Our whole trip is planned, thanks in big part to this forum, except for our one day in Castiglioncello. So with a month to go, it is time to plan for that! I have done some research and it appears that we can take a train from florence at 7:28 and arrive at 9:22. We will have to change in Pisa. There is 12 minutes between trains. Do you know if this is adequate time? Also, it indicates "2nd class service not bookable" what does this mean? Just trying to figure out if booking this at this point is prudent and if this is the best option. I know the Fast trains are preferred, but i don't see any of those. I did also see that there is a return train leaving at 4:51 and getting back at 6:33, which is direct and seems perfect, but this one says "bookable 2nd class service". So what is the difference? And what is your opinion on if i should buy these now and have them taken care of or is worth waiting until we get there? Not sure what the difference would be. Do these sell out? Thanks again for all of your valuable information. I can't wait to show my daughter a little bit of Italy!
Hi LIsa. If the first train is on time, 12 minutes is enough time for the transfer. These are regional trains; no discount for advance purchase, no reserved seats, impossible to sell out. Best to wait and buy at your convenience at the station in Florence. Then time stamp the tickets in the validation machine right before you board the train. Have a great trip!
The return train is also a regionale. All regionali contain the note "2nd class service not bookable" not sure why they say that, trains are all 2nd class and no reserved seats.
If you are worried about the train change in Pisa, you could always go early and take the 7:00 am train to Pisa, then you'd have over 50 minutes in Pisa to to make the change. A regional ticket bought at the station is valid for 4 hours from the time you validate it, which you must remember to do before boarding. Use the stamping machines on the platform.
If you buy the ticket on-line, it will be pre-validated for the 7:28 train and you will not be able to use the earlier train.