I'm trying to find out what the travel time/distance is from Florence to Alba. I'll be in Florence for a few days then need to get to Alba in one day. It looks like there might be a train route along the west coast of Italy and one inland. Any help would be greatly appreciated as well as recommendations on places to stay in Alba (there will be 5 couples). Thanks!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The Trenitalia site shows both an inland route via Milano and Torino and a coastal route via Genova. It looks like the coastal route is cheaper because it doesn't include high-speed trains. For timetables and fares go to www.trenitalia.com/trenitalia.html and then click on the English link at the top of the page. Enter a date within a few days of today or you won't be shown the fares for regional trains.
Posted by
OP
Langley, WA, USA
3 posts
Tim, thank you so much!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32355 posts
Chris, to add to Tim's post, the shortest trip I could find on that route was 4H:22M but it leaves later in the afternoon. The average time seems to be about six hours and all of the routes to Alba seem to involve a Bus for the last part of the trip. ¶ As you've probably noticed, there will be at least three changes. If I were taking the same trip, I'd use the trip that departs Florence at 08:00, with changes in Bologna, Piacenza and Asti. That will get you to Alba at 14:05, which is a good time for checking into Hotels. ¶ Alba is probably a bit "off the radar" for most here, as it's not listed in the Guidebook. For choosing Hotels, your best resource will be * www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g194664-Alba_Piedmont-Hotels.html * (cut & paste the link inside the asterisks). Hotel Savona seems like a good bet, as it's certainly large enough to accommodate five couples. Good luck and happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Langley, WA, USA
3 posts
Hey, thanks for the additional tip. As it stands we're planning to take the fast train (didn't even think about that option)from Florence to Milan and meeting up with folks to rent a car to Alba. Now, does anyone have a recommendation for a place to stay in Barcelona? There will be 3 females and one very protective male:-) It's been years since I was last in Barcelona and we ended up staying in a dump (mislead by a local).