Question: Transportation costs - 3 weeks
Oct 11th, 2016, 06:48 PM
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Question: Transportation costs - 3 weeks
Traveling to Italy late June 2017 for three weeks, family of 4 - first international trip for us.
Itinerary is Venice-Florence-Lucca-Rome-Amalfi Coast.
I have been digging around trying to get a handle on how much transportation costs. This is what I found, not sure if it is right, hoping to get some general feedback.
Venice to Florence, train, 27 euros each
Florence to Lucca, bus, 7 each
Lucca to Rome, train, 20 each
Rome to Amalfi, train and bus, 23 each
Does this sound about right?
Itinerary is Venice-Florence-Lucca-Rome-Amalfi Coast.
I have been digging around trying to get a handle on how much transportation costs. This is what I found, not sure if it is right, hoping to get some general feedback.
Venice to Florence, train, 27 euros each
Florence to Lucca, bus, 7 each
Lucca to Rome, train, 20 each
Rome to Amalfi, train and bus, 23 each
Does this sound about right?
Oct 11th, 2016, 07:55 PM
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Train schedules and sometimes prices are adjusted in December of each year, so it's anyone's guess for June 2017.
However, if you go by the fares as they come up for trips in the next few weeks, at www.trenitalia.it, you'll find that you're somewhat in the ballpark but on the low end.
I don't see anything as low as 27 Euros from Venice-Santa Lucia (the station down by the canals, as opposed to Venice-Mestre, up on the mainland) to Florence-S.M. Novella (the main central station in town). For a randomly chosen day (Oct 25) I see one for 29.90, the others 35.90 and 39.90
Firenze-Lucca by train (takes 1:45) I see Euros 7.50
Lucca-Roma Termini the cheapest I see is 40 Euros, most are 37.40 or even into the forties.
However, if you go by the fares as they come up for trips in the next few weeks, at www.trenitalia.it, you'll find that you're somewhat in the ballpark but on the low end.
I don't see anything as low as 27 Euros from Venice-Santa Lucia (the station down by the canals, as opposed to Venice-Mestre, up on the mainland) to Florence-S.M. Novella (the main central station in town). For a randomly chosen day (Oct 25) I see one for 29.90, the others 35.90 and 39.90
Firenze-Lucca by train (takes 1:45) I see Euros 7.50
Lucca-Roma Termini the cheapest I see is 40 Euros, most are 37.40 or even into the forties.
Oct 11th, 2016, 08:37 PM
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http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
Purchase tickets 4 months ahead. There are various ways to get from Rome to Amalfi.
Purchase tickets 4 months ahead. There are various ways to get from Rome to Amalfi.
Oct 12th, 2016, 07:17 AM
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There will be two schedule changes for Trenitalia before late June, one in early Decemeber and one in early June. The base fares normally change little if at all, but the available discounts often change.
At the moment I can see fares for February (four months from now, or more specifically 120 days). You can find numerous super-economy fares for €19.90. Sometimes there are not enough discounted fares available for a group of four, but I can also find a fare of €59.80 for two adults and two kids (half-price, under age 12). Kids 12 or over pay full fare; I don't know the ages in your group. Use http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en to find schedules and fares, and use the Italian names of the cities: Venezia, Firenze, Lucca, Roma, Napoli, Salerno.
You should also look at http://www.italotreno.it/en , a Trenitalia competitor, which only serves major routes. Their base prices are similar, but their discounts don't sell out as quickly. You would be able to use them for Venice to Florence, for the Florence to Rome part of the Lucca->Rome trip, and from Rome to either Naples or Salerno for the Rome->Amalfi coast trip. Remember that you will have to return to some city near an airport the night before you leave Italy if you're flying somewhere after the Amalfi Coast.
On both Trenitalia and Italo, you have to buy tickets well in advance to get these discounts. 180 days is ideal. The major routes I mentioned above are the only ones that have any discounts. The local or regional trains never have advance purchase discounts, nor reserved seats, and you are better off buying these tickets from any train station after you get to Italy. Trenitalia does sell regional tickets online, but with extra restrictions that make them a bad deal. You can't see regional fares or schedules very far in advance (two weeks for fares) on the Trenitalia web site, but they don't change much.
I would prefer to use the regional train to get from Florence to Lucca instead of the bus. The station is just outside the town wall, not exactly in the center, but it's an easy walk, and you'll get a good view of the wall. Also, you won't have to deal with traffic. The adult fare is €7.50, kids under 12 half price.
When you go to Rome, you'll have to take a regional train back to Florence and get a high-speed train from there to Rome. I would plan to get a train that gets you there well ahead of the departure of your train to Rome, because if the train from Lucca is late, it will be a big hassle to get new tickets for the next high-speed train.
Depending on where you go on the Amalfi Coast, you will either take a high-speed train to Naples, then the little Circumvesuviana commuter train to Sorrento, then a bus to the Amalfi coast; or a train to Salerno and then a bus or boat to the final destination. Sorrento itself is not on the Amalfi Coast, but it's a good base for the area, especially if you want to visit Pompeii.
I don't know the fare of the Circumvesuviana, but it's cheap. There is a special express train to Sorrento, which is quicker, less crowded, and costs more. (€15, I think.)
At the moment I can see fares for February (four months from now, or more specifically 120 days). You can find numerous super-economy fares for €19.90. Sometimes there are not enough discounted fares available for a group of four, but I can also find a fare of €59.80 for two adults and two kids (half-price, under age 12). Kids 12 or over pay full fare; I don't know the ages in your group. Use http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en to find schedules and fares, and use the Italian names of the cities: Venezia, Firenze, Lucca, Roma, Napoli, Salerno.
You should also look at http://www.italotreno.it/en , a Trenitalia competitor, which only serves major routes. Their base prices are similar, but their discounts don't sell out as quickly. You would be able to use them for Venice to Florence, for the Florence to Rome part of the Lucca->Rome trip, and from Rome to either Naples or Salerno for the Rome->Amalfi coast trip. Remember that you will have to return to some city near an airport the night before you leave Italy if you're flying somewhere after the Amalfi Coast.
On both Trenitalia and Italo, you have to buy tickets well in advance to get these discounts. 180 days is ideal. The major routes I mentioned above are the only ones that have any discounts. The local or regional trains never have advance purchase discounts, nor reserved seats, and you are better off buying these tickets from any train station after you get to Italy. Trenitalia does sell regional tickets online, but with extra restrictions that make them a bad deal. You can't see regional fares or schedules very far in advance (two weeks for fares) on the Trenitalia web site, but they don't change much.
I would prefer to use the regional train to get from Florence to Lucca instead of the bus. The station is just outside the town wall, not exactly in the center, but it's an easy walk, and you'll get a good view of the wall. Also, you won't have to deal with traffic. The adult fare is €7.50, kids under 12 half price.
When you go to Rome, you'll have to take a regional train back to Florence and get a high-speed train from there to Rome. I would plan to get a train that gets you there well ahead of the departure of your train to Rome, because if the train from Lucca is late, it will be a big hassle to get new tickets for the next high-speed train.
Depending on where you go on the Amalfi Coast, you will either take a high-speed train to Naples, then the little Circumvesuviana commuter train to Sorrento, then a bus to the Amalfi coast; or a train to Salerno and then a bus or boat to the final destination. Sorrento itself is not on the Amalfi Coast, but it's a good base for the area, especially if you want to visit Pompeii.
I don't know the fare of the Circumvesuviana, but it's cheap. There is a special express train to Sorrento, which is quicker, less crowded, and costs more. (€15, I think.)
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