Europe to Italy Coast - Rail or Plane?

Mike, As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip (if possible). It provides a LOT of good information on "how" to travel in Europe. After that use the country-specific Guidebooks to plan hotels, sightseeing, transportation, etc. With only a VERY short two weeks, I'd suggest flying from the U.K. to Italy rather than travelling by train. You'll get lots of scenery on the rail trips in Italy. Regarding rail travel in Italy, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. If you need further information, post another note Unfortunately, at this late date it's not likely you'll be able to get the cheapest air fares as they use a "sliding scale" and the prices increase in "tiers". You might have a look at EasyJet flights, as they have flights from several airports in the London area to various places in Italy. It's impossible to provide more specific suggestions without knowing where you plan on visiting first prior to your last stop in Rome. More information would be really helpful! One very popular area is the Cinque Terre in Liguria, but it could be a challenge getting a hotel there for July on such short notice (I usually start booking in about March for travel in September, and even that early sometimes have a few problems). With such a short time until you depart, you'll need to get cracking and get some arrangements in place quickly! Good luck and happy travels!

It is a long way to Italy from England. A discount airline provided you are travel light makes more sense than a long train journey with a number of changes. Once in Italy, then use the train to get to Rome. You need to pin down your Italy portion so that you can take advantage of the deep discount tickets offered by Trenitalia.

If you could take several days and stop along the way to smell the roses, the train might be worth the extra cost. But to do it in a day, you'll get tired of the scenery after several hours. Besides, you miss some of the best scenery ( like the Alps) as most train routes go through tunnels. Buy a ticket to Pisaon one of the discount Irlines and enjoy the view from the airplane window.

Scenery from a train does not compete with being there.

Thanks everyone for your very helpful responses! Based on your replies (and other information I've read), I agree that air travel between London and Italy likely makes the most sense. Regarding a specific destination in Italy between London and Rome, I'm not yet decided. I've heard great things about the Amalfi Coast region and this area would be my first thought (Positano?). However, I'm very open to other suggestions. Ideally, my thought is to spend a few days relaxing in a very scenic coastal area with some interesting sight-seeing before a few days in Rome and the flight home. I'm looking at hostels and Bed and Breakfast type accomodations rather than hotels (but on the slightly nicer side). Definitely need to get the main bookings locked in this week! I really wish I had more time in Europe Regards,
Mike.

Use the search engine skyscanner.com to see what airlines, both budget and national carriers, fly from any of the London airports to any major airport in Italy.

If you're in Sussex, you can catch a train right into Gatwick Airport. EasyJet.com flies to Pisa and Rome Fiumicino non-stop.
If you make your reservation now, you can may rate a very low fare.

Mike, The Amalfi Coast and especially Positano are perhaps not the best choice for such a short time frame, as the transportation is not as "simple" as in northern Italy. Positano has no rail connections, so you'd have to travel to Sorrento and then use Bus or Taxi to get to Positano. As you'll be spending a week in the U.K. and will need about 3-4 days for Rome, that doesn't leave much time for your other location. As I mentioned in my previous reply, one place you could consider is the Cinque Terre in northern Italy (be sure to have a look at the photos at the bottom of the website page). It has several advantages for the Itinerary you're planning: > Easy to reach from the U.K. via a flight to either Pisa or Florence and then a short train ride. > Easy to reach Rome for the last part of your trip. There are direct trains from La Spezia Centrale to Roma Termini with a travel time of ~3H:45M. > IS a scenic coastal area, but quite different character to the Amalfi Coast (somewhat more informal and not as "posh") > It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the area where Pesto was invented. Typical activities are hiking or just relaxing. It will likely be crowded and hot in July, but that can also be the case in September or other months. Another option you could consider would be to visit the lakes district, perhaps Lago di Como or Lago Maggiore. There are LOTS of choices. Good luck with your planning!

Thank you again for your replies! I've started looking at Cinque Terre and it does seem appealing. Does anyone have experience with the La Spezia area? It seems to be within close proximity of the rail stations, as well as the Cinque Terre scenery.

Mike, There's no reason to stay in La Spezia rather than one of the five towns, as it's VERY easy to get between each town using the local trains. You'll have a much more pleasant holiday experience by staying IN one of the towns.