train from rome termini to assissi

Nancy, there are numerous trains a day from Rome Termini to Assisi. Some runs require a train change and some runs are direct with no train change. Travel time is about 2.0-2.5hrs depending on the run. Once in the Assisi train station, which is not in Assisi, you take a bus or taxi up the hill to the town. The bus stops out front of the station. The small shop next to the train station will sell you the bus tickets. A taxi would cost more but it's only about 5 minutes away so its not really expensive. You can see the runs on www.trenitalia.com. Just don't put in a date past June 8 or you won't see the runs. To see the runs and fares, just put in a date that is 3-5 days from now and put in a time that is early in the morning. That way, you can see the runs and the fares should these trains be Regionale trains. (You can't see fares for Regionale trains more than 7 days out).

Thank you. I was trying the train website, but was using actual dates. I appreciate your help.

nancy, Are you flying into Rome? I'm assuming you've checked out the methods to get from the airport to Roma Termini? Most of the trains on that route will require one change in Foligno. Some will be Regionale, so DON'T forget to validate! Happy travels!

Ken- Yes, we are flying into Rome, and I thought the best way to get from Rome to the Termini station would be the fast train ( i cant remember the name of it)that is a direct ride to the station? When you arrive in Rome, are you able to use credit cards to purchase your tickets? As you can tell, we have never been to Italy. We appreciate any help we can get.
Nancy

Nancy, you certainly can use your credit card to purchase tickets. You should be able to use the ticket machines as well in Italy as I don't think they require chip and pin cards yet. If they do, just go up to the ticket window and they will accept your credit card. The fast train from the airport to Rome Termini is the Leondardo Express. It's not really a fast train but it is non-stop. It departs every 30 minutes from just outside terminal 3 at Rome-FCO. Fare is 14Euro.

Thanks !! From Assisi we are headed to florence, then cinque terra and finally to venice, which is where we fly out of. It seems like we should be able to take trains to all of our destinations, however, the cinque terra to venice route seems a litte tricky. I would love any advice. and, would we better off buying a train pass?? we are a family of four, two adults, two teenagers.
Nancy

nancy, As Larry mentioned, the Leonardo Express is one of the quickest ways to get from FCO to Roma Termini. Travel time is 35M. You can buy tickets either from Kiosks or staffed ticket office. As I recall, the cost is €1 higher for each ticket if bought from the ticket office. As I mentioned earlier, DON'T forget to validate your ticket (time & date stamp) in the yellow machine PRIOR to boarding the train. You may find it helpful to have a look at the excellent Ron In Rome website. None of the rail trips you'll be taking are overly difficult or complicated, including the trip from the Cinque Terre to Venice, however that will take some time. Which of the five towns are you staying in? As this is your first trip to Italy, I'll post my usual "boilerplate summary" concerning rail and bus travel in another reply (due to the text limit, it won't fit here). Especially in Italy, a Railpass is usually not the most cost effective method as P-P tickets are relatively cheap. It's possible to save on reserved tickets by pre-buying online, but that will "lock" you into a particular departure and train. If you miss that train, you would have to buy new tickets at full price. Reports from others here have indicated that the Trenitalia website is sometimes not the most "user friendly". I usually pack along the Italy Guidebook, as it's a very useful reference resource to have on the trip. Cheers!

Here's the train and bus info..... When travelling by train in Italy, there are a couple of VERY IMPORTANT potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. When travelling via Regionale trains which don't require reservations, it's VERY IMPORTANT to validate (time & date stamp) the tickets prior to boarding the train.  This includes the Leonardo Express which travels from the airport to Roma Termini.  The validation (Convalida) machine will either be bright yellow or blue & gray, with a small digital display on the front.  These are usually easy to find, and located close to the tracks.  If the machine is not working, writing the time & date on the ticket may be acceptable (ask the Conductor as soon as possible).  Those caught with unvalidated tickets may be fined on the spot! The fines start at €50 per person and if not paid on the spot, these DOUBLE and increase from there!  The same fines apply to those travelling via Bus in Rome and other places (in that case, validation machines are often located on-board the Bus).  Conductors are now carrying portable debit/credit card Terminals, so payment of fines will be easily accomplished! Those travelling on the "premium" trains such as the Freccia (high speed) trains MUST have a valid reservation or again may be fined on the spot! These fines also start at €50 per person, in addition to the cost of the reservation, which is currently ~€10.  Reservations on these trains are compulsory and are specific to a particular train and departure time. It's NOT POSSIBLE to simply buy a ticket with reservations and then board any train.  The ticket or reservation will specify the train number (ie: Freccciargento 9718), so it's important to verify that before boarding.

