Found train travel in Italy great. Didn't book before we left but took Rick's advice and went either into a travel agency the day before or TI. First experience a bit daunting as we looked up at the board to see which 'bin' no our train would leave from and couldn't see our station. A local took us over and explained the system. Look for the rather large yellow departures notice which has all trains leaving listed. We found that by finding the departure time on our ticket eg. those listed under say 11.30 am and then looking for our destination, we could figure what the end destination was eg. Chiusi would have been the Roma Termini. We could then watch the electronic board for Roma Termini at 11.30. Hope my explanation is clear enough? We travelled mostly second class and this was perfectly fine. Travelling with small cases was a great with getting on and off trains, not easy with steps up into the train carriages. Over four weeks, only one train was late. Overall a good experience.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Yeah Carol. Great report. Your comments on the train you want not showing your destination is sooo on target. You're in a foreign country and jumping onto a train system that you have never been on. At home, you know where all of the stops on your local train or light rail are. In Italy, you don't. If you are going from Florence to Assisi, the train won't show Assisi; it shows it's final destination. You are immediately faced with identifying the train you want.
Carol has the best hint of all. Find the large glass case containing the large yellow departure notice. There are usually several in the large train stations. This yellow paper (about 30"x 36") shows every train departing the station as well as every stop on every run. It is listed by hour. If you have a ticket with reservations, note the time and look at the yellow sheet. Match the departure time and look to see which train run has the destination that you want. If you have an open ticket (no reservation), it's a bit more work. Scan the departure times to find a train run with your destination.
Once you have the correct train, look at the TV monitors in the small stations or the large electronic boards in the larger stations to see which platform and track you need. If you are traveling with teens, let them assist. It's great.
The most difficult part of Italian train travel is stepping up to a completely strange train system and making your trip work. Once you get over there and jump into it, it strangely does. Way to go Carol.
Posted by
OP
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
68 posts
Thanks Larry, beautifully clarified.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
And be sure to check to see what the stop is right before your stop. Not all trains announce the upcoming stop and you could get stuck on the train without enough time to get off, especially if your stop is one of the smaller ones.