Essentially, my wife and I have never travelled by train in Italy. We are booking our ticket for an express bullet train from Rome to Naples...what do we do with all our luggage? Is there a special type of ticket that needs to be purchased? Is luggage "checked" prior to boarding? We will have a total of two large pieces of luggage, as well as two average sized carry-ons?
Told ya it was dumb question ;)
Seat 61 is a good resource for trains.
Regarding luggage
https://www.seat61.com/luggage-on-european-trains.htm
it either goes on racks at the end of the car or in the space between the seats. On some trains there's a rack over your seat.
Watch some train vlogs on Youtube and see how it works. For instance, Simply Railway, Superalbs, Man in Seat 61.
It's not a dumb question.
You carry your bags on to/off from the train yourself. You find a place to stash them, yourself. You have to (if you want the bags to go with you); there's nobody else to do it for you. On many trains there is a place at the end of the car for a few larger bags (this space is not unlimited, though), and there's pretty much always a (small) overhead rack, occasionally a small space between seats. It all depends on the train car's configuration. The overhead rack is fine for most "carry-on size" bags but it's not going to work for a very large bag. Those will probably need to go in the small baggage area at the end of the car.
Do be careful about bag theft -- keep an eye on all your bags. This can be challenging if the car is very full (people and bags) and you are seated far from the baggage storage spot.
You may regret taking the two larger bags! Lifting them on and off the train could be challenging.
You will love the trains. Everybody just schleps their own baggage. I'd think hard about what kind of bags you are bringing. Large bags are a pain. It's a few steps up from the platform to the entry of the car. You might need to team tag lifting them. There may be dirty looks. The aisles are narrow. A big bag will probably need to be placed on a luggage rack a ways from where you are sitting. There's always a lot of jostling when people are lined up by the door to get off the train and big bags don't help. I travel with a rolling backpack which is carry-on size and weighs 20 lbs, a small backpack and a very small crossbody purse/bag. It's not much but sometimes, it feel like a lot when doing a quick transfer or there are steps. You also might think about booking seats in a Quiet Car. Otherwise, way preferable to taking a flight!
If your current plan for baggage is not something you can reduce considerably, you might consider a car transfer or arrange for a taxi. Might be pricey, but you will have space and assistance for your luggage, and can arrange for door-to-door transport from wherever you are starting ( airport, hotel, apartment?) to your destination in Naples. Would make for a MUCH more pleasant and less exhausting trip.
Please try to travel light if planning to take trains, we went with a our family, there was 10 of us and everyone had a full size luggage and carry on, we had an assembly line and had to move very quickly, I saw people's looks and knew what they were thinking. We sweated trying to get those heavy luggags on train, then find spot to put them. Never will do that again.
You are buying tickets on a type of train that requires reserved seats which is good. You can buy your business class tickets in advance and choose seats near the luggage racks . Board the train as soon as boarding is available and you will be fine.
It is a much different story on a regional train or the train to and from airports.
How large are the two big bags? I really struggle to get anything larger than a 24"-25" bag onto a rack.
I am not one of those travel light enthusiasts who seem to abound on this forum. That being said, I urge you to reconsider your packing plan. I manage 3 week trips with a 21” bag and a carry-on. I do laundry once a week or have it done. No sink washing for me. I am able to include a pair or two of shoes plus those on my feet, 7 tops, 5 bottoms, under- and sleep wear. I bring all the toiletries and meds I need. Etc., etc.
I can’t imagine needing a large (24”? 26”?) bag plus a carry-on unless you need clothes for business meetings or formal events.
I would really re-think your luggage plans. That’s a lot of luggage for train travel (really any kind of travel except maybe a cruise). Space for large bags is very limited. There’s usually one area at the front of the car for large luggage, where they all get stacked on top of each other. Your bags could get buried beneath others, or you may have to lift them pretty high if the storage area is already pretty full. Your carry on bags need to go in the rack above your seat. You need to be able to manage all of that yourself, and in a short period of time.
When you approach your station, you need to get your carryon bags, and get your big bags and be ready to get off the train pretty quick. Sometimes there are very short connection times. Plus, everybody getting ON the train wants you to get out of their way.
