help with trains
Sep 28th, 2007, 10:53 AM
#1
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help with trains
hi,
i am arriving from the US at frankfurt airport on oct. 25th around 5am... and need to somehow find a train station with a Florence, Italy bound train, that morning. i have my eurail pass, i just dont know where to go, or speak german. im going alone to meet my friends who are already in florence so i would greatly appreciate the help!
thanks
-e
i am arriving from the US at frankfurt airport on oct. 25th around 5am... and need to somehow find a train station with a Florence, Italy bound train, that morning. i have my eurail pass, i just dont know where to go, or speak german. im going alone to meet my friends who are already in florence so i would greatly appreciate the help!
thanks
-e
Sep 28th, 2007, 11:05 AM
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Sep 28th, 2007, 11:06 AM
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For a detailed look at the timetables, go here: http://tinyurl.com/ytkdq8. If you're lucky, you might be able to catch the 05:55 train. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for the 06:54 train.
Sep 28th, 2007, 11:07 AM
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Go here:
reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
Type "Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf" and "Firenze".
You'll see it'll take at least 11 hours and two changes.
You probably want to check airfare for this route.
reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
Type "Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Fernbf" and "Firenze".
You'll see it'll take at least 11 hours and two changes.
You probably want to check airfare for this route.
Sep 28th, 2007, 11:08 AM
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1 - go to www.bahn.de German rail web site and get schedules - put in Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof (airport long-distance train station; there is also a regional train stations but to head to Florence you probably need to go first to Basel and should have direct trains from the airport long-distance station.
Trains Switzerland to Italy probably require reservations - make them at airport train station.
Bahn.de site will tell if trains are subject to compulsory reservations or not. In Germany it will even give you the platform number your trains will be on. You can go to www.budgeteuropetravel.com and on the home page click on the link All European Railway Timetables or some such nomenclature and this links you right to the English schedule page of the bahn.de site and they give several tips on how to fully use this Wunderbar schedule site. (On the BETS site you can also request their free European Planning & Rail Guide that is a great primer on European rail travel and answers questions like this)
In Germany it will even give you the platform number your trains will be on.
If you have any questions about the bahn.de site please ask again. It's about 8 hours Frankfurt- Milan, Italy where you also probably have to change. And Milan is 3:15 from Florence on high-speed ES (EuroStar Italia) trains and these also require reservations as well as a supplement of 15 euros with a railpass. (Try to make these in Frankfurt airport train station as there can be long lines at Milan station ticket windows where you must go to get the mandated reservation.) But there are two trains most hours Milan-Florence so lots of options. In any case i would not reserve in Frankfurt a short connection in Milan as it is a huge station with zillions of platforms - leave at least 30 mins between trains.
And there is also an overnight train Frankfurt-Florence in case you just want to spend the day in Frankfurt area and get a direct train to Florence, arriving 7:45 am
But to make the necessary reservations you should IMO print out the train schedules from www.bahn.de and take it to the ticket counter (where you will also have to validate your Eurailpass) and give it to the clerk and then there will be no language problem, etc.
Trains Frankfurt-Basel do not require reservations and if in first class you should find ample empty seats. But the other legs do i think and try to button it all down in Frankfurt airport.
folks here have also mentioned a DB (German rail) phone number that would make such reservations for you in advance and send them to you - i can't remember it but there is one and folks have done it easily that way. But you never know really when you plane will land so build ample fudge time between plane and train IMO.
Trains Switzerland to Italy probably require reservations - make them at airport train station.
Bahn.de site will tell if trains are subject to compulsory reservations or not. In Germany it will even give you the platform number your trains will be on. You can go to www.budgeteuropetravel.com and on the home page click on the link All European Railway Timetables or some such nomenclature and this links you right to the English schedule page of the bahn.de site and they give several tips on how to fully use this Wunderbar schedule site. (On the BETS site you can also request their free European Planning & Rail Guide that is a great primer on European rail travel and answers questions like this)
In Germany it will even give you the platform number your trains will be on.
If you have any questions about the bahn.de site please ask again. It's about 8 hours Frankfurt- Milan, Italy where you also probably have to change. And Milan is 3:15 from Florence on high-speed ES (EuroStar Italia) trains and these also require reservations as well as a supplement of 15 euros with a railpass. (Try to make these in Frankfurt airport train station as there can be long lines at Milan station ticket windows where you must go to get the mandated reservation.) But there are two trains most hours Milan-Florence so lots of options. In any case i would not reserve in Frankfurt a short connection in Milan as it is a huge station with zillions of platforms - leave at least 30 mins between trains.
And there is also an overnight train Frankfurt-Florence in case you just want to spend the day in Frankfurt area and get a direct train to Florence, arriving 7:45 am
But to make the necessary reservations you should IMO print out the train schedules from www.bahn.de and take it to the ticket counter (where you will also have to validate your Eurailpass) and give it to the clerk and then there will be no language problem, etc.
Trains Frankfurt-Basel do not require reservations and if in first class you should find ample empty seats. But the other legs do i think and try to button it all down in Frankfurt airport.
folks here have also mentioned a DB (German rail) phone number that would make such reservations for you in advance and send them to you - i can't remember it but there is one and folks have done it easily that way. But you never know really when you plane will land so build ample fudge time between plane and train IMO.
Sep 28th, 2007, 11:15 AM
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That is a crazy time to arrive in Frankfurt. Nobody is awake yet. Many airports don't even allow arrivals before 6AM.
Turn in your air ticket and rebook from where ever US straight through to Florence. Or make it Milan, Rome, or Venice if you have to.
Sep 28th, 2007, 11:16 AM
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yet the train trip is rather scenic at points - especially in Switzerland when it goes over the Lotschberg line between Bern and Brig - one of the most dramatically scenic main lines in Europe (until new tunnel is opened in Dec) - but it is a long haul i agree.
Sep 28th, 2007, 11:26 AM
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Ryanair from Hahn to Pisa cost 0.01EUR, or 12.99EUR after tax (but before credit card and luggage fees). 2:45p - 4:10p.
You can walk around Frankfurt or other towns nearby, then take the shuttle bus from Frankfurt or FRA to Hahn. From Pisa, you can take a train directly to Florence.
You can walk around Frankfurt or other towns nearby, then take the shuttle bus from Frankfurt or FRA to Hahn. From Pisa, you can take a train directly to Florence.
