The Spanish Steps © Daniel Basso/Unsplash
A trip to Rome is high on everyone's bucket list. Until recently, unless you happened to already be in Italy, a long weekend to Rome from other countries in Europe required catching a plane.
You could try and do it by train, but depending on your departure city, it may take you over a day to get there , eating into your time at your destination. The other option was driving, of course. Now, I don't know about you, but apart from the time you would be spending on the road, braving the Roman traffic is the opposite of a holiday for me. I wanted to go to Rome by train, arrive in the city centre and walk everywhere.
It all changed, finally, a few year ago, when ÖBB (the Austrian Railways) introduced their Nightjet train services from Munich and Vienna to Rome.
From Europe to Rome by train - Travel options
1. The Austrian (rail)way - to Rome by night train
Imagine getting on a train in Munich Central Station at 8pm, settle in, catch a beautiful sunset on the Alps, and wake up the next morning right in the centre of the Eternal City, ready to explore.
If you are based in other European countries, you can connect with the Nightjet, and turn the change of train into the opportunity to visit Munich (or Vienna) en route to Rome. You can connect with the Munich Rome ÖBB Nighjet from Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam.
Berlin is only 4hours and 30minutes away from Munich, courtesy of Deutsche Bahn.
If you are based in the Netherlands, the best option is probably to catch the Amsterdam-Munich ÖBB Nighjet, arrive in Munich in the morning, either work remotely or explore Munich for a day, and then off Rome the following evening!
If you are based in Paris, the Paris-Munich ÖBB Nighjet is a great option.
Munich's Hauptbanhof (Central Station). © Duncan Smith/Unsplash
ÖBB offers a night train to Rome from Vienna too. It also runs a number of services to and from Eastern Europe which make the journey possible - with a change in the Austrian capital - from Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava, and Budapest.
The OBB Nightjet may seem more expensive than a flight, but if you consider it saves you one night of accommodation in Rome it is actually cost-effective. There are four and six bed compartments available if you travel with a group of friends, and solo travelling options including luxury cabins (Maybe I will try that next for that Orient Express feeling!). The service is extremely family friendly. You can book a whole compartment for three adults or for a family of two adults and up to three children for 199 euros, which is very reasonable if you consider it saves you one night accommodation in Rome.
2.The French (rail)way - London or Paris to Rome by high speed day train
The other long-awaited game changer, for travelling to Rome from Western Europe, was a fast train from Paris to Milan. The journey takes about 7 hours, and takes you through beautiful French countryside, crossing the gentle hills of the Champagne region and beautiful Burgundy. After Lyon, the train crosses the majestic western Alps, before reaching Torino and Milano. Currently, SNCF and Trenitalia offer three direct journeys a day - early morning, lunchtime and early afternoon. Milan is connected to Rome by regular high speed trains (Italo and Trenitalia). The journey takes 3hours and 10 minutes (or 3 hours 39minutes at some times of the day.
The opening of the Paris route made a train trip from London to Rome much faster and feasible. With the Eurostar, you can leave London on a Thursday morning, get on the 3.18pm to Milan, overnight there and get on an early Trenitalia FrecciaRossa to Rome on Friday morning. Alternatively, leave for Paris in the afternoon, overnight in Paris and then catch the 7.26am to Milan. You will be in Rome the next evening, after a beautiful journey through North and Central Italy, crossing the Apennines, admiring villages and castles (even catching a glimpse of the Florence skyline) from your comfortable seat.
My experience of travelling to Rome by night train
What to see in Munich in a day
I travelled with my husband and teenage daughter from Amsterdam to Munich and from there on to Rome. So we had a full day in the Bavarian capital.
The Munich city centre is very compact, and you could squeeze in a decent amount of sightseeing in a day: Marienplatz, the Frauenkirche, the elegant Konigsplatz, with its green expanse surrounded by neo-classical buildings. If it is relaxation you are after, you can lunch in a historic brewery, go for a stroll and a nap in the vast Englischer Garten, watch the surfers catch a wave on the Isar river, and then stock up for Bavarian delicacies at the Viktualienmarkt before catching your night train.
