Bus or Train??
Mar 10th, 2006, 08:19 AM
#1
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Bus or Train??
Call me parnoid, but I worry a LOT about someone walking off with my luggage on a train if we have to stow it in a compartment at the end of the car. We will be using 25" bags, so they don't fit in above-head storage. We used the bus a couple of time in Sicily and it worked well. When you get on, you see where your luggage is being stowed and it is in the same place when you get off.
Now, our trip this year will start in Bologna, then on to Florence, Lucca and then Santa Margarita Ligure, ending in Genoa. Is it possible to take a bus from Bologna to Florence and from Florence to Lucca? I think that we HAVE to take a train the rest of the trip. I thought I read somewhere that you could get a bus into Lucca, which is more convenient due to it being a walled city and the train not being able to get as close, but I have not seen anything about this since.
Please help! Thanking you all in advance.
Now, our trip this year will start in Bologna, then on to Florence, Lucca and then Santa Margarita Ligure, ending in Genoa. Is it possible to take a bus from Bologna to Florence and from Florence to Lucca? I think that we HAVE to take a train the rest of the trip. I thought I read somewhere that you could get a bus into Lucca, which is more convenient due to it being a walled city and the train not being able to get as close, but I have not seen anything about this since.
Please help! Thanking you all in advance.
Mar 10th, 2006, 08:32 AM
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Pam,
Your chances of getting your luggage stolen on a train are almost non-existent. No offense intended, but its not worth anything to an Italian, unless you are toting Louis Vuitton around with you. Most thieves don't ride trains. (What's the point?) They are more likely to be hanging around the train station hoping you'll get distracted from your purse and wallet.
Keep everything that is dear to you on your person or in a small bag you can stowe over your head. Don't pack anything to take with you that you would hate to lose, because forgetting them in the hotel is more likely than them getting stolen. Should you have the highly unusual experience of having your bag and clothes stolen from a train, Italy is full of luggage kiosks and places to buy clothes.
Your chances of getting your luggage stolen on a train are almost non-existent. No offense intended, but its not worth anything to an Italian, unless you are toting Louis Vuitton around with you. Most thieves don't ride trains. (What's the point?) They are more likely to be hanging around the train station hoping you'll get distracted from your purse and wallet.
Keep everything that is dear to you on your person or in a small bag you can stowe over your head. Don't pack anything to take with you that you would hate to lose, because forgetting them in the hotel is more likely than them getting stolen. Should you have the highly unusual experience of having your bag and clothes stolen from a train, Italy is full of luggage kiosks and places to buy clothes.
Mar 10th, 2006, 09:08 AM
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Hi P,
You are paranoid.
The only tie that there is a chance for a thief to snatch your luggage is upon arriving and departing a station.
That's a good time to stretch your legs and watch your baggage.
You could also buy bicycle cables with locks and chain your luggage to the rack.
You are paranoid.
The only tie that there is a chance for a thief to snatch your luggage is upon arriving and departing a station.
That's a good time to stretch your legs and watch your baggage.
You could also buy bicycle cables with locks and chain your luggage to the rack.
Mar 10th, 2006, 10:18 AM
#4
Truly no one wants a suitcase of your clothes. Valuables should be on your person, not in a suitcase anyway.
As Ira mentioned, I have seen posted advice for the paranoid to use a bicycle cable to secure your suitcase to a post or to each other. Just remember to allow sufficient time to get yourself unhooked before your stop!
As Ira mentioned, I have seen posted advice for the paranoid to use a bicycle cable to secure your suitcase to a post or to each other. Just remember to allow sufficient time to get yourself unhooked before your stop!
Mar 10th, 2006, 11:05 AM
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Are you sure you need that much stuff to fill bags that big for this trip? Don't forget about heaving them up and down trains and stairs and and and - you'll get very sick of that long before you worry about theft.
WK
WK
Mar 10th, 2006, 11:12 AM
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Years ago I bought a couple of lightweight bicycle cable combination locks. I used them to chain my luggage to a rack at the end of the train compartment. I decided it was silly and stopped carrying them years ago. But if it makes you feel more comfortable I still thank that's the best idea. I've never understood the people that jam luggage into their seats or under their legs and make themselves uncomfortable for a long train ride.
