Rick's Italy book talks about using buses to go places, as well as trains or cars. We're seasoned European travelers, but we never rent cars and almost always go from city to city by train. I know how to handle luggage when using trains to go point to point. My question is: If I take a typical bus to go, say, from Florence to Siena, or Siena to Rome, and I'm carrying my luggage (possibly larger than a rollaboard; but this is NOT a luggage packing question), do typical buses have places for baggage, either above my seat or under the bus? Or are they more likely to be like typical intra-city buses where lugging luggage would be a royal PITA?
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
They have space under the bus for luggage. In my experience, space above your seat is very limited.
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, US
223 posts
I have been on quite a few buses in various parts of Italy and all I have been on are in the style I would call a touring coach. You enter the bus and climb the steps and ride quite high. Due to this, there is not much space for bags in hand so the drivers generally collect them and stow them under the bus. I have never seen the bottom fill up but I suppose it could be possible at which point it would enter the PITA area. As an aside, I think the Italian bus service in general is quite good.. they are clean and comfortable.
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
I agree with these comments. I must admit that the PITA reference sent me googling. Guess I'm too low-tech for that. The one thing that I would add is that it is a good idea to stay with your bags until you actually see them loaded under the bus, especially in congested areas. If there are two or more in your group, one can go claim seats, the other stay with the bags for a while. For one person traveling solo it is tougher. But getting to your destination only to find your bags were not actually under the bus to be unloaded, now that would truly be a PITA.
Posted by
OP
Easley, SC, USA
306 posts
Thx everyone. Esp the part about watch to make sure your bag really does get stowed below, not towed somewhere else by someone else!
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
When you exit the bus, be sure to let the driver know that you have luggage stowed below the bus (show the claim ticket if you get one, most times I haven't), many people travel with carryon only (small bags that fit overhead) and the bus may take off if the driver forgets or doesn't know you need the storage area to be opened.
Posted by
Spokane, WA, USA
191 posts
When we traveled the exact busses you mentioned, we learned the ropes quickly! On the first bus from Florence to Sienna, we allpolitely waited, put our bags in the bottom of the bus, but by then there wasn't enough room, so we would up taking some to the passenger seats and holding them in our laps, then putting them in the aisle. When the four of us boarded, there were NO seats together, so we were scattered about the bus. One of us scored an English speaker, but the rest of us were with non-English speakers, so no conversations. A few days later when we took the bus from Sienna to Rome, two of us jumped onto the bus to save seats, and the men scrambled to the cargo bay as fast as they could, got all our bags on board and then came up to the seats we had saved, and no one had a suitcase in their lap!
Jan