We are planning a trip to Italy in September. I am attempting to limit the number of hotel changes. Is it feasible to take a day trip from Orvieto or Florence to Assisi or better to spend a night in Assisi and travel to our next destination. I have been to Assisi, but my wife has not so we would really like to see the city together. As the plan stands now we would spend two nights in Orvieto, travel to Assisi for one night and then to Florence for three nights.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
You can do it. Trenitalia has a train at 7:21AM arriving Assisi (with a change in Cortona) at 9:36AM. Or you can leave at 8:44, arrive 10:44.
You can return in late afternoon or early evening with departures at 17:21 and 18:17 taking 2-3 hours.
There's probably a bus, too, Maybe someone else know about those connections.
While it is a lot of train time, I like to limit hotel changes and never do one night stays. The train can be very relaxing too. Good time to read, nap.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Assisi is a 6hr round trip from Florence by train. We've did this years ago on one of our visits there. It was better years ago when the trains were direct. Today's routings has train changes on most runs. For a round trip from Orvieto, the journey time can be as low as 4 hours round trip but most runs will take longer.
If you do take a day trip to Assisi, I suggest that you start from the top of Assisi and visit places as you walk down. The hills are steep. The Papal Basilica of St. Francis is at the lowest part of Assisi so you would see this last. To do this, you get off the train and go to the little shop next door to the train station. Buy a ticket on the Line C bus. This bus takes you to the top of Assisi. Great churches, shops and restaurants on the way down. Great gelato there as well. Note that the nicer restaurants are closed from 4:00pm-7:00pm.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15798 posts
I'm planning to do that tomorrow. I'm in Florence, taking the 8 am train tomorrow morning, scheduled to arrive at 10.44. I plan to check my suitcase at the train station, taking the bare necessities for one night with me up the hill. The next day, I will take a train from Assisi to Orvieto. There's about 1 train an hour (counting only the journeys that require only one train change) and the trip is about 2.25 hours.
And I plan to take Larry's advice for my time in Assisi.
If it doesn't work out as planned, I'll report back. Now I have to start packing for the morning, then out for dinner.
Here's my update: The trains worked out fine. I had to change platforms in Orte, on the way from Assisi to Orvieto, down and up one flight of stairs, no elevator. I was worried, since I only had 8-9 minutes for the connection and we were a few minutes late leaving Assisi, but the train arrived a couple of minutes early to Orte and I had ample time to get to the next platform before the next train.
In Assisi there are no "official" train services. The tabacchi sells train tickets (there are machines too), and apparently stores luggage. There's another option, an ex-San Franciscan living in Assisi, who runs some kind of non-profit for kids at the station, provides baggage storage, sells bus tickets, and is a wealth of information and advice for visiting Assisi.
PM me if you have any questions.