Mar 10th, 2006, 11:39 AM
#7
Yes, you can bus from Florence to Lucca. Catch the bus across the street from the train station in Florence. It takes about 70 minutes and drops you at one of the entrances(historic center).
Laptop computer cable locks weigh much less than bicycle locks if you really feel the need to chain your luggage to something.
Laptop computer cable locks weigh much less than bicycle locks if you really feel the need to chain your luggage to something.
Mar 11th, 2006, 08:11 AM
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Thank you, Kybourbon, for the info. re the bus. Anyone know about from Bologna to Florence?
The reason I worry about our luggage is that EVERY guidebook that I read always instructs that you should "Keep an eye on your belongings." and "Leave nothing unattended". I guess that is why the paranoia sets in. Maybe you have all been lucky. I would hate to waste time and all of the extra money locating new luggage, clothing and shoes. And, yes, we probably will cutback on at least one of the 25" bags. Our first trip to Italy was 3 weeks with a 22" bag each. Boy, did I ever get sick of washing things out every evening.
The reason I worry about our luggage is that EVERY guidebook that I read always instructs that you should "Keep an eye on your belongings." and "Leave nothing unattended". I guess that is why the paranoia sets in. Maybe you have all been lucky. I would hate to waste time and all of the extra money locating new luggage, clothing and shoes. And, yes, we probably will cutback on at least one of the 25" bags. Our first trip to Italy was 3 weeks with a 22" bag each. Boy, did I ever get sick of washing things out every evening.
Mar 11th, 2006, 08:28 AM
#9
If hand wash is too time consuming, why not save up and visit a laundry matt or drop off service once a week instead. I wouldn't want to be doing washing out every day.
I think the keep an eye and don't leave unattended is more likely important, say in a train station where there may be pickpockets working. I guess someone could steal a suitcase from the rack of a train, but I have never heard of this actually happening. If your suitcase was smaller it might fit in the above-head storage and put your mind at ease.
I think the keep an eye and don't leave unattended is more likely important, say in a train station where there may be pickpockets working. I guess someone could steal a suitcase from the rack of a train, but I have never heard of this actually happening. If your suitcase was smaller it might fit in the above-head storage and put your mind at ease.
Mar 12th, 2006, 05:04 AM
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"EVERY guidebook that I read always instructs that you should "Keep an eye on your belongings."
If that really is true, you really need to start buying sensible guidebooks.
The idea that there are thieves laying out money to get onto trains in order to be lumbered with heavy bags of other people's dirty underwear is simply surreal. There are thousands of more productive uses of any lowlife's time.
Has anyone on this board ever had - or even met anyone who has had - suitcases stolen from a train?
If that really is true, you really need to start buying sensible guidebooks.
The idea that there are thieves laying out money to get onto trains in order to be lumbered with heavy bags of other people's dirty underwear is simply surreal. There are thousands of more productive uses of any lowlife's time.
Has anyone on this board ever had - or even met anyone who has had - suitcases stolen from a train?
Mar 12th, 2006, 06:17 AM
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Cotswold - YES!!!
A friend of mine has a relative that heard a story from a co-worker about someone on a train in Mexico that swears that they read that the criminals that ride the trains down there, will actually gas a whole car in the middle of the night, and then go through the bags!
No, sorry, I have not heard of any.
VS :-"
A friend of mine has a relative that heard a story from a co-worker about someone on a train in Mexico that swears that they read that the criminals that ride the trains down there, will actually gas a whole car in the middle of the night, and then go through the bags!
No, sorry, I have not heard of any.
VS :-"
Mar 12th, 2006, 06:43 AM
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On any long-distance train in Europe, there will be hundreds of people, most with suitcases and bags left on luggage racks, under seats, or wherever there's space. Unless your case has a label saying "contains gold ingots", there is no reason why any thief would be interested in it. In all my journeys throughout Europe, I cannot remember seeing anybody chaining their luggage to the train. I just leave my bag on a suitable luggage rack then visit the bar or restaurant car: the bag is always there when I get back. I do not lock it because I hope that a thief would be able to check the contents and see that there's nothing worth taking.
Mar 12th, 2006, 08:27 AM
#13
Why not switch from the 25" bag and carry two smaller ones? A 19" roller with another tote that rides securely on top of it, could give you the same space as a 25" suitcase, but more flexibility as to where you choose to stash them in transit.
