Florence to Assisi Only One Train in January

halffull, there will be quite a number of trains between Florence and Assisi in January; they just aren't showing up as there will be schedule updates for regionale trains (which is what you'll most likely be taking) on Dec. 14. That said, those will likely be the same or little changed from current schedules. To see what's available, choose a date prior to Dec. 14 on the Trenitalia website for the same day of the week you'll be traveling in January.

There is no need to purchase these tickets in advance: just do it on the day of your journey.

Wow! Thank you so much, Kathy!

I don't know what the situation is like at the train station you'll be departing from in Florence, but I've seen some unbelievably slow-moving ticket lines in Italy. I once missed a train while the ticket-seller and a customer in front of me had an extended personal conversation after the sales transaction was completed. In most cases you should be able to buy your tickets from a vending machine, but if you run into a problem there (such as a credit-card-acceptance issue) and end up having to go to a staffed ticket window, you could miss the train you plan to take. I recommend that you either stop by the station earlier in your visit (if you're certain about the train you want to take) or allow plenty of time on the day of the Assisi trip.

acravan,
We had a similar experience in Barcelona a few years ago. We had a free day there and want to go to Tarragona. We there were several lines to purchase a ticket, but all were about 12 deep. After waiting 30 minutes and having only two persons served in our line, we decided to forego to trip and stay in Barcelona.

We had lived in Germany for four years and traveled widely in Europe, before and after our living there. My experiences had led me to conclude that waiting in lines at train stations, banks or similar places in the Mediterranean countries can be frustrating and far slower than in northern Europe. The Germans were always very efficient in this area.

We are planning a visit to Umbria in 2021 and will be purchasing rail tickets. I may need to find out how easy it is to acquire a credit card in the USA that has the chip with a pin. All my credit cards now have the chip, but it is a signature not pin feature. Yes, I can use my debit (ATM) card at bank teller windows for withdrawal, but not sure I could use them at the windows for automated tickets in Europe.

Thank you both. I am a planner and while I don’t mind winging things, last minute, if I know where and when I’m doing something I always book ahead. I think I’ll go on the Trenitalia website after Dec. 14 and see about purchasing our tickets in advance then, or, as you say, maybe I could drop by the Florence train station a couple of days ahead and buy from a kiosk.

Another option is to download the Trenitalia App for your smartphone. With it you can search, book, and pay for trains without having to do battle at ticket kiosks. Your confirmation will come in the form of an attachment to a confirmatory email which you'll receive after payment is received. Since the tickets are electronic you don't have to worry about validating Regionale tickets since they're already time-stamped with whatever train you've booked.
We used the app extensively on our own trip last June and can recommend it.
Might mention that one person can book tickets for a group ... no need for every individual to be carrying around their own phone.

You used to be able to buy Regionale tickets for shorter distances at newsstands in stations (much shorter lines than the ticket windows). Does anybody know if this is still the case?

Regional electronic tickets are not specific to a particular train. It's four hours from the departure of the train you selected online instead of 4 hours from the time stamped on the ticket.

You can purchase regionale tickets also at Tobacconists who are part of the SISAL network. Some newsstands sell train tickets and others don't, 99% of them sell tickets of the local transit authority.

H, I found this web site very helpful regarding train travel in Italy...give it a look! https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm

"You used to be able to buy Regionale tickets for shorter distances at newsstands in stations (much shorter lines than the ticket windows). Does anybody know if this is still the case?"
Yes, it is. We did it that way once or twice during our trip in June when the kiosk at a small station wouldn't accept our credit card, but after discovering the app we starting using it exclusively.

Excellent train info website - thanks so much Jarrardd!

You can still do it.