Mark Smith: No problem--just go to www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html and you can check times and fares for any Italian train journey. You can book online at Italian prices there, too!

_______________________

Milwaukee, WI: My husband & I (both seniors) will be taking two teenagers (both 14) to France next summer (2008). We would like them to experience the TGV, but are not interested in doing the whole trip by train - so that excludes rail passes. We're thinking of a round trip Paris-Avignon as we'll be in the south for 10 days. What is the easiest/best/least expensive way to book a reserved table seat for four? Are there special fares for teens / seniors? How can we book such from the US? Thanks for your advice. Clare

Mark Smith: Just go to the official French Railways website, www.voyages-sncf.com, leave 'France' selected and book a return from Paris to Lyon. The cheapest 'prems' fares must be booked at least 14 days in advance (maximum 90 days, the closer to 90 the better) and they can be printed out on your own PC printer. Easy! Other fares must be sent to an address in France, but how about sending them to your hotel?

_______________________

Irvine, CA: We are traveling with two boys in July , from Paris to Perpignan, in France on the TGV. Do they have food to purchase on the train? Thank you, Norah

Mark Smith: On European trains, you're free to take your own picnic if you want, including your own alcohol (welcome to the real land of the free!). I often take a bottle of wine with me, it's a lot cheaper than buying a bottle on the train. But there's a buffet-bar on every long-distance TGV selling filter coffee, snacks, wine, beer.

_______________________

Portland, Oregon: Is the Eurostar trip from London to Paris counted as one of your days when you purchase a 4 day in 2 months pass for France and Italy?

Mark Smith: Yes. But as the special passholder fares are actually MORE expensive than the cheap fares you can get if you pre-book in advance at www.eurostar.com, I'd simply buy a normal ticket for this section.

_______________________

Ann Arbor, MI: My daughter (25) and I (66) arrive in Frankfurt, early morning of July 20. I have to be in Berlin the evening of July 24 for a Conference. We leave Berlin the morning of July 29. We plan to travel by train from Frankfurt to Berlin, and any other must-see destinations near Frankfurt and Berlin, or between Frankfurt and Berlin. How do we find train routes? Do we buy before we leave, or after we arrive? Where ought we to go? What about intra-city travel in Frankfurt and Berlin?