Has anyone traveled on the overnight train from Naples/Salerno to Cinque Terre? If so, how was the trip and what tips and recommendations would you give? I'm most concerned about the safety of overnight trains. I've read a few things that give the impression that overnight trains may be unsafe at times.
Thanks!
I have't taken that route, but I don't sleep well on overnight trains. It's enticing because there are no changes before La Spezia. But if you don't sleep well on trains will you have enough time to recover, or will you lose as much of a day to sleep deprivation and grouchiness as you would lose on the daytime ride?
You also have to be pretty quick at getting off and on. The train, which goes the full length of Italy, only stops for 2 or 3 minutes at each station, so in the morning you will need to be up around Pisa and ready to hop off as the train pulls into La Spezia.
I hope you can sleep better on night trains than I can.
If you are on the second train of the night it gets in at 6:30 am (IF it is on time). If you are on the first train of the night you get in to La Spezia in the middle of the night.
I haven't ridden that route but I have ridden my last night train. I far prefer to use the up to 300 kph trains which whisk me from place to place in a flash.
I don't know about safety. Occasionally one hears things which may be true or embellishments. Who knows. If you are in a closed compartment with up to 5 unknown people who knows what happens when you are asleep. I wouldn't be overly concerned.
I have gone from Salerno to Milan I know, and keep in mind they also have rules, like when they set up the beds and when they take them down (like they woke us up crazy early and turned our beds back into chairs, but that was in that type of compartment that converts).....we definitely didn't sleep well, but it did the job of getting us there! I would definitely book a smaller compartment, or book ALL the beds in a bigger compartment for ultimate safety/privacy.....
Great input! Thanks for answering and throwing in your thoughts everyone. It definitely sounds like the overnight sleeping on the train is a bit tough. I would prefer the first night train out to Cinque Terre, but I have no clue what we would be doing out there at like 4am haha!
Can anyone comment on how reliable these night trains are? Do they ever cancel overnight trains?
I have noticed on the electronic boards at the stations that night trains can be late arriving, but I don't know about that run specifically. The longer the route, the easier to fall behind schedule.
