Italy and the Eurail - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Hain · 01-15-2008, 01:26 PM

UPDATE - Next week is the big week. I just finished with finals and it was hell. I am trying to book the trains and I can't! just scroll to the bottom for the rest of the update.
UPDATE - Rail Europe, the US branch, will not send me tickets as I currently reside in Europe.

Original Post

Quote:

I am going to Italy for most likely two weeks. I want to these major cities (starred are "desirable", non-starred are "if possible"):

Milan
Venice
Pisa*
Florence*
Rome*
Vatican City*

I know two weeks is not enough time to get the full experience, but try to take into account: I am lucky enough to have this opportunity since I am already living in the EU (not going to waste it), but I am poor enough where this can't get out of hand. I am thinking no more than 4 major sites per day. I'll be flying into Pisa Florence (PSA) airport through Ryanair on 21 Feb 2008, so that'll be the starting point.

To make my life really easy planning for this. I am using Hostel World. I've used them before and what I paid for is definitely what I got. No complaints.

However, for traveling in between cities I have been trying to think of an way to do this via trains, Ryanair.... and my head spins. However, I found that an Eurail pass all over Italy costs 271.00-USD (256.00-USD and a 12.00-USD charge) for 7 days in 2 months.

So I am asking your experienced TFP explorers some things! I have some questions about the Eurail and how to travel in the cities themselves cheaply.

It says, "7 days in 2 months," and I take that to mean I can make only 7 trips from one city to another. Correct? Any stipulations that I haven't read on their site? Anything else about Eurail I should be aware of?
What kind of public transportation is there? Buses? Trollies? Subways? Monorails? Something so that I don't get hosed by the taxi drivers? Seems there is always one day all the taxi drivers charge exorbitant amounts for a 5 minute fair... fuckers...
Is there a better way to be going about this?
What advice can you give a college student that is NOT going to be partying like normal?

I want to make this a serious trip, actually playing a tourist and not partying-my-face-off in a weekend to fly back to home base hung-over.

Any advice will be appreciated!

snowy · 01-15-2008, 01:45 PM

I did a lot of research into this last spring as I was possibly moving to Vienna for six months (didn't happen, oh well). One recommendation I got from a lot of people is to 1) take a night train for longer trips, 2) avoid taking the train during commuter hours, and 3) find out if the train you want requires reservations. The only real restrictions on a Eurail pass are that 1) some trains require reservations, and 2) some charge a surcharge.

And the travel day goes from midnight to midnight--so you can change trains as many times as you like between destinations. Get your hands on a Eurail timetable (http://www.eurail.com/1_timetables), sit down with it, and see where the trains go that you want to go.

Oh, and Rome and the Vatican are really one destination...

I don't know how train travel is in Italy, but my experience in Northern Europe was excellent.

Hain · 01-15-2008, 03:33 PM

Excellent. Thanks for that heads up. I read that certain train stations require reservations but it didn't sink in. Bummer.

ironman · 01-15-2008, 10:38 PM

You don't need 7 days of train for the places you want to visit. I traveled for 2 months all around Europe and got to visit 12 countries in that time using a 15 day Eurail Pass. I've been to all the places you want to visit, I did a North to South, West to East and back to North trip. This is what I did:

1.- I started in Milán (I went there from Monaco), I stayed there for 3 days, and it was enough time to get a taste of the city and get to know all the most important places of the city. Milán is a very nice city but if you're traveling as a backpacker is kind of expensive an not that different from any other modern city in Europe. If you want to get a real taste of Italy I'd cut down time on Milan and use it in other cities like Florence or Rome.

2.- I came to Pisa and Florence after Milán, it was like a 3 hours trip from Milán to Pisa, you get to know Pisa in a whole day but you don't need to spend the night there. We got there early in the morning and left at late noon. At the train station in Pisa there are lockers that you rent for a certain amount of time and are not expensive where you can leave your backpack. Just outside the train station to your left you will find the tourist office where you can get a map of the city that includes a recommended walking route to get to know the city. You can walk your way around the city without using any kind of public transport. The trip from Pisa to Florence takes like 45 minutes by train, there I stayed in a Youth Hostel Hostel, it was a medieval castle, it was beautiful but kind of far from Florence downtown. I got to stay there because I couldn't find any other vacant hostel in the city but it wasn't that much of a problem as there is a bus (public service) whose route picks you up in front of the hostel and leaves you two blocks from the Ponte Veccio. I spent a whole week in Florence and although I was able to visit most of its most important monuments and places, it just wasn't enough, so you must pick the places you want to visit in advance to maximize your time, specially if you want to see the David which is exhibited in The Academy and it does not open everyday, I stayed one more day just to be able to see it and it was totally worth it, The David, The Moses and the Piedad in Florence are by far the most spectacular sculptures I've seen in my life.