A view of Munich's Rathaus. © Luis Fernando Felipe Alves/Unsplash
We used the family deal to book a whole compartment for us, and it met our needs perfectly. The service is no frills, but efficient and friendly. The compartments are spacious and clean, and it is great to stretch your legs and spread your belongings. We brought some interesting Bavarian food and beer and had a little feast on the train. And the beauty of a sunset through the Alps does not compare with the artificial light of an airport departure area!
We set our alarm clock to wake up before Bologna, as the train ride from Bologna to Rome is one of the most scenic in Italy. The classic Tuscan countryside of hilltop villages, cypresses and sunflower fields rolled before our eyes as we sipped our coffees.
My two or three full days in Rome itinerary
Admittedly it was not my first time in Rome, and I knew my away around the city, but you can actually see quite a bit in three days in Rome, especially in summer when the days are longer.
Day 1.
Getting off the train in Termini at half past nine in the morning, we wheeled our suitcase through Via Cavour, stopping for a cappuccino and cornetto before dropping our suitcases off at our pensione in the to Monti neighbourhood, half way between the Quirinale and the Roman Fora area. The walk from Termini to Monti is under 20 minutes, and a great way to stretch your legs and soak in the atmosphere.
I like to use my day one in Rome to do a long walking circuit, going from site to site, often through the backroads, where the fabric of the city will surprise you with the water gurgling out of a Roman fountain or a magnificent terracotta baroque palazzo rising from the ruins of an ancient temple.
If you only have a few days in Rome, good planning is fundamental.
You are unlikely to get into the Vatican Museums unless you pre-book a ticket, and even if you rush you have to estimate half a day for it. Personally, I love history and art and think it is unmissable. It is of the greatest - if not the greatest of all - art collections on the planet, and the ticket includes a visit to the Sistine Chapel, the pope's personal chapel famously frescoed by Michelangelo. But if you prefer to enjoy the Roman outdoors or concentrate on other sights there are so many options!
The most incredible ceiling on earth. © Snap Saga/Unsplash
Whether you visit the Vatican Museum or not, a trip to the Vatican is a great way to begin your trip as you will find your bearings and see so much on the way.
From the Monti area where we stayed, the journey to the Vatican on foot takes you through some of Rome's best sights. You climb up the Quirinale Hill, with its gardens dotted with orange trees, to the Quirinale Palace, the elegant residence of the Italian President. From there, you can either, literally, follow the sound of the water to the Trevi Fountain, or keep going north to Trinita' dei Monti, the top of the Spanish Steps, for one of the most magnificent views on earth.
Fontana di Trevi. © Jeff Ackley/Unsplash
From the Spanish Steps you start heading towards the Tiber. I love stopping at the Mausoleo di Augusto (the mound first built as the emperor's burial place) and his small but elegant Ara Pacis (The Altar to Peace) of the most famous examples of Roman sculpture, recently restored. From there, follow the Tiber to the appropriately named Ponte Sant'Angelo, decorated by angel statues. The majestic Castel Sant'Angelo, former tomb of Emperor Hadrian, later fortified by the popes, shows you the way to Via Della Conciliazione, with the Vatican dome rising at the far end.
Castel Sant'Angelo and the Roman Ponte dell'Angelo © Angelo Casto/Unsplash
After visiting the Vatican basilica (if you are a woman do not forget to wear trousers or a skirt below your knee or you may be refused entry), you can make your way back through Piazza Navona, with Bernini's famous fountain of the Four Rivers, and the Pantheon. You will see a lot of crumbling Roman Temples in the Fora, but the Pantheon is fully preserved, including its famous dome, after 2000 years. If you can, go after dark and watch the full moon shine through the oculus. Once I spent a week in Rome and walked in every morning and every evening! It is a bit more complicated now that you need a ticket to enter, but if you can see it twice, at different times of the day, it is worth it.
Dome of the Pantheon. © Alps2Coast
From the Pantheon, follow the sign for Fontana di Trevi and enjoy aperitivo in one of the side roads, before heading back to Monti for dinner.
