i will be in madrid in march, looking for apartments and such, and i want to meet a friend who lives in milan, either in the middle or in milan? any recommendations for cheap flights, fast trains, etc...?

princessbecca,

It isn't that cheap, but you might want to try the hotel train from Barcelona to Milan. It is quite a nice way to travel, waking up at your destination fully refreshed. We took it the other way, and it's the only way to see France.

Check out vueling.com. They have flights from Barcelona to Milan for as low as 30 Euros each way. You can also sometimes fly from Madrid to Barcelona for as little as 10 Euros each way.

At least two other budget airlines--Air Comet (an unfortunate name, I think) and Air Europa--also fly from Madrid to Milan.

Now, this brings back memories...and nightmares. One time I did the trip from Rome to Madrid... by train. I swore I would never do it again, and I haven't. It was horrendous. I couldn't get a sleeper...they were all booked. So, I was awake the entire time.

To be honest, the worst part of the trip were the hours spent traversing France. There wasn't a cafeteria on the train (only present in Italy and then again in Spain) so you couldn't eat or drink anything unless you brought it with you; the people who came on board at g-d forsaken hours didn't mind being rude; the train was overly hot.... It was 48 hours of pure torture...so much so that on my return to Rome I opted to pay an outrageous fee for a one-way air ticket.

The next time I went from Madrid to Rome I knew that there was no way in hell I would ever do the trip again by train. I took the bus. It was a great experience...seriously, it was a pleasure. It lasted 36 hours and the driver stopped every 2 hours for us (and him) to get a drink. Dinner was somewhere north of Barcelona. Once we hit France...no stops until the border with Italy, at which time (at the French border with Italy), the dogs came on the bus searching for drugs. Here, too, we stopped...for breakfast for at least an hour. The bus arrived in Rome two hours early...so the trip actually took 34 hours.

I brought some food on the bus with me...slept through most of France (the Riviera at night)...and in Italy, depended on the kindness of some fellow travelers for some caffè latte (café con leche).

Would I do the trip again? Yes, however,I would, check into cheap airfares...these weren't available the last time I did this trip (early 90s)and I don't think of myself as being silly.

If you find the airfare, go that way. If not, look into the bus.

By the way, I'm very tall, with an inseam of 36"... and the seats on the bus were comfortable for me.

Sheryl

I, too, would recommend looking into cheap airfares. Last summer I flew from Venice/Treviso to Girona for 10 euros with Ryanair. Excellent flight. The only thing is, you may have to add the other transportation costs to get to the places the cheaper airlines fly. It may still be worthwhile, though.

Sheryl,

My first train experience from Barcelona to Rome was equally horrible. As a matter of fact, we got as far as Nice and when I tried to reserve a train from Nice to Rome the next day, I was informed that Italy was having a train strike, and there were no trains to Rome. So we went back to Madrid. This was in 1999.

However the last time, 2002, everything went just perfectly. On the leg of the trip from Rome to Milan, they couldn't seat my wife and I together. Like I said "perfect" However, they did give us a double sleeping compartment together and we loved it. No, we didn't stop and eat, but we got on the train after dark, and I went to the local bread and cheese shop and bought a picnic specifically for the train ride. It was a good thing there was facilities to brush your teeth in the sleeper, because the cheese was rather strong but very good.

It might have helped this second time, that I made arrangements for the trip, about 2-3 days in advance, once I got to Rome. The people who sold the tickets at the Rome Termini station were very nice. I too, have found the facilities around the train stations in France to be stark at best. So, I'd just as soon sleep through this country.

Try www.aireuropa.com
They have good offers and fly regularly the route to Milan Malpensa, for example, departing on March 8 and return on March 13 is just 284 euros and much faster than train.