I suggest you watch some of the videos the Rick Steves has on packing in carry-on only. I think you will see that taking the two large pieces of luggage in not necessary, and it will make your trip much easier. I did it for a three week trip, after years of taking a large piece of luggage for a 3 day business trip. There is not a lot of space on the trains for luggage, and getting on and off the train with large luggage is difficult.
wtortoriello,
Think of train travel as being more like riding a city bus or the subway, not like an airline where people are assisting you. You get on and off the train on your own. But a couple of things to keep in mind: the trains only stop for a few minutes at a stop, so you have to be ready and moving with your bags before your stop comes up. That means you have to know the prior stops so you know when your's is next. You dont want to be just getting up when the train stops or you might get blocked by people getting on. Second, don't block people coming off by trying to get on before they are off. And third, make sure you are noting the train numbers and get on the right one. Sometimes they wont post your track number until just before the train arrives. Many trains share the same track and can be spaced only minutes apart. As long as you get on any car of your train, you can always move through the train to find your seat.
Three tips: Get the Trenitalia app. Your two smaller bags being backpacks or at least crossbody bags will help you have your hands free for your other bags (or if the smaller bags slide onto the handles of your bigger bags). There are announcements and electronic signs on some trains, but we find it useful to follow along on Google maps on our phones when we think we’re 15 minutes or so from our destination. We’ve almost been fooled a few times by a city having more than one train station.
When a trip includes a train leg, I switch to a smaller bag. As long as you stay within the carrier maximum weight and measures, bags are not a big problem in air travel; often you have to walk only a short stretch to the check-in counter. With train, it is not so; distances in major train stations are longer, sometimes you have to descend or climb stairs, you definitely have to lift your bags when boarding trains.
I may be paranoid, but avoid people on the platform offering to take your bags for you. If they don’t rip you off, they definitely want a big tip.
Also definitely reduce the size & weight of your ‘large’ bags. I had to get my mother to drastically cut back on the size of her luggage as she tended to keep packing until the bag was full. She said it didn’t look big in the store. Can each of you lift your bag and carry it up 3 or 4 relatively narrow steps with 1 hand?
Our checked luggage tends to weigh about 35 pounds v the allowable limit of about 50 pounds and my carry on baggage is a mid-sized back pack and sometimes I think that is too much.
Be careful if you aren’t travelling on an express train as a few years ago we got surprised by a rolling strike as we transferred to catch a Regional train to Lucca to find it was cancelled. Then we had to take a bus like a lot of others and all the luggage ended up being piled up in the middle of the bus near the exit door. I ended up standing but got a seat for my wife.
The joy of travelling.
The good news is that your train will have a lot of people getting off of it in Rome since it will be coming from Florence & above. Locate your train, and then your exact train car & seat. When you reach the train car, stand to the side to give everyone in your train car a chance to get off, first.
This next step is important Train Travel 101 for traveling with large bags. Several people travel on trains with large suitcases but mostly they have carryon size or smaller. You are welcome to bring your large bags! There will be no storage at your seat for large suitcases. Please, please, please do not take your large suitcase to your seat to then figure out what to do; this really annoys fellow travelers because we can’t get past your seats to get out of the aisle ourselves and let others pass through. The aisle is narrow. This is particularly a problem when this back up on the aisle keeps people behind you from even being able to board the train car and time is ticking ‘til departure. Just quickly get on and stow your large suitcase at the rack shelf at the entrance of the train car. If that is completely full, take your suitcase straight through to the other end of the train car and stow it on that shelf. Again, don’t stop at your seat, first. After you have let everyone walk down the aisle to find their seat, walk back to take your seat & place your carry on size suitcase above your seat, like you do on a plane.
The trains are wonderful! Have a great time in Italy!
You will carry on your bags. As stated previously you can put them on racks above, however, some trains have spaces between the seats. You can slide at least a 24” with wheels between the seats. Good luck! Have fun! Love the trains!
We are in Italy now, using only trains. We have 2 suitcase roller bags, a camera bag, and a big sloppy bag. As a man 5'10", I can put the roller bags up. It does take a bit of a shove. I am down 2" from my max height, and it seems a bit more difficult now.
No one on ANY platform has offered to help us. We have had no problem with getting stuff on and off trains.
The only thing to note is that most train stations have "subways" which are tunnels below the tracks. Usually there is a life ("accessione") to go up and down. Sometimes the lifts are out of order. We took a regional train today. Seats were not a problem, but it is shoulder season. Most travelers are Italian, some tourists.
The trains are convenient, and almost always on time. When the train stops, get on. You have a very short time - 4-5 minutes max to board. If you have an assigned seat, this includes a car identification. Line up at the car number. If you are not on the right car, and the train is there, get on the train. We have tried to go to the car on the platform and missed our train one time.