Day 2.
Day 2 was all about the Romans - with a Michelangelo detour. Rione Monti has one of the best views of the Colosseo, so it was easy to find our way. En route, we stopped at San Pietro in Vincoli, the church famous for Michelangelo's Moses. The church is beautiful, in a very atmospheric little square, on top of a hill. Long before Michelangelo sculpted his mighty biblical leader, the church already had a glorious history spanning 1000 years.
Michelangelo's Moses. © Alps2Coast
It used to be known as the Eudoxian Basilica, built by the Western Roman Empress Eudoxia, whose mother had received the chains (vincula in Latin) that had kept St. Peter bound in Jerusalem. Eudocia donated these chains to Pope Leo the Great (also famous for making Attila turn back), who already possessed the ones Saint Peter had worn in the Mamertine Prison. When the two chains were brought together, they miraculously merged into one. The church was built to celebrate this miracle and became the seat of the Conclave (the papal election).
After a short stop for caffe' e cornetto, we headed down towards the Roman Forum, trying to be early and beat the crowds. They open at 9 and the queues weren't so bad, so we could take our time and wander through the monuments. You need at least 2 hours to visit the Forum, and that is if you hurry (or if it gets too hot). If you love history or simply want to soak in the atmosphere, 3 hours is more realistic. Sights include the triumphal arch of Titus, the Vestals' temple, the Roman Senate, the rostra from which Marc Anthony harangued the Romans after Caesar's 's assassination, Caesar's alleged burial place (people still bring flowers) and then climb the Palatine hill, to admire the ruins of the imperial palace and the elegant frescos of the Casa di Livia (the residence of Augustus's wife.
A view of the Roman Fora. © Luismi Sanchez/Unsplash
From the back of the Palatine, we walked along the Circus Maximus and headed for Santa Maria in Cosmedin, in whose porch you can find the Bocca della Verita' (Mouth of Truth) immortalised in the film Roman Holidays, and the small but fascinating temples of Republican era Rome. The Tiber lured us back, and we crossed into the Isola Tiberina from Ponte Fabricio and out on Ponte Cestio. Both are genuine two-thousand-year-old Roman bridges.
Dusk over Isola Tiberina. © Massimo Virgilio/Unsplash
By then we felt we had earned aperitivo and dinner in Trastevere! A beautiful walk back to Monti after dinner, with photo stops at the Portico d'Ottavia and gelato in the Ghetto, taking in the Trajan Column and Imperial Fora under a beautiful summer moon.
Day 3.
On day 3 you may have a full day in Rome, or or a half day depending on your travel connections. If you are heading back to Munich, you can catch the night train from Termini and have a full day.
We were heading to London via Paris so we had to be on our train to Milan for 12.10. We chose that option because it still gave us the morning in Rome, but alternatively you can leave at 7.20 in the morning, change in Milan then Zurich then Paris, and be in London in the morning. It is also the ideal option if your final destination is within France.
If you are trying to go back to Germany or the Netherlands, the Munich option is better as it is direct, and you can then spend another day in or around Munich or jump on a morning train. If you book in advance, you can get yourself a business seat on Deutsche Bahn and just work from the train!
The Pantheon from Piazza della Rotonda. © Gloria Cretu/Unsplash
Our last morning in Rome was spent on an early morning walk from Monti to the Pantheon and back, taking in as many sights as possible, and then visiting the splendid Museo Nazionale Romano, which happens to be just across from Stazione Termini. We admired some of the most amazing Roman statuary, including a famous copy of the Discoboulos, and did not need to worry at all about missing our train!
An experience worth repeating
The trip to Rome was my first time travelling on the ÖBB Nightjet train, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Arriving directly in the city centre, I was far less tired than if I had had an early morning flight - or even a late evening one the previous night! I was ready to explore, wasted no time, and don't even get me started on the magnificent sunflower fields and rolling hills outside my window from Tuscany to Rome - one of Italy's most scenic train journeys.
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