DarcieM

Looking for some insight regarding traveling between these cities with luggage---
Is travel by train with luggage reasonable---what should we expect?
Are day trips readily available to destinations outside of these cities? If so, recommendations are most welcome.
Thanks to all!

Dukey1

How MUCH luggage? Have you ever BEEN on a train? Anywhere?

You should expect to <B>carry your own luggage</B> on and off trains in Italy. There will be room to store luggage in racks over the seats (depending on the size of the luggage) and at one end of each carriage. Sometimes there is room between seats.

birder50

I can't comment on day trips from these locations but did do that route a couple of years ago so can tell you that if you have a reasonably small amount of luggage (as in a bag of whatever size you can pick up yourself) you'll be fine on the train and walking to your hotels. Venice is a bit tricky only because of all the bridges where there often aren't ramps so you have to be ready to pick up your bags for 3-5 steps up and then back down again...not a big deal until you realize that depending on where you are staying it can be a whole lot of ups and downs! The other unexpected piece we had was also in Venice in that our rooms were on the 3rd floor, but because they consider the ground floor 'zero' we hauled them up 4 flights...which felt long after our flight over from the States.

In Florence I knew we had booked into a B&B that actually tells you how many stairs you have to climb to get to their place but they helped and it was worth it for the price and location.

Hope you have a good trip!

birder50

Yes, I'll agree with Dukey1 in that there won't be a ton of room on the trains and unless you're comfortable with leaving them basically unattended at the end of the train car you're in, you'll want to be able to get them into the overhead racks on the trains. Pack wisely.

DarcieM

WOW! Thanks for all these great response!
Are taxis readily available for transport within cities?

HappyTrvlr

A 21" piece of luggage will work best on trains.

DarcieM

Thanks to HappyTrvlr---recommended luggage size was my next question.
Any other suggestions for traveling between cities if we don't go by train?

KayTKay

DarcieM, I traveled with my daughters on trains between all these cities. Often we needed to put our luggage in the bins over our heads on the trains. We would help each other lift the bags up there. On some trains there was luggage storage at the end of the car, but I preferred to have our bags closer to us.

I had a carry on size bag so it wasn't too difficult. My daughters brought larger bags but they are younger and stronger than I am!

We found train travel to be pleasant and easier than expected.

Taxis are plentiful in Rome. We didn't need one in Florence as the walking distances are all pretty short - but we saw plenty of them. Of course the only taxi's in Venice are water taxis - they are extremely expensive. The water bus system in Venice is easy.

ethylene

On some trains you can book a first class ticket which gives you more room for luggage.

Dukey1

Sorry, but the difference between First and Second class trains is more often the number of seats in each car. The overhead luggage racks are the same but there won't be as many people using them. The spaces for luggage at the end of the cars are about the same. in some cars there may be additional floor-level racks for luggage.

There are various strategies for maximizing your ability to store luggage on trains. the first one is be one of the first people to board, especially if you are boarding at a station where a train begins its journey, such as in Venice or in Rome.

cokesmith

We never travel by train in Europe mainly due to our luggage situation. We're photographers and the gear alone is what most folks carry just for their normal luggage....And we have double that. We travel by car. For our family, the car is FAR more convenient and actually less expensive than train tickets for the entire family. Trains are VERY inconvenient and you miss so much of Europe when traveling that way. Driving is a pleasure in most places and I have driven in most Italian large cities and with a GPS, it's an adventure! Just be ware of the Zona Trafico Limitado!

HappyTrvlr

You asked about day teips from the three cities. How many days will you be staying in each one?
I wouldn't add a day trip from any of the htree with less than five days in each of those wonderful cities.

kybourbon

>>>Trains are VERY inconvenient and you miss so much of Europe when traveling that way.<<<

I totally disagree especially for Venice/Florence/Rome. Trains are very convenient in much of Italy and cheap. They transport your from city center to city center usually. You are not allowed to drive in any of these cities (ZTL - restricted to residents and people with permits) so a car would be useless.

This is a pic of 2nd class on the fast trains that run between Venice/Florence/Rome. You can slide a suitcase behind your seat because of the way the seats slope (the area is big enough for a 24" case place flat on the floor or a 30" duffel - see white part of seats in pic). Most people don't make use of this space. There are also overhead racks and end of cabin racks.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ssainterno.jpg

mamcalice

Train is by far the best way to travel. Bus or driving are the other options and why would one want to have a car in any of these three cities? As for luggage, pack light using one 21" roller bag and you won't have a problem storing your luggage on trains or getting on and off with it.

As for day trips, it would help to know when you are going and how long you will stay in each city.

nytraveler

Train is convenient between cities. If you want to see countryside car is better.

For trains you need to be able to life your luggage onto the train (my be up 3 steep, narrow steps and onto overhead rack or store at end of car.

DarcieM

Great info---thanks to all! Having just started our planning, we'll probably be spending 11 nights total. Any suggestions as the best time to travel? We are considering fall or spring---perhaps September???

cokesmith

I've always found the best parts of Europe outside the large cities...Hence our tendency toward cars rather than trains. I see so many exhausted, frustrated tourists lugging their bags for miles in the cities. Of course you would never need a car inside those three cities at all, and I would try to drop off the car I suppose if we were to stay in a city for any great length of time, but there is so much to see in between. Here is a 2 week trip travelogue that we did just a few weeks back with a rental car, which also included Florence, Milan and Rome. Granted we picked up the car after we finished Rome... We visited places pretty far off the tourist map that were incredibly beautiful and rewarding...most of which would be nearly impossible to do without your own transport.

http://cokesmithphototravel.com/ital...fe-safari.html

cokesmith

And timing is everything for those cities. We were in all of them during the last week of June through the first week of July, and the crowds were absolutely horrible. Truly I would never go back if I were facing those crowds again - very unpleasant time fighting for space and views with thousands of tourists literally everywhere. Evidently August and the winter holiday season is worse from what we heard. Hopefully someone here can tell you the best times to avoid the world's worst crowds...After our times in the cities this time, we all promised ourselves never again...Now the countryside was far more pleasant - far more - loved it! And the places we visited in Spain the following weeks were much better with respect to crowds..

DarcieM

Thanks Cokesmith!

StCirq

Trains in Europe are fabulous. Of course you travel on them with luggage. If you're smart, though, you have only luggage that you can easily haul up the stairs into the train and lift over your head to get it into a compartment. For me that means a bag no bigger than a 22" rollaboard.

And yes, taxis are readily available in every city, including water taxis in Venice, but it makes a lot more sense for most travelers to figure out the local transportation system and use it - saves time and money. You can also use trains and buses to get out into the countryside (not to the extent you could with a car, of course, but there are still infinite possibilities for easily getting out of the cities).

July and August are normally very crowded, and can be swelteringly hot, in Italy.