We are planning a March trip to Rome, Florence and Venice for 10 Junior High students. We are flying into Rome and out of Venice. I need advice for train tickets from Rome to Florence and from Florence to Venice. Are there multiple stations? What is best? Eurail? or what other single ticket train is available? Also when visiting in these cities, is there a multi-museum type pass like in Paris?? Anyone had any good experiences with Local Guides and where to make arrangements for this type of tour? Thank you for your help!!!
Posted by
OH, OH, USA
1158 posts
Official railway web site in Italy is : trenitalia.com
Eurail, Intercity are the most expensive choices and the travel time is not much shorter than with the cheaper trains.
Some of she cheaper trains might be a bit dirty or noisy, but it depends where you go. Most of the time when I traveled by train last year for 2 weeks or so , they were OK.
You can go from Rome to Florence directly. I think it's about 3 1/2 hr journey.
Yes, there is museum pass for Paris or Rome , if you wish.
I never use guides. They are very expensive and I can do better than them.SIC!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I think Bea meant EuroStar Italia, not Eurail. High-speed EuroStar Italia trains leave from Roma Termini and arrive at Firenze S.M.N. The trip takes 1hr40min. The standard 2nd class fare is €36.10 and the Amica fare (20% discount) is €28.90. If any of the allotted seats are still available, you can get an Amica fare up to midnight of the day before departure.
For IC trains (slightly slower than ES trains) the standard 2nd class fare is €26.50 and the Amica fare is €21.60.
Regional trains, which are a lot slower (3 1/2 hours), depart from Roma Tiburtina and arrive at Firenze Campo di Marte. No Amica fares are sold for regional trains, but the fare for this route is only €15.85.
Seat reservations are required on ES and IC trains and are included in the price of the ticket. Reservations are not possible on regional trains.
The station you want in Venice is Venezia Santa Lucia. (Venezia Mestre is on the mainland, not on the island.) Going from Firenze S.M.N. to Venezia Santa Lucia on EuroStar Italia trains takes 2hr40min. The standard 2nd class fare is €32.30 and the Amica fare is €25.80.
To get from Firenze Rifredi to Venezia Santa Lucia on regional trains would take 4 - 5 1/2 hours and at most times of the day would require two connections.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
Pat, you asked about museum type passes. Rome has the Roma Pass which provides admission to 2 sights free (a modest discount thereafter) and a 3-day transportation (bus and metro/subway) pass.
If you plan to:
*Use the bus and metro extensively in a 3 day period;
*Visit at least 2 of the following - Colosseum/Palentine/Forum (counts as 1), Borghese Gallery, Capitoline Museum, National Museums of Rome, Trajan's Forum/Markets, Ostia Antica, Ara Pacis and maybe a few others I'm forgetting
then the Roma Pass, which currently costs 23 euro, is useful. Since you are traveling with a larger group, you might also enjoy the benefits of saving time buying individual tickets, especially on public transportation. Just insert card, retrieve it, and go. It also lets you by-pass the often long lines at the Colosseum.
If going to the Borghese Gallery, you will have to reserve in advance and pay the reservation fee separately. We requested our hotel to make the reservation and were never charged the fee.
Florence is a place you will likely want to make reservations in advance. We did not use public transportation here, as the city is very compact and walkable. I don't know of any useful pass for this city. Be aware that while churches in Rome are free, most churches in Florence charge a modest admission--on the order of 2-5 euro. Also, most churches and museums in Rome allow non-flash photography (except the Borghese which requires you to check your camera), but the rules in Florence are much stricter.
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
Rick recommends local guides in his book, including contact info.