Hello,

Would love to get some advice on the best train route from Venice to Cinque Terre.

Here is what I am planning on doing: take a Frecciabianca train from Venice to Monterosso with one stop in Milano Centrale (6 hours). The benefits appear to be you get reserved seats with only 1 stop. If I take a train from Venice to Florence to CT it may be shorter by an hour to an hour and a half, but there are more stops and you don't have reserved seats. Is that true? Advice?

Thanks for your help!

You would have reserved seats on the Venice/Florence train also as it's an AV train. All fast trains in Italy (AV,ES,ESCity,IC) have mandatory reserved seating as part of the ticket. R trains don't have reserved seating.

I am not sure what you want to know.

The reservation in Italy is a mixed bag. I always seem to have to tell a squatter to move out so we can sit together as reserved. On unreserved train, I just walk around until I find the seats I like. I like reservation on AV/ES type of open cabin seating. I don't like reservation on IC with compartments. Sometimes I get stuck with unpleasant compartment passengers.

Are more stops issue for you even when you can get to your destination earlier? I am trying to guess your concern here. Do you have a lot of luggage you have to unload and reload?

Just to be clear, these are not 'stops' in Florence or Milan, etc. You must change trains which arrive and depart at different platforms ('binario').

If you're navigating the Italian train system for the first time, you may not want to take the fastest overall option which includes a change at Sarzana because the connection there is only 7 minutes. The next fastest option has longer connection times, but the option via Milan has the longest connection, a very leisurely 45 minutes.

You could also plan a longer layover, stash the bags, and enjoy Milan for a few hours. It's a nice way to break up the trips, and it is a great way to see the Duomo and the nearby shops.

Thanks for the great info! Now I've decided to put CT between my stays in Florence and Rome.

What is your opinion of this route for my trip:
Train Venice to Florence (stay 4 days), train Florence to Cinque Terre (stay 2 days), Then need to train to Rome. Is it better to get to Rome via train from CT to Florence to Rome or from CT to Rome?

A little background info: traveling first time in Europe w 20 year old daughter. I am looking for the fastest, most comfortable way to travel by train since we are new to this. We will each have 1 large suitcase. It would be great to travel without too many connections, reserved seats and long enough connection times between trains so we don't miss a train

Thanks for your help!

Your itinerary looks good.

If you book well in advance (up to 120 days allowed) on trenitalia.com, you can get discount fares on high-speed trains. For example, the standard 2nd class fare for Venice-Florence is €43.00. The cheapest discount fare is €9.00.

There is no advantage to booking regional trains in advance. The fare is always the same and there is open seating. Your ticket is good on any regional train.

Florence-Cinque Terre: The route and number of connections will depend upon which CT town you will be staying in. If you take all regional trains, the fare is €11.70.

Cinque Terre-Rome: For some departure times it will be faster to go via Florence. For others it won't.

If you can manage it, pack lighter. One carry-on bag and one day pack per person. You'll have a much easier time hauling your luggage on and off the train.

I agree with TimS that two smaller bags will be easier to move, lift, and stow on your train rides than one big suitcase. Choose a day pack or shoulder bag that can attach to your rolling suitcase (22-inch size should be adequate) for easy rolling from place to place.

One rule of thumb as you plan your itinerary: every time you change hotels and move to a new city, it will use up at least half a day (checking out of the hotel, traveling to the train station, navigating and waiting at the train station, the actual train ride, traveling to the next hotel, checking in) and sometimes more.

So the trip from Venice to Florence may be 2 hours on the train, but add another hour or two to your travel time for making the connections at both ends of train ride. For the trip from Cinque Terre to Rome, the train ride is 4-4.5 hours, so again assume 6 hours or more devoted to travel that day.

Thanks for the great info! I am staying in Monterosso in CT, departing August 8.I looked up the train route from CT to Rome and if I'm reading it right there's one train from CT to Rome at 12:40pm via La Spezia with a trip time of 3:48 hours. My concern is there is only a 10 minute connection time for me to get on the train from La Spezia to Rome. Is this realistic or too risky? Also, it looks like there are 5 stops (not layovers) from La Spezia to Rome. Is this normal?

The other options only have approximately 15 minute connection times. Is this do-able?

What is the difference between an intercity (IC) train and a regional train?

I would prefer the fast trains, if possible.

Thanks for the feedback on luggage also. Based on your feedback I am going to do as you suggest.

Thanks for your help!

Regional train ticket have no reserved seats and therefore a ticket for a regional train can be used on any regional train traveling between the two places. You must validate your regional ticket (stamp it in the yellow machine with the date and time) just before boarding the train to prove you have paid since often a conductor will not come and check you ticket. If a conductor does check and your ticket is not validated, you are subject to a heavy fine. A regional train makes more stops than an intercity train. A regional train often has only one class and can be some of the older trains in use depending on the route. I have never experienced air conditioning on a regional train.

Intercity train tickets come with a reserved seat on a particular train at a particular time. There are different classes and the carriages should be air conditioned.

Thank you for the info! It really helps a lot as there are so many choices for train travel, it's hard to narrow it down Anyone have any advice regarding this: I am staying in Monterosso in CT, departing August 8.I looked up the train route from CT to Rome and if I'm reading it right there's one train from CT to Rome at 12:40pm via La Spezia with a trip time of 3:48 hours. My concern is there is only a 10 minute connection time for me to get on the train from La Spezia to Rome. Is this realistic or too risky for a first time European train traveler? Most of the other trains give you around 15 minutes to change trains.

La Spezia Centrale isn't a big station. Ten minutes is plenty of time to make a connection there.

