Need some help on train travel. Do I buy tickets on-line now? The train website was a little tricky. I want to ensure that we have a return train when we are done each day.
We are looking to travel from Florence to Lucca then on to Pisa and back to Florence on April 3rd.
The next day trip would be on 4/8 from Rome to Orvieto and back to Rome.
tb,
On the routes that you mentioned, you'll likely be travelling on Regionale trains, so there's absolutely no reason to purchase these in advance. You will not have any difficulty getting return trains each day (unless of course there's a strike happening). You can easily buy the tickets at the station in Florence, either from a Kiosk or from the Biglietteria (ticket office) there (often long queues at the ticket office, so I just use the Kiosks). One IMPORTANT point to mention is that you MUST validate those tickets prior to boarding each train on the day of travel. Failure to do so may result in hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot!
I checked an arbitrary date next week, and it appears all the trains from Firenze SMN station to Lucca are all Regionale. Some are direct and some have one change at Pisa Centrale. I'd suggest taking a direct train if possible, as the travel time is considerably shorter.
The trains from Lucca to Pisa Centrale also appear to be all Regionale, and the travel time is about 30 minutes. As I recall, there's also a Bus on that route. Again, DON'T forget to validate your tickets (that applies to the Bus as well).
Some questions - are you planning to visit Pisa just to see the Tower and then return to Florence the same day? Also, will you have luggage? If you don't have luggage, the Pisa San Rossore station is closer to the Tower but there's no luggage storage there. If you want to store your luggage, you'll have to use Pisa Centrale.
For the return trip from Rome to Orvieto, there are a variety of trains on that route, including Regionale and InterCity. Have a look at the Trenitalia website (if it's working) or the Bahn.de website to see the solutions. You can pre-purchase tickets for the InterCity, as long as you're willing to commit to a specific train, date and departure time, as the tickets can ONLY be used on the one train specified on the ticket. If used on any other train, you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! If the departure you choose is a Regionale, just buy tickets at Roma Termini the day prior to travel, and then validate before boarding the train. DO NOT validate Regionale tickets the day prior to travel, as they have a "shelf life" of about six hours once validated (depending on the route), so will have expired by the time they're used (which of course will probably mean hefty fines).
Ken is absolutely correct. Regionale trains are like a bus on rails. No reservations. If you cannot find a seat, you stand till a seat becomes available. However, all other trains in Italy do require a reservation including the fast trains, the ICs, etc.
Regionale trains are not buses on rail, they are actual trains. They are commuter trains, similar to commuter trains or subway trains in America, therefore there are no reserved seats. First come first served.
Tbrenk,
Before you head to Pisa, you may want to book your tickets to climb the Tower in advance.
You can always buy your tickets there, but you may have to wait awhile.
When we were there in October, a few years ago, we had to wait at least 60 minutes to climb the Tower.
Have a wonderful trip!
Edit: Here's the official website, however I'm having trouble with it now : http://www.opapisa.it/en/home-page.html
We have always just gone to a travel agent when we get into Rome. They have them all over, ask the people that run the hotel you are staying at. If you are not on a super tight budget they do not charge much extra to put your whole trip together. We are going to do the same when we go in May. We are going with another couple who don't travel much and I don't want to make a mistake. We are traveling from city to city over two weeks. You can buy at the train station a little cheaper, but it can be confusing if you have not done it before. Also to get the cheapest tickets you have to buy on line a head and they are not refundable or changeable.
Your two trips should be no problem at all, I've done both of them. You'll need an early start for Orvieto because it can be a lovely, full day; the last trains back to Roma Termini are at a little after 9pm and a little after 11pm. In addition to the Duomo in Orvieto, go to the museum across the street - from the upper floors you have nearly eye-level views of the façade mosaics. There are also other beautiful churches and sights in the town. My favorite church is San Giovenale, one of the oldest churches in Orvieto and recently restored after being closed for years.
From Lucca to Pisa you can take a train every half hour. Since you don't need to check luggage, you could take the train to Pisa to the San Rossoro stop, closer to the Tower complex.
