Has anyone heard details about transportation strike in Italy? We are leaving for Italy in one week and British Airways just contacted us to tell us we cannot return from Naples or Rome on the day schedule b/c there are transportation strikes scheduled for certain days. Does anyone know details about this. Are trains affected as well? We don't know what to do. PLEASE HELP!
Posted by
Collierville, Tennessee, USA
513 posts
check out www.seekitaly.com. They post upcoming strikes.
Posted by
Olympia, WA
73 posts
Leslie, last summer, we left from Florence to Cinque Terre for a daytrip. On the way we realised there was a train strike. The trains were still operating but sporadically. So we got to Viareggio and took the first train towards Florence. When we found out it was going via Lucca we just went there and then caught a bus back to Florence. So we did not waste our day and landed up having lots of fun at Lucca.
My point is Italy can be erratic and sometimes there is an impromptu strike. This usually lasts 24 hours. If you keep your itinerary flexible and as long as you will not lose bookings at hotals and museums you should be fine. If there is a strike call the museum or hotel and explain your predicament and hopefully something can be done.
Posted by
Florence, Italy
11 posts
Usually when they strike they announce the date and times. From my experience, train strikes usually stop around 5pm and then trains begin again. On the popular routes sometimes it isn't affected only on the local lines. Local buses run at certain times during the strike day, which are posted so you can plan accordingly. Again, it's only 24hrs, then things are back to normal!
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
My solution to this problem is to allow an extra day to get to where I need to be. I was caught unawares in an Italian train strike in April. Fortunately, I had allowed an extra day to get to Rome from Nice, so I just stayed overnight in a hotel in Savona and went on the next day. The strike began at 9 am and train service resumed at about 5 pm that evening. I didn't want to spend 8 hours hanging around the train station. Sometimes when a train strike is announced in advance, it doesn't really happen.