Has anyone "bussed" from Perugia?
 

We will be based in Perugia for 2 weeks in March.

You don't need to tell me that driving is easier-I know that. However, although we will train (have the trenitalia stuff already) and take tours wherever possible, but we will need to take the bus some times. Has anyone ever used public transportation (especially busses) to nearby towns and Lake Trasimeno?

According to internet site, there is a very modern terminal. As always, thanks for any help.

We always rent a car when touring small towns in Italy, it's muchmore fun, never mind convenient. But I have read that there are a lot of places with extremely limited (1 or 2 a day) bus service. I would check the details carefully before assuming it's workable.

Ditto nytraveler's comments.

You can bus to almost anywhere in Umbria (and beyond) from Perugia, but you can't necessarily get back to Perugia the same day.

This website used to be easier to navigate, but give it a try. On the APM site, click on Orari and then extraurbane in the middle of the next page. The Sulga site is in English, but the stops on each line are kinda buried.

http://www.perugiaonline.com/busoutpgus.html

Is there a reason why you're planning to stay in Perugia the entire two weeks? Would you consider renting a car for a couple of days to reach towns not serviced by trains?

No one has really answered my question.

Jean, thanks for the site. No offense but if I wasn't planning on staying there, I wouldn't have brought up this subject.

Has anyone actually ridden any of the local busses??

Sorry. I have used the buses, but it's been a few years.

I'm a big fan of Perugia and Umbria, but some of my favorite places would be difficult (if not impossible) to visit using only public trans from Perugia unless you're willing to spend the night before heading back. I did do a few day trips from Perugia, but I have to say it was more for the scenery than for the brief time I had in any destination.

Rather than spend money on tours, I would rent a car for a couple of days. But that's me, and you seem to have definite ideas about your visit. Good luck with your plans.

Hi TD - I've used public transport from Perugia - to Gubbio, Assisi, Todi, Lake Trasimeno ...

Check out APM. Here's the link:

http://www.apmperugia.it/canale.asp?id=23

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Jean and Steve James, I had the home page for that site (you are right, Jean, about things being buried) but hadn't gotten to the page you showed. Oh yes, we have long since learned to check the return times on trains and busses!

Just curious, Steve, to which town on Lake Trasimeno did you go, Steve. Northern one?

If there is a place on our want to see list that isn't easily accessible via pub trans, we hire someone. DH doesn't want to drive, he wants to look and look and listen to a native talk about things.

He and I both love to take busses and trains and pretend we know what we are doing. When all else fails, we tour or taxi. We were "adopted" by a taxi driver in Sicily once-it was one of our best times as he took us to places he frequented.

Anyone else have a bus trip from Perugia to relate?

It's been a few years for me as well, but we stayed in Perugia and visited Gubbio by bus and Assisi by train.

TD, I think that 2 weeks based in Perugia is a fantastic idea. There is so much to do in Perugia itself, you can easily fill a week right there!.

I've taken buses from Perugia to Gubbio and Assisi, as well as lots of different day trips by train.

If you're staying in the historic centre, it's very easy to get down to the main bus terminal. You simply take the series of steep escalators that begin in the historic Rocca Paolina (which is fascinating in itself, built over an underground city from medieval times.)

The escalators take you down to Piazza Partigiani, where there are huge public parking lots -- and the main bus terminal. (There, they also give away good, big bus schedules.)

Now, with Perugia's great new minimetro system, you can also very easily get from the historic centre down to the train station for other days trips -- Arezzo, Spoleto, Assisi are all easy to reach by train and stunning.

As others have said, a car can be useful for visiting towns like Spello or Montefalco, even Bevagna -- which are not on major bus or train routes.

But you can see and do so much via public transport from Perugia.

BTW, Perugia has a very good tourism office with excellent maps and a large, glossy guidebook with suggested walks all over the city, providing a lot of good background and into sites, big and small.

TD



although we drove and did not use public transp., several people we met at our hotel did...and they seemed to have gotten around quite well, visiting most of the places we did, except Montefalco and Bevagna, which we love.

Perugia ia a marvelous base, and if I may, I'll suggest a very pleasant, well-located hotel..The Fortuna... on the top "deck"...but as mentioned, it's easy to get down to the bus and train depots. We parked quiite convenently at the Partigian garage...and escalated to the top of town.

Coming back to Perugia in the evening offers excellent restos and thngs to see...the top deck (Corso Vanucci) is full of life.

http://www.perugiaonline.com/hotelfortuna/

Enjoy Umbria..

stu t.

Thanks "Guys". We have reservations already at Laconda della Posta, but Stu I'll keep the one you suggested as backup and a place to visit at the end of the day.

Glad to hear the good words about Perugia also. The Fodor's book has a pix or sketch of that bus stop. Sounds cool.

We only used trains while in Perugia, but we love to use public transport wherever we go - much better for people watching, not to mention scenery. I wouldn't have enjoyed LA half as much last year if I hadn't taken buses - the freeways didn't do it for me.
Back to Perugia: you probably already know this, but Spello is another place very easy to reach by train. Easier than Assisi, as you don't need to catch a bus from the station up to the old town.
Have a lovely holiday: Perugia is wonderful if you stay 'up top'.

Perugia is wonderful even if you don't stay "up top." I stayed in a small hotel on the escalator access and I quite enjoyed traveling up and down the escalators at all hours.

I do think you need to be inside the city walls to get the most out of Perugia, but there are intersting places to stay other than the Corso Vannucci.

"Back to Perugia: you probably already know this, but Spello is another place very easy to reach by train. Easier than Assisi, as you don't need to catch a bus from the station up to the old town.
Have a lovely holiday: Perugia is wonderful if you stay 'up top'"

Thanks Suelynne. Where else do you go to by train?

We had a Spoleto-based trip and saw Spello then and enjoyed it. We didn't buy return treno tickets in Spoleto because we weren't certain how long we'd stay. Imagine our surprise when we found the Spello station unmanned and the ticket machine not working. We just got on the next train and spent some semi-frantic moments figuring out how to 'splain our dilemma to the conductor!

Zeppole, does the escalator run 24 hours?

In addition to all the other great things you are hearing about Perugia (one of my favourite towns) do consider a side-trip for dinner or lunch and a wander to Castello dell'Oscano.

It is in Cenerente which is almost a suburb of Perugia. It is a superb medieval castle turned into an amazing inn and hotel, often frequented by wealthy Italian business people, artists and celebrities. The food is really excellent with great attention to local ingredients and 'period' and the atmosphere well worth the drive and the cost of a meal.

Thanks, LJ, will add it to the "to do" list!

You can get to Arezzo by train as well from Perugia.

Several years ago, I took the bus from Perugia to Gubbio, and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Taverna del Lupo. I also visited Deruta by bus, but if you are not interested in tons of ceramic shops, skip it. I also visited Todi by bus for the day, which I loved. The bus just kept going up and up a mountain, and you could see the beautiful church in the distance. Real estate is very expensive there because lots of romans have bought up property. I also saw lots of $$ italian cars parked around the town.

Here TDudette, you might find this useful

http://www.perugiatravel.com/hours.htm

Hi imperialtopaz, that's exactly what I was interested hearing about. Have added the Taverna del Lupa and Deruta to the list!

It looks like Montefalco, Bevagna, Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino are easiest by car. No one has mentioned bussing to those and what I have gotten from trenitalia ends up too long. We are working with a tour person for those spots.