Thank you for that information about the trains. I had read in the Rick Steve guidebook the importance of validating tickets. I do have another question, I am wondering how far in advance I need to purchase our train tickets when we are going from Rome to Assisi, Assisi to florence, Florence to Cinque Terra and cinque terra to venice. Do the trains have reserved seating? I have read that some do, some do not. I would hate to get there and find that there wasn't room on the train, so wondering about advance reservations, or maybe that is not at all necessary for these trips. Thank you for your help.
Nancy

If the train you choose from Rome to Assisi begins with a Regionale Voloce (Fast Regional) train, it will also stop at Roma Tiburtina station. I find it easier to go from the airport to Tiburtina, and I always do that when the connection works. The station is much smaller and less hectic than Termini, and you'll save 6 euro per ticket getting there from the airport. The trains to Tiburtina run twice hourly and depart from platforms to the left and right of the center Leonardo Express platform. If the first leg of your train to Assisi is an Intercity or Frecciabianca (high-speed) train, then you'll need to go via Termini.

Nancy, regarding getting to the convent, I'd strongly recommend springing for a taxi. It's not that expensive, and the hills in Assisi can be steep and winding, particularly when you're dragging luggage. If it's the convent I'm thinking of (Franciscan sisters? English speaking?), it's at an elevated point in the town; I seem to remember passing it on my way out and up the mountain. I wouldn't want to search for it while hauling luggage. You'll enjoy Assisi; I spent a week there on my last trip and still didn't run out of things to enjoy. A couple of my favorite places are often missed by visitors: the Eremo della Carcieri (a hermitage used by St Francis, up the mountain a few km from Assisi; lovely late medieval buildings; still an active friary and convent) and San Damiano (no more than a km below Assisi; a key church in St Francis' conversion; quiet, beautiful). Both are wonderfully peaceful contrasts to the noise and crowds often found in Assisi.

nancy, I normally purchase tickets for my outgoing journey either when I arrive in a city (since I'm at the station anyway) or at least a few days before I'll be travelling. I prefer not to bother with ticket purchases on the day of travel. You'll likely be travelling on several different trains (which of course means changes), as that's the method on some routes. These will likely include a combination of Regionale, Freccia or Intercity trains. Regionale trains don't offer reservations but tickets MUST by validated (only 2nd class seating is offered). On Freccia high speed trains, reservations are compulsory and are specific to a particular train and departure time (both 1st & 2nd class seating is offered). It's a good idea to verify that you're boarding the correct train by matching the departure time and train number (which will be printed on the paper charts behind glass). This is one example of an Italian train departure board (other stations may be different). When travelling on several different trains, you'll likely be issued several different tickets, one for each train/segment. Cheers!

Nancy, most of your trains will be Regionale trains although a few will be fast trains. Regionale trains are different from the high-speed trains. No seat reservations permitted and you can't buy in advance online farther out than 7 days. The trains can't be sold out either. Like a city bus, you can stand but except for the CT, you shouldn't have that experience. You can easily buy your Regionale tickets 2-3 days in advance from a train station in Italy. This ticket is good for 60 days because there is no train information on the ticket. Just the 60 day window, the origination station and the destination location and the class of travel. Once you have this ticket, you can board any Regionale train making the journey shown on your ticket over the next 60 days. But, long ago, the Italians figured out how to ride numerous trains with the same ticket. That's why you have to validate it. There are little yellow or blue/gray boxes in the train stations where you get a date and time stamp on the ticket. Once your ticket is validated, it's good for only 6 hours. You don't need to validate your tickets for the high-speed trains. Those tickets show a specific train departing on a specific day at a specific time. It also has seat assignments. Hard to fake this one. Your trains from Rome/Assisi, Assisi/Florence, Florence/CT will most be on Regionale trains. You might get the occasional high-speed. From the CT to Venice, you should be again on Regionales to Florence where you will transfer to a high-speed to Venice. Here's a link to what a validation box looks like. This one is in the Florence SMN train station. http://gyazo.com/fe35870f7308b20ae71a10717ffb25e3