Luggage and the train

Where are you coming from and where are you going?

What is your concern? Managing multiple pieces of luggage on and off the train, or possible theft?

I’m not sure what the specific concerns are, but based on our experience traveling with lots of luggage in Germany and France during the Christmas markets, here is what I would be concerned about:

You need to be able to carry all of your bags across a gap and up 3 or more stairs into the train, and quickly. If your reserved seats are upstairs, you carry all those bags upstairs.

You need to be prepared to carry those bags up and down flights of stairs when the elevator/escalator isn’t working (or there isn’t one at all) at the station. And if there is a last minute platform change, you need to be prepared to do this quickly.

You need to board your train as soon as possible to get a spot on the luggage rack. Google train luggage racks if you’ve never seen them. Each rack holds 6-9 large bags. If there is no space when you board, you find space on a rack in another car, or you put your bag at your feet (if possible). There are racks over the seats, but they are only big enough for backpacks or very small bags. Not enough space for 20” carry on bags in most cases.

Not enough space for 20” carry on bags in most cases.

In Italy last November and then in April in Poland, I was always able to store my RS 22" carry-on in the rack above my seat - all first class carriages.

In Italy long distance trains are still all single deck. So the overhead luggage racks can usually take quite big suitcases. I always put everything up there, and my normal travel duffel is maximum check in size...
(In France they use double deck trains a lot, but that is because SNCF tries to run as few trains as possible).

And regarding luggage types: In my experience for train travel a rolling duffel bag is better than the so common hard case spinner. They have sturdier wheels, and survive being repeatedly dragged up and down stairs a lot better.

And regarding luggage types: In my experience for train travel a
rolling duffel bag is better than the so common hard case spinner.
They have sturdier wheels, and survive being repeatedly dragged up and
down stairs a lot better.

Thanks, Wengen, hadn't really thought of that. But would that still work OK when checking it through on the plane? For that, I think a hardshell or at least reinforced canvas 4-wheel roller might work better?

Questions brought up on this thread are exactly what I will be telling my three travel partners when taking the train from Florence to Rome, to Salerno, to Taormina, Sicily. No changes of train on any of them, but in southern Italy you never know, in spite of what Trenitalia may tell you.

On previous trips, most times we were able to hoist our bags to the overhead rack, and I would imagine that a not-bulging suitcase with standard max carry-on dimensions, we'd be fine. But...there were a couple of instances where the racks were full and we had to place them in a receptacle between the cars. Granted, by watching them like a hawk I was a little paranoid--I mean what thief is going to think, 'I'll take yours!' Still, a good rule of thumb, if possible is to get to the station early, be ready to embark as soon as it's available.

A good tip when traveling on a train with others is...to embark, one person gets on first, and another hands all the suitcases up one after the other--those stairs can be tricky. Then the rest embark. Opposite when disembarking. We'll try it in April!

Finally, the weight of your bag. My wife and I will be traveling with my cousins, two 60-something women, certainly strong enough to hoist...but why 35 lbs instead of 20- or 25? That's why they'll be getting a link to Rick's video entitled 'Pack Light, Pack Right'!

All,
Thank you so much for your responses. Everything is helpful. This is our first time experiencing everything, and no matter how prepared one can be there is still the unknown.
He is concerned mostly about loosing the luggage. When looking at the train picture when picking your seat, he wants to sit in the front of the train by what they show is the luggage spot, but it sounds like they have overheads for everyone. We are "seniors" but still capable of lifting the luggage. :)
The beginning of our vacation our son is getting married in Tuscany so we will be in one spot for a week. Then we plan to travel from Florence to Padua then Padua to Rome. Traveling for a wedding means an extra piece of luggage, or two.
I've seen you can buy a ticket to fast track early check in and board. Would that be advised. We are traveling with other family and they didn't see the need. What is your advise on seat class?
Thanks again!
Terri

The bag I usually travel with is a Dakine Split Roller, and it is rather large, but still fits in the overhead racks on most trains. (But I am a tall strong man, so maybe that does indeed affect my preferences).

