We are planning our first trip to Italy in May 2015. We are looking at a flight from Seattle to Pisa with a plane change in Amsterdam. The flight lands in Pisa at about 2:30 pm. We would like to get a train from Pisa to Monterosso on the same day that we land. When I look at train schedules now, it looks like the last train leaves Pisa at about 5:40 pm. Does this sound like a reasonable connection to make, time wise? Does anyone know if the train schedules change often? Would we be smarter to stay over in Pisa and get a train the next day? Any advice is much appreciated.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32201 posts
lryer,
That's actually a very easy trip, and I'd recommend continuing straight to Monterosso as that will be a fantastic location to recover from jet lag.
When you've collected your luggage, buy a ticket for the Pisa Mover Shuttle for the trip to Pisa Centrale station. The Shuttles depart about every 10 minutes, the fare is about €1.30 PP and the trip takes about eight minutes.
When you arrive at Pisa Centrale, buy tickets for the trip to Monterosso (there's only one station in Monterosso, so that makes the ticket buying process a bit easier). The most likely connection will be a departure at 15:38, arriving at 17:12. The next departure isn't until 16:29, arriving at 17:45. Each of those trips will have one change in La Spezia. Several types of trains are used on that route, including Regionale, InterCity and Freccia. If you'll be using a Regionale train, you MUST validate your ticket prior to boarding the train, or risk a hefty fine which will be collected on the spot! The InterCity and Freccia trains have compulsory reservations (included with the tickets you buy), which are specific to train, date and departure time, so you can ONLY use the one train specified on the ticket. Again, hefty fines for travelling without valid reservations.
When you arrive in Monterosso, you'll walk down the stairs from the platform to the main street. Whether to turn left or right will depend on which hotel you're staying in. If you need further information, post another note.
Posted by
FL
78 posts
I'm not sure which day in May you're planning on arriving in Pisa but when I look at a random day in May I do see a few later trains than the 5:40. From my experience, the train schedules don't change. The airport in Pisa is only about a mile from Pisa Centrale station. You'll have already gone through immigration in Amsterdam so you should be able to get off the plane and out of the airport pretty quickly. If your plane gets in around 2:30, you should have no problem getting the 5:40 train. I think there might be an earlier train. One possible hiccup would be if your flight changes between now and when you fly. We flew this past May (bought tickets in October) from Seattle and our flights changed a few times.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32201 posts
One point to note regarding rail schedules is that the schedules for May 2015 won't be posted yet. These are updated twice yearly, and I believe the next update is in December. Also, Regionale schedules won't be shown that far in the future. When researching, I find the best method is to search schedules within the next week or two, using the same day-of-the-week that I'll be travelling.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Currently, the last direct train from Pisa Centrale station to Monterosso departs at 22:50, Mon-Fri and Sun, arriving in Monterosso after midnight. In between the direct trains at 17:40 and 22:50, there are three other departures with a connection at La Spezia, any of which should get you into Monterosso while the hotel is staffed (if you let them know the plan). Check for confirmed train schedules again after the New Year. How to Look Up Train Schedules Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.