train travel and luggage

We just traveled with luggage from Rome to Florence. We had a car and seat assignment. Racks above your seat to put your luggage.

If you don't have large bags they will fit on the overhead racks or behind your seat. If they are very large you'll have to leave them at the end of the carriage in the luggage bin. There is no checking luggage like on a plane. You are responsible for getting your luggage both on and off the train. This is why it's so important not to overpack. If you can't lift your bag over your head then you should cut down on some things. Donna

I can't tell you how many people I saw with large suitcases who simply could not handle them on trains. There is no one to help you (except people like me who take pity and help) and if the trains are crowded (as they were everywhere we went earlier this month), you will have no room to keep a large suitcase with you. If you will be on trains throughout your trip, you need to come up with a way to pack very lightly. We traveled with one carry-on bag each. It CAN be done!

I traveled with a 50lb suitcase, so just want to give my suggestions on large luggage (in case your traveling with it, although I do not recommend it). For one thing - my rule is that you always need to be able to lift your own luggage. While I could not easily lift it above my head (learned that after trying it once) I could lift it up the stairs to enter the train. (And up the four flights of stairs in my Swiss hostel). - Put your luggage on the rack above your head if you are able - If it is too large, or the rack is full, then there are luggage areas at the ends of each train car. You can store it there for the duration of your ride, although you may want to check on it every so often.
- Another option ( my preferred one if my luggage is too large or the rack is full) is to use the ^ shaped areas between seats that are back to back. My luggage could slide in there standing up, and then it was right in front of me or behind me my whole trip. If you are taking a lot of trains, it may be helpful to have luggage with wheels on all four corners, as you can easily push it down the aisle of the train.

On our train from Rome to Venice, the overhead bin area was so narrow that our carry-on sized Osprey backpack would not fit it. So that meant that we had to risk putting it on the middle of the train car luggage rack that was big enough for maybe 4-5 bags, which meant that many many many people were sitting with their gigantic hard-shell suitcases in their laps, cramped up as all heck. We were one of the first people on the train and was able to place our luggage on the mini rack mid car. We buckled our cases together and then onto the rack to prevent easy theft. Technically, we could not see our bags from our seats, so it was a bit uneasy for us to do this but we really had not choice as I did not want my bag in my lap the whole trip. To summarize my rant, some Italian trains are not luggage friendly even when you don't have an oversized bag. Be prepared for scenarios like this. Train travel in Italy isn't like it is everywhere else in Europe.

If you aren't terribly prone to motion sickness, this video shows the interior of a train; most are the same. (pausing to take Dramamine...) http://youtu.be/WTAfQ0GOc8U

There's also this very helpful website, from Ron in Rome: http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/riding-the-trains-in-italy

There was no way I could lift anything into the overhead racks of most European trainsthey're much higher than on planes and I'm short. A couple of things really helped me. I brought a very lightweight retractable cable lock, which allowed me to use the racks at the end of the car without worrying about my luggage wandering away. But be sure to get one with a 1 to 1.5 foot cable, so there's enough length to easily hook it on to something. Also, in France recently I bought a 1st class rail pass (not much price difference from 2nd class); 1st class was much less crowded than 2nd, so I was able to keep my luggage next to me for almost all rides.

Note that if you go the cable lock route, and you're getting off at an intermediate stop, you need to pay attention and unlock the bag BEFORE reaching your station as you will not have long to get off the train.