Are trains in Italy on time?
 

I will be travelling in Europe for the first time in August this year. I am planning to travel from Pisa to Paris by train. Tried booking my tickets on the trenitalia website but have been experiencing some problems acquiring them if I key in Pisa - Milan. So I tried booking the tickets individually: Pisa to Milan and Milan to Paris, this options somehow works. A few questions here:

a) I will have only 15 mins to change trains in Milan. Is this wise? Do the trains run precisely/ on time?

b) How do I reserve my seat, at the train station when I reach Italy or can I do it on the trenitalia website? Must I reserve my seat for every journey I make on the train?

Stevie

It will be tight but you can make it if your Pisa train arrives in Milan on time -- and there is no guarantee it will. Trains in Italy almost never run precisely on time.

If the train to Paris is the last train to Paris of the day or you have reason to believe that all subsequent trains to Paris will be fully booked, you should take an earlier train from Pisa to eliminate any possibility of missing the connection. I would probably give myself a layover of an hour.

Hmm.
I went from Paris to Rome in March and the train was three hours late!
The train back was about an hour late and we missed our scheduled Eurostar. The Eurostar clerk gave a beautiful Gallic shrug, said, "Italian trains!" and got us seats on the next available train.

Italian trains are late?

The lost legacy of Benito Mussolini.

trains will be late but they will be to the metre. They always stop precisely where they need to

I would not feel comfortable with a 15 connection in Milan. Only one of my many train rides in Italy was on time.
Always, always assume the Itlalian train will be late.
Milano Central is a huge station. Allow extra time to change trains.

I agree with the general advice for this traveler, but changing trains in Milan is simpler than most Italian train stations. Any connection in the station can be made by a fit person carrying luggage within 15 minutes. That was the legacy of Benito Mussolini, who ordered up the design of Milano Centrale.

PS: Were it me traveling, I would book the 15 min. connection IF I knew there were more trains to Paris that same day that got me into Paris by a reasonable hour. (Caveat: If there is another train from Pisa that gets you in 15 minutes earlier, why sweat it? Book the earlier train. But if the only other train from Pisa leaves 3 hours earlier, and trains to Paris keep running all day, I'd take the chance if arriving in Paris on a later train was no big deal.)

Is this a trick question?! I have never been on an Italian train that's arrived on time!

Hi MS,

You were able to buy tickets online at trenitalia.com with an American Credit Card?

ES* and AV (the fast trains that require reservations) are almost always on time. The others are usually not on time.

For Pisa --> Milan, I wouldn't count on making a 15 min connection.

For Milan/Paris, you will need to purchase a reservation for a sleeper on the Artesia, leaving at 23:35

If you take the 17:44 from Pisa, you will have plenty of time.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))
PS: Did you know that you could fly www.easyjet.com from Pisa to Paris Orly for 53E, including 1 checked suitcase?

There are ES* trains between Pisa and Milan.

Why does the OP have to book a sleeper? Is she taking a night train? Am I missing something?

I guess it's because it's a really long ride from Milan to Paris. Most schedules show it as 7 hours plus, so Ira was suggesting a sleeping cabin which would be more comfortable. The original poster was having trouble reserving for the leg Milano/Parigi, not Pisa/Milano.

Trains in italy usually run sort of on time. Generally they are not hours late - but 10 or 15 minutes is quite common. I wouldn't book a major trip with that short a connection time in Milan

Fly Easy Jet Pisa/Paris Orly.
http://www.easyjet.com/asp/en/book/index.asp?lang=en

Had to smile when I saw the title of your post. Part of, no a lot of, the charm of traveling in Italy is the lack of regimentation and structure (other than trying to break into the queue at the meat counter, but that's a topic for another thread). The Zeitgeist is rather laid back. Delightful. Relax and go with the flow--don't book the last train of the day.

I just saw this thread and when I read the title, msia, I thought "well sometimes". Best wishes and take the advice you have been given. And have fun!