If you want to get to Rome earlier in the day, you could leave Monterosso at 07:35, connect in La Spezia, and arrive in Rome at 11:50. In this case you will have a 17-minute connection time.

Or leave at 09:03 and arrive at 14:16 with a 49-minute connection in La Spezia.

I did this trip (somewhat) in reverse in February. We went from Genoa to Florence (transfer in Pisa) where we stayed two nights and the from Florence to Venice. It was realtively simply - purchasing a reserved 1st class ticket the day before departure, arriving at the station early and taking some snacks with us. Our only dilemma was the change in Pisa -where we didn't have much time between trains and had trouble locating the track we were to change to. But it all worked out. Our Florence hotel was near the station and it allowed up to wander all over the city, yet be a short walk away for our morning departure.

Beware in Florence (actually, everywhere for that fact) of someone offering assistance with your luggage (some of the steps up into the cars are rather steep) as they more than likely are not train employees and will ask you for money.

We were even smart enough in Florence to find the lift so that we wouldn't have to schlept the luggage (a wheeled carry on and an attached satchel each) up stairs. So of course when we arrived the next morning to catch our train it was out of service.

Have a great trip!

Thanks for the great tips! I've read that there is no advantage to buying regional train tickets ahead of time since there are no reserved seats. If I am looking at buying my train tickets online through the trenitalia site (le Frecce link) for the Monterrosso to Rome route and it shows a regional train for the first portion of the route ( Monterrosso to La Spezia), should I just buy the tickets for the entire route? Seems this would be the easiest thing to do. Are there any problems with buying the regional tickets online vs. at the station? Also, I thought you could only see routes for regional trains within 7 days of your trip, but when I plug in a date of August 8, it shows me a route with 1 regional train and one fast train. I'm looking at The 12:40 train from Monterrosso to Rome via La Spezia.

Thanks for your help!

You can see regional routes more than 7 days ahead, but you probably cannot buy the ticket. Therefore, if you tried to purchase the entire route now, you would probably receive an "unable to purchase" error message. If you tried to purchase just the La Spezia to Rome portion now, you would probably be successful.

Thanks ellenem, that makes sense. Since the regional trains don't have reserved seats, do you have to get there early and stand in line to make sure you get a seat?

>>>Are there any problems with buying the regional tickets online vs. at the station?<<<

Yes. R tickets bought online have more restrictions than R tickets bought in Italy. I would not purchase an R ticket online.

>>>Since the regional trains don't have reserved seats, do you have to get there early and stand in line to make sure you get a seat?<<<

No, you can't stand in line to get a seat. The train may already be full when you board (unless it's the start of the line).

I imagine your best options will be an R train to LaSpezia and an AV train onto Rome. I would not worry about seats on the R train as the trip is only 15-20 minutes. Stay by the door and be ready to get off. Sometimes train stops are as little as 1 minute depending on size of station or whether it's a pull-through station or one where the train has to pull in and back out.

"Since the regional trains don't have reserved seats, do you have to get there early and stand in line to make sure you get a seat?"

It makes no difference if you get there early, since the train is probably coming from someplace else and will already have people in it. Think of regional trains as one step up from a city bus or subway--it may be full when it arrives, it may be empty--you take your chance.

There is no line to get on the train. People mill about on the platform, and when the train comes, everyone just hurries to the door to climb on. Seats are first come, first seated. The number of people waiting on the platform will give a hint if it is a popular time to travel, making the train a crowded one.

Also be aware: In Italy, standing in line does not happen with quite the same frequency and organization as you might be familiar with at home.

Thanks for the info, it's really helpful

So if you might only have 1 minute to get off the R train and are standing by the door, do you have your suitcase with you while you are standing? I ask because my daughter has a large suitcase ( she will be there for 5 weeks total) and I know it will be difficult to navigate on the trains with it. I tried to persuade her to travel lighter, but to no avail.

Do you think if I travel on the 12:48 pm R train from Monterrosso to La Spezia it won't be as crowded as other trains since that's not a typical commuting time?

Since the time on the R train is only 15 minutes, we are fine with standing. My concern is, will there be enough room on train for us to board?
Thanks for the tips!

If I was forced to stand on an R train, I would stand with my luggage between or behind my legs.

I'm not sure of how crowded that particular route is, so I can't advise on best times to travel. However, 1:00pm might actually be considered a commuting time since many people travel home for lunch and also students may be traveling home from school.

But, really, you are overthinking this. Take the train that puts you in Rome at the time you think it is best to arrive. There is no way to predict what might happen with the trains. Anything could happen on the particular day you plan to travel. Decide on a train and go with the flow.

I would encourage your daughter to have two smaller bags rather than a one big suitcase--much easier to handle on trains. I pack the same amount for one week that I would for five weeks. To help convince your daughter, have her pack her suitcase as she hopes to travel, and then have her walk with it for 10 minutes, up and down curbs, up and down a few flights of stairs, and then lift it over her head. She may change her mind.

I traveled to Italy with my 20-year-old niece for 8 nights. I told her to pack a 22-inch rolling bag (without using the extended section) and a shoulder tote. I gave her my packing list and told her not to be tempted to add more to the bag if she had room, since she would need the room for purchases and probably would not wear the extra item in any case. She was very skeptical, thinking first that the bag was not big enough to hold the items, and then that it would not be enough clothing. When we met at the airport, she was very proud that everything fit it the bag with room to spare. She confessed that she had added one more top that I suggested. At the end of the trip, she extended her suitcase and had enough room for all her purchases, remarking that she never wore that extra shirt.