But the good thing is that it has skids on the bottom, so I just drag it behind me up the steps in the the train. The skids have gotten quite a lot of marks already, but are still good. It also survives being dragged on cobbled streets, and even dirt tracks. The typical spinner will not survive that...

For my latest Italy trip I did invest in a compact pacsafe back pack. That is theft proof, and that contained all my valuables. So I was not worried to much about getting separated from them in the hustle and bustle of a station.

It's been many years since I could lift even a carry-on suitcase. So how my husband and I manage on trains is that my bag is a roller bag and his is a backpack --- he can handle both bags just to get on and off trains. Perhaps the two of you could each do what my husband does.

Something to be aware of is to be ready (and with all of your luggage) to get off the train well before it stops at your station. We follow along on Google Maps on our phones to know when to start getting ready. And know that the name of the station may be different from the town you are actually traveling to and that a city will have several train stations --- that has fooled us a couple of times.

Wengen--

Do you have the 85L or 110L Dakine Split Roller? The 110 looks like my house could fit in there!

The advantage of buying tickets now is that you can choose your seats from the carriage diagram. Also, if you choose nonrefundable train specific tickets, you will get a significant discount.

Example, assuming this trip is one month from now, I see Padova to Roma Termini (use the Italian station names) as low as 78 EUR for 2 seats in Economy. You can choose Business class for 104 EUR, not that much more. You can choose seats facing each other across a table with only a single row of seats on that side of the train. The seats directly behind you are the same. so you will be back to back with an "A" shaped space between the seats that will fit a large suitcase.

if you wait till the last minute to decide on your train, the best seats you like may all be taken, so it pays to commit. Look here for tickets and use only the high speed direct Frecciarosso trains.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
After you have chosen your train, service class, and price structure (Base, Economy, Super Economy), click on the "Choose your seats" button on the bottom of the page.

I've seen you can buy a ticket to fast track early check in and board.

This is new to me. You actually have to register some online tickets for regional trains and you do it on an app, but there is no check in process on fast trains, just a perfunctory safety check and only at major stations. In most cases the train will be ready at its platform not earlier than 10 minutes before leaving, at most intermediate stations it stops only a minute or two so I cannot understand what would be an early check in and board.

Italotreno also runs high speed trains you could use, and their prices are even more attractive, but they assign the seats automatically so you will not know exactly where you will be sitting.
https://www.italotreno.com/en

My rule of thumb re: buying tickets on Trenitalia is to purchase as soon as available 6 months out for the deep discount, allowing for the 'no changes' caveat, so that if one misses a train or has to rebook for any reason, not much $$$ is lost. And that's what trip insurance is for as well.

Our train experience in Italy is not recent. But we observed several theft situations years ago. For example, before the train would leave, thieves would walk through cars stealing as if they were regular passengers. A woman across from us was standing at her seat with her purse in front of her on her seat, putting her bag in the overhead shelf -- during that moment, with her standing there in front of her stuff, a thief managed to snare her purse. She didn't see it happened but it was gone when she finished hoisting the bag into the overhead -- with her passport, money etc.

I believe that major train station now limit access to ticket holders and in some cases they screen baggage -- I seem to recall that we had to go through airline like screening in Rome 12 years ago. If that is the case then the risk of theft from this sort of thief goes way down. But there is always some risk.

Once on the train if you store bags on the racks at the end of the car -- and often that is the only place to put a large case, then when the train stops, you might have one of you stand near the rack to make sure your bag is not taken. Generally though thieves want purses, briefcases and phones. they are not really likely to target suitcases although they might.

In transit on trains I use a money belt under my clothes for our passports, money and such and we are careful to keep our airline carry on bag -- we use medium size backpacks, with us. If not in the overhead directly over us, then at our feet. My phone is on a lanyard worn cross body and the case contains one credit card and the money for the day. It is rare to need a passport on a train. If we did have to show it, I can haul them out of the money belt, but it is awkward. Money belts are not purses -- they are body safes and should not be accessed in public.

