We went to Courchevel, France, after a couple of fun nights in Milan. The easiest way to get there was to take the train from Milan, Italy, to Chambery, France.
This was the best train experience I have ever had. This was just as enjoyable as a great international first class flight, minus the $200 champagne and caviar.
There are two daily frequencies for the train ride from Milan to Chambery. Chambery is the halfway point of the Milan to Paris train route.
There are different prices for two people.
Executive class is more expensive than business class, but the experience is completely different. Instead of being in a cabin with many other people, you are in a cabin with just 10 seats and a dedicated attendant, with unlimited food and drinks.
The train was leaving from the main train station. The station arrived early because it was so large on arrival from Venice. The train station in Milan is a masterpiece.
We had to go through a temperature check before we got to the departures level. The track was not yet listed.
There wasn't much going on at the station. The lounge that we have access to was not yet open for the morning.
I assume train spotting is a thing, like plane spotting.
I don't know the first thing about trains, but they are fun to look at.
Italo is Italy's private rail operator and has a connection to Ferrari. I think the trains look even better than what we were taking.
The departure track for our train was posted early in the morning, and we headed over to track four. Our passports were checked at the tracks, which was interesting since that didn't happen on the last train. Is that because this is an international train, or is it?
We were seated in the first car at the end of the track, and as we walked there, I popped my head into the different classes. The standard cabin had a 2-2 seating arrangement.
The business class cabin was similar to the one we had on our ride from Venice to Milan.
Are you ready for the first car? Maybe I'm a little too excited.
The executive class cabin has 10 seats. Wow. This reminded me of an old international first class cabin, and I just thought it was awesome.
I assigned us seats 1A and 1D, as they were available at the time we booked. The seats are large and have an endless amount of legroom.
The seats have a feature that allows them to be turned in either direction. If you are seated in the first row, you can only look toward the other seats. If you're traveling with someone, you want to choose seats behind one another so you can face each other.
The people in 2A and 3A were traveling together, so they faced one another. No one was facing us in the first row.
The seat doesn't go fully flat, but it does recline and has a legrest.
The seat functions can be controlled from the side of the seat.
The button on the opposite side of the seat can be used to control the feature.
There were power outlets underneath the seat and on the side of the car, as well as an exposed storage area where you could place a laptop or other item.
The seat had a tray table similar to what you would find on an airplane.
Luggage could be placed in the conference room or in the overhead rack.
Wait, a conference room? The executive class car has a conference room with seating for five. The feature is so funny because there will be most 10 passengers. I sat here for a while with my laptop, because why wouldn't I? It almost reminded me of The Lobby on the A380.
The executive class car had a private bathroom, which is a nice feature when you consider how many people use the other bathroom on trains, and how there can be a queue.
There was a nice galley in the executive class car, which reminded me of an airplane galley. There was a machine for espresso.
The executive class car initially had six passengers, but then two passengers boarded during later stops for a total of eight passengers.
The executive class car had a friendly attendant who introduced herself. She brought out some basic snacks, including cookies and olive crackers, about 15 minutes after she left.
The first beverage service was performed. The water came in a glass and the espresso was served in a paper cup.
The menu for the train journey was presented to us. We could order whatever we wanted from the breakfast, lunch, or dinner menu whenever we wanted. It is like a dine on demand concept on an international flight.
The menu and drink list can be found below.
The attendant kept us hydrated and gave us several refill drinks.
I wish we were hungrier, but we had room service breakfast at our hotel in the morning, and there was only so much I could eat. We had to take one for the team and order something before we arrived in Chambery. I wanted to order a lunch even though it was only after 9AM, because I had been up for so long.
Warm towels were brought after we placed our orders.
I ordered the salmon and zucchini risotto. I was offered a bread basket and a Coke Zero.
This was presented with proper utensils.
The food and water was ordered by Ford.
Is it the most gourmet food ever? No. We liked it, and it was quite tasty. It's all included with an executive class ticket, and you can order whatever you want.
It's easy to connect to and quite fast with the free wi-fi at Trenitalia. We had good internet throughout the journey.
Overhead monitors provided an updated status of our progress. We arrived at Chambery on time.
It was snowing hard when we arrived. That is great for skiing!
I'm more of an aviation nerd when it comes to transportation. This might be my favorite train journey I have ever taken because I enjoy a nice train ride.
Planes and trains have a lot in common, in the sense that I enjoy more in life than sitting in a comfortable seat on my laptop and watching the world go by. I'm a happier camper if someone is looking after me and giving me unlimited coffee and water.
The journey was lovely, and it was even better to be able to watch the world go by.
Even though the train from Milan to Paris takes seven hours, I would take a train over flying. I work when I travel, and it's no better than this.
This is a fun way to travel from Italy, even though the premium for the executive class is significant. This is the most relaxing and enjoyable way to travel around Europe because of the comfortable seats, personalized service, and endless food and drink options.
I am viewing getting to and fro from Italy from other places in Europe in a completely different way after taking the executive class of Trenitalia. I would be happy to take a long journey in this cabin. I can recommend it enough if you have the chance to experience the executive class.
What was your experience in the executive class?
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