Deceptive title. We (2 kids, 6 and 9, wife, and I) will be in Rome, but need to get back to Milan to catch the flight home. Was thinking about a day trip to Pisa, but now wonder if I can get tickets to go Rome-Pisa-Milan with a few hour stopover in Pisa mainly to see the tower. I know it will be a long day, however, it seems to make more sense to do it on what would otherwise be a travel day anyway. Any suggestions? How would I go about pricing a thru ticket, or would it have to be point-to-point-to-point?

Thanks for the help!

It will be point-to-point.

For Rome to Pisa, you take the Eurostar (mandatory reservations) to Florence, then transfer to slow train to Pisa. About 3 hours total.

From Pisa to Milan, you change at Genova. 3.5 hours total. IC-Plus to IC-Plus. Mandatory reservations.

As usual, buy at train station (ticket machine or counter) after you get to Italy, or if you're really adventurous, try booking on Trenitalia.

A standard Italian train ticket for a journey of this length is valid 24 hours, so allows a break of journey. Fares are calculated from the distance, so an Italian station ticket office should certainly be able to work out a fare for Roma-Milano via Pisa, with supplements for Intercity or Eurostar trains. You should check schedules for Roma-Pisa and Pisa-Milano on www.trenitalia.com. If you're travelling on a busy day (a weekend perhaps), you may want to book parts of the journey in advance, which will be easier in separate stages if you're using the internet; if you do it at an Italian station, just tell them exactly what trains you want, the date you're travelling and the number of people.

keep in mind that you'll add about 2 hours to your train travel time by going through Pisa - Genova (rather than Florence - Bologna which is the fastest way from Rome to Milan).

That said, it's probably easier to buy two separate tickets (Rome-Pisa, Pisa-Milan).

Thanks for the replies. Now looks like we'll modify plans and go Rome-Pisa-VENICE, overnight 2 nights, then Venice to Milan. Is a railpass a better choice, or point-to-point? The airport to Rome, Milan to airport trains are also needed.

Sorry for the neverending questions!

It is extremely unlikely that it would be worth getting a rail pass for a one-way journey of this sort. Basic Italian fares are cheap and you need to do a lot of travelling to justify a pass. You can check fares on www.trenitalia.com and compare them with the price of a pass.

Point-to-point tickets should be ebtter for your itinerary.

There is an express train between Rome airport, FCO, and the main train station, Roma Termini. It scosts about 10 euros each--I'm not sure about the kids. For your group, I'd recommend a car service, shttule, or taxi. You should be able to arrange one for 45-50 euros, door to door. If you took the train, you'd still need other transport from the train station. Take a car--easier for your group and costs about the same the same.

Similarly, in Milan there is a bus to Malpensa or a train, either useful depending on where you are staying. I think a car to the airport would cost more than in Rome, but, again, for your group might work best.