Train from Monterosso/Pisa/Florence/Rome ?
 

Hello,
I need to go from monterosso to Rome in the same day, but wanted
to stop in pisa & florence on my way through for a look around.
Would train be my best option or would it be better to hire a car?

Also would i be pushing it for time to see any of pisa or florence on the same day?
I realy have no idea.
thanks

Quite easy to do by train.

Monterosso - Pisa ~90min, no changes, 1-2 departures per hour
Pisa - Florence, ~60min, no changes, 2+ departures per hour
Florence - Rome, 90min, no changes, no stops, 2 departures per hour

According to Google it is 4 hrs 40 min Monterosso al Mare to Rome. To Florence it is 2 hrs. 16 min. I would forget Pisa been there 2X because of routing and it is not worth it for a short time that you have. You will need to go on Trentalia website to see what the train schedule is. If I had a really short time in Florence, I would just hit the Accademia to see David, and eat at Mario's Trattoria for lunch. Google Mario's. Go to the central market and watch the people.

Florence and Pisa in the same day isnt a good idea.
Florence alone should be 1-3 days...

How much time do you have in Italy?

I stopped in Pisa to see the tower and wish I hadn't. It was one of those okay, here i am--been there, done moments that but took a few hours out of my day to do it. We walked to it and bussed back. If you do stop in Pisa, take the bus to and from instead of walking as many people do. That will help a lot. You'll have to buy bus tickets before you get on the bus just outside the train station.

Unless you find a way to beat the long line to see David, just walking around Florence isn't all that big a deal.

If you choose to make just one quick stop, I'd do Pisa. It is one of those iconic European sites.

You can reserve ahead to SEE DAVID and not have to stand in the long lines. Pisa is a loser compared to Florence. Let Connie go to Pisa, I'll go to Florence and I hope you do too.

You are getting woefully poor advice here.

Just as a logistical matter, you need to figure out what you are going to do with your luggage, especially if you want to see both Pisa and Firenze.

Also, the monuments in Pisa are among the most beautiful in Europe.

I wouldn't bother going to Firenze just to see Michaelangelo's David and eat in a trattoria. Or go to a market and people watch.

Firenze is a major city, jam packed with Renaissance art, and that is the reason to go. If you are a keen student of Renaissance art, and don't think you will be seeing enough in Rome, you might find even a short visit to Firenze rewarding, although you should research ahead of time what you most want to see and make reservations if needed.

You might consider going directly to Rome to get rid of your luggage, and then make a day trip back to Firenze/Pisa at some point if you really feel motivated. If you try to pack both sights into one day, utilize taxis.

Luggage isn't a problem. Main Italian railway stations have left luggage offices ("deposito bagagli") where you can leave luggage for a fee.

My thought was you are only going to have a few hours--not long enough for two stops in one day. You can't possibly do Florence in such a short period of time but you could see Pisa in a short time--people do it all the time on their way to other places.

If you do stop in Pisa, give yourself plenty of time to get back to the station and stand in line to get your luggage out of storage. So many people only stop in Pisa without staying overnight that there are more than usual people storing luggage.

If you have plenty of time for Rome once you are there, it would be worth a stop. If your time in Rome is short, go on to Rome and spend half that day there.

How much time are you spending in Rome. The answer to that question would be the deciding factor in whether you stop in Pisa and/or Florence. How much time is your total trip and what do you really want to see in Europe. Do you want to cruise through as many places as possible or see some towns in depth. Your trip tags indicate that you're also going to Greece, Spain, and France. Decide on your sightseeing priorities and then made decisions on where to go.

While it is true that there are rooms where luggage can be stored in both Pisa and Firenze, waiting on line to deposit the luggage and retrieve it can be time consuming, especially if you are traveling in summer.

Thanks alot for your responses,

We are staying in Rome for 3 nights.

Maybe better off to leave monterosso in the morning and

go directly to florence for the day then on to rome?

We will have backpacks so luggage shouldnt be a problem.

I would at least eyeball the left luggage room in the train station in Firenze and if it looks quick and easy to drop your bags, do it.

I believe you will need to buy separate tickets, not just use the same one for the entire trip, because once you validate your ticket in Monterosso, I think it's validity will expire. (I'm not sure about this. Maybe someone else will chime in.) But check before you go. If you end up buying tix for Monterosso-Firenze, and Firenze-Roma, please note there is more than one train station in Firenze -- and you don't want to have left your luggage in one station when you are leaving from another.

I don't know what poster ZEPPOLE knows or what is important to Him/Her, but to see DAVID is an amazing experience. We will be one day in Florence on a cruise and have already been to Florence and seen DAVID and the only thing we want to do on our 1 day in Florence is to see DAVID and go to lunch at Mario's I cannot believe people are saying go to Pisa instead of Florence.

Mary,

Obviously if all you want to do in Firenze is see David and eat lunch at Mario's you aren't much interested in most of what Firenze and the Renaissance was about -- so of course you can't believe people are recommending Pisa.

quote from: zeppole Also, the monuments in Pisa are among the most beautiful in Europe.

What are those monuments? Why have I never heard about them before? Please tell me because we will be in Lucca, avoiding Pisa this May, 2009. But if you can direct me to those wonderful momuments, I would change my plans and go see them.

zeppole, we only have a very short day in Florence, what else would you suggest? We do have to eat lunch and we like the market.

I've had plenty of short days in Firenze over the past 10 years and seeing David never makes the cut. I'd much rather see Ghilberti's doors, the Cappella Brancacci, the Duomo, the museo San Marco, the interior frescoes at Santa Maria Novella and the Cappella Medici. Or even walk in the Boboli gardens -- or have a bombolini in Caffe San Marco. And I think the market at San Lorenzo is a tourist trap.

I've got no problem with you having the day you like in Firenze. But Pisa has some of the most beautiful architecture in Europe whether you realize it or not.

Where, where where is it in Pisa? You didn't tell me where it is or what it is.

ZEPPOLE where have you traveled and where do you live? I am suspecting that you live in Pisa. Maybe you have a little restaurant in Pisa. I live in the USA and have traveled to Italy 6 times. I would still go to see David in The accademia 4 more times