Taking our bikes on trains from Ventimiglia to Roma
 

After a month riding our bikes in France next May, we are intending to get to Ventimiglia and catch the regionale train to Genova and then next day move on to Roma. I believe there won't be a problem with taking our bikes on the regional train as far as Genova, but has anyone had experience taking touring bikes on the Intercity 511 (in particular) from Genova to Roma? We would like to take the Intercity 511 train that leaves Genova around 1pm to arrive at 6pm in Roma.

Will you have bicycle cases?

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...008916f90aRCRD

No. We will be cycling canals and around south of France for 6 weeks prior to riding from Nice to Ventimiglia. 2 60yo + with 2 touring bikes and rear pannier bags. Will get cardboard bike boxes to put bikes in for plane ride back home to Australia.

Jean I just looked up the web address you included. Its Genova in Italy ( a couple of hours south of Ventimiglia) not Geneva, Switzerland that the domestic Intercity 511 train departs from.

Genova Piazza Principe train station in Genoa Italy to eliminate any confusion. Sorry.

The web site Jean posted is for the Italian train system and the rules about bikes on their trains. From Ventimiglia, many of the trains will be regional trains. There are a few IC trains on that route (Ventimiglia/Genoa). The details about bike transport are only on the Italian version of Trenitalia currently. You can use Google translate to get figure out the requirements for the different types of trains (bike boxes required or not, etc.). Don't bother clicking the British flag for English at the top of this link because it won't work.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...008916f90aRCRD

kybourbon has it.

Regionali trains do have some rules, you need to get your bike to the bike section (look for symbols on the train as it passes), some bike sections are large and bikes are easy to hang from hooks, some are tiny spaces and the mechanism complicated but basically you need to keep the bike "inside the yellow line", you will be bollocked if don't.

This may help http://bilboburgler.hubpages.com/hub...ice-to-Ravenna

Well we ended up catching trains from Nice Ville station - Ventimiglia, Ventimiglia - La Spezia, La Spezia - Pisa Centrale, Pisa Centrale to Roma Termini, without any issues. At the NiceVille train station I bought tickets for Nice to Ventimiglia, Ventimiglia to La Spezia and Pisa to Rome. I also enquired about bikes and bought the extra 24 hour bike tickets. The only ticket I couldn't get from the lovely attendant at Nice was for the short La Spezia to Pisa leg of the trip. That meant a special trip to Ventimiglia on the Saturday afternoon prior to our Monday departure. Be prepared for a long queue to book tickets at Nice VIlle station, even on Saturday afternoons. Once at Ventimiglia I purchased the tix and bike tix without any problems. A 40 minute ride back to Nice on a drizzly afternoon (there and back in 2 hours) and we were set for a 10am Monday departure.

There was an hour or two wait for each leg and we arrived in Pisa about 6pm. Overnighted in Pisa before leaving early afternoon for Rome. Unfortunately I had confused myself with the bike tix and threw them out in Pisa ( forgot they last for 24 hours). We copped a (20 euro?) fine from the train conductor on the last leg. The bike ticket would have been valid from the previous day as we had left La Spezia late afternoon, so the ticket would have had a couple of hours validity left on it. Oh well!

The train from Nice to Ventimiglia on the Monday morning was extremely popular and I had to keep moving the bike around at each stop. Once past Monte Carlo there was plenty of space.
The conductors were all very helpful. At La Spezia the conductor stopped us from putting our bikes in the last carriage which had the bike logo ( still don't know why). She then took us the entire length of the platform and placed our bikes up in the drivers carriage and locked the side door, so no one could open it which meant we didn't have to jump up and move the bikes each time the train stopped at a platform.

Must say the Italian conductors are more visible and clipped the tickets etc than the french train conductors who I rarely saw. They give you more time to get the bikes on board whereas in France it seems the conductors blow their whistle while your back wheel is still hanging outside the carriage steps. My Rule One now is: just get the bike on the train, throw your bags on board first and always Listen to the announcements and be ready to move to another platform at short notice.
The train journey from Pisa to Rome through the countryside is wonderful, especially the views of the Carrerra marble quarries in the hills. Arrived at Roma Termini station around 5pm and we found our way to our accommodation within an hour.
Lastly; Wouldn't it be nice if all stations followed the french idea of having displays identifying where each carriage would stop along the platform. Makes it so much easier when you know where to stand/sit on the platform with your bike to get on board quickly.

"My Rule One now is: just get the bike on the train, throw your bags on board first and always Listen to the announcements and be ready to move to another platform at short notice.
Lastly; Wouldn't it be nice if all stations followed the french idea of having displays identifying where each carriage would stop along the platform. "

Amen

Thanks for reporting back.

Well 3 years have gone by and we will be back in France in a week, spending time in Lyon, riding along the Loire and training down to Marseille. I've forgotten about the bike situation in Italy.

We need to get from Ventimiglia to Rome with our touring bikes. I can get to Genova with bikes on train and from La Spezia to Pisa and Pisa to Roma with bikes okay. Its the gap in between Genova and La Spezia that is causing a problem. Looking at the schedules none of the RE trains are taking bikes on this leg. Does anyone have an idea for getting across this problem?

Do you want to stop at Genoa, La Spezia and Pisa, or do you just want to get to Rome? There is a direct, no connection train departing Ventimiglia at 6:41a, arriving Rome 2:33p.

But you can call Trenitalia and ask.

Here is the legalese from their Conditions of Transport. You can run it through Google Translate.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms-file/a...o_tcom2014.pdf

Thanks for the advice about the early train. I had set the timing on the site to 8am and hadn't thought about earlier trains ( I'm already in holiday mode :).
The Trenitalia site doesn't show a Bike icon for that IC at 6.41am allowing bikes on though. Its certainly a changed arrangement since we did this exact trip 3 years ago with our touring bikes stored up behind the driver's cabin all the way from Genova to La Spezia
Your question about going direct etc got me thinking about whether there is an alternative route to Roma via Ventimiglia. I will check out other options.

Just call Trenitalia.

A bit difficult calling their number from Australia unfortunately. I have sent an email to them asking for assistance with this leg of the journey.

I've worked out a slower but perhaps more enjoyable route over a few days.

Starting at Ventimiglia or Savona or Imperia ( where we will head inland to a village where we know a couple of people) to Turin to Milan to Florence to Rome. That is doable with our bikes using Regional and Regional Veloce trains with bike icons.

We weren't intending to visit any of these towns but now we might spend some time there. Sometimes a little difficulty can throw up a better solution.

I thought both Savona and Imperia (especially Porto Maurizio) to be lovely places. Out of the beaten path and humble, but worth a visit and for Savona at least, I would like to come back for a weekend.

That's nice to know as we will be overnighting a couple of times in Imperia and were thinking of heading to Savona for a day or two. Ta.

"A bit difficult calling their number from Australia unfortunately."

???

Jean; I won't be in Italy for about a month. I'm accessing the Trenitalia site trying to organise the trip. The number that Trenitalia give does not allow me to connect from Australia. I eventually found an email address and wrote to them about the Genova/ La Spezia route and maybe I will get an answer back some day. I appreciate your help though.