We are a group of 4 headed to Orvieto for a day trip from Rome the second week of December 2018. Looking for some good advice as train and bus service seems extremely limited perhaps due to the time of year (from what we are finding anyway!). Car service an option but a bit expensive so any suggestions appreciated.
Also - does the town lock up tight in the afternoon or early evening at this time of year? Any insight into travel to Orvieto this time of year truly appreciated!
Thanks!
The new train schedules effective around December 8 or 9 aren't yet posted, so look at a day prior to that to get a good idea of upcoming schedules. Schedules change very little, so you should see trains to and from Orvieto about every hour and a half once they're posted. I've not been to Orvieto in December, but I doubt everything will close early. Some sights may have shorter hours off-season, but shops and restaurants are likely to be open as they also service locals.
Great info, thanks so much Frank! Looking forward to our chilly trip to Rome and know this side trip will be wonderful.
December is a pretty busy time, Christmas markets (maybe not in Orvieto, but generally in Europe), holiday vacations . . . so I would expect most sights and restaurants to be open for business. Try to get an early start to maximize your daylight hours in Orvieto. From the train station you have to take the funicular up to the historic center, then either a bus or walk to the main square. Tourist businesses that close in winter do it after the holidays, January-February.
Great day trip. It only took us 70 minutes from Orvieto to Rome Termini by train.
There should be no need to take a bus in Orvietto...it is entirely walk-able.
You might take the bus from there to Civita di Bagnoregio but if you are planning to look around in Orvietto you will not have time.
I visited Orvieto in early December (7th-9th) last year and it appeared that everyplace was open for normal operating hours. If you have the opportunity, plan an overnight stay.
On each of the three occasions over the past ten years when I have visited Orvieto, once I took the funicular from near the train station up to the old town, a small shuttle bus was waiting, or appeared within several minutes, to shuttle people from the funicular station further up to the piazza beside the Duomo. This led me to conclude that quite possibly the shuttle bus might coordinate its schedule with the funicular schedule. I strongly suggest taking the shuttle because the walk up to the Duomo is perhaps a kilometer, fairly steep, and the sidewalk is quite narrow in places.
I loved Orvieto when I visited in the fall of 2014. Lots of sites for a small town, good restaurants, interesting shopping, views, etc. Check out a good guide book or TA about the sites and experiences, as you will need to choose among them if just there for a day trip. The Duomo is outstanding, both inside and out, including the Signorelli Chapel. If it’s a sunny day, the view of the colorful facade of the Duomo is spectacular in the late afternoon, when the sun is low. If you go a very short way down the street coming into the piazza across from the Duomo, there is a great photo waiting, the bright colorful facade framed by the dark buildings at the end of that street. Obviously memorable, at least for me! Also, the Duomo museum, not sure if that’s the name, but it is just beside/behind the Duomo, is excellent. I remember being eyeball to eyeball with some large ancient mosaics, a very impressive perspective close-up. About going from the top of the funicular to the Piazza del Duomo, I remember that when I arrived, a small tour group quickly filled the small bus, and rather than waiting, I walked up the constant slope, dragging my quite-heavy rolling carry-on behind me, so it is doable, but not pleasant that way. I arrived at my hotel soaking from perspiration. There are a couple different bus routes up, not very comfortable when crowded, and sometimes a circuitous route serving local neighborhoods. So, if you like to walk and are not carrying much, go ahead. Otherwise, you might think about a taxi.
Wow....so this is my first RS Travel Forum post and I am blown away by all of the great information. Truly appreciate the input...keep it coming! Many thanks!
I absolutely agree that the first part of the walk from the top of the funicular toward the center of the old town is noticeably uphill, especially if you are pulling a suitcase. However, take heart, it does level off.
I looked online for a bus schedule without success; perhaps someone who, you know, actually reads Italian will turn one up. I don't know what the hours will be like in December, but in May there was a branch of the town tourist office open very near the top or bottom of the funicular; I'm not positive, but I think it's at the bottom. If it operates in the winter, that office can tell you how often the bus runs as well as provide a city map.
The T.O. also sells a city card that might actually pay off for you if you are museum people (the town has at least two good ones). The card also covers--at least it did in 2015--a roundtrip on the funicular and probably also a roundtrip on the bus to the historic center. There were also some walking tours included, though I'm not sure about their frequency in December.
Whiteblizzard,
I also loved my visit to beautiful Orvieto!
If you have the time, do consider staying at least an overnight (or two).
When you arrive to Orvieto, you can buy your ticket to the funicular in the small shop within the train station, or at the booth of the funicular itself (across the street from the station)
Save your ticket as it’s the one you’ll need for the bus that you’ll take to the city center.
As mentioned by Acraven, you may also consider buying the Orvieto Carta Unica, I bought mine at the Tourist office on Piazza Duomo (right across from the cathedral), but you can also get one at the snack shop behind the train station (down the stairs leading to the parking lot)
Here's my trip report on Orvieto if you're interested in reading it. Be forewarned though, as it's quite lengthy!
Have a wonderful trip!
