I will need to get from Orvieto to the Old Town area of Perugia in Mid May. I've looked at Trenitalia's site. Unless I'm reading it wrong there is no direct train & I will need to change trains for this route. What's the difference between: Regionale Veloce, Regionale & Intercity.
Is the bus a simpler way to get there with a more scenic ride?
I will be returning to Orvieto again in 4 days, should I purchase a round trip or is it better to not get locked in to only one option?
flower,
I've never travelled that route, but I suspect Bus will be the easiest, quickest and least expensive option. Unfortunately it looks like there's only one direct trip each day.
It appears that Linea E645 is the one you'll need - http://www.fsbusitalia.it/cms-file/allegati/fsbusitalia/umbria/03_Extraurbano_Terni_Ann_ExATC.PDF .
Be sure to note the small codes (FLS, SLS, etc.) which will provide information on which days of the week the buses run.
Hopefully one of he others can provide more detailed information.
When traveling to or from small cities and towns, it is very common to have to change trains at least once. It isn't a problem unless you are seriously overburdened with luggage, in which case the train station isn't the only place where you'll have difficulty. The train looks like the best solution for this trip.
I don't know whether the train is more scenic than the bus or vice versa, but it may be a hypothetical question, because I'm not sure there is direct service by bus between the two towns.
Regionale trains are locals and comparatively slow. However, they will be your only choice when traveling to and from smaller places, because the fastest trains don't stop there.
Regionale Veloce trains are like Regionale trains but a bit faster. I think they skip some stops.
Intercity trains are faster and may have newer carriages. However, when a trip also requires some time on a regional train, the intercity may not make the overall trip faster; it all depends on how much time you spend at the station where you change trains. What is certain is that you will pay more for the ticket if you spend some time on an intercity train--even if it ends up taking you longer to get where you are going. And the fare on the intercity train may increase quite a bit (depending on how tickets are selling) if you wait until shortly before your trip to buy the ticket.
On short trips such as this, I just look at travel time and cost. I don't care what kind of train it is.
I did a quick check on the Trenitalia website, and there doesn't seem to be a price advantage to buying a round-trip ticket, so I think you may as well keep your options open. The regionale cannot sell out because there are no assigned seats. Just keep in mind that it may take longer than you expect to buy your ticket; sometimes there's a line at the ticket window. Don't just show up 10 minutes before the train is due to depart. And don't forget you'll need to catch the funicolare down the hill to the station. Finally, when you get to Orvieto you should inquire at your hotel about whether there are limited hours for ticket purchase at the Orvieto station. I remember having to go to a travel agency to buy my ticket, but that may have been because I was taking an overnight train to Sicily (do not do that!).
Thank you for these quick responses.
I had read someplace that the bus will let you off closer to the place to catch the funicular. I don't recall if that is the case for Perugia.
I will also be traveling later from Orvieto to San Gimigano and wondered again if there is anything like an express bus that won't stop in all the villages along the way.
It has been ages since I was in Perugia. You may be right about the location of the bus station vs. the train station, but I'll bet there's decent city-bus transportation from the train station to the center of the city. You can probably find out by Googling.
In Orvieto the bottom of the funicular is very close to the train station, so you can easily get up to the level of the historic town. There's also bus service from the top of the funicular (perhaps also from the bottom; I'm not sure) to the other end of the upper town, which is the area with the Duomo, etc. Arriving in Orvieto by train is no problem at all unless you have very heavy luggage. The walk from the top of the funicular toward the Duomo is definitely uphill. With heavy luggage you might want to wait for the bus. I had a too-heavy wheeled bag, and I felt every pound as I headed for my hotel; fortunately, it wasn't all the way at the other end of town.
There will be no express bus from Orvieto to San Gimignano unless by some fluke there's a bus tour being offered ($$$). There is no demand for direct service between two small towns that aren't even in the same region. On weekdays there are decent rail itineraries leaving Orvieto at 8:44 AM and 10:15 AM. Both require two changes, at Chiusi and Siena, and get you to Poggibonsi in about 2-1/2 hours. From Poggibonsi you need to take a bus to S.G. (There is a reason so many tourists take bus tours that include San Gimignano.)
Perugia region has several stations, What is the name of the train station closest to the bottom of old town??
Sienna: what is the name of the station closest to the historic center (old town)??
For Orvieto -Perugia: with only one daily direct bus departing at 5:50am; The train with connections gives me more flexible planning. I'll wait to buy the return ticket.
Orvieto - San Gimgano: I will need to connect but want to make sure I get off at the stop that will have the connecting trains.
Thank you for sharing your experience & knowledge!
