Taking a first trip to Italy October 1st, staying 10 days, arriving in Rome, leaving from Lucca. We plan to take the train north, and would love to know which route is prettiest, has fastest trains, as we're still choosing in which order to see Florence, Cinque Terre, and Sienna. We're leaning toward Cinque Terre after Rome, as that could put us in Florence mid-week, when crowds would be smaller. Thanks!
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
5 posts
Eek! Topic should have said Train trips from Rome to the north, not from Florence to the north - sorry!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Terri, how do you depart from Lucca? I understand car, bus and train but are you referring to a plane departure?
You have a couple of choices out of Rome going north. You could go from Rome directly to Siena. If you take the train from Rome Termini to Siena, you would change trains or to a bus at Chiusi. Or, some runs take you to Florence and then bus you back to Siena. About 3.5hrs. Then, there is the bus from Rome Tiburtina train station to Siena. Less expensive and about the same travel time. Also, the bus to Siena gets you closer to the city wall than the train does. I don't know how much time you have for Siena, but you can take another local bus to San Gimignano as well. Then, from either city, you can take the SITA Rapide bus (express) to Florence (about an hour ride). It's then a 3.0hr. train trip with a few train changes to the CT.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
5 posts
We are actually flying out of Pisa, and thinking of making our last stop before that Lucca. Thanks very much for your comments - I hadn't thought about bus options.