Train from Milan Centrale to La Spezia

janice,

I wouldn't bother buying "advance tickets" from Milano to La Spezia. Buy your tickets when you arrive at Milano Centrale.

In checking the trains that day, I noticed a departure at 12:25 and one at 14:00. I'd probably choose the 14:00 departure, as it has no changes (the earlier train has one change in Genova). Note that reservations are compulsory on that train, and the cost for these will be included in your P-P tickets.

Is La Spezia your final destination or are you going to one of the C.T. villages? The 14:00 train stops in Monterosso at 17:03, so if that's your ultimate destination you could disembark then. No point in going to La Spezia and then "backtracking" to Monterosso. If you'll be staying in one of the other villages, you'll need to carry on to La Spezia and then take the local train back.

At Milano Centrale you can purchase P-P tickets either from the ticket machines at track level (only accept credit cards), the ticket office (two floors down via moving sidewalk) or ticket machines adjacent to the ticket office (Euro coins or credit cards). Be sure to watch your belongings when there and keep some coins at hand for the WC's.

I beleive there is luggage storage at Milano Centrale, but I've never used it so don't have the details. Hopefully someone else here will have the answers on that.

Could you elaborate on the circumstances of your arrival in Milan? Are you flying in or arriving by train from another point in Europe?

Happy travels!

We are flying into Milan to see the Lord's Supper and then off to Tellaro for a few nights, down to Tuscany(Cortona), and to Rome. Do you know a good location north of Rome to drop off a rental car. We would like to drive from la spezia down to Cortona and north of Rome. Do not want to drive in Rome. Would prefer to drop car off 30 miles or so north of Rome and take train into the city.
Thanks for your reply

What is a WC?

Ahem,

A water closet - the universal initials in Europe for bathrooms.

Very necessary to know what a WC is all about. You can tell I have not been to Europe!! One more question about the 14:00 train-you said you need reservations, do you get them upon buying the ticket or is it something to do ahead of time? I am a little confused. I might need a tour guide like you to answer all the unknowns!! Good day!

janice,

I assume from your later posts that you'll be staying at least one night in La Spezia?

The ideal location to drop off a rental car on the way to Rome is Orvieto, which is in Umbria. It's a wonderful hill town and if you have time well worth a stop. It's only about one hour from Rome by train.

You'll arrive in Rome at Roma Termini. Depending on where your Hotel is located, you can either walk or take a Taxi, or even the Metro.

As this is your first trip to Europe, my normal suggestion would be to read the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as it contains a lot of VERY useful information on travelling in Europe. Given the short time before your departure, I imagine that won't be possible this time?

However you might consider downloading the free PDF Rail Guide from this website, as it will be good for reference. Click the "Railpasses" tab at the top of the page and then look in the lower right corner.

If you buy a P-P (Point-to-Point) ticket at Milano Centrale, it will include the compulsory reservation fee. If you were travelling with a Railpass, this is NOT included so you'd have to pay separately for the reservation.

With a reserved seat, it helps to know a few Italian words. For example, Track # is Binario, Car # is Carozza and Seat # is Posto. The ticket may also specify Aisle (Corridoio) or Window (Finestra).

The automated ticket machines at Milano Centrale are relatively easy to figure out, but if you feel more comfortable with a staffed ticket office, that's available too (however there's often a long queue!).

Good luck and happy travels!

It's mandatory to drop off the car before you arrive in Rome. Trying to drive in Rome will RUIN your trip for so many reasons.

You could drop it off closer to Rome (like Orvieto) or closer to La Spezia (like Lucca) and just be done with the car. You will find that sometimes the hassles of having a car in Italy might outweigh the convenience.

Also note that sometimes your credit card will not work in Italy. They have a newer, microchip system on their credit cards. Our card would not work in the automatic ticket machines at the train station and we had to wait in line for a ticket salesperson. Also, when returning our rental car, our credit card would not work at the pump and we had to use cash.