We have been in Milan, Turin, Pisa, Padua, and Ravenna. No pickpockets, no one with a ketchup scam, no gypsies with babies. Just a lot of African guys trying to sell us Kleenex packets.
Thank you for asking this!! I am literally booking my train tickets this week for our trip to Italy next week. We are taking 3 2-hour train rides throughout our stay of 12 days as we navigate our way south from Venice, and I hadn't even considered where I would put my luggage on the train. When I travel in Philadelphia by train, there is always a railing up top to but bags so I just assumed there would be something similar. Nonetheless, you raised two points for me: where to put my bags during the ride and to seriously consider downsizing my luggage choices. Thanks for all of the tips!!
As others have said the less luggage the better. i’ve seen many people struggle with their luggage. Not a pretty sight
Hi. Not dumb - we all have the same questions when we don't know, and when we don't know what we don't know...
We just got back yesterday - I highly recommend the trains. It's not as hard as it seems. From my other post:
We used the cheapest SMART fare on Italo from Rome to Naples... it went very well. Smooth, quiet, comfortable and fast. Baggage storage above the seats, behind the last row of seats, in other random places and in a baggage storage area just inside the entry door to each car at one end. It was about 1:12 duration at speeds around 180mph! Frequent, reasonably priced and highly recommend. Don't forget to know the last stop on the route you are on. Going, it was Naples, our destination. Coming back, it was Trieste, even though we bought Napoli (Naples) to Roma (Rome). At that time there was no mention of Trieste. But the board in the station showed Trieste, not Rome. Have fun and don't be afraid to use the trains. We had too many bags that were too heavy. That made it a challenge, but still doable. Take Rick's advice - go light and small! We tried, but we had a boat trip in the middle that made it difficult. But, we learned our lesson, and that it is definitely the way to go.
From watching lots of train videos in the evenings, I would also mention that some trains are double decker, so you have to deal with stairs. And some have a large gap between train and platform and/or a step up or down, again be aware.
It's not a dumb question. It's smart to realize that you need to consider travel details that you haven't had to deal with before.
I'm wondering how long and what kind of a trip you're taking. I'm also wondering the following...
Exactly how big are those "large" bags? What are the measurements in inches or centimeters including wheels and handles? How much do the large bags weigh empty in pounds or kilos? What is the volume in cubic inches or liters?
And how big are the "average" carry-ons with all the same details for each?
Are you planning to have anything else, like maybe a purse or camera bag or messenger bag or bag of food and drinks, to get on and off the train with everything else?
As a solo traveler who has to be able to handle her luggage herself, large to me is anything over the standard 22"x14"x9" carry-on. My heaviest bag is that size and weighs 5.5 pounds empty. I haven't used it since 2018 due to that weight.
My best bags are all lighter at 4.5 pounds empty. My favored ones, used in 2019 and this year are "international" sized.
The one I used in 2019 for a trip of 5 weeks is expandable, 20.25"x14"x8-9.25" with a volume of 36-39L. I've never used it expanded. In addition I used a 16L 2.2 oz cross-body bag for my personal item.
The other I used this year, also for a 5-week trip, is not expandable, 19.5"x16"x8" with a volume of 38L. In addition I used a 25L, 11 oz backpack for my personal item. The only time it was full was when I put my zip-up fleece in it.
I mention this because of all the advice others have given about the difficulty of getting on and off trains with too much luggage to handle efficiently. Even at 76 years old, I was able to get on and off the variety of public transportation modes I used this year better than ever before.
Personally, I pack for a week, no matter how long the trip. I prefer to do my own laundry at a self-serve laundromat or have it done for me. Both those options have led to enjoyable encounters with local people and other travelers. I'm not a fan of sink washing in my room, but I'll do that if I have to.
For me, the size or type of bag is dependent on the clothes for the trip. Over the years my basic formula has been 3 pairs of pants, 8 tops of various kinds and 2 pairs of shoes. All those pieces coordinate with an "inspiration" scarf so that I can put any of them together.
I wear my heaviest shoes in transit, along with one of the pairs of pants, the scarf and 1-2 of the tops (depending on the weather or anticipating a cold plane), so I don’t actually need to pack all those garments. My fully packed carry-on weighed 20 pounds this year, my self-imposed limit.
Having 2 people to schlep the luggage may sound like a good reason to take a lot of stuff and big bags, but it probably isn't if you double+ the amount of stuff you're taking.