3.- From Florence I went to Rome, it was like a 3 hour train trip. Rome is simply amazing but it is chaotic as hell. Public transportation is a nightmare and the sub has only 2 lines, blue and red. I spent another week in Rome and practically never used public transport, I walked like crazy in Rome, there is so much to do in Rome that once again you should plan in advance what and which day you will be visiting. Vatican city is in the middle of Rome and you should spend a whole day on it. If you want to see the Pope, he gives Audiences 2 days a week, it used to be Tuesdays and Thursdays buy¡t if you want to know him you should check in advance. I got to be With John Paul II when I was there.
In Rome I stayed at a friend's house and he told us that in order to taste the best pizza in Italy we had to go to L'Anticca Pizzeria da Michele, they serve only 2 types of pizza: Marinara and Margherita. The catch was that this Pizzeria is in Naples, so what we did was to leave Rome at late noon heading south to Naples where I ran like crazy the 3 or 4 blocks from the station to the pizzeria where I ordered 2 of each types of pizza and returned to the station where the train that was heading north to Venice was already leaving, it was a crazy but totally worth it, in fact the best pizza I've ever had. The trip from Rome to Naples was like 2 hours and from Naples to Venice it was like 5 hours. A direct trip from Rome to Venice takes around 3 or 4 hours.

4.- We arrived at Venice early in the morning like at 4 or 5 and spent there 5 days. Venice is simply amazing and breathtaking.

If I had only 15 days like you, I'd skip Milan and spent most of my time between Florence and Rome and wouldn't buy the Eurail, you won't need it as purchasing the individual trips would be cheaper because the distances you will be covering are not that long.
Always travel at night and buy a good travel book like Let's Go Europe (the one I used) or The Lonely Planet. They will let you organize your trip and are full of useful information including train itineraries that are a must for this kind of trip.
Have a great trip!!!

Hain · 01-16-2008, 02:30 AM

Now I am confused on how the Eurail determines "traveling days."

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironman

You don't need 7 days of train for the places you want to visit. I traveled for 2 months all around Europe and got to visit 12 countries in that time using a 15 day Eurail Pass. I've been to all the places you want to visit, I did a North to South, West to East and back to North trip. This is what I did:

City to city, that's only 11 trips... I want to make 5 trips, with the one to return to Pisa in after however long I want to stay there. So how does Eurail count your days?

I was looking online at train stations and prices between one city and another and I found prices like 115-USD between Florence and Rome, and 75-USD from Florence to Venice. Outrageous. Finding the stations online is a pain in the ass since I don't know where to look to get the schedules and prices. I looked at the Eurail and found all destinations for a lump price...

ironman · 01-16-2008, 07:13 AM

The way travel days is determined is something like this, if you start a trip on monday at 5 in the morning, you can board as many different trains as you want that same monday. It does not matter if you traveled just 50kms or 1000, as long as the trip starts on the same monday, you're good to go. If you start your trip that same monday but after 7 or 8 at night (I really can't remember) for record purposes your travel started Tuesday and now you can board as many trains as you want on Tuesday as well, that, and the fact that you get to sleep in the train and save a night worth of hotel or hostel, are the reason why everybody recommends traveling by night.
I really don't know the train ticket prices, but when I traveled, I bought some tickets to get to some cities and it was cheaper than wasting 1 day of Eurail. Anyway, you should check the prices online and remember that there are 1st, 2nd and even 3rd class seats in some trains. Do your math and decide what is more convenient for you

Hain · 01-16-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironman

Anyway, you should check the prices online and remember that there are 1st, 2nd and even 3rd class seats in some trains. Do your math and decide what is more convenient for you

That is the plan however Google and Accoona are letting me down in finding places to look up such things. Suggestions before I start putting my Spanish to work on these Italian pages?

