Direct flight or connecting flights

No reason to be nervous - in my late 20s, I took the train all over Italy by myself. There was nothing scary about it - obviously, keep your valuables secured and close to you.

I would do whatever is most efficient time wise and pricewise.

I would suggest flying into Milan. A direct flight will get you very close to your destination. A flight into London will leave you with a good way to go -- and you have to make a connection and they don't always work as planned. Taking the trains to Pisa should not be a problem as long as you just use reasonable care with your belongings

on the train you will see many, many women traveling alone, from adolescents to old grandmothers. Milan is much easier airport to maneuver than Rome.

For me it would depend on how it fits into the rest of your trip. I recently returned from Italy. I took my thirteen year old with me (which honestly made me way more nervous than traveling alone ever has because I worry about him a lot more than I worry about me).

We were able to fly from our closest airport to Rome on Norweign with a connection in London. We decided to do that in part because with it being just one airline and one trip booked all the way through if there were connection problems Norweign would have been obligated to help us get to our final destination.

We took the train from Rome to Florence and then on a different day took the train from Florence to Pisa.

We had a hotel room in Florence so we didn't have to carry luggage to Pisa.

This also worked out better for us in terms of cost.

I would also look at how you will get from the airport or train station to your destination. In some places the train station is much more convenient than the airport. (I am not sure about Pisa, but I think the train station is closer to the leaning tower of that's where you are going.)

Those are the kinds of logistics I would consider more than whether to travel by plane or train

What in particular makes you nervous about traveling by train? Are you concerned about how to buy tickets? Dealing with luggage? Pick pockets? People might be able to alleviate your concerns of you want to discuss them.

That flight to Pisa has obvious advantages. Most train connections from either Milan or Rome airport involve two changes at stations you're not familiar with and will be confusing, especially when you had a long flight. Going from Pisa to Lucca is much more relaxed: there is a direct bus connection or otherwise a short bus ride to Pisa railway station and then a short train ride to Lucca.

We might be able to provide better assistance if we understood exactly what makes your nervous about the train. If the scheduling is good, we always prefer the train over flying because it is so much more relaxing and convenient.

Thank you for the reply. I am traveling into Lucca. I think traveling into Lucca is easier from the Pisa Airport. You only have to take one bus. If I fly into Milan, l have to take a shuttle to the train and transfer in Florence for a regional train to Lucca. The connections make me nervous. Also, is there a place for my suitcase.

I think you need to follow what your nerves are telling you, particularly if you are new to solo travel abroad. These forums often talk about theft and scams, which help instill the fear in you and then when you are nervous you are told not to be nervous. If you are nervous, you are nervous and reassurance only goes so far (and I've loved reassurance so don't get me wrong). However, follow your own gut. After this trip you might learn it would have been easier on the train and plan your next trip accordingly...or you might not and find you are happy with your choice of flying. In short, take the two flights, particularly if you can change flights in an English speaking airport (most are anyway, but nonetheless). I just ran British Airways, my favorite, and they fly to Pisa with a change at Heathrow. BA flies into and out of the same terminal, Terminal 5. It is easy to change flights there. It is well marked and plenty of people offering help along the way. You don't need to see your luggage until Pisa, should you decide to check your luggage. (I don't know from which airport you depart so I don't know how that will affect traveling on BA.) You will be tired on your arrival to Italy, so take the way that requires fewer learning curves for you, fly. Solo travel is great fun, but each person has their preferences on how to make it easier. Have a wonderful trip. Wray

I wil be departing from JFK airport. I will take an overnight flight with a one hour overlay at Heathrow.

Yes, you have to do what makes you more comfortable. Perhaps once you get to Lucca, you can take a train for a day trip somewhere so you can get used to it. It really is very easy!

an overnight flight with a one hour overlay at Heathrow
All good reasons to take the flight to Pisa. No hassle with long, complicated train trips, when you're tired and jet-lagged.

dessa,

The easiest airport for travel to Lucca would be Florence, but I don't know whether there are any flights from JFK to Florence? I wouldn't suggest flying into London / LHR with a one hour layover, as it may be difficult to connect with the ongoing flight to Italy. It may take an hour or more just to get through Passport control.

An alternate solution would be to use a direct flight from JFK to Milan / MXP (but again I don't know if those exist). A third option would be to travel from JFK to Frankfurt, and use a Regional flight from there to Florence (I've done that and it's very easy).

Using the trains is very straight forward, but it would help to know whether you've travelled in Italy before as there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of with trains and other public transit.

I'll leave the flight questions to others on the forum, as I'm not overly familiar with the options from JFK. Once you get the flights sorted, it will be easier to provide more specific and detailed advice on travel to Lucca.

Ken
I checked with Lufthansa. Going I can get a flight from NYC to Frankfort with a two hour ten minute layover in Frankfort. Then a flight to Florence. Going home I can get a flight from Florence to Frankfort with a one hour layover In Frankfort. I guess I can get a shuttle to a train station and take a regional train to Lucca. Do I have enough time between flights in Frankfort? Do I really need more time between flights in Heathrow? Thank you for your help. I really appreciate all the feedback.

