train times

About 3H50m.

It depends on which route you take, but it will be between 4 and 5 hours. Take a look at trrenitalia.com for schedules. Your departure station will be Roma (either Termini or Tiburtina). The train from Rome will end up in La Spezia where you will transfer to a regional train to Vernazza. Since the last leg is a regional train, schedules may not show up for more than 7 days out.

Thank you !!!

Also, if you use the Trenitalia web site, make sure you register for an account BEFORE you buy your tickets. Also, be sure to print out the purchase page with the PNR in case your e-mail doesn't arrive with your tickets. You can then log into your account, enter the PNR and get your tix.

slenz,

Your best bet on that route is to use one of the direct (no changes) trains from Roma Termini to La Spezia Centrale, and there are several of those each day. I'd suggest using the departure at 09:57, arriving Vernazza at 14:29 (time 4H:32M, one change at La Spezia Centrale). Especially as it's your first trip abroad, minimizing changes will make the trip a bit easier, and this also minimizes the travel times. The change at La Spezia allows 13 minutes, which is more than adequate. The trip from La Spezia to Vernazza is only 18 minutes. When you arrive in Vernazza, you'll walk down a flight of stairs to reach the main street.

As this is your first trip to Italy, a few points to mention......

• It's important to know the names of the stations you'll be using in Italian, as many cities have more than one station (and some of them are distant from the city centre). If you'll be visiting other places in Italy, post the list here and the group will be able to provide station information.
• It's really important to be aware of the "rules" when using trains, buses or other public transit in Italy. There are different types of trains in Italy, and the rules vary between them. Here's a brief summary.....
• Regionale trains, Buses, Metro - you MUST validate (time & date) stamp your tickets prior to boarding on the day of travel, or risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
• Freccia, InterCity and other fast trains - these trains have compulsory reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time, so the ticket you buy can ONLY be used on the ONE train listed on the ticket. If you board a different train even by mistake, you'll be deemed to be travelling without valid reservations, and again hefty fines! If you buy P-P tickets, the reservations will be included with the tickets if required.
• You can determine the composition of trains used on each route from the Trenitalia website. With the one I suggested above from Rome to Vernazza, the first train is an InterCity which requires reservations. The ticket will specify the Car No. (Carrozza) and Seat No. (Posti) where you must sit. The second train (La Spezia to Vernazza) is a Regionale, so the ticket MUST be validated prior to boarding.

You may find it helpful to have a look at the excellent Ron In Rome website for lots of good information on using trains in Italy. Also have a look at short video tutorial which is nicely done. If you wish to buy tickets in advance online, you can easily buy the InterCity ticket, but the Regionale is best purchased locally. The Trenitalia website can be a bit "quirky", but you can also purchase at www.italiarail.com (reportedly easier to use).

Thank you all, so much, truly appreciate the assistance