topeater

My husband and I will be traveling to Rome in March and taking the train to Florence. Yesterday, I tried to book a train to Florence using trenitalia, but it said there were no trains to Florence. I know this cannot be true and I must be doing something wrong. Can anyone direct me to the trick I must be missing?

Also, we had planned to drive from around Sienna to Rome. Several people suggested we drop the car off in Umbria, but we are traveling on a Saturday, so I didn't want to have to get there by noon when the rental offices close and also to try and manage luggage. How difficult is it to drive to the airport in Rome to drop the car off?

Thanks for any help.

Hey, for anyone that saw my post from a few days ago about Berini Palace renovation, I contacted them and they cancelled my reservations and refunded my credit card. It was difficult to find a hotel for 5 nights, but we were able to book Portrait Firenze. Address is Lungarno Acciaiuoli 4. It's fairly new, so at least no renovation!

mama_mia

Perhaps you are not typing in Firenze, the Italian name for Florence? You probably want Firenze S Maria Novella, the main station.

It is not too bad to drop off at the airport. Just make sure you choose directions to the right airport. I am guessing you want Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino. There is also Ciampino.

nochblad

This is the page to use - http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD

Departure - Roma Termini (alternatively Roma Tiburtina)

Arrival - Firenze S.M.Novella

These will appear after you have started typing the first 3 letters so you can select the station without having to type it all out.

topeater

Thank you nochblad for the info and connections. I copied both stations and entered the information, but got a message that said, "invalid arrival station." I know people train from Rome to Florence, so this makes no sense to me. I'm trying to find something that leaves around 3pm on a Tuesday. Our plane is scheduled to arrive at 1:15pm, so I thought almost 2 hours would give me enough time to get through customs & travel to the train station.

nytraveler

If you are looking for advance purchase discounts for the train from Rome to Florence you may not be allowing enough time to

Taxi to jetway
Deplane
Make your way to immigration
Line at immigration (depends on how many international flights land at once)
Wait for luggage (may be 10 minutes but I've waited more than 40 minutes at times)
Make you way to train station
Wait for train
Take train from airport to Termini in Rome
Make your way to the platform for the Florence train

There are so many steps I would want more time - but then I am risk averse.

asps

Just write "ROMA" and you will be offered a choice of station. If you choose "ROMA" you get departures from all station, otherwise only from the one you chose. Roma Termini would be the wisest choice.

As for the arrival, write "FIRENZE" and you will be offered a choice of stations. Firenze SMN is the most central one.

kybourbon

>>>I copied both stations<<<

Don't copy. As asps points out, start typing and the box will start to autofill, select the choice you want from what appears. Are you selecting a date (it defaults to today's date) and time (it defaults to the time of day you are logging on to Trenitalia). Are you using the English version? If not, did you click the wrong box on the Italian version? There are at least 2 fast trains per hour and more (as many as 4 per hour) during commute times. Are you using the correct time format (3pm would 15:00) ?

>>>Our plane is scheduled to arrive at 1:15pm, so I thought almost 2 hours would give me enough time to get through customs & travel to the train station.<<<

I don't think that is enough time to get to Rome Termini and catch your train. The Leonardo Express departs every 30 minutes from FCO and travel time is 30 minutes. You will need time to get from your arrival gate, through the airport checks, to the train station, buy tickets. You may get to the station to find out a train has just departed and you need to wait 30 minutes for the next one. One option is there are a couple of trains per day from FCO to Florence/Venice that don't require changing in Rome. Start typing Fiumicinio in the departure box and select Fiumicinio aeroporto. Then add Firenze. One departs at 15:08 that doesn't require changing in Rome (train #9493).

>>>Also, we had planned to drive from around Sienna to Rome<<<

Are you planning to sightsee on this drive or is it just transport to Rome? If just transport, then drop the car in Siena, hop the Sena bus to Rome (it's a bit faster than the train and doesn't require connections like the train does).

http://www.sena.it/

If you are visiting Rome after Florence/Tuscany and staying in Siena, consider departing the airport for Siena and staying there first. There is a bus service from the airport. You could then visit Florence after Tuscany (drop your car at the Florence airport or in Siena), train to Rome for the end of the trip.

http://www.sitbusshuttle.com/en/nuov...iumicino-roma/

nochblad

As I said and others have subsequently said enter the letters. Do not copy and paste.

topeater

Thanks kybourbon! I retried it without cutting and pasting and it worked great. There are so many times to chose. How much time would you allow to get from the airport to Termini station for the train? We never check luggage, so we wouldn't have to wait for that. I don't like to rush to catch things, but I also hate waiting around for a couple of hours especially when I am jet lagged and need a glass of wine and to sleep! And….maybe just a bit of gelato.

