We were considering Assisi as the base since we think it's more central. Any feedback please or would you suggest other places? Are Spello, Spoletto, Gubio etc easily accessible from Assisi? Open for suggestions etc. Thanks
We will not be driving. So it's either buses, trains or taxis. Also any feedback re taxis please?
Just to say, Assisi is our favorite town in all of Umbria and Tuscany. I’m not very helpful though as far as logistics go. We had a rental car and visited Umbria and Tuscany, we loved staying in Assisi best.
We cancelled our April/May trip to Umbria because of medical reasons, but I researched the area for a base and concluded that Perugia was best. Consider that city and the Fortuna Hotel.
Taxis are o.k. The train station is a way outside of town so you need to either take the bus or a taxi to it
Perugia is more convenient as the train and bus stations are closer to town, and it’s easy to reach Spello, Gubbio, etc.
We have used both Spello and Assisi for car-free visits. Assisi is a better option. While the trainstatio is indeed a bit outside of town, there is bus service and a taxi won’t set you back much. (We like to use taxis when carting luggage even as light packers.) The bus to Spello runs from the top of Assisi so easy enough. Train is the best choice for Spoleto.
We didn’t care for Perugia as it was just a bit too bog and busy compared to the smaller villages.
FYI, to visit the hermitage of St. Francis, we employed a taxi and had the driver wait for us while we visited. There were a number of carless travelers doing this. I think is was about €40 including wait time although this was 5 years ago.
I absolutely loved Assisi! I went there on a day trip (by bus) and would have loved to stay longer. I thought the bus station was relatively easy to get to to. And if I go back, I would definitely stay there and explore the area. I believe Assisi would be worth any minor inconvenience for the sake of spending evenings there. I can picture the town in my mind as I'm writing this and now I'm ready to go back, lol!
ETA: When I was there, there was a shuttle bus that made regular trips between the train station and the center of town. I just checked and it looks like it's still going.
I'm not 100% sure, because I haven't managed to get to Gubbio yet, but I think you'll find it a slog from Assisi. Gubbio doesn't have rail service. Bus E001 from Perugia takes 75 minutes and doesn't run all that often. Although service is rather frequent between 11:05 AM and 2:10 PM, there's a gap in departures between 8:10 AM and 11:05. You'd need to pay careful attention to the schedule in both directions.
There's a 7:42 AM train from Assisi that arrives in Perugia at 8:02 AM. That's way too close for comfort for me. The previous train departs at 6:49 AM. On a vacation, I'm not getting up before 6 AM to catch a train to a bus. And I don't like the idea of reaching my day trip destination at 12:17 PM, which is what happens if you take the 11:05 AM bus from Perugia.
It doesn't appear to work any better if you take two buses (E007 + E001), changing in Perugia.
The best I can tell, Perugia is the transportation hub for that area. With Gubbio in the mix, I think Perugia is a much more practical base than Assisi. When you have no car, you need to consider practicality unless you have a lot of slack in your schedule. On the other hand, Spello and Spoleto do not appear to be a problem from Assisi--faster than from Perugia. It's really Gubbio that's the issue.
Do pay attention to the train as well as bus schedules in this area as you plot your itinerary. They look somewhat spotty.
We stayed at the Istituto Beata Angelina - a ‘monastery stay’ just across the street from the bascilica with an unobstructed view of it across the wide open field. You might want to consider staying there if you can get one of the rooms with the view. decent price and something different. www.monasterystays.com
Without a car, from the logistical point of view, Perugia (the Region's capital) would be the best choice. All bus lines and trains radiate from there.
However Perugia is not a village, not even a small town, it's a medium size city with a very pretty ancient historical center.
Assisi is not served by rail, or, to be more exact, the Assisi train station is at Santa Maria degli Angeli, a town down the hill connected to the Assisi center by bus.
Spello's train station is closer (walking distance) to its center.
Everything is accessible from anywhere by bus. What changes is the frequency of connections and the ease to get to places from one location or another.
Assisi is a lovely town to stay in, although we had a car too. Yet, the major bus station is easy to get to and there is lots of service from there to the station in Santa Maria degli Angeli-also a lovely town.
If going to Gubbio is important and you end up in Assisi you may want to look at Anne Robichauds’ site https://www.annesitaly.com/. We did an all day tour with her in Assisi and Spello. Delightful. Not inexpensive, but worth it.
Keep in mind that although charming, Assisi is a ‘museum town’-meaning not very many locals still live there, lots of tourists/pilgrims and the usual souvenir shops all over. It is also one hilly place. I’m not sure there was more than two flat places in the whole town. We did really enjoy our stay of 8 nights.
Yes, Spello is also a great base for exploring Umbria and is easily accessible from Assisi. You can look at Assisi from Spello and at Spello from Assisi.
