Tranferring trains

Lori, some train runs from Pisa to Rome do require a train change in Florence. However, there are several other runs during the day that go from Pisa to Rome without a train change. In fact, they don't even go to Florence. They go down the coast to Civitavecchia and then turn in to Rome. Most of these trains are high-speed Eurostars. If you get the right train run, the journey time can be a low a 2.5hrs. Others take a bit longer. You can see what I see on www.trenitalia.com. I hope you are not looking at RailEurope. Here's a sample link. Note that 3 of the 5 runs don't require train changes. Click on NEXT and you'll see more. http://orario.trenitalia.com/b2c/nppPriceTravelSolutions.do?car=0&stazin=pisa&stazout=rome&datag=10&datam=12&dataa=2011&timsh=07&stazin_r=Staz_DA&stazout_r=Staz_A&timsm=38&timsm_r=38&lang=en&nreq=5&channel=tcom&npag=1&lang_r=en&nreq_r=5&channel_r=tcom&npag_r=1&x=24&y=6

Lori, In checking the Trenitalia schedules, I found several trains that travel directly from Pisa to Rome, with no changes. For example, there's a train departing Pisa Centrale at 09:00, arriving Roma Termini at 11:50 (time 2H:50M, ES City Frecciabiana, Reservations compulsory, current second class fare listed at €42). That would be the easiest route. Happy travels!

If your reservation is on a fast train to Rome from Florence (I bet it is) then you must travel on the train that was booked. The ticket has no value on later ones.

As Nigel mentioned, if you are on one of the fast trains with a reservation, it is only valid for the train listed on the ticket. However, if you choose a slower, but cheaper way from Firenze to Roma, the ticket is valid for any R or RV (Regionale or Regionale Veloce) train between Firenze and Roma. In this case, you could take a later RV train. These tickets do not list a certain train or time, but merely the route.

Wow, Thanks for all the replies. I didn't see any direct trains when I looked on trenitalia. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, or it's just the day of the week. I'm traveling on Dec 18th, which is a Sunday. I have to leave in the afternoon, since I am participating in the Pisa Half-Marathon that morning. I'll have another look. I'd like to avoid the stress of the short transfer if possible. Thanks again to everyone for the help.

Lori, you're not doing anything wrong. The problem is that Trenitalia updates their schedules twice a year in mid-June and mid-December and if you are looking out beyond those days, you may not see many of the runs you need. However, I am looking at 12/18 and I can see what looks like all of the runs. If you hurry and book the 9:00am train, you can see mini-fares of 21Eu. The regular fare is 42Eu. The tickets are non-refundable but if you can lock in your travel times, it's a great deal. You can even print out your ticket at home. Actually, it may not be a "ticket" but it will be a document with a 6-digit PNR number on it. That's all you need. The conductor inputs the PNR number in his PDA.

I'm curious, though - On one of the replies up thread -
"I hope you are not looking at RailEurope" came up Why? I appreciate all the advice - right now, all the solutions I'm coming up with that leave at least 1:00PM or later is coming up with the transfer in Florence. I'll keep playing around with it. But RailEurope is the only site that I've found that's showing me a solution - When I input leaving Pisa and arriving Rome Dec 18th , 13:00 in trenitalia - it gives me solution for the 19th! I don't think I can buy ahead of time, since I can't predict finishing the half-marathon ( i'm slow so at least 2.5 hrs, and I'm coming off an injury)so start time 9 am, then arrive at finish noonish,find my husband in the crowd, walk to my hotel - which is close to the finish, get my bags, get a taxi to the train station, buy a ticket and get on the train - whew! I'd be more comfortable with at least a 1:30 departure So I can't leave on the 9am or 11am trains.

Rail Europe does not sell tickets, they only resell. They only advise about the services they resell so their information may be less than comprehensive. I myself tend to use the Bahn website of the German railways as it is the most comprehensive for all of Europe. Because of the timetable change (on the day you are running) they don't have the trains yet either.

Okay - thanks for the information. Right now, I'm only using the websites mostly for schedule information, since I need flexibility on departure time, due to the fact that, at least here in the States, race areas can be really congested and chaotic due to the crowds of racers and their supporters. Add to that the usual tourists, and my unfamilarity with the area, the language, and never having used the rail system - I just don't want a deadline - but I don't want to miss the last train either! The only time I'll probably buy ahead of time before I get to the train station is for my arrival into Pisa from Naples - that one is just a travel day - leave early as possible, and get settled in, get my race number and check out the Tower and surroundings - and find a good place to eat! Appreciate everyone's input! This is our first trip to Italy.

Lori, I wanted to mention that the reason Trenitalia may not show those routes is not just because the schedules are d in December, but actually the fact that they will not always show as available (or at least show the prices to) regional trains more than a week in advance. If you want an idea of what the schedule will be like, choose the same day (I know yours is a Saturday) this week, and the schedule/prices should be the same. You won't be able to buy a ticket for those Regionale or Regionale Veloce trains right now, but they will be available and will not sell out. (Sometimes these are crowded and some people must stand, but there are no reservations and you will be able to ride the train.) When you purchase a ticket for a R or RV train you will get a ticket that is valid for the route and not for a certain day or time. So when you buy it, it is valid for one use on that route for the next three months. Also, since it's for the route, you can get off and on wherever you'd like. Say you want to stop in Florence for a few hours, you can do that and then get back on. RailEurope only shows these routes because they know that the tickets will be available later. If you buy it through them now, they will wait until they can actually sell you the ticket to send them to you.) These Regional train tickets for Pisa to Rome (which can be a direct one, or you can go Pisa to Florence, Florence to Rome, depending on your schedule) are 18 €. So of you had a Regional ticket and didn't make your connection, it would be valid for the next connection. You wouldn't need to buy a whole new ticket, unlike if you missed your Freccia train.

Lori, Using Rail Europe to check schedules is not the best source for accurate information, as they tend to only list routes that they sell tickets for. One of the absolute best sources of rail information for travel anywhere in Europe is the German rail website (click the "English" tab). The websites for the rail networks in each country are also a good source of information. I was able to find one direct train leaving Pisa Centrale for Rome on 18 December using the Trenitalia website. It departs at 11:03, arriving Roma Termini at 14:16 (time 3H:13M, reservations compulsory). While it's a direct train (no changes), it does make several stops. The Trenitalia website only shows one train that day, which may be due to the 18th being a Sunday? However, using a date of Sunday, 27 November, the Deutsche Bahn website shows numerous departures. You'll be able to sort this out once you arrive in Italy. I'd suggest stopping at the ticket office when you arrive in Pisa, and arrange the tickets for your outgoing journey. Cheers!

Lori, you can get advance tickets at the rail station in your arrival city. Trenitalia has a customer care office in major train stations, or you can buy the tickets at the kiosks or at the ticket line. Just in case the mini-fare doesn't work out.