World's King · 01-16-2008, 11:44 AM

Go to the McDonald's at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.

What?

It's really nice.

ironman · 01-16-2008, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Augi

Suggestions before I start putting my Spanish to work on these Italian pages?

I'm pretty sure in Italy they speak Italian

Hain · 01-16-2008, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironman

I'm pretty sure in Italy they speak Italian

You betcha they do. When I went to Barcelona for New Years, I met some Italians and it was cool to talk Spanish to them and they spoke Italian to me. For the most part, it wasn't that bad- granted we were shit faced at the time.

ironman · 01-16-2008, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Augi

You betcha they do. When I went to Barcelona for New Years, I met some Italians and it was cool to talk Spanish to them and they spoke Italian to me. For the most part, it wasn't that bad- granted we were shit faced at the time.

While in Amsterdam I met a Finnish and a Japanese guy at a coffe shop and each of us used our natal language and I swear to God we cold understand each other, granted we were high in the sky at the time.
Back on track, I've checked some of the prices for tickets for individual trips and they are kind of expensive so you should go with the eurail pass 5 days in 2 months 2nd class Youth (given that you are under 25) for 147 euros Link

Hain · 01-17-2008, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironman

Back on track, I've checked some of the prices for tickets for individual trips and they are kind of expensive ...

What easy method did you use to find those prices? Or are they are Eurail and I haven't seen them because I am impatient and not looking?

Oh yeah, and thanks for all your help!

Hain · 02-15-2008, 07:30 AM

I am getting nervous. I just finished up with my finals and next week I will be flying into Italy.

I am trying to use RailEurope.com to book my train tickets but every time I try from one city to another it tells me:

Sometimes it is necessary to break down longer journeys to find tickets. If you are not sure where to divide your itinerary, we recommend using our Interactive Rail Maps. If you have checked your travel dates and tried dividing your itinerary, other possible reasons that schedules were not found include:

1. No reservations are available on the requested route.

2. Train(s) are sold out.

Please don't tell me I am screwed on this. My destinations are

24 Feb - Pisa > Venice
27 Feb - Venice > Rome
03 Mar - Rome > Florence

I have tried going from one city to an adjacent city and no luck.

OK this is odd. I can see the trains only if I don't click "I have a Rail Pass."

What is going on?

OK, figured it out. Certain trains are not reservable, but are on a first-come-first-serve basis. Working around this, I can book.

A warning to folks, having a rail pass does not include the surcharge for reserving seats on the train. I am sure that was spelled out somewhere, possible even here but I didn't read it.

snowy · 02-15-2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onesnowyowl

The only real restrictions on a Eurail pass are that 1) some trains require reservations, and 2) some charge a surcharge.

Yes, I said it.

Hain · 02-17-2008, 11:57 PM

You said it.

One thing no one mentioned...

They ship passes to you in Europe... but they don't ship tickets to you in Europe...

Quote:

We are unable to ship tickets purchased on Raileurope.com internationally. We recommend that you have all travel documents in hand before departing from North America.

They are Rail Europe, and they can't ship them to me while in Europe!

An unpleasant learning experience.

Hain · 02-29-2008, 02:04 PM

Italy has been great so far. Thanks you guys for all the help getting me ready for the trip.

When I get back "home" I will post an update somewhere on what I did.

Hain · 03-02-2008, 12:14 PM

When in Rome:

Don't buy Brie cheese - it is wicked expensive and tastes like crap
Get the Roma Pass. For 20-EUR it includes:
- a 3-day Metro Pass - ride all you want on inner city buses and subways
- a 3-day Roma Pass - get lots of discounts on museums and operas, it paid for itself in a day of museums
- a fantastic map of Rome, never got lost
- a booklet that lists all the museums that take the Roma Pass (other places will take the Roma Pass like the opera we saw)
Keep your wallet safe. On every bus and subway you will watch videos warning you about pick pockets
Stay at the Hotel Lodi (**) - they breakdown the city for you in 10 minutes and write down all the important things on your map
Wine is cheap - explore your options
Go to Pisa first
Barter. "22-Euro!" "Hahahaha! 5-Euro." "No no." "Fine. //leave//" "Wait! Wait! OK. OK. 5-Euro."

