We will be in Umbria in October. I am thinking 4 days in Perugia and 4 days Spoletto. we will be using public transit. Are those good places to base with day trips? The Umbria Go pass seems good value. Has anyone had experience using it?
Hi, Giangilberto from Milan, the Umbria.GO pass is an excellent solution for traveling around Umbria during your trip; it includes a wide range of services which I’ll list below.
Here is the link to important information on the official website of Busitalia, a subsidiary of the State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato):
https://www.fsbusitalia.it/it/umbria/titoli-di-viaggio-tariffe-umbria/umbria-go.html
What Umbria.GO covers: urban and regional/long distance buses, regional trains throughout Umbria, the Perugia Minimetrò, the Orvieto funicular, and boats on Lake Trasimeno. It also extends to Chiusi, Orte, and Terontola.
The Minimetrò is the specific transport link taking you from the Perugia train station to the historic center atop the hill. It is included in the pass.
Rates: 1 day €15, 3 days €33, 7 days €45. Junior (ages 4–12): €7.50 / €16.50 / €22.50. Monthly pass: €120.
For your 8-day trip: combining a 7-day pass with a 1-day pass costs €60 per person. The €120 monthly pass is not cost-effective.
There is also a catch regarding the monthly pass that you should know: the Umbria.GO 30 is valid until the last day of the calendar month, not for 30 days from the time of validation. If validated on October 25th, it expires on the 31st.
Three operational rules: you must fill in your full name (first and last) in pen on the back, you must show it along with a form of identification, and it is neither refundable nor changeable. Children under 4 travel for free.
The pass must be validated before the first journey at the validation machines, at the Minimetrò or funicular turnstiles, or on board the bus upon boarding.
One last thing regarding the document: simply having it with you is not enough, anyone unable to produce it is treated as not holding a valid pass, even if they actually have one. So keep your passport with you.
Please note that Intercity and Frecciabianca trains are excluded, regional trains only.
Where to buy: Busitalia ticket offices, Trenitalia ticket offices in Umbria, and a newsstand in front of the Assisi station.
A helpful tip: always check the last available train for your return journey in the evening, as train frequencies in October may be lower than in the summer.
My wife and I used the Umbria Go card last year in March, and I found it excellent value. We were based in Perugia, and used it to get to Gubbio by bus and to Spello and Orvietto by train. We had other trips planned including Lake Trasimeno and Spoleto, but unfortunately illness precluded this.
As well as the obvious day trips, the card also proved useful in using the minimetro in Perugia and the Funicular up from the station in Orvietto as well as local buses within the cities. I believe it also includes ferries on Trasimeno.