Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with italy and train

Which way from Milan to Budapest?

goingonit — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:44:26 -0800

I'm planning to travel from Italy to Hungary via Slovenia and Croatia this May. The only things I have booked are my flight into Milan and my flight out of Budapest 17 days later. I'm looking at two different itineraries. Which should I choose? I've done enough investigation into ground and sea transport to find two very viable options. They are:

1) Milan -> Padua -> Trieste -> Ljubljana -> Split -> Zagreb -> Budapest
2) Milan -> Bari -> Dubrovnik -> Split -> Ljubljana -> Budapest (via either Zagreb or Maribor & Vienna)

Given I have a fair amount of distance to cover in not very much time, which should I do? (essentially, Dubrovnik is very far out of the way so is it really worth the visit?) Is any of the travel between these places particularly aggravating? (Also: I have been to Venice a number of times before and plan to skip it this time around.)

I think I have covered most of my general-travel-planning bases, and I read this previous thread, but quirky/interesting stop suggestions are appreciated (in particular: good places to stop on the coast between Rijeka and Split)

Interest-wise, what attracted me to this trip were both the long and fascinating history (hence why I'm even considering visiting Dubrovnik/Ragusa) and the natural beauty. Don't plan on much clubbing but do plan to do a fair amount of eating, drinking, and socializing. I'm traveling alone and plan to stay in hostels and/or guest houses.

Thanks!

This would be easier if I read Italian.

Windigo — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:44:41 -0800

Italy Travel Filter: How do we get from Bologna to Codroipo by train? Added bonus: how do we then get from Codroipo to the Marco Polo airport? So we're traveling around northern Italy at the end of June, and this involves a lot of train travel. Some of it is pretty easy, like Florence to Bologna.

We're running into problems in getting from Bologna to Codroipo and then later from Codroipo to the Marco Polo airport. I know both routes take about 3.5 hours and involve a transfer at the Mestre station in Venice (Venezia Mestre?). I have a timetable printed out for the Bologna to Codroipo route, so we have that worked out. It's the rest of it that I haven't been able to find answers to:

1. Do we have to buy tickets in advance for these routes? From my research, we won't have to buy tickets in advance for Florence to Bologna, but that's a direct route. What would be the best way to do this? When searching the Trenitalia website for routes/tickets, I get back "there are segments not purchasable."

2. While the route from Bologna to Codroipo is clear-cut, the trains and/or buses to get to the Marco Polo airport are harder to work out. Has anyone done this, and how'd you get there? The more direct the better, of course.

Thank you! Any advice and pointers are appreciated.

Italian train strike scheduled during my planned travel

wondercow — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:52:15 -0800

Italian travel problem: How do I get from Milan to the Cinque Terre during a train strike next weekend? I'm going to be in Italy for the next two weeks, and I just found out that there is going to be a Trenitalia train strike while I'm there (September 17-18, 9pm-9pm). The problem: this strike is the exact day that I am planning to go from Milan to Vernazza in the Cinque Terre. Accommodation reservations are already made, so I'm reluctant to just bite the bullet and just stay an extra day in Milan.

Is there any other way I can get from Milan to the Cinque Terre? Renting a car is not an option.

I hear that there is minimal train service still running during a strike, but the details are all in Italian so I can't figure out if any routes will help me. There is a ferry that runs along the Cinque Terre, so if I can somehow get from Milan to a city nearby with a ferry stop, presumably I can take that. I'm willing to entertain all options, no matter how convoluted, short of chartering my own plane (not in the budget at this time...).

Getting a night train reservation

bajema — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:16:10 -0800

Need help making a reservation on the night train from Naples to Venice. I'm taking a trip to Europe this summer and want to take the night train from Naples to Venice on June 26. I would like a double sleeper compartment for this train. I also have a 2nd class rail pass. I leave for Europe on June 11 and won't be in Italy (arriving in Rome) until June 23.

I wanted to be sure that I had reservations on this train, so I went ahead and booked a double sleeper through Rail Europe. Several days later, I received an email from them saying that they were unable to make the reservation because the train was not in their reservation system yet (which makes me wonder why they are selling tickets for it) and that they would keep trying each day until 5 days before I leave for Europe, afterwhich I'd have to make the reservation locally.

How can I be sure that I have a spot on this train. I'm okay with cancelling the Rail Europe booking if there is another option. Any ideas?

What is the best way to travel throughout Italy?

petah — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:20:43 -0800

What is the best way to travel throughout Italy? So far we're looking at Venice, Florence, Pisa, Milan, etc. People have been recommending the Italy Rail Passes from here. Is it better to get one of these? Or would it be better to get a ticket at the train station for city to city? Or are there other options that I should know of? The biggest issue we have with these Rail Passes is that we have to get them while we're in the States, because each "day" comes out to 62 dollars in cost, but on some days, like the days where we might be traveling between Venice and Milan, or a trip that is shorter than Rome to Milan, it might not be worth it. Also, I'm not even sure how the Rail system works in Italy, it seems like Trenitalia is the big line, but then there are a lot of online vendors that sell the same "EuroRail" pass at similar costs.

Also, if you guys have any random general tips regarding Rome/Italy, feel free to post them. They'd be much appreciated. Thanks!

Car needed in Trieste, Italy?

Joleta — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 09:56:49 -0800

How to get from Venice, Italy to Trieste and back again, and do I need a car in Trieste? I'm accompanying my husband to Italy, where he will be attending a conference in Trieste from September 23-28. We're flying in and out of Venice, staying in Trieste through the night of 9/28, and then plan on going back to Venice for sightseeing until we fly out again on October 6. While he's attending his conference, I plan on exploring all over the Trieste area (maybe even going to Ljubljana in Slovenia). I need to figure out if I should have a car for getting around in/near Trieste. If so, we'll rent one at the Venice airport and drive to Trieste. Of course, we'd drive it back and return it before we start our week in Venice. If I can use buses and trains to get around Trieste and the general area, we won't rent a car, but instead take the train from Venice to Trieste and back. Trenitalia doesn't show any fares this far in advance, but there are quite a few trains each day from Venice to Trieste. Bonus points for best way to get from Venice Marco Polo airport to Venice S. Lucia train station.

Tips and tricks for travel by train in Italy and France?

CaptApollo — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:48:24 -0800

Tips and tricks for travel by train in Italy and France? I am taking a two-week trip this summer; I start in Rome, then head to Florence, then Tende (in the Alps in southern France, by way of Torino), and finally Nice. All of this by train.

I already have the reservations (where possible) and my 1st class RailPass.

Aside from the commuter rail in Boston, and the Metro here in Washington, DC, I don't have much experience with trains - certainly not as part of a long vacation.

I also don't speak Italian, et j'ai oublié presque toutes mes leçons françaises.

What do I need to know?

I have this memory of the first time I was in France, and I didn't realise the seats on the train into Paris folded up (into the wall), so I stood, sort of bracing myself against the wall, until I figured out why everybody was staring at me. I wish to avoid this sort of thing on this trip!

What about coping with very short windows for train changes? What about luggage??? What quirky things have you figured out that made a trip by train more enjoyable?