Suitcases on the trains

If the train is not packed, very few are, then you can keep it on the seat next to you. Even then, nearly all trains have an overhead rack that you can put a carry-on size bag on. As for keeping a bag on the racks near the door, many do, the only real risk is at a stop, if I need to have one there I keep a constant eye on it while getting out of a city if there are a couple stops, then you can really relax for most of the trip. Certainly be vigilant at a stop, but theft is rarely a problem since the only opportunity is at a stop for a larger piece of luggage, would not leave a day bag there, but larger pieces are safe.

I've never measured the overhead racks, and there are many different configurations of trains on Italy's rails, some older, some newer, some operated by completely different companies.

However, in general, I would expect to (and have done) pop my bags above my head, and my jackets and hats, and my computer bag.

Some places there might be no rack so sit slightly down the car where there is one.

Or there may be other places you can put it. Just don't block seats to fellow passengers and never put it on a seat (unless it has a ticket bought for that seat - I know people who buy seats just so they can take their cats on holiday - in a proper container of course).

Be aware that the trains only stop for a short while at stations so that unless you board at the origination station and don't leave until the terminus you won't have the luxury of taking time to find the right place for the bag at boarding and strolling down the aisle with it after taking your time getting it down when you get off. When you are about to reach your station you need you and your luggage by the door ready to get off. If not, you may well find that the flow of people getting on just before departure swamps you and you won't be able to get off.

I don't think I've ever seen a European train without overhead luggage racks, but the amount of space they provide seems to vary. And a lot of the racks are so high that I (just under 5'4") woiuldn't be able to maneuver anything up there. I happened to notice that there were quite a few fair-sized bags in the overhead rack on my last train trip (though the space was not full), but I couldn't tell you whether any of them were full US carry-on size.

Unless there are only a few people in my car--in which case I keep my bag by my seat--I leave my bag in the rack, which is usually at the end of the car. I have no hesitancy in doing so. It doesn't contain any jewelry, electronic gear, money, credit cards or critical documents. All those important items are in my purse or money belt. I don't bother to remove my prescription meds from the suitcase (though I guess I should) because I figure no one wants my luggage. After all, I'm traveling second class with an inexpensive suitcase, wearing inexpensive clothes and a $20 watch from Walmart.

The Man in Seat 61 has some great information on Italian (and many other) trains. Scroll down this page on Italian train travel to see photos of the particular types of trains you're interested in riding.

This very short video shows Rick demonstrating train travel skills; about 3/5 of the way through he talks about luggage storage - end of the car and overhead. This will show you what most train cars look like regarding luggage storage.

Basically, if it'll fit in the airplane's overhead storage, it'll fit in a train's overhead shelf. I never leave my luggage at the end of the train car, either. I want it right where I can keep an eye on it! In my experience, the overhead luggage storage on trains have never been full like they are on airplanes.

There are a few trains - usually more like subway-type commuter trains - that don't have overhead luggage racks, but in that case you'd just keep your luggage at your feet. Those are usually very short rides, anyway.

acraven brings up a good point - the racks on trains do seem to often be higher than those on domestic airplanes; some international flights have also had higher overhead storage compartments.

Also, when it comes to end-of-car storage racks, we've often boarded at one end of the car, but disembarked at the other due to passenger traffic, etc. so we would have needed to 'swim upstream' if we had stored our luggage at the end of the car. We've simply found it easier to keep our stuff with us at all times.

I hope my video links helped!

Hi,

It depends on which country and the type of train, including the safety aspect. In Germany on the ICE there is the feature where the luggage can be stored in the middle. All trains have racks, how high they are is a different story, depending also on the country and the type of train. This applies to the general seating area and the six seat compartments. I prefer those, which I used in riding the new Czech trains on this trip. I've always put my luggage up on the rack or next to me on the seat depending on how crowded that particular coach is. You'll see everyone doing likewise.

I always just keep my carry-on near my feet on the trains or on the seat next to me, if it's empty. Above your head in a rack works too. I just never snooze with an unsecured bag. That's not a problem as there's too much out the window to look at.

The only bags which are not with us are our checked-size luggage. Those are up front or back of the carriage in the spaces for those, and are sometimes cabled together if it's a regionale train.

We have never been on trains where there were so few people that you could hog a seat for luggage. Small cases go overhead, sometimes there is a sort of tent V between seats that are back to back that will take a small suitcase. Larger cases go at the ends of cars; if you are nervous about them, you can get up and stand at the end of the car during stops. The end of car space is often highly inadequate. We were on a train in Spain a couple of years ago where we thought a fist fight was going to break out over luggage space. One old guy had put a small case in the end of car rack and others wanted him to put it above his seat so large cases could go there and they m;oved his bag. There was much shouting, some throwing about of suitcases, and a lot of puffing and strutting.

sometimes there is a sort of tent V between seats that are back to back that will take a small suitcase

This is our favorite place to store our bags! It is more of an A-frame made by the seatbacks and it seems few people realize that storage is there. Avoids having to lift my case above my head.

OTH, I never hesitate to put it in the rack at the end of the car, sans any electronic devices.

There are four possible places to store luggage: overhead, but your height and/or weight of the suitcase may make that impossible, and I can promise you that the kind stranger who hoists it into the overhead for you will disembark before you do.

