ASSISSI

Best case scenario it's a four hour round trip from Rome to Assisi. Hit any kind of car traffic and you're looking at five to six hours. It's just not an easy day trip. Good luck.

I have used this tour consolidator several times in different places in Italy.
I have no complaints and enjoyed all the tours. Viator

Gladys, I don't know of any tour operators for that particular trip, but it's likely there will be a few. I suspect they won't be cheap though. Could you elaborate on why "the trains are not working out for us"? Rome to Assisi is a relatively easy trip. Cheers!

Ken has an excellent point. It's one train to Foligno, then a train from there to Assisi. From start to finish it ranges from 1:51 to 2:31 in length and costs only about 10 euros.

It's even better than Michael describes. There are a few runs to Assisi in the morning that require no train changes. 2:09 and you're there. Agree with Ken in asking why trains are not working out for you. In Italy, you are really limited if trains do not work out for you.

I checked the schedules when posting earlier, and found the same situation with the trains. There are a few direct trains in the morning that would allow a full day in Assisi. The trip back to Rome is a bit more of an issue. As I recall, there's a direct train at about 18:00 and another about 20:00 with one change in Foligno, but it's still not a difficult trip.

In 2009, we used: http://www.montitours.com/index.htm to get us from Rome to Perugia with a stop in Assisi. He worked out great. We stopped at a fantastic restaurant on the outskirts of Assisi where he waited while we ate, then he dropped us at one end of Assisi and met us several hours later at the other end to continue to Perugia. He is/was recommended by Rick Steves--and by me. Best, Jeffrey Korst

Thanks for all your great advice. The problem we are having is that we cannot seem able to make train reservations/purchase tickets in advance. Also, is Sunday a good day to go? Thanks, Gladys.

Now I understand. The reason you can't purchase tickets in advance is because that route is not on the Freccia or high-speed trains. It's on the intercity and regionale trains. You can purchase those tickets ahead of time, but no more than 7 days in advance, but there's no real reason to. Just buy tickets when you're in Rome. But Sunday is NOT a good day to go, if you can avoid it. There are fewer trains on a Sunday and if there's going to be a strike (which they announce in advance), it almost always starts Saturday evening and goes for 24 hours, until Sunday evening. When there's a strike, there are some trains that run, but far far fewer than normal.

Gladys, That clarifies the situation! As Michael mentioned in the previous reply, it's difficult to purchase tickets online for Regionale trains. There's no benefit to buying those in advance, as the price will be the same in any case. You can easily buy the tickets in Rome at either a staffed ticket office or a Kiosk, perhaps a day or two before you plan on travelling. With Regionale trains, DON'T FORGET to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you may face a hefty fine which will be collected on the spot! I haven't checked but it's likely there will be fewer trains on a Sunday. However, if you're flexible with your travel times that could still work. For example, you could use a 07:58 departure, arriving Assisi at 10:07 (current fare listed at €9.90 PP). If you'd prefer a direct train for the trip back to Rome, there's a departure from Assisi at 18:17, arriving Roma Termini at 20:35 (same fare). One other point to consider is that upon arrival in Assisi, you'll need to take a Bus or Taxi from the station up to the town. Those also may not be running as often on Sundays, so that's something else to consider. You could use the Bus when you arrive there, but I'd probably use a Taxi back to the station to make sure not to miss the train. I was there in June but would have to check my notes for details on the Bus costs and schedule. That will also be listed in the Italy Guidebook, if you have a copy at hand. You could also have a look at the Assisi website. Cheers!

Hi Gladys,

I spent a month in Assisi in June handmade the Rome to Assisi round trip in a day a couple of times. It can be done and enjoyed. Also, like many have already stated you will need to buy your tickets mo more then 7 days in advance. However, because it is a regional train it technically never fills up so you can wait till you are the train station to buy your tickets too. Have a great trip and enjoy Assisi. May I suggest that you book a Assisi tour with annesitaly.com.

Kevin

Here is a day trip to Assisi and Orvieto.

day trip