01-15-2008, 01:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	I did a lot of research into this last spring as I was possibly moving to Vienna for six months (didn't happen, oh well). One recommendation I got from a lot of people is to 1) take a night train for longer trips, 2) avoid taking the train during commuter hours, and 3) find out if the train you want requires reservations. The only real restrictions on a Eurail pass are that 1) some trains require reservations, and 2) some charge a surcharge. And the travel day goes from midnight to midnight--so you can change trains as many times as you like between destinations. Get your hands on a Eurail timetable (http://www.eurail.com/1_timetables), sit down with it, and see where the trains go that you want to go. Oh, and Rome and the Vatican are really one destination... I don't know how train travel is in Italy, but my experience in Northern Europe was excellent. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

01-15-2008, 03:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
Hain has a plan Location: middle of Whywouldanyonebethere	Excellent. Thanks for that heads up. I read that certain train stations require reservations but it didn't sink in. Bummer. __________________ ////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

01-15-2008, 10:38 PM	#4 (permalink)
ironman Smithers, release the hounds Location: Guatemala, Guatemala	You don't need 7 days of train for the places you want to visit. I traveled for 2 months all around Europe and got to visit 12 countries in that time using a 15 day Eurail Pass. I've been to all the places you want to visit, I did a North to South, West to East and back to North trip. This is what I did: 1.- I started in Milán (I went there from Monaco), I stayed there for 3 days, and it was enough time to get a taste of the city and get to know all the most important places of the city. Milán is a very nice city but if you're traveling as a backpacker is kind of expensive an not that different from any other modern city in Europe. If you want to get a real taste of Italy I'd cut down time on Milan and use it in other cities like Florence or Rome. 2.- I came to Pisa and Florence after Milán, it was like a 3 hours trip from Milán to Pisa, you get to know Pisa in a whole day but you don't need to spend the night there. We got there early in the morning and left at late noon. At the train station in Pisa there are lockers that you rent for a certain amount of time and are not expensive where you can leave your backpack. Just outside the train station to your left you will find the tourist office where you can get a map of the city that includes a recommended walking route to get to know the city. You can walk your way around the city without using any kind of public transport. The trip from Pisa to Florence takes like 45 minutes by train, there I stayed in a Youth Hostel Hostel, it was a medieval castle, it was beautiful but kind of far from Florence downtown. I got to stay there because I couldn't find any other vacant hostel in the city but it wasn't that much of a problem as there is a bus (public service) whose route picks you up in front of the hostel and leaves you two blocks from the Ponte Veccio. I spent a whole week in Florence and although I was able to visit most of its most important monuments and places, it just wasn't enough, so you must pick the places you want to visit in advance to maximize your time, specially if you want to see the David which is exhibited in The Academy and it does not open everyday, I stayed one more day just to be able to see it and it was totally worth it, The David, The Moses and the Piedad in Florence are by far the most spectacular sculptures I've seen in my life. 3.- From Florence I went to Rome, it was like a 3 hour train trip. Rome is simply amazing but it is chaotic as hell. Public transportation is a nightmare and the sub has only 2 lines, blue and red. I spent another week in Rome and practically never used public transport, I walked like crazy in Rome, there is so much to do in Rome that once again you should plan in advance what and which day you will be visiting. Vatican city is in the middle of Rome and you should spend a whole day on it. If you want to see the Pope, he gives Audiences 2 days a week, it used to be Tuesdays and Thursdays buy¡t if you want to know him you should check in advance. I got to be With John Paul II when I was there. In Rome I stayed at a friend's house and he told us that in order to taste the best pizza in Italy we had to go to L'Anticca Pizzeria da Michele, they serve only 2 types of pizza: Marinara and Margherita. The catch was that this Pizzeria is in Naples, so what we did was to leave Rome at late noon heading south to Naples where I ran like crazy the 3 or 4 blocks from the station to the pizzeria where I ordered 2 of each types of pizza and returned to the station where the train that was heading north to Venice was already leaving, it was a crazy but totally worth it, in fact the best pizza I've ever had. The trip from Rome to Naples was like 2 hours and from Naples to Venice it was like 5 hours. A direct trip from Rome to Venice takes around 3 or 4 hours. 4.- We arrived at Venice early in the morning like at 4 or 5 and spent there 5 days. Venice is simply amazing and breathtaking. If I had only 15 days like you, I'd skip Milan and spent most of my time between Florence and Rome and wouldn't buy the Eurail, you won't need it as purchasing the individual trips would be cheaper because the distances you will be covering are not that long. Always travel at night and buy a good travel book like Let's Go Europe (the one I used) or The Lonely Planet. They will let you organize your trip and are full of useful information including train itineraries that are a must for this kind of trip. Have a great trip!!! __________________ If I agreed with you we´d both be wrong Last edited by ironman; 01-15-2008 at 10:48 PM..

