My wife and I will be in Europe all of august 2014. We have been using the Deutsche Bahn website to help figure out our rail routes. However, when I try searching for any trains to and from the cinque terre an error message pops up. I've tried from multiple spots I.e. Venice, Florence, and Rome. Does the DB website not work well in Italy? How should we plan this out? We are trying to make the most out of our travel days on the eurorail select pass. Thanks for any help
Posted by
Oregon
111 posts
You need to specify the town that is your destination (Vernazza, Riomaggiore, etc) and to use travel dates through June 14 only (schedule change date across Europe). Summer schedules for regional Italian trains likely won't be online until after that date, if Italy follows their usual pattern.
Posted by
Green Bay
20254 posts
Yes, for planning purposes, look at the schedules for early June. The schedules shouldn't change all that much. There are 2 possible routes, through Milan or through Florence using Freccia high speed trains, then change to Inter City or Regionale trains.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32222 posts
As the others have mentioned, you'll to specify the exact stations when searching. Your departure station will be Venezia Santa Lucia, and your arrival station will be whichever of the five C.T. towns you plan to stay in.
The DB site will also provide information on trains in Italy, but you may find it easier to use the Trenitalia website. Click the Tutti I Treni tab at the top and then input your stations. Schedules for August won't be loaded yet, so just research using the same day-of-the-week that you'll be travelling. Research using a date within the next week or so, or the site may not show Regionale connections.
As you're travelling with a Railpass, note that the passes DO NOT include the reservation fees that are compulsory with the "premium" trains such as the Freccia high speed or other trains, which you'll most likely be using on the first leg out of Venice. You MUST have valid reservations specific to the premium train you're riding on, or you'll be subject to hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
It's going to be a long trip. I did this in September. We are early risers and wanted more time in the CT. We left Venice at 7:40 am on a high speed train to Florence. We changed to a regional train in Florence for LA Spezia. Then we changed to the local train to Vernazzza. It was about 5-5:30 hour trip. You can also go thru Milan and Genoa but for my time the one thru Florence got in town first.