains from Paris to Rome, discontinuing the service in 2013. The other overnight train option available was Paris to Venice, then onward to Rome. But Thello also canceled this line in 2021. We’ll monitor the situation, hoping it’ll return some day or get picked up by another operator, like Austria’s OBB NightJet service.
So…this might leave you wondering:
What are My Options for Overnight Trains From Paris to Rome?
There’s nothing direct, or even close to direct when seeking sleeper trains from Paris to Rome. In fact, you must sidetrack to Germany for a night-train experience into Rome. And, full disclosure, this option only gets you as far as Venice. Which could certainly be worse!
You can ride from Paris to Munich in the afternoon on the high-speed TGV, while away the evening in a classic Munich beer haunt (like the famed Hofbräuhaus), and then travel from Munich to Venice on the excellent Austrian Nightjet sleeper train. These night trains feature comfortable sleepers, reasonably priced couchettes and breakfast. Each Luxury Sleeper has its own bathroom and shower. While grabbing the Munich sleeper is a convenient alternative, especially if a night or two in Munich is on your list, it’s admittedly a bit of a detour. From Venice, you have an array of high-speed and slow-train options, many of which travel via Florence. You may also consider a stopover somewhere outside Venice like Verona, Padua or Vincenza, all excellent choices for daytime stops or overnights.
Step 1: First, book a TGV high-speed train from Paris to Munich on SNCF.
Step 2: Then, book a Nightjet overnight train from Munich to Venice on OBB Nightjet.
Step 3: Finally, reserve a daytime train from Venice to Rome with or without a stopover in Florence or the Veneto on Trenitalia.
For more information on train travel between Rome and Venice (step 3), please read: