Yet another Italy train question
 

Ok, I've read the posts about trains in Italy and I have some of our trip figured out. Well, actually one leg... I'm so confused about train stations! We're flying into Milan and taking the train from the Nord station to Como, then a hydrofoil to Menaggio.

1) I'm thinking of taking the 14:13 train to catch the 16:20 hydro: does that sound doable time-wise?
2) Does anyone know how much the hydrofoil costs?
3) How do I get from Como to Siena? I'd like to take the Eurostar, but the Traintalia website won't give me the times unless I know the name of the station, which I don't. I clicked on the stations tab in their website but nothing happened, and my guidebooks don't tell me the name of the stations. I've searched online to no avail. I'm trying to find out the times at which the trains leave Como as well as the cost (probably 2nd class).

4) Then I need to get from Siena to Sorrento, which looks like a train to Naples then a boat to Sorrento, but again I can't find out the schedule without knowing which train station I'll be using. Most communities seem to have multiple train stations!

5) Last I'll be travelling from Sorrento to Rome, same problem!

If anyone can help untangle this I'll be eternally grateful!!!

1. Yes, that is possible timewise.
2. Sorry, not exactly, but not more than 15 Euro, possibly much less, especially if you're not bringing a car along.
3. The Eurostar does not stop in Siena. You will have to get off in Florence and then change trains via Eboli. Or take the bus. The train station for Siena is just "Siena" and Como's is simply "Como".
4. Fastest would be Eurostar which you'll need to pick up in Florence again (Firenze Santa Maria Novella station) and take to Napoli Centrale station. You can then follow the signs in the train station to the Circumvesuviana station and take that local train to Sorrento rather than busing or taking a cab to the hydrofoil terminal.
5. Sorrento to Rome: take Circumvesuviana back to Napoli Centrale and take the Eurostar to Roma Termini.

Grinisa;
May your children be strong and your life be long and happy! Thanks for your help!!

Re Grinisa.

Buy that woman/man a beer!

Hold the beer..if you change trains in Eboli you won't get to Siena! You can either change trains in EMPOLI to get to Siena from Florence or you can get one of the direct trains from Florence which runs straight through to Siena without changing.

I hope you enjoy riding in the enclosed hydrofoil because unlike the regular ferries that what it is.
My advice for your trip from Menaggio to
Siena is as follows:

1) Take the ferry from Menaggio over to Varenna. The trip takes about 10-15 minutes.
2) Take a taxi (or you can walk if without a lot of luggage in 10-15 minutes)) up the hill to the RR station..if there is no taxi waiting the ferry ticket office folks will call one for you.
3) Take a train from Varenna to Milano Centrale..they run about every two hours and the trip takes not quite an hour and a half.
4) Change in Milano for a Eurostar service to Florence.
5) Change in Florence for Siena..either direct service or changing at Empoli (from a train going on to Pisa)..this trip also takes about 1 1/2 hours.
6) Don't listen to my advice and try changing in Eboli or anywhere else...we'll see you somehwre in Europe a couple of years later!

Bashaw: <<<I clicked on the stations tab in their website but nothing happened,>>>
Trenitalia still hasn't fixed that yet!
What you do is just go back and type-in the station name as it appeared on the tab.
Example: Verona will give 3 stations but you can't click-on any of them. But go back and type-in Verona Porta Nuova and you'll get the timetables. Regards, Walter

The name you need for Trenitalia train station in Como is "Como S.Giovanni" and in Milan is "Milano Centrale".
Trains of Ferrovie Nord Milano travel from and to
"Como Nord Lago" and "Milano Nord Cadorna".
Their services can be found within the Trenitalia site.

Hi Bashaw,

You might want to take the bus to Siena, as it stops near the center of town, while the train is a very long walk.

The SITA Bus station is on Via S. Caterina across the street from the train station at the corner of Via della Scala.

You say Empoli I say Eboli let's call the whole thing off! LOL, I knew that didn't look right when I typed it. Empoli is of course correct. Thanks for the beers guys/gals but this lady prefers prosecco.

Ok, I was just about to ask about Eboli!! Intrepid, your advise sounds interesting, I'll check it out! Grinisa: is 15E correct for the hydro? That sounds low! BTW, I dislike beer, but I'll take a gin & tonic!!
I'll also look into the bus, sounds like less of a hike with luggage!
Bashaw (female, btw!)

bashaw,
make certain that if you want to have a reserved seat to buy your tickets in advance...As a matter of fact, if you know exact dates of your trips, you could buy all the tickets at the same times

( the)

Like I said, I'm not sure exactly on the price of the hydrofoil; it's been about seven years since I've been on it. But at that time, it was less than 10 dollars, possibly for two people. It's not a very long trip.

ttt does anyone know how much the hydrofoil is?

Now that the name has been addressed, you might look for a copy of "Christ Stopped at Eboli", which would make for very interesting and enjoyablereading during your train tips.
We are very fortunate to have so many people willing to help.
Grazie

Bashaw - The Como-Menaggio fare is €8.50 - or was 5 months ago.

But the hydrofoil from Como takes an hour. Why don't you go via Varenna instead? It's quicker ...

If you go via Milano Centrale, you could catch the 14.15 from there and be in Varenna by 15.20.

From Varenna it's only a 10 mins. ferry ride (€2.50) to Menaggio. They are pretty frequent - you'd be in Menaggio by 4p.m.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Steve, I think that Bashaw's 14:13 Ferrovie Nord train leaves direct from the airport, whereas to connect to the FS train to Varenna he or she would first have to commute into Milan proper from Malpensa airport.

Thanks Sue. I thought he/she was catching a 14.13 from Milano Cadorna ...

My mistake :(

Actually Steve it might be mine! I re-read Bashaw's first post and I might have jumped to conclusions, since the reference to the 'Nord' station is a bit ambiguous. If Bashaw is stopping off in Milan first, your answer is correct. Happy travels.

Yes, I'm spending one night in Milan, then going to Menaggio. Thanks for your suggestion, Steve, that might be a better plan!