We will traveling from La Spezia to Venice in mid May on a Wednesday morning. The connection in Pisa is 11 minutes and in Florence is 15 minutes. Is this too tight? How hard is it to find the correct spot in these stations to get on your next train? Our alternative is to book 2 or 3 individual leg tickets with longer connection times.
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WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
If trains are running on time, those connection times are adequate. Navigating between tracks at these 2 stations is fairly easy. The tracks at Pisa Centrale are connected by an underpass, and it takes only a few minutes to change tracks. Your train to Pisa may have a display monitor showing departure tracks for connecting trains. If not, look for a display monitor on the platform or in the underpass. You will need to know your train number to identify the correct track. The tracks at Florence SMN are all on the same level. Walk to the head of the tracks (but don't exit the secured area) and walk to the departure track. Again, there may be display monitors on the train to Florence. If not, then look at the large overhead departures (partenze) board at the head of the tracks.
If you buy through tickets from La Spezia to Venice and miss a connection because a train ran late, you can exchange your tickets at no cost for the next train at a ticket window. Should you miss the connection in Pisa, meaning that you would miss your connection to a high-speed train in Florence, I would suggest changing tickets in Pisa. I think that would be less hassle than waiting until you got to Florence and trying to explain the late train from La Spezia to the ticket agent there. If you buy multiple individual tickets and miss a connection, each ticket will be subject to the rules for the fare class purchased.