TRAINS IN ITALY!

Mr_P_5

Hi there! im going on my honeymoon in July and have sorted nearly everything out... all but the travelling! im going to rome for 3 days.. then to san vincenzo for 7! returning via plane from Pisa.

does anybody know where i can get info on times/costs.. even booking? iv herd about train cards.. where can i get these from and are they worth it?

All advice welcome

;D

VickyA_2

We meet again Mr P!

I've been trying to find the Italian trains website for you, but this will be okay for you:

Rail Europe

Mr_P_5

i cant seem to find anything from rome to San vincenzo.

i think the nearest train station is campiglia marittima!

help!
im so close to getting everything sorted!

evesham1988la

We meet again Mr P!

I've been trying to find the Italian trains website for you, but this will be okay for you:

Rail Europe

The Italian Trains (TrenItalia) website is:
https://www.trenitalia.it

Mr_P_5

thanks.

any more help is appreciated.

;D

TMH_3

We did a similar thing for our honeymoon a couple of years ago. Took the train from Rome to Florence, this is the main service to Milan and takes about two hours, Florence is first stop. Book in advance is a must. 1st class was about £40 each! I used continental rail on 0870 421 5649, they are similar to rail europe. And probably charge a service fee. The Trenitialia website is not so good and you cannot pre book as you have to be an Italian resident, also rail cards are no use. You will have to pay the full one way fare. Good service though and on time. You may have to change in Florence and get a service that will take you to San Vicenzo, unless you have a found a train that will get you there from Rome! Have a lovely time.

Mr_P_5

Thankyou very much. i will give the number a try.

i had seen on that website the train to Pisa (as it looks like that is where im going to get my car hire from). however like you said it wont alow me to pre-book! i will give thema ring for prices.

much appreciated help.

did you go anywhere nice u can recomend in rome? ;D

Galtizz

Trains in Italy are fantastic. Be aware though that they leave ON TIME, arrive 30 seconds late and you'll probably have missed it (all public transport in Italy is the same).

There are 3 types of trains in Italy (I can't remember the exact names) but they are something like:

Eurostar - this only stops at major cities i.e Rome - Milan - Paris

Intercity - This stops at all the big italian cities Rome - Pisa - Florence etc. (This is the one you want between Rome and Pisa)

Regionale - This stops at EVERY station along the line (even if the station only services 1 farmhouse!) Try not to use this for jorneys of any length.

I would suggest getting an Intercity train from Rome to the nearest big stop to where you are staying then taking a Regionale. You will be able to arrange all of this in Rome station.

Using the trains is really easy, all of the customer service people speak fluent English (even when I tried my best Italian they always answered in English)

You can easily buy the tickets on the day at the train staion. Get there early in the moring (or pick up a time table in advance) go into the ticket office take a ticket (like in the deli at a supermarket) then ask the ticket person.

There are orange boxes on the platform you have to punch your ticket in them just before you get on the train. You have to do this on buses too, with buses you get on and off at the side and back (if you get on at the front you'll probably get a round of f's from the Italians ::) You buy bus tickets from newsagent type places near the bus stop.

As for where to visit I spent most of my time in Sorrento visiting the Naples bay area (which I can thoroughly recomend) so I only made it to Rome for 1/2 a day. I went to the Colluseum, you get a 'phone' to listen to a description of where you are (you walk around the colluseum there are number which you type into the phone) It can be a bit gory but ancient Rome was a bit gory :-/. You can get a silimar phone that you listen to as you walk the streets of Rome which I thought would be really interesting but I didn't get time to do it. There are booths dotted about by the colluseum selling them.

As you walk around Rome everywhere you look there is something interesting, a ruin or an on old church etc. so I would recomend getting a guide to Rome. I used the Rough guide to Italy and found it really informative, you can get one for just Rome or for Tuscany

One last thing - I don't know how old you are but if either of you are under 26 take your passport with you everywhere (but look after it, obviously) If you can prove you are under 26 you pay reduced fees at museums.

Have a fantastic time.

Mr_P_5

thanks.

that has really helped! think i understand it all better now! is it cheaper to buy at the station rather than booking all then?

cheers for the help on being under 26 thing?! will remember that.. were 21 and 23! ;D

Galtizz

I don't think it is cheaper to pre- book because you pay a set rate per km. You may get a discount for pre booking but I doubt it. It is relatively cheap to travel anyway.

Obviously the Intercity is more expensive per km than the Regionale but it really isn't worth saving the money, the trains are generally crowded and old and it takes hours to get anywhere (yes, I am speaking from experience ;D)

I would recomend either getting a first class ticket or asking at the train station the best time to travel. I did Sorrento to Rome (Intercity) at about 1 - 2pm and the train was packed. I had to sit on my back pack in a corridor by the toilets which wasn't nice :-/. The rest of the time I could always find a seat on Intercity so it must have been some sort of lunchtime post siesta rush hour.

kdee_2

check out this link:
http://www.seat61.com/ and he wonderfully goes through the whole process step by step.

Also, check out https://www.virutaltourist.com for absolutely EVERYTHING you vcould ever wish to know about the place you are visiting.

We are going form doncaster to florence by train in April and these two websites have been a godsend.
Have booked all tickets and hotel accomodation and it has felt like a walk in the park