10 Days | A rail-only journey from The City of Lights to The Eternal City
![Brightly lit cafes on the streets of Paris in the evening light, Eiffel Tower visible in background](/v3/assets/blt0de87ff52d9c34a8/blt9514ac88026b8b94/654ce2474cefc5040ac475b1/Intrepid_Travel-France-Paris-walking-tour-evening-walk.jpg?branch=prd&width=75&quality=35&blur=1&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
![Older couple look up at mountain range in Switzerland](/v3/assets/blt0de87ff52d9c34a8/blt73ad24c3c9acac95/6657d746eb19026647b85b6f/Intrepid-Travel-Switzerland_Train-ride_couple_senior_1264356312-getty-pa.jpg?branch=prd&width=75&quality=35&blur=1&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
![Traveller Rachael Sarra throwing a coin into Trevi fountain in Rome in the evening](/v3/assets/blt0de87ff52d9c34a8/blt9f221776e11878e2/6657d747f50dae1206be9428/Intrepid-Travel-Italy-Rome-Rachael-throwing-coin-into-Trevi-fountain.jpg?branch=prd&width=75&quality=35&blur=1&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
![A cogwheel train ascending Mount Pilatus in Lucerne Switzerland, with a distant lake visible below in the background](/v3/assets/blt0de87ff52d9c34a8/bltffd08507fb087be8/6657d7482aa33d0ac82a7114/Intrepid-Travel-Switzerland-Lucerne-Mount-Pilatus-cogwheel-train-mountainside-lake-distance-GettyImages-1468542573-1100x735.jpg?branch=prd&width=75&quality=35&blur=1&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
![Intrepid travellers pose outside Rome's Colosseum in Italy](/v3/assets/blt0de87ff52d9c34a8/bltfc3abfa188df14ed/6657d74925d3939632104ad4/Intrepid-Travel-Italy-Rome-customers-in-front-of-Colosseum.jpg?branch=prd&width=75&quality=35&blur=1&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Take a ten-day rail-only adventure from Paris to Rome. You’ll start in the City of Lights, then you’ll zoom to Switzerland for a mountain getaway. In Lausanne, see the iconic Cathedral and maybe visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Vineyard Terraces of Lavaux for a wine tasting, then head to Lucerne for incredible views of the lake and surrounding Alps on Mount Pilatus. Take the Gotthard Panorama Express to the city of Bellinzona, where you’ll hop on another cable car for more mountain views. Make your way to Rome, where you’ll have plenty of free time to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World and sit down to a fresh lunch with an Intrepid Foundation partner, Cooperativa Coraggio.
Trip overview
![Map of Paris To Rome By Rail including France, Italy and Switzerland](/v3/assets/blt0de87ff52d9c34a8/blt2427fa657c34e029/6679fbe9904c7342266c3e45/BMSR_2025-with-transfer-4.gif?branch=prd&width=75&quality=35&blur=1&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
- Start
- Paris, France
- Finish
- Rome, Italy
- Theme
- Explorer, Rail
- Destinations
- Italy, Switzerland, France
- Physical rating
- Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
- Style
- Original
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1 - Max 12
- Trip code
- BMSR
- Choose a slower-paced European journey on a comfortable rail-only trip – as well as travelling like the locals on domestic trains, you’ll also hop aboard the Gotthard Panorama Express and take the Mount Pilatus Silver Circle tour (which includes an aerial cableway)!
- Watch a cooking demonstration using fresh, locally harvested produce, then sit down to lunch during a visit to The Intrepid Foundation partner, Cooperativa Coraggio, who work to regenerate 22 hectares of unused public land to create local jobs and produce organic food in Italy.
- Walk along the Musegg Wall and the nine Musegg Towers of Lucerne – an old fortification surrounding the city that is now home to endangered plants and wildlife like bats and birds. This is one of the best ways to see Lucerne like the locals!
- Take a scenic hike in Bellinzona to make the most of the incredible views – surrounded by the Swiss Alps, Bellinzona also features not one, not two, but three medieval castles.
- The Silver Circle tour is one of the best ways to make use of your time in Lucerne. Scaling the impressive Mount Pilatus, you’ll travel by railway, cogwheel railway, aerial cableway and then jump on panorama gondolas for incredible views of the surrounding Alps and Lake Lucerne.
- If you love avoiding airport queues, this is the trip for you! As public transport is the predominant form of transport on this trip, we highly recommend packing as lightly as possible as you will be expected to carry your own bags on and off trains as well as to and from your accommodation.
- If travelling to Paris from London we highly recommend using the fast Eurostar train from London's St Pancras station. At under 2.5 hours travel time and with no airport queues, this is by far the most convenient travel option.
Itinerary
Inclusions
9 breakfasts, 1 lunch
Train, Metro, Local Bus, Private Vechicle
Hotel (9 nights)
- Paris - Orientation Walk
- Paris - Welcome Meeting
- Lucerne - Orientation Walk
- Lucerne - Walk on the Museggmauer Walls
- Lucerne - Mount Pilatus Silver Circle Tour
- Bellinzona - Orientation Walk
- Bellinzona - Leader led hike
- Rome - Orientation Walk
- Rome - Visit of Cooperativa Coraggio, The Intrepid Foundation partner
- Rome - Cooperativa Coraggio cooking demonstration and lunch
- Paris - Hidden Montmartre Urban Adventure - EUR35
- Paris - Palace of Versailles - EUR20
- Paris - Louvre Museum (must be prebooked in advance) - EUR17
- Paris - Arc de Triomphe - EUR13
- Paris - Musee d'Orsay - EUR16
- Paris - Rodin Museum - EUR13
- Paris - Napoleon's Tomb & Les Invalides Army Museum - EUR15
- Paris - Eiffel Tower (from - must be prebooked in advance) - EUR19
- Paris - Da Vinci Code Walking Tour - EUR25
- Lausanne - Visit to Unesco-listed Lavaux vineyards and wine tasting (including return local trains) - CHF23
- Lausanne - Boat tour on the Leman Lake - CHF38
- Lausanne - Visit to the Olympic Museum - CHF20
- Lausanne - Chocolate tasting tour - CHF29
- Lausanne - Visit to Plateforme 10 museum - CHF15
- Lucerne - Swiss Museum of Transport - CHF35
- Lucerne - Fondue lunch or dinner - CHF27
- Lucerne - Boat tour on the lake - CHF30
- Lucerne - Paddle boat on the lake - CHF40
- Lucerne - Gletschergarten Luzern Museum - CHF22
- Lucerne - Guided tour of the Sonnenberg Bunker - CHF350
- Vatican City - Vatican Museum - EUR22
- Rome - Pantheon One Hour Guided Tour Urban Adventure - EUR35
- Rome - Castel Sant'Angelo - EUR14
- Rome - Christian Catacombs - EUR10
- Rome - Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill - EUR19
- Vatican City - St Peter's Dome Climb & Elevator - EUR10
- Rome - Pantheon - EUR5
- Rome - Galleria Borghese - EUR16
- Rome - Venezia Palace - EUR17
- Rome - Keats-Shelley Memorial House - EUR6
Dates and availability
Important notes
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
A Single Supplement is bookable for this trip. Availability is limited due to small properties that we use. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
TRAIN TRAVEL
The primary form of transportation on this trip are scheduled local and intercity trains.
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