Transportation in and between places in Italy
 

Hi
My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy in the fall. I have booked all of my hotels and am having a difficult time figuring out the best modes of transportation to use in and between the places we are going to visit. Here is my itinerary

Flying into Milan
Milan to Cinque Terre (staying in Riomaggiore) -2 nights
Riomaggiore to Tuscany region (staying in Regella)-4 nights
Regella to Venice- 2 nights
Venice to Lake cuomo- 2 nights
Lake Cuomo to Milan - 1 night

Any information and suggestions regarding train travel and car travel would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks- Wendy

Train to Riomaggiore
Pick up a car in La Spezia and drive to Reggello (unless it is a Saturday afternoon or Sunday, then you must pick up the car at Pisa airport).

After that, it is hard to give advice without knowing where you are staying in Lago di Como.

For train schedules and fares check www.trenitalia.com - for general info on Italian trains check www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com- this one great info on discounted tickets for long-distance Italian trains like Venice to Riomaggiore via Genoa, Florence or other routes.

You need no car in the car-less just about 5 Terre or in Venice or Lake Como (boats go everywhere you want) - so rent a car like sandralist says above and return it in Florence or Pisa, etc then train to Venice, another car-less joy place.

This person places ads for the same travel company on every thread or forum they post on. They make it look like help, but it is an ad.

First of all, IMHO, you are going to spend more time getting there and less time being there. It looks like you have 12 days in-counrty and you are visiting five places. Two nights somewhere equals 1.5 days being there then you must depart for your next destination.

You mentioned you have booked some items, so have you booked your air tickets? If not think about flying into Venice and home from Milano. This strategy eliminates time consuming backtracking. Plus, flights departing Venice depart EARLY in the morning often before public Just a thought...

The Trenitalia website can help you plan all of your transportation needs. One thing, I would not book any train upon arrival Milano because the flight could be delayed or clearing Passport Control or Customs may take longer than usual. You can buy train tickets at Malpensa, take a taxi, or use the Malpensa Shuttle bus once you've collected everything.

buon viaggio,

You can use regional trains to go from Milan to cinque Terre and those need no advance purchase - just get to Milan Central station and with a valid ticket hop on any regional train - there are many on that route - doing the IC train on a walk up basis would not break the bank either for that run.