rywith22

Is the train from Naples to Florence and then to Pisa the only/best way to get to Pisa?? If not, any suggestions on what would be the fastest way to get to Pisa from Napoli Centrale.

Thanks!!

branderson925

I'm pretty sure it's the most convenient way time/price wise. Coming from SMN it's less than an hour to Pisa. You can also take a 6 euro bus from near SMN in Firenze to Pisa

bobthenavigator

There is a better option via Rome that takes 4:27--just one connection.

rywith22

How long would that bus take in Florence, branderson925??

bobthenavigator, what is the option through Rome?

PalenQ

Two routes - faster and more expensive usually is to take a train from Naples to Florence then with just one change of train be in Pisa - Pisa to Florence trains are mainly regional trains that you can just hop on and are dirt cheap - forget the bus - connecting from train to train in SMN Florence station is a snap.

The other route involves changing trains in Rome then taking IC trains along the coast right to Pisa Centrale - can be cheaper but takes longer.

bobthe navigator probably was talking about the coastal route but either route requires just one connection so that is not a factor.

For lots of great info on Italian trains check these fine sites: www.seat61.com - great info on discounted train tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Buying tickets on line at either www.trenitalia.com or www.trenoitalia.com can give low fares - especially on www.trenitalia.com - www.trenoitalia.com has regular fares that are always low but check each site - trenitalia discounted tickets are non-changeable non-refundable I believe and since they are sold in limited quanitites often sell out weeks in advance. Trenoitalia.com has their own trains that may serve secondary stations in say Rome and probably do not do Florence to Pisa but that ticket is a low-fare flat-fare ticket that can be bought at any Italian train station (Trenitalia) and then used on any train for its validity period anytime.

PalenQ

Oddly enough the time via either route - coastal or inland is exactly the same on all connections - 4 h 27 minutes or within a few minutes of that. Coastal route is more scenic - inland route avoiding most cities with wind blocks, etc not so scenic.

kybourbon

>>>How long would that bus take in Florence, branderson925??<<<

The bus from Florence to Pisa takes the same amount of time as the train. The trains between Florence/Pisa are the slow regional trains that stop at little towns along the way. The bus doesn't make stops at small towns. The Naples/Florence train you are looking at is most likely the fast train (AV). The fast trains only stop at major stations (in this case, only Rome).

You can either take a fast train from Naples to Florence (makes a stop in Rome) and change to a slow train or bus for Pisa or a fast train from Naples to Rome and change there to a fast train to Pisa (this train goes up the coast, the Naples/Florence train is inland).

annhig

not all the scenery along the coastal route from Rome to Pisa is scenic but quite a lot is, and it's a nice journey, which brings you into Pisa Centrale.

the main difference is whether you want a long train ride from Naples to Florence on a fast train followed by a shorter one on a regionale to Pisa, or two more or less equal trips on nice trains with the break in the middle.

Sassafrass

In theory the bus takes the same amount of time as the train, but the only time I took a bus from Florence to Pisa (April, near Easter), traffic was so bad, it took over two hours. Since then, I have used trains if at all possible.

PalenQ

The coastal route is more fun to me because those trains cannot reach truly high speeds as they run over old tracks and go thru cities - always more interesting to me than the all-new high-speed rail line Rome to Florence that skirts cities and runs only thru countryside, much of which is not remarkable.

as both routes take about the same time the coastal route may be more interesting and you avoid taking at times IME dumpy regional trains from Florence to Pisa.

annhig

pal - that would be my choice too. Some parts of the route are lovely and i was sure that I saw some deer at lone point.

kybourbon

>>>In theory the bus takes the same amount of time as the train, but the only time I took a bus from Florence to Pisa (April, near Easter), traffic was so bad, it took over two hours. Since then, I have used trains if at all possible.<<<

My fast train from Florence to Naples departed an hour late a few years ago. You never know when something will slow you down.

>>>The coastal route is more fun to me because those trains cannot reach truly high speeds as they run over old tracks and go thru cities - always more interesting to me than the all-new high-speed rail line Rome to Florence that skirts cities and runs only thru countryside, much of which is not remarkable.<<<

The Rome/Florence fast train seems to go through a bunch of tunnels too.