Navy

We are taking a train in Oct.from Montecatini to Bologna and Bologna to Cesena. Do the trains automatically stop in Cesena? How do you know when to get off....is there a station sign? Can this return trip be done in one day, and find my Uncles grave? Thank-you

tdyls

www.trenitalia.com/home/en/index.html will give you the train schedules.

ellenem

Just had recent experience with this. I traveled Bologna to Cesena in October. My train (let's say the 11:30AM) had three different versions, one for weekdays, one for Saturdays, and one for Sundays (or some similar set of choices). However, not all the 11:30AMs stopped in Cesena. Read the schedules carefully.

My trip between Bologna and Cesena was about 30 minutes on a local train. There are some faster trains that also make the stop. The station is marked--watch for the signs as you approach the station and also on the station platform. On the less fancy local trains there will probably not be an announcement. I had made a note of the station before Cesena so I would be ready for my stop.

Where is your Uncle buried? Again, there are taxis at the train station and also some public buses that might take you close to the cemetery.

I'm not sure how tricky it will be to connect Montecatini with Cesena. . . much depends on the day of the week and the schedule. As tdyls said, check trenitalia.com.

ellenem

I misremembered--Bolgna to Cesena took a bit more than an hour.

Meanwhile, I just checked trenitalia. According to their schedule, you must go

Montecatini to Prato
Prato to Bologna
Bologna to Cesena

Most combinations the site suggested took about 3 hours to do this, with some waiting time at each location.

Check if there is a direct bus from Montecatini to Bologna. Good luck.

Navy

Thanks ellenem. My Uncle is buried at the Cesena War Cemetery. I understand it is within walking distance of the train station. His grave is close to the entrance.I will check out Treitalia

Navy

thanks for the info. I checked trenitalia, there are a number of stations. How do I tell which one I would need?

ellenem

A number of stations? In what sense? There's only one Cesena station that I know of. When I tried the search, I just typed in Montecatini and Cesena. When the schedule comes up, the stations listed in between are transfer points.

Sorry this is so confusing.

ellenem

OK, so I just checked at trenitalia.com and you are wondering which station, Montecatini Centro or Montecatini Terme. We can't guess on this for you since you know where you will be staying. Centro I assume is in the center of town, while Terme is near the spa. You'll have to check with your accomodatons as to which will work better, though if one of the two stations had a better train schedule, I would make it a point to leave from that one.

I tried the schedule for a Sunday in mid-October. There were almost hourly choices in the morning, and each choice required a transfer at Prato and then Bologna, taking 3.15 to 3.50 hours for the trip one way.

One last thing you might need to check is the opening hours for the cemetery you hope to visit. Most cemeteries are walled and some are locked for midday closing.

Navy

Thanks for the info. I checked trenitalia,and there are a lot of listings for Prato stations. How do you know which one to take?

Eloise

You don't have to worry about which Prato station to take; the train from Montecatini goes to Prato Centrale, and the train to Bologna leaves from Prato Centrale.

Enter your point of departure as "Montecatini" and choose Terme or Centro as Ellenem suggested (i.e., the one with the more frequent service and better connections).

The Trenitalia site will give you a number of choices. To see the connections, click on 1., or 2. or 3., etc.

On the detailed connections page, click on the train number (e.g., 3346) of the train that leaves Bologna to see the stations at which the train stops, so that you can either count which station is Cesena where you have to get out(third or fourth, etc.) or keep an eye out for the station just before Cesena so that you are ready to get off at Cesena.

Navy

Thanks Eloise. Between my husband and I we should be able to get there.I would not do well in the amazing race reality show.Thanks