Are you on the same airline for the two flights? If so, they wouldn't sell the ticket if they didn't think you could make it. You could check for a later flight with the same airline if you are uncomfortable. I know 90 minutes is an easy layover, but I never timed it exactly so I can't give the exact amount of minutes it takes. I'd say just get a seat towards the front of your class section on the plane and try it if you are game. If you don't make it, the airline, again if the same, will get you on the next flight. Definitely do carry-on with this short of a layover.

When l transfer planes with the same airline, do I have to get my luggage or is the airline responsible for the transfer?

The airline just checks your luggage to your destination. You don't have to worry about it. However, the airline needs a certain amount of time to transfer the luggage between plaines so while you might make a short connection, your luggage likely won't. However, the airline would then deliver it to you in Lucca, most likely within 24 hours, but not always... I have always enjoyed the 'delivery service' and have received my luggage within 24 hours. However, others I know traveling thru CDG and Schiphol (sp) waited 48 hours. Wray

There is a frequent bus service from Florence airport to the main railway station, from where you can take a »Regionale« train to Lucca, leaving every 30 mins or so for EUR 7,50.
The two-hour layover in Frankfurt will give you more peace of mind for catching the connecting flight. The transport from Pisa to Lucca, on the other hand, is easier than from Florence, if only because the railway station in Florence is very busy and confusing for a first-time user.

deesa,

Sorry for the delay in replying. I'm travelling this weekend so not able to get on the forum as often.

I assume you're referring to Frankfurt? I believe Frankfort is in Kentucky somewhere.

The flight from JFK to FRA should work well and a 2H:10M layover should be quite adequate. The flight from FRA to Florence will be on a Regional airline, and it's a very short flight. For the trip home, the route you mentioned should work, although a one hour layover is a bit tight.

When you arrive in Florence, there is a Shuttle from the airport to the main train station. However after a long international flight when I'm jet lagged, I prefer to use Taxi which has a flat rate to Firenze SM Novella rail station. From the station, there are frequent trains to Lucca, and you can buy tickets from a Kiosk or the staffed ticket office when you arrive there.

I vaguely recall that there may be a Bus from Florence to Lucca, but I'd have to check further. The train is probably the easiest method.

Are you staying inside the walls in Lucca? If so you may want to use a Taxi from the station there too.

If you haven't travelled by train in Italy, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. If you need more information, post another note here.

Out of curiosity, I ran flights on BA from JFK to Pisa. They have several with longer layover times than just the one hour layover. I didn't look at all of them but they had one with a 3 hour layover, which to me is perfect for having breakfast, stretching and getting your luggage safely transferred by the airline. I think this is a more direct route to Pisa than via Frankfurt. Although, I understand Lufthansa is a good airline as well.

Since your goal is Lucca, flying to Pisa really is the easiest - by far. I would say this for me, as someone very comfortable with trains, and that goes double for you.

Follow Wray's advice of choosing a longer layover. This way if your takeoff is delayed and you arrive later than planned, you'll most likely still make your connection (while everyone else on the plane will be sweating and cursing). If you do miss your connection due to a late arrival and you are all on one ticket, it's the airline's responsibility to put you on a later flight at no extra charge to you.

If you are booked all on one ticket, you get boarding passes for both flights (JFK to LHR and LHR to PSA) when you check in at JFK. Your luggage tags will say PSA and you will not see your checked luggage in London (one of the reasons to fly to Pisa - this way, the airline, not you, handles the luggage all the way). In London, you follow signs for connecting flights, and you will have to go through security, but you should not go through immigration or customs. In Pisa, you will go through immigration (passport control), but the lines should be much shorter than in Rome or Milan, since this is a smaller airport with far fewer non-Schengen flights. You then pick up your checked luggage and go through the "Green Channel - nothing to declare" lane, and unless you are "randomly selected for additional screening" (certainly possible, but rare), you're done. You can then get a bus or taxi to the Pisa train station for a train to Lucca, or if you prefer, you can take a taxi all the way to Lucca (not sure of the cost of this - e-mail your hotel and ask).

By the way, there's no need to be nervous about trains, but they would still be a bit of a hassle from Milan or Rome (requiring changes and taking several hours). From Florence they are easier and faster (no changes needed), but there are no nonstop flights from the US to Florence - so as long as you have to change planes anyway, you might as well fly to Pisa.

If you are not flying British Air, but instead fly another airline, the procedure through the airports may be a bit different (tell us your exact route and we'll give you details). As long as you're on one ticket, however, your bags should be checked through to Pisa.

You'll notice I've harped on the phrase "one ticket." There's a reason - don't book separate tickets, or if there's any problem, it could cost you a lot of money and hassle to fix.

Thank you. Yes, I saw the flight listings. I plan to fly into Heathrow and take a connecting flight to Pisa. From Pisa I can take a bus to Lucca. As was suggested in one of the posts, l will take a day trip by train to one of the nearby towns. This way l will get use to the train routes. However, thank you for all the suggestions. I will keep them in mind for another time.