01-16-2008, 07:13 AM	#6 (permalink)
ironman Smithers, release the hounds Location: Guatemala, Guatemala	The way travel days is determined is something like this, if you start a trip on monday at 5 in the morning, you can board as many different trains as you want that same monday. It does not matter if you traveled just 50kms or 1000, as long as the trip starts on the same monday, you're good to go. If you start your trip that same monday but after 7 or 8 at night (I really can't remember) for record purposes your travel started Tuesday and now you can board as many trains as you want on Tuesday as well, that, and the fact that you get to sleep in the train and save a night worth of hotel or hostel, are the reason why everybody recommends traveling by night. I really don't know the train ticket prices, but when I traveled, I bought some tickets to get to some cities and it was cheaper than wasting 1 day of Eurail. Anyway, you should check the prices online and remember that there are 1st, 2nd and even 3rd class seats in some trains. Do your math and decide what is more convenient for you __________________ If I agreed with you we´d both be wrong

01-16-2008, 11:44 AM	#8 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	Go to the McDonald's at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. What? It's really nice. __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

02-15-2008, 07:30 AM	#13 (permalink)
Hain has a plan Location: middle of Whywouldanyonebethere	I am getting nervous. I just finished up with my finals and next week I will be flying into Italy. I am trying to use RailEurope.com to book my train tickets but every time I try from one city to another it tells me: Sometimes it is necessary to break down longer journeys to find tickets. If you are not sure where to divide your itinerary, we recommend using our Interactive Rail Maps. If you have checked your travel dates and tried dividing your itinerary, other possible reasons that schedules were not found include: 1. No reservations are available on the requested route. 2. Train(s) are sold out. Please don't tell me I am screwed on this. My destinations are 24 Feb - Pisa > Venice 27 Feb - Venice > Rome 03 Mar - Rome > Florence I have tried going from one city to an adjacent city and no luck. OK this is odd. I can see the trains only if I don't click "I have a Rail Pass." What is going on? OK, figured it out. Certain trains are not reservable, but are on a first-come-first-serve basis. Working around this, I can book. A warning to folks, having a rail pass does not include the surcharge for reserving seats on the train. I am sure that was spelled out somewhere, possible even here but I didn't read it. __________________ ////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\ Last edited by Hain; 02-15-2008 at 11:05 AM.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

02-29-2008, 02:04 PM	#16 (permalink)
Hain has a plan Location: middle of Whywouldanyonebethere	Italy has been great so far. Thanks you guys for all the help getting me ready for the trip. When I get back "home" I will post an update somewhere on what I did.

03-02-2008, 12:14 PM	#17 (permalink)
Hain has a plan Location: middle of Whywouldanyonebethere	*When in Rome: Don't buy Brie cheese* - it is wicked expensive and tastes like crap Get the Roma Pass. For 20-EUR it includes: a 3-day Metro Pass - ride all you want on inner city buses and subways a 3-day Roma Pass - get lots of discounts on museums and operas, it paid for itself in a day of museums a fantastic map of Rome, never got lost a booklet that lists all the museums that take the Roma Pass (other places will take the Roma Pass like the opera we saw) Keep your wallet safe. On every bus and subway you will watch videos warning you about pick pockets Stay at the Hotel Lodi () - they breakdown the city for you in 10 minutes and write down all the important things on your map Wine is cheap - explore your options Go to Pisa first Barter**. "22-Euro!" "Hahahaha! 5-Euro." "No no." "Fine. //leave//" "Wait! Wait! OK. OK. 5-Euro."