Actually, we are not staying in Sienna, but outside Montepulciano at Terre Di Nano. I was interested in stopping in a few places on the way to Rome and just having more of a leisurely trip. Since we are traveling on a Saturday, we would have to turn the car in before noon and I wanted to have more flexibility.

kybourbon

>>>How much time would you allow to get from the airport to Termini station for the train? We never check luggage, so we wouldn't have to wait for that.<<<
>>>Our plane is scheduled to arrive at 1:15pm<<<

That doesn't sound like you are arriving from the states as those flights are usually early morning. What terminal are you arriving? It might take you a bit longer to reach the FCO train station depending on arrival. Will you need to get cash? A TIM sim? Food/wine for the train?

>>>Since we are traveling on a Saturday, we would have to turn the car in before noon and I wanted to have more flexibility.<<<<

If you are staying in Rome after Montepulciano (you really should post your itinerary as it's not clear the order of your travel), then it would make the most sense to drop your car in Chiusi and take the train into Rome. It also depends on which rental company.

FYI - For search purposes, Siena has one n.

topeater

We will already have cash and will have lunch on the plane, so probably won't need food. Don't they have a bar on the train?

We are flying in from the states, but we are flying British Airlines, so we have a short stay at Heathrow. Here is the itinerary:

Day 1: DFW-Rome, train to Florence
Day 2-4 Florence
Day 5: Leave Florence, pick up rental car. Drive to Castellina where we are staying at fattoria-tregole
Day 5-7 Drive around the area
Day 8: Change hotel to Terre di Nano outside of Montepulciano
Day 8-10 Spend time in the area
Day 11: Drive or train to Rome for 5 days

I haven't planned out exactly what we will do in Tuscany, but we kind of just want to be more spontaneous and take a breather between cities. Would like to go to the hot springs one day.

We are renting the car through AutoEurope.

janjanjan47

We used Chiusi to pick up a car, and it was exceptionally easy with great connections from Rome. Small town, car rental easy. We actually stayed overnight in Chiusi and really enjoyed it. Had a great meal, a good night's sleep, a relaxing breakfast. Eliminates all the hassle.

kybourbon

Autoeurope is a broker, not an actual car rental company so your rental will be from Hertz, Avis, etc. I would drop the car in Chiusi which is a short drive from Montepulciano. It doesn't make sense to return a car at the Rome airport which is in Fiumicino, not Rome and out of your way as you would still have to get transport to Rome. The train from Chiusi to Rome (9.60€) also costs less than the train from FCO to Rome (14€). Dropping in Orvieto would be an option also (it's not a lot further south than Chiusi, but you would have to get there before closing).

>>>Don't they have a bar on the train? <<<

The fast trains have snack bar/dining car. May be several cars away from your seats if you are comfortable being separated from your belongings. Of course, you can go get some drinks/snacks and bring back to your car. Most seats have tables (some on the ends of cars don't, but those will have flip down trays like airplanes). Here's a pic of 2nd class on the fast train.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ssainterno.jpg

The food/drink options in Termini are better than on the train (and more economical).

If you do return your car at either Chiusi or Orvieto, the trains on these routes are the regional trains. These are pull through stations and the trains are often scheduled for a 1 minute stop. You need to be ready to get on when the train stops.

topeater

Thanks for the Chiusi tip. I think that's a better option than Orvieto since it's closer and we have to drop off before noon.

Should I try to buy tickets from Chiusi to Rome beforehand or just wait until the day?

fmpden

I would allow four hours from landing to Termini. Probably will not need it but we did in our last trip in May. Took over two hours to clear immigrations. Only two officers working that day. Since you are coming from England, you will clear both immigrations and customs in Rome.

fmpden

Meant to add. If you purchase your ticket in advance and miss the train, the ticket is dead. And you will need to purchase new tickets at current fare.

kybourbon

>>>Should I try to buy tickets from Chiusi to Rome beforehand or just wait until the day?<<<

Not online. Regional tickets can only be bought online 7 days in advance and they have more restrictions than if you buy them in Italy. There are no discounts or reserved seats on regional trains so there is no point in buying in advance. There are a few IC trains on this route, but they are only 10 minutes or so faster and cost more (almost double). Just make sure you don't buy tickets for a train requiring a change at Rome Tiburtina if Termini is closer to your hotel (which is likely as Termini is closer to the center although both stations are on the Metro). Look at the Chiusi/Rome schedules so you can see which train times will work (look at a Saturday within the next 7 days or you won't see prices).

topeater

Thanks fmpden and kybourbon for the info. I'll let you know how it played out. So excited and crossing fingers for nice weather. I know March/early April can be dicey.