Had a look at the Paris-Milan train on tgv.co.uk as we‘re now within the 90-day booking window. The 13:50 which I’d planned to book is no longer running. Instead there is a 15:24, which is half an hour faster, arriving in Milan an hour later than I originally planned at 22:25. Just as well I checked. Should be OK provided the hotel doesn’t give up on me; perhaps I should email nearer the time. Spent much time looking at other sites listing the TGV-Artesia trains, several of whom were still listing the 13:50, as well as, in one case, a 14:24 and a 15:50, just to confuse people (there never have been that many direct trains); however when I started a dummy booking on one of them it changed to 15:24.
So I went ahead and booked. More time spent trying to decide if it’s worth booking a changeable and refundable ticket. In the end, since it cost quite a bit more and I only get 50% back if I change or cancel, I took a chance on a fixed ticket – I hope I don’t regret it. The only issue is whether the better ticket would have any priority on available seats if I had to change; I doubt it. But I did book first class, for an extra £18.50. I reckon a wider solo seat, bigger table and guaranteed power point will be worth having on the 7-hour journey.
The later departure will allow me to catch a Eurostar at a more reasonable time, and maybe even grab some breakfast in the hotel before I leave. And/or spend a bit more time in Paris between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon.
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