Author: kontahari
Date: 11/03/2006, 06:03 pm
Like many others, let me start off by saying how much I have learned by simply reading. And now I've begun the second chapter of my journey as a Fodorite. I'm so proud to be amongst you. Even though my initial post of this question was on the US board...But alas, life is not a spectator sport...Anyhoo, to make a long story a little shorter I'm running a marathon in Firenze and decided to stay for 10 days to make the most out of a glorious opportunity. Hence, my dilemma. I have found myself in Venice the day before my 650 am flight leaves out of Florence. I've already begun my battle with trenitalia as I have found a 1230 am IC train that arrives in Florence SM Novella around 4-ish. Besides going back in time and changing my flight, is this good? Is there any thing I need to know? I'll be making this midnight journey alone as well. Fodorites, how do we feel about this?

Maybe you already researched it but are there no Eurostar trains that leave earlier in the night instead? The IC train will be slow and not as nice.

Don't do it! There are far too many train strikes and train delays in Italy for you even to think of getting into Firenze SMN around 4 a.m. for a flight at 6:50 a.m. And as a woman, I at least would not enjoy a train ride alone in the middle of the night.

In your place, I would leave Venice on an ES train that got me into Florence in time for a pleasant dinner the evening before my flight. You can definitely stay in a hotel in the center. The airport is not far away, and a taxi should not be too expensive, although you will have to pay a surcharge for that early in the morning.

It would help if you post your itinerary. I agree with the others: too risky.

kontahari, I would never ever plan on a train trip in Italy right before a plane trip home..so I agree with Eloise. I haven't checked the train schedule but I agree, get to Florence the day before, have dinner and spend the night in Florence and take a taxi to the Florence aiport so you are at the airport the time your airline states you should be checking in for your flight. Best regards.

Hi K,

I also suggest staying in Florence the night before.

Too much could go wrong between Venice and Florence.

IC train schedules are only suggestions.

Will there be any cabs or buses to take you to FLR at that hour?

I agree with the others, not so much that taking a train at night is the worst idea, but that you should be in the city you are leaving from, more than a couple hours before your plane flight.

Since you have 10 days, why not just go back to Florence one day sooner?

Kontahari, see the post by MaureenB about her Italian train troubles en route to Nice.

The first time I visited Venice, while in the train station awaiting our train, I saw a white paper stuck to the wall; handwritten in purple felt pen, it said -- in Italian -- there was going to be a 48-hour train strike starting the next day at 1400. Sure enough, we later heard tales of trains stopping wherever they were at 2:00PM and dumping passengers off into fields to find their own way onward.

I used to have a website for looking up planned strikes; it doesn't work anymore. But unplanned strikes happen too. You just can't plan as tightly as you want to do while using Italian trains.

Thanks for the responses everyone. JeanneB, I'll be in Florence 11/24-11/29, Rome 11/29-12/2 and then Venice. Ira, I hadn't checked on bus or cab availability. I was trying to spend at least 2 days in Venice, but of course, not at the risk of my safety or catching my plane. Any suggestions for a cheap hotel in Florence? And since I'm flying via Air France do they have the standard policy of at $100 reservation change fee?

Do I understand correctly that you are booked to fly out of Florence on Dec 4th? I deduced that from 5 nights Florence, 3 nights Rome, 2 nights Venice. Could you break up the 5 nights in Florence?

Ryanair has a flight from Venice Treviso to Rome Ciampino (or vice versa) for 22 euros.

Hi K,

Take a day away from Either Rome or Florence and spend it in Venice.

For very good, inexpensive, basic accomodations in Florence I highly recommend the B&B Peterson.

It's less than 10 min walk from the SMN station.

www.bedinflorence.com

Details in my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044