In Vienna pickpockets managed to get the wallet of the two men in couples seated across from us; they had them in their pockets and they were picked boarding the train. NEVER put a wallet in a pocket including a front pocket or in the top of a backpack. (I know two women who lost wallets from backpacks the same day in the market in Florence -- they were in my Italian class BUT were not together the day it happened)

pickpockets and petty thievery is a common hazard when carrying all your valuables on a trip. Violent crime is very unlikely compared to the US. So if you take precautions with valuables and are sensible about your luggage you are unlikely to have problems. Pickpockets are pros though -- 'being aware' is not that useful. Being pickpocket proof is what you need to be.

Consider using a car service for your group. Maybe there is a car or limo service in use by the wedding party that you could hire for your own trips. Here are the links to the two companies I used in 2022 and 2023.

https://daytrip.com/

https://www.blacklane.com/en/

What Jane said above.

I’ve taken more Italian trains and trains in other parts of the EU and the UK than I can count, over a 30 year period.
I’ve only seen one theft, of a camera , not from me, on the Circumvesuviana going to Pompeii.

Carry your passports, important documents, extra cash and bank cards in an under clothing money belt, never, ever to be accessed in public.
That alone will make you feel safe.

In your crossbody bags or sling bags (get one for your husband), are your phone, some cash, one credit card, tissues, etc, and any other not too valuable things, but nothing that would be awful to lose.
You can get little carabiners to clip the zips closed and make it fiddly for anyone trying to open them.
I always put everything I bring with me in the same pockets and areas inside bags each time, a routine that might help you not to forget or misplace things.
If it makes you feel better, have your phone on a lanyard, on you.
This all stays on your body.
Don’t take it off or lay it down anywhere.
Don't ever put anything in the overhead rack…keep any small backpacks with you on your lap.
If you fall asleep, those little bags could be “liberated”.
Don’t wear flashy jewelry.
Try and book train seats that face the luggage racks so you can see your bags.
I get up at each stop to check that my bag is still there.
Maybe bring bags that are brightly coloured, not black like everyone else!
A train platform guard told me to do this in France a few years ago, but I was already doing it.
I travel mainly solo, so I am always extra careful.
The trains are great, and east to navigate, but a little extra caution doesn’t hurt!
As said already, no one wants your clothes, but hang on tightly to your personal and valuable stuff !
Have a lovely trip.

SJ I am going to take your advice on the overhead rack on our coming trip to Italy -- day tripping we have a backpack with nothing too valuable e.g. lunch and sweater -- so don't worry about it. But on our initial trip we will have computers. ebooks, prescription meds e.g. the stuff you don't check on the plane -- so those backpacks are going to be at our feet on the train -- not in a rack even overhead. Low risk of lost but high consequences of loss -- always be conservative in those situations.

FWIW. while we know several people who have been picked in Europe, and a person who had everything taken from a locked locker at the Budapest baths (everything -- passports, money, cameras, they stopped on their way from the airport) and someone who had everything stripped from the car when stopped at a beach we have had some good luck too. So horror stories BUT my husband leaves stuff everywhere: his glasses on a wall in Rome when he put his sunglasses on, my camera bag which he volunteered to carry left at a restaurant in Rome, his computer at a bar in Vienne. --- And each of these things was awaiting him except for the glasses when he returned. (it was no fun trying to get prescription glasses in Rome quickly -- took 5 days and the first time they screwed them up -- and he was driving so it wasn't optional. Luckily he lost them the first day of our Rome sojourn.). So sometimes even if you are careless you luck out.

Hi Jane:
Pack along a plastic grocery bag to put around the backpacks that you will put at your feet on the trains……keeps them clean!
I do that for plane travel too….heaven knows what is on those floors…. :0

Larger bags need to be left by the door in racks, I use a bicycle cable/lock to secure them to the rack. I also zip tie the zipper ends together. As other's have said nobody really wants those big bags full of clothes anyhow, but it still your stuff. Small bags are above my head on a rack or in the seat next to me if it is empty. When it is time for your train to stop at the station you need to be ready at the door with all your stuff and prepared to hop off. Large stations like Rome the train is there for a while, but small stations like Orvieto the train will buzz thru for about 90 sections. And as others have said anything valuable need to be under your clothes, cross body bags and things of that type are a joke, great for your Chapstick, comb, map, and one day's money. Amazon sells female underwear that have a zippered pouch (think kangaroo) that is large enough to hold a passport and whatever else you need, extra cash, credit cards. They are very comfortable you won't even notice the difference, the best money belt type/style I have ever used and I've tried them all. J