Trains have storage areas at the end and/or middle (mostly the newer trains). I prefer the middle section, if there is one.

Some trains have an a-shape area between back-to-back seats, a 22" bag will generally fit on its side (handle facing up so you can retrieve it easily, but more importantly, quickly).

On trains with few passengers, I keep the suitcase ON THE FLOOR next to me or in front of me. Sometimes the end rows have a one-seat row, so you are not inconveniencing anyone by having your suitcase with you. And those seats are closest to the exit doors. The idea, to me, of someone's suitcase wheels or bottom on a seat is equivalent to someone putting their feet on the seat.

I am on day 53 of an 89-day trip, and if someone wants to steal my suitcase, they would be doing me a favor.

....If the train is not packed, very few are, then you can keep it on the seat next to you........

Don't do that, that it is so impolite and inconsiderate. Typical entitled American tourists. If the train is not packed then there is lots of room on the overhead rack or in the luggage bins. Then if the train does fill up and you are finally forced to more your luggage, there may not be a place for it. We were on a train once that was standing room only and the couple across the isle from us had stacked all of their luggage in the seat facing them. Lots of evil eyes. I finally lean across and softly suggested that they might want to remove their luggage for the seats could be used. Her rather explosive and loud reponse was, "Where do you expect me to put my luggage? And beside, we were here first?" The is a reason why the ugly American phrase was coined.

Luggage theft is as over discussed as pickpocketing. If it was a big problem, locals would know better than to put their luggage in the bins - but they do.

I don't think anyone is suggesting taking up needed seat room with their bags. We've only done it with shoulder-bag carry-ons (no wheels) on trains which really were mostly empty (rare but can happen) and after the train was moving. Otherwise, they go near our feet (mine) or in the rack (my husband's).

We're absolutely not "typical entitled American tourists" and regret that assumption being made. Even Italians have placed bags on empty seats when there has been plenty of room to do so.

Frank - unfortunately that sort of behavior happens all the time on BART trains in the San Francisco Bay area.

On a European train, I would have expected one or more passengers to complain to the conductor or that the conductor on his own would have told the oafs to move their luggage. Is that something that would typically happen on a European train?

Plenty of locals hog seats with their bags and luggage even when there is room on the racks if someone were to rearrange the it to provide more room. When you ask if the seat is taken or not, they remove their "stuff" , sometimes begrudgingly. I'm mostly on trains/routes where there are no Americans who are immediately recognisable /heard once they board, so it is the locals and everyone else taking up seat space.

On our last trip, we took the trains over a period of two weeks from Paris all the way down to Salerno. I would say half the time we put our main max-sized carry-ons on the overhead racks, which often angled back toward the sides of the car so they wouldn't fall out. However, I could see for a shorter person or someone with shoulder issues how that could be problematic. The rest of the time we put our main bags in a designated area opposite the car door, but this was only if our seat had a direct sightline to that area. And if I could I piled another bag on top of mine, thinking that it would be unlikely that a thief would single ours out under other bags. We took fast or Freccia trains most of the time, so there were a minimum of stops to have to watch out. Like has been stated upthread, we were told that bag thievery at stops was a rare occurrence. Everything else--sundry bags, shopping, etc., went over or under the seat.

Thanks for clarifying, Kathy. I also put my daybag on an empty seat, but these smallish bags are easy to move.

I have seen some seats taken up with big, rolling carryon bags, and that is what I referred to.

And lots of those seat-hoggers are English-speaking.

No problem, Zoe. I wouldn't cram a big roller bag into a seat either!

On our recent bus trip from Bath to London, there were two young women who deliberately spread out all their belongings so that each had a double seat to herself. They weren't Americans, either. I don't know what country they were from, but they were speaking German. As we drew nearer and nearer to London, the bus started to fill up, and the girls did finally consolidate their bags, which fit just fine under their feet!

For the record, since I made the original comment, I was not in any way suggesting that one should use a seat for luggage storage when there is demand for a seat. I specifically stated "if the train is not packed" implying that seat space was not an issue. My point was that of the many short duration trips you take in Italy on a train, if you are concerned about security, keeping your bag on the seat next to you...or by your feet... or on your lap if you care; that is an option. Yes there usually is an overhead rack and I and many others usually utilize that, or as I noted, for large bags, the racks at the end or middle of the car are typically secure and not an issue. But I do not think anyone was suggesting using the seat for storage to prevent others from sitting down...I think you would obviously be castigated for attempting that, intentionally or not, on any crowded mode of transportation.

Perhaps those that automatically assume ulterior motives to a post likely have been guilty of transgressions in the past and been called on it, so I suppose they have a point worth sharing.

I actually consider putting luggage on adjacent seats to be somewhat rude, though fairly common around the world. I have seen conductors in northern Europe reprimand people for doing it. It doesn't really matter if the train is empty when you get on. A train with seat reservations means someone can board later with that seat and now has to ask you to move your things so they can sit down. And regional trains often will fill and empty over the trip and most people try and find seats where they don't have to confront a stranger about moving their belongings. It is worse with a large bag of course, but even a small bag is an implicit signal that you don't want anyone sitting next to you. There is plenty of room to store luggage on trains - use it.

Last year, we were able to put 25" rollers in the overhead racks on both the Trenitalia and Italo high speed trains.