Just got back from Italy for the first time and our family of 4 rode Trenitalia's Frecciarossa fast trains twice - from Naples to Venice and then from Venice to Rome and all went smoothly but I shared your concerns about wanting to be near our luggage during the trip. I booked seats way in advance and as close to the luggage racks by the train car door so I could keep an eye on our one medium size hard-shell bag during the trip and this worked really well. Our medium 24 inch bag wouldn't fit in the racks above the seat because it was expanded - but I noticed that other people were able to put their medium sized bags up above. I would suggest using hardshell luggage because in our case the train to Rome was completely full and some people had humungous (!) bags they put on top of ours so the hardshell was a relief. Also, I put bright neon luggage straps around the bag which made it easy to see from our seats nearby. I did get up once when people were getting off just to make sure our bag wasn't taken off the train and then to make sure it was still in a spot I could see from my seat.

I'd also definitely try to get to your car as soon as possible with the larger bags since a number of people had their bags moved to a spot between the cars by the conductor because they were blocking the aisle. We travelled light with carry-on sized bags which made it easy, but I was glad we only had one larger bag. Hope this is helpful. Have fun! The train was a wonderful experience.

Thank you for the advice. We will definitely try to get on early! We do have assigned seats for our Venice to Rome trip but we still have Siena to Venice that will be first come first serve.
Is it true the train stop is quick?

It is true that the stops are very quick. It may seem like 90 seconds but probably closer to five minutes. There are conductors by the entryways and once they determine that everyone is off or on, they give the high sign and your off. If the conductor is standing on the bottom step, blowing a whistle, and waving his arm, it is about to go.

We find it easier to focus on the stop just before we need to get off. When we roll through that stop, we know we are next and we head for the door. Generally other people will be doing the same thing. Generally there is information inside the train car for the next stop. Be ready for the next stop but you don't have to knock down grandma getting there.

"use a bicycle cable/lock to secure them to the rack" Personally think that is poor advice. While we are big fans of the cable locks for securing things we have had a couple locks fail over the years so I would not want to be permanently attached to a train. Sometimes, we will use a short cable lock to lock the two handles of our bags together. If that lock fails I can still carry both bags off the train.

I agree with SJ -- up thread - as that is our experience over years of train travel. I think actually luggage theft is over rated. The probability is low and, am guessing, the theft is more likely a mis-identification of luggage -- not unlike the airport. However, people walking through the cars offering to sell something, soliciting or claiming seats, is a huge red flag. When we put a day bag on the overhead rack we will wrap one of the bag straps around a rib of the rack so that it cannot be easily grabbed by someone walking by. But don't worry about. Train travel is very safe.

I also think locking your luggage to the racks or to a second bag at the end of each car is not a good idea.
If your stop is an intermediate one, you have very little time to fiddle with unlocking it, stowing the cable, hauling your bag out from under all the others and getting off the train!
Be up and ready 10 minutes before arrival at your stop so as not to impede other travelers.
I have never once seen a suitcase locked to the luggage racks in Italian trains.

...we still have Siena to Venice that will be first come first serve.

Which itinerary are you using? If you change to the Frecciarossa in Florence you'll have reserved seats for that portion of the trip.

Have you thought about/investigated shipping the wedding clothes home before you head out to tour? I can't remember the names of the companies but this is possible.

We've travelled many times on European trains in various countries. As we travel with 65cm medium bags, they generally don't fit overhead.

We always try and book first class, more space, less luggage. We always reserve seats as close as possible to the luggage racks so we can see the bags. We then make sure that we are fairly early, and have never had a problem doing this.

I do believe that thieves are not much interested in stealing big suitcases though full of possible dirty washing. It is those carry-on cases and backpacks full